Need advice on 3500 purchase

[dirthawger]

New to the forums, I apologize if this is the wrong place to post this. Im in need of a truck that will pull my 5,000lb tractor and 10,000lb excavator, my f150 just won't do it. I've done it once and only once with the tractor. So I found a truck and need to know if y'all think it's a solid deal or not. It's a 1996 dodge 3500 turbo diesel, extended cab, manual shift, 2wd dually with 360,000 miles on it for $3500 but will take $3000. Im going to test drive it tomorrow but it looked and sounded solid. The seller said only issue it has is a small oil leak. I've talked with some guys at work and they have all said that that year model engine is a very good one and a small oil leak is to be expected on an older truck. Also said if I keep my oil changed like I should then I could get 500k+ miles out of it. I do not plan on it being my primary means of transportation, only to haul equipment to job sites. ALL honest opinions, good or bad welcomed. I don't know much about diesel trucks but when he fired that rig up it just sounded like a beast ready to hammer down, haha.

 

[dapepper9]

Problem is the miles. People ignorantly swear by the cummins without actually checking them over. "They'll go for a million miles!" Well yeah but so will a PROPERLY MAINTAINED gas engine. Being diesel doesn't mean anything more longevity wise really. What you don't know is what kind of miles did it get in that 300k+ lifespan? Was it used and abused or was is it a long hauler that spent it's life on the highway with a trailer? Was it some old guy's church daily?

Chino and blowby check would need done to verify if it's even worth your time. Engine may sound fine but be in fact worn out which will cost you several thousand more

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

I would definitely spend some loot to have a veteran diesel mechanic look at it with you.
It does sound like a good deal but be aware, diesels can hide alot of issues that you can't see or hear without tools so drop some doe on a good mechanic for a couple hours. It'll cost around 200$ for a diesel tech to go over truck bumper to bumper. That's the best advice I can give you. Good luck bud, keeps us posted.

 

[Shady]

I would definitely spend some loot to have a veteran diesel mechanic look at it with you.
It does sound like a good deal but be aware, diesels can hide alot of issues that you can't see or hear without tools so drop some doe on a good mechanic for a couple hours. It'll cost around 200$ for a diesel tech to go over truck bumper to bumper. That's the best advice I can give you. Good luck bud, keeps us posted.

X2 ^ Get it checked by a reputable diesel wrencher. Diesels and gassers do require maintenance to keep them on the road. Those miles could be problematic if it was abused.

Higher maintenance costs for diesel vs gassers? While You will hear that some have actually experienced this. You will probably hear more of this bias perpetuated by fellas that have limited to no personal experience with Diesel engine trucks. I can say from 40+ years of experience, that it is largely fiction IMHO. sure, my diesel uses 3 gallons of oil (every 10-15k miles), but the maintenance costs are less than the other 3 gas engine vehicles i own, or for any other gas vehicle I've owned. Diesel engines are generally 30% more efficient than gas engines. More torque, and they are certainly longer lasting, in general. What percentage of gas engines make it to 500k miles? Heck, what percentage of gas engines make it to 360k miles... without being rebuilt?? A good diesel truck will cost a bit more to buy. But, with all things considered, you get that value out of them and more. My 1999 ram CTD 2500 sold last year for 4K over book. It was just a short bed, 2wd, mostly stock.
I don't see how A comparable Mid mileage gasser would not have held its value like that, even with bombing the hell out of it.

So, I really am not trashing the gas engine trucks. I just get tired of hearing so many "facts" about diesels from folks that don't drive-em.

Gas engine trucks certainly have their place and like any type of vehicle, will serve you well if you don't exceed their capabilities, and if you maintain them properly.

If you need to frequently tow heavy, I'd certainly take the claims of high maintenance and other bias with a grain of salt and consider a diesel.

Good luck with your search.




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[jlbayes]

What is a minor oil leak? Did they say the area the oil leak was from? It is likely the timing case, front main or tappet cover. Timing case nor the tappet cover is very fun to change and fairly invasive to replace.

Diesel fuel is a lubricant. This is the reason they last so much better and are more sensitive to clean fuel.

I'll 3rd taking someone that is familiar with diesel engines. Even better if you can find someone that is familiar with ppumped 12vs.

 

[dudeman2009]

Everyone else has covered it pretty well. Unless you have to fill the oil every 3k miles, I wouldn't let the leak worry you. I'll give you a million dollars if you can find an over the road truck with more than 50k miles that DOESNT have an oil leak. They still run for an insane amount of time. Preventive maintenance for any engine is key though, you'll want to make sure that things haven't been patched poorly instead of fixed.

It's common in my area for people to slap crappy second hand parts onto their diesels (Not Cummins specific, powerstroke and duramax guys do it too) because the proper fix is too expensive. But that can go for any car.