Imagine paying $40,000, if not more, for a brand new work truck that’s full of plastic and almost certainly wouldn’t come with four wheel drive. Or you could head to Lander, Wyoming to pick up this 1986 Dodge Power Ram W250 4×4 for about a quarter of that price, and use the money you save on gas. Thanks to Russ Glantz for sending in the original listing, which you can view here on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $9500.
At first glance, this pickup doesn’t look like it’s spent 40 years on a ranch in the American West. Sure it’s dirty, and the seller mentions some dings and paint chips, but neither appear too prominently in the photos, and fortunately, neither does any penetrating rust… even underneath, which the seller was gracious enough to include in the pics. With 69,000 miles on the odometer that makes some sense, but this truck has obviously been taken care of its whole life, and it no doubt has a whole lot of life left.
This Power Ram comes with the 5.9 liter 360 cu. in. V8 kicking out up to 185 horsepower and 320 lb.-ft. of torque. Combined with the stout 727 3-speed auto and the aforementioned 4×4 drivetrain (plus a “Brake Controller for trailering”), and this truck is capable of hauling just about anything just about anywhere. The seller also says that the truck has new tires, brakes, master cylinder, and exhaust, so flying out to Wyoming and driving it home isn’t out of the question, either.
Are we sure this is a work truck? The very 80s beige on beige plus more beige interior is in amazing shape for any used vehicle, let alone a 40 year old workhorse like this one. The dash and pad look great, the bench seat looks great…the seller doesn’t mention any interior upgrades, so we have to assume it’s all original and it looks to be all intact. The radio doesn’t work, but apparently everything else does, including the a/c. All of the glass is original, clear, and without cracks, and there is a Duraliner bedliner in the back. I almost want to say just a little bit of elbow grease could turn this Dodge Power Ram into a pretty nice survivor/driver, but it seems like an honest day’s work is its true purpose. Where would you rather take this truck, cruise night or the job site?
Not sure I welcomed chrisr to the group, a lot of new writers, as self appointed greeter( no Walmart doesn’t have that anymore, I checked),, welcome aboard. And thanks for the truck.
1st, this old gal been around the block, I bet every rodeo and cow feed lot west of the Mississip,,that trailer brake and HD hitch is the key to many, MANY miles. Who knows how many times that odometer been ’round, but shouldn’t matter, really, it’s still a good old truck. Price new trucks lately? My house in the 90s cost less. Makes something like this an unbeatable find, yet,,,,ONE offer doesn’t make a lick of sense. I’d say this would be very popular on farms in the upper Midwest, but there aren’t any anymore. Great find, despite no interest.
As long as it’s mechanically sound, I think $9,500 is about fair for the price. It looks to be in good condition otherwise, and it has a long bed on it. One minor flaw these Rams had was the red tint in the taillights. After years they always faded and ended up looking pink.