Buying Guide for 2021-2022 TRX?

[Krewton]

I found a low mileage ‘21 with 10k miles level 2 and the color I wanted (around $80k). Absolutely love it and don’t think I would exchange for a different model year right now. I could’ve gotten a ‘22 sandblast with 6k more miles but $10k more but the model year and color did not justify for me. Yeah you’ll prob have to do recalls, I did a few with mine, but find a good ram dealer and it should be effortless. Hopefully you find what you want, but when I was looking back in September, sounds like your price range (less than 70k?) will be 25-30k plus miles. Which still isn’t terrible but make sure you research the trucks maintenance history. If you can afford closer to $70k, I would do it for lowest mileage possible. You never know how hard the previous owner ran the truck for 60k plus miles. Good luck and keep searching on sites like cargurus, autotrader, etc. When you see something that matches all your criteria, don’t hesitate to at least look at it.

Also save around $2500 for IGLA + Compustar security if you don’t find one with it already installed.

 

[TrxWannaBe]

Thank you all very much for your help.
I've done a couple test drives on some 2021-2022 around 70k, avg 67-45k miles. and hopefully honing in on one.
I'm wondering if it's worth doing a Pre purchase inspection, given that the trucks are relatively new and local.
I also haven't seen any rec's to get a PPI when doing basic searching, but I'm glad I did one for my HC, so open to hearing everyone's thoughts.

 

[MurderedCat]

I bought a 2021 in August and so far no issues. Mine had 7k on it, up to 17k and she's perfect. No clunk and no tranny issues yet.

My buddy just bought a 21 with 60kish and no issues either, other than a bubbled dash. Oh yeah, make sure the dash isn't bubbling/peeling.

 

[Louk]

I'm wondering if it's worth doing a Pre purchase inspection, given that the trucks are relatively new and local.

Depends, how mechanically savvy are you?
Few threads floating around the forum of used purchases only to find out it has been modded to the ragged edge and is on the verge of blowing up.
A dealer can plug it in to see if its been tuned, worth it knowing what your buying.

If you feel confident that you can spot mods, then i would say no. otherwise have someone look it over to ensure your not buying someone else's problem they unloaded before the engine/trans gave out

 

[Airmousam]

Great thread...Might be the most polite and appreciative OP I've ever seen..Thats how it's done.. Nice job and good luck finding your truck.. cheers!

 

[TrxDailyDriven]

Would I pay for a ppi. No. Not on a car that’s not an exotic. Bring a friend who knows cars if you’re not comfortable would be all I’d do. I don’t see repairs being in the 20k range where a ppi would be more important. Save that money for mods.

Definitely good luck finding a truck. Shopping imo is half the fun. Let us know what you get!

 

[TrxWannaBe]

Thank you all, I've driven 4 TRX's now and I've found someone to do a PPI. ($150)
Here's what I'm looking for when I do test drives, feel free to chime in if I'm missing anything

1. Is the vehicle modded? You can ask the salesman but there is no point. nearly 50% of the completely stock, we don't touch modded cars, etc were obviously modded with things like new air intake boxes, filters, pulley's, and/or tacky visual mods. I always pop the hood before getting into a TRX.
2. Noticed rust on the bolts that are attached to the strut (I think?) on the passenger side strut in the engine bay, directly under the coolant tanks, Every single one of them have had this. My guess is coolant leak occurred and hasn't been fixed.
3. Check the shocks and suspension themselves, 1 was in terrible condition and sagging.
4. Check exhaust, see if it's stock
5. Check for any cords running through the firewall that could have been used to connect to ODB sensor.
6. when driving check for any odd noises, or lack of noise. One truck's supercharger was very slow to activate it seemed?
7. Check brakes, already had one that was completely toast and just wouldn't stop. Legit took 3 whole truck lengths to stop from 30MPH
8. Check suspension and ride feel. 1 TRX was very smooth and the other three felt like being in a ship in a bad storm.
9. obviously maintenance, repairs, recalls, records etc.
10. Haven't noticed any lean with the TRX's yet.
11. check the engine bay for debris or mud. 1 had caked on mud well into the engine itself.
12. I always check for visual mods as they can sometimes be signs of further mods which may or may not be present.
13. Check coolant levels and color. One was a cloudy pink with a layer of what looked like dirt on the bottom.
14. Poke around in the performance pages, sometimes you can find evidence of the car being tracked or raced.
15. check for any obvious signs of axle boot leaking, oil, coolant, etc.


I'd love to be able to find the follow
1. if the PCM has been replaced, since I think that's how people are tuning them? if not, any other way I could easily check for a tune?
2. Any easy way to check if a TRX has been jumped off a dune or something?
3. anything else I should be looking for?

Other notes:
Only one dealership required a credit check or proof of funds before test driving. They had the worst TRX thus far, and if just show up they may let you test drive anyways.
I would advise against completing a financing app to test drive a car, but your mileage may vary.

 

[RedEyeTRX]

Thank you all, I've driven 4 TRX's now and I've found someone to do a PPI. ($150)
Here's what I'm looking for when I do test drives, feel free to chime in if I'm missing anything

1. Is the vehicle modded? You can ask the salesman but there is no point. nearly 50% of the completely stock, we don't touch modded cars, etc were obviously modded with things like new air intake boxes, filters, pulley's, and/or tacky visual mods. I always pop the hood before getting into a TRX.
2. Noticed rust on the bolts that are attached to the strut (I think?) on the passenger side strut in the engine bay, directly under the coolant tanks, Every single one of them have had this. My guess is coolant leak occurred and hasn't been fixed.
3. Check the shocks and suspension themselves, 1 was in terrible condition and sagging.
4. Check exhaust, see if it's stock
5. Check for any cords running through the firewall that could have been used to connect to ODB sensor.
6. when driving check for any odd noises, or lack of noise. One truck's supercharger was very slow to activate it seemed?
7. Check brakes, already had one that was completely toast and just wouldn't stop. Legit took 3 whole truck lengths to stop from 30MPH
8. Check suspension and ride feel. 1 TRX was very smooth and the other three felt like being in a ship in a bad storm.
9. obviously maintenance, repairs, recalls, records etc.
10. Haven't noticed any lean with the TRX's yet.
11. check the engine bay for debris or mud. 1 had caked on mud well into the engine itself.
12. I always check for visual mods as they can sometimes be signs of further mods which may or may not be present.
13. Check coolant levels and color. One was a cloudy pink with a layer of what looked like dirt on the bottom.
14. Poke around in the performance pages, sometimes you can find evidence of the car being tracked or raced.
15. check for any obvious signs of axle boot leaking, oil, coolant, etc.


I'd love to be able to find the follow
1. if the PCM has been replaced, since I think that's how people are tuning them? if not, any other way I could easily check for a tune?
2. Any easy way to check if a TRX has been jumped off a dune or something?
3. anything else I should be looking for?

Other notes:
Only one dealership required a credit check or proof of funds before test driving. They had the worst TRX thus far, and if just show up they may let you test drive anyways.
I would advise against completing a financing app to test drive a car, but your mileage may vary.

Great points. 2X plugging in and confirming the ECU has not been cracked with a tune. (@Louk ) Tune is the most obvious sign of mods. Cheers !

 

[Two]

I am naïve enough to think the owner(s) would have taken care of the recall's already? I know I can check but I just assumed after 3-4yrs they would have been done. Honestly I'm more worried about lingering issues from the 2021 year.

With two '21s that has had no issues except for one's dash, no lean, no clunks, I wouldn't be afraid of a '21.

As I recall there's only one recall on them, the tailgate, which I have ignored since they latch just fine. But both have a complete lack of service history. That's because I wouldn't trust a dealer to clean the outside of the windshield, let alone something more complex like an oil change.

 

[TrxWannaBe]

Great points. 2X plugging in and confirming the ECU has not been cracked with a tune. (@Louk ) Tune is the most obvious sign of mods. Cheers !

Is there a way I can check if the ECU has been cracked? Or is that something only a dealership can do?

 

[Louk]

Is there a way I can check if the ECU has been cracked? Or is that something only a dealership can do?

Visually some tuners put a sticker on the seal line to indicate.
If they did not do that, the only way is to plug in and it will show a “P1400”

 

[GC34]

Is there a way I can check if the ECU has been cracked? Or is that something only a dealership can do?

OBD scanner and check for permanent code P1400

 

[MagaTRX]

Love to hear this! Anyone have 100K+ on their TRX? Curious to hear how the hile miles are doing. 2021's would be great because I can buy L2+ for the price point I'm looking at.

I have 168,000 on my 2021 Trx and I’ve never spent a dime on anything Maintance wise except a course or oil changes and I also added like 200 hp to it about 10,000 miles after purchase

 

[TrxWannaBe]

OBD scanner and check for permanent code P1400

Wouldn't that just throw a check engine light too?

 

[TrxWannaBe]

Update: taking a break from my new part time job of researching and test driving TRX's, and provide a short update.
I've now driven 5 TRX's this last two weeks and here is what I'm finding

Are people just completely trashing these trucks? I know the whole Fear the third hellcat owner stereotype but only 2 have had more than 1 owner.
These TRX's all clean titles, all no accidents, no theft, and 1-3 owners. (usually 2)
Prices have ranged from 68k-76k with the 75k having the most issues somehow.

Problems and mods I've found on completely "stock" trucks.
1. CAI (not really an issue unless it's done poorly)
2. leaking exhaust where it appears someone hacked off the mid mufflers/resonators
3. 5x coolant leaks under the overflow reservoir (a common problem I know)
4. busted or really trashed suspension, (super floaty or feels like you are on a trampoline with the small dip in the road)
5. totally faded breaks, (one test drive took two TRX lengths to stop the truck at 30MPH, despite having the break pedal totally down)
6 several having fading or nearly blacked out tints (fixable I know)
7. Ripatuned Incognito Lower Damper on a 'stock' truck.
8. cloudy, pink, and/or very low coolant in both coolant tanks.
9. just the shittiest graphics, stickers, decals, and DIY logo's you've ever seen. (not a problem just funny)
10. one truck def had something up with the supercharger, it was very quite and didn't seem to activate until putting your foot down for 15+ seconds?
11. I swear to god I heard a turbo spooling on one of these trucks, but I cannot prove it.
12. missing windshield wiper blades (found out after it started raining)
13. Service active dampening suspension, (the suspension and ride felt really bad)
14. Oil catch cans (again, not necessarily an issue but would have been nice to know)
15. Extra large lifts (not always bad, but I don't need it lifted, and this one had the suspension issue)
16. a warning I didn't quite catch but it said to avoid off road maneuvers.
17. all manner of after market wheels and ties, of varying quality's.

Ride quality of the trucks seems to be all over the place, with really only 1 truck feeling like it was riding correctly and felt like a MSRP of 95k truck.
Does not seem to matter if the truck was purchased at auction, traded in, or a street purchase. These dealerships have been large multi chain groups or even smaller Dodge/RAM only dealerships.

All of these TRX have been T1 and above, with the avg MSRP being 86k.
I've looked at dodge and non-dodge dealers, dosen't seem to make a difference with what the condition of the truck is.
Miles have ranged from 71k-26k and ironically the 26k had the most issues.

this is of course ignoring the usual BS of dealerships (you need to fill out a credit app to test drive our truck, and no we don't do PPI's, or sorry we just sold the truck, but how about a F150 or Subaru outback?)

What I don't understand is high 60's to mid 70's seems to be more than enough to purchase a used TRX from looking at cargurus, so it's not like I'm driving the bottom of the barrel trucks. If I need to pay more so be it, but paying more dosen't seem to be gaining me anything better, as the 75k truck I drove was the worst of them all.

Weirdly enough, paying anything less than 84k for a TRX seems to only get me the same year, condition, trim level, number of owners, and even color, but slightly, and I mean slightly less miles, but costs anywhere 6-15k more money. That is, it's not as if I should really just be prepared to spend 80k to get a truck of specific color, or trim, it just seems completely all over the place.
I thought hellcat shopping was bad, but the avg condition of hellcat's I drove was much better than these TRX's. Maybe I'm unlucky in Colorado?

I'll admit I'm focusing mostly on trucks in Colorado since I can easily do a day trip to anywhere in the state without needing extra time off. Frankly given the condition of the trucks I've driven I'm concerned about trying to purchase one sight unseen out of state, even with a independent PPI.
It's also made more difficult by the fact that I'd like to trade in my current hellcat for the TRX and the offers have been all over the place. the trade in functionally limits me to a range of approx 500 miles since I'd have to drive my trade in to the dealership.
At this point I'm seriously considering trying to purchase a different vehicle since evidently most TRX's I can easily by have had a rough life and have not been repaired.
Rant over, thanks for everyone's help and advice.

 

[TRXMIKE]

Find someone who paid in full that is getting out of one, if you can, you will see better results. When people don't plan to actually pay for things they are rough on them. Why because it is the banks problem such a crap way to live. Hope you find a good one as the TRX is where it is at but I think I would have a hard time going used. Especially after my fresh ordered just for me TRX I own damn that was a good day.

 

[IdahoKTM]

I'm really picky about used trucks and you just described what I've gone through every time I bought a used truck. It normally takes me months to find something up to my standards.

I did look at two used TRX's. One was totally trashed even though it had 17k miles. The exhaust sounded like crap, lots of oil leaks, interior looked like the truck had 100k miles, and it wasn't as fast as I thought it should be. The second one had 9.5k miles and was in much better shape. It was totally stock and it was much faster than the first one. It had 3 strikes against it. 1) It was a Canadian truck, so the warranty didn't transfer. 2) It had been in a accident. 3) It was a Level 1 truck.

Just be patient. There have been more than a handful of TRX's sold by members of this forum over the last year and a half that I would have jumped on had I not been able to buy my Lunar Edition. One of them was less than 30 miles from me.

 

[SandBlastard]

I'll admit I'm focusing mostly on trucks in Colorado since I can easily do a day trip to anywhere in the state without needing extra time off. Frankly given the condition of the trucks I've driven I'm concerned about trying to purchase one sight unseen out of state, even with a independent PPI.

Sounds like its your location. Look where you are, Colorado. Geographically, there is more opportunity to trash this truck than say somewhere in the Midwest or the plains where its mostly open roads. Not saying it doesn't happen in those places but it's not the norm or the extreme.

Many of us bought out of state. This was my first out of state vehicle purchase. It wasn't preferred, but like you, I couldn't find anything near me. Like Idaho mentioned, patients is the game. It's a TRX not a Corolla. Keep your eyes open but don't dwell on it. Took me 6 MONTHS to finally land my Sandblast. Contacted countless dealers and dealt with their BS. After a while you can weed out the bullshit and move along quickly. It was worth the wait in the end. My truck is BAD ASS.

 

[Claasicdrive]

21 has the old uconnect screen..look at '22 and newer imo

 

[2017REBEL]

Hi all!
I'm heavily considering trading in my Challenger Redeye Widebody edition for a 'lightly' used 2021 TRX.
2021's seem to be the best deal near me, avg high 60's to mid 70's.
I've seen the thread on issues with the 2021, but I couldn't find a buyers guide anywhere.

The only serious concerns I have for the 2021's is the transmission issues and driveshaft clunk.
Clunk seems be a relatively cheap fix by ordering a new after market one, and or using the grease someone else posted here.

Transmission issues give me pause for serious concerns.

Questions:
1. Is the 2021 that bad of year to avoid, because of the manufacturing defects/issues?
2. outside of having the truck pre-purchased inspected by a third party, anything to look for on 2021-2022 TRX's?
3. 60k+ seems to be the avg miles on these TRX's at the price point I'm looking at, I know coming from the HC's, that's not an issue for the engine. Any preventative maintenance that needs to be done, outside of the recommended from the manual?
4. How many miles would you'll be comfortable purchasing a used TRX with?
5. Extended warranty options: are there enough 3k+ issues/repairs that regularly occur on these trucks to warrant it?

lastly, I saw pictures of spreedsheet floating around issues from (I think) the 2021 launch. Any chance there's a read only link to that spreedsheet somewhere?

Thank you al!

Don’t fear the 21’s Uconnect 4 seems to be more reliable. I have. 21 with 47400 miles however I did have the heads replaced under warranty recently no issue otherwise plus I have the drive shaft replaced from Ram when the new recall recently came. FYI I may be interested in selling mine for 73k with extend warranty almost 2 yrs left and 75k total mile warranty. Level 2 with Harmon, adaptive cruise towing package, towing mirrors rolling up cover in the back, black color with front windows tinted no other mods.

G
2021