1) Is Davis Off-Road in Richmond a reputable dealership? I stopped by today and got a pretty good vibe and it definitely wasn't a pushy sale, which I was into. That said, is it everything the staff made it seem?

2) Are the 92-97 F250 and F350 trucks harder to come by and therefore more valuable or about the same value as newer '01-'03 models? They have a couple of nice "96 and '97 F250s right now with some great modifications (everything I would do to a truck: solid axle front, 9" lift, swampers, gears, lockers, etc) but their pricing is well over blue book. For instance, KBB on a '97 F250 Diesel with some upgrades selected and 100k miles is $10k and yet Davis is asking $14.5K. Granted there is alot of mod money in these trucks, but I try to pay less than $.50/$1 for mods when buying them already installed. That and neither truck is perfect...but both are very clean/nice.

If someone could help me out that would be great!

 

The only comment I have is for question 2. The $1/mod is pretty ridiculous If you have ever modified a vehicle before you know parts cost a lot. Then if you can't install stuff on your own, mechanic fees are a lot. I do my own work so my time is also worth something when I sell a car.

With solid axle swap, gears, lockers, etc that alreading is $4.5k in parts alone. So their asking price seems reasonable.

 

i have heard many great things from davis off road. i even called them out of the blue and asked them a question and they answered it over the phone. when i redo the lift on my truck ill def be using them for a BIG lift. ive seen many trucks they have done and they have all turned out amazing.

 

Didn't mean to be confusing, take a look at it again. I said $.50/$1. That means I am willing to pay 50 cents on the dollar for what the mods cost new. So if they spent $10k in mods, I might consider paying $5k above the value of the stock truck because of the mods.
Thanks for the input. The more I look at it, I know the money has definitely been spent, I just don't know how much I really want to spend.
Thanks!

Yeah, it definitely was a better feeling than I had anticipated. I thought JW would be more high pressure...but he was very laid back and kept telling me he wanted me to find the right truck for me....even if it meant waiting or not buying from him at all. He also said he would be happy to discuss the different methods of lifting trucks, etc with me when I came back again.

 

Were the parts on the truck new? I thought they bought used trucks and installed all new parts on the trucks. That will allow people to wrap all the parts and installation into the financing. Buying from them will be a little different from just buying a used truck from a private owner. I still think some of their stuff is overpriced, but they sure do look good and I see a lot of people with thier trucks.

 

No, the parts and truck are all used. I get the impression this swap is somewhat recent and he told me the boggers have about 1k miles on them.

Apparently its a 2 owner truck, the 2nd owner having installed the parts and owned the truck for 60k miles. It was his weekend/play toy.

I figure its bound to be over-priced as its a car lot, Im just wondering by how much and if they would negotiate with me even more. I'm not trying to overpay especially when people are hurting for $$ everywhere, it should mean Davis is more likely to negotiate to move a truck.

 

Davis is a good place, One of my good friends is good friends with them and I have heard nothing but good quality stuff from them

 

Davis does amazing work. Lifting is what they do. Their prices are always right on what the vehicle is worth plus the mods.

 

Thanks guys!

I ended up buying the truck, and its pretty much exactly what I wanted. After a chip, intake, 4" exhaust, and possibly a built tranny...it will be perfect. However, thats $6k away.

I would definitely recommend buying from JW @ Davis Auto Sales to anyone. He was straight forward and full of advice for me as both a first time diesel buyer and first time lifted truck buyer.

 

Davis is real good with all their work. it MAY SEEM high but all the work is done by them and done right!