Potential 3rd gen Cummins purchase

[IrocRam]

I am not currently a Dodge owner but I have owned 4 Dodge trucks before (I Dakota and 3 2nd gen Rams, one with a 24 valve Cummins). So I am no stranger to dodge. I am however, a stranger to the 3rd gen. Just looking for suggestions and things to check as I start my journey of looking. I will post specific deals potentially if I find anything.

I'm looking for a 4 door 1 ton but would settle for a 3/4 ton 4 door. Would prefer a long bed but a short bed is fine for my needs right now. Also looking for a 5.9 common rail. I don't know how dramatically different the 24 valve 2nd gen and common rail 24 valve is, so that's where I need the help.

What are deal breakers automatically on these trucks? Milesage doesn't scare me but I would prefer to find one under 300k miles. I am pretty mechanically inclined and have done a lot of work on many different cars throughout the years. I currently have a 1997 F250 with a 7.3 powerstroke. I like the truck, but I'm a Dodge guy and would like to get back into a Dodge. I have done injectors on the Ford, tuning, fuel pump, and all kinds of work to it.

Currently, if I have the time this week, I'm going to look at 2 trucks. One is an 03 4x4 3/4 auto with a 5.9 short bed. Slift lift. Maroon in color. 164k miles and a recently rebuilt auto transmission. They are asking $13k OBO.

The other one is an 04 4x4 3/4 long bed 4x4 with a 6 speed manual. It has 252k miles and they are asking $14000. This one isn't lifted which I think is a plus because it's less likely to have a bad suspension and steering issue, but it still could have one if not maintained properly. I'm favoring this one despite almost an additional 100k miles simply because it's a long bed and it's manual. I love the ZF5 5 speed on my Ford.

Just getting a sense of what I'm looking at with both. I am going to be selling my Ford and was hoping to sell it before buying some thing else but a good deal is a good deal.

 

[BWL]

Check the front end for sure. They like to eat ball joints especially if it has bigger tires. Vent pipe when running for blow by. Obviously drive it and run it through all the gears to see how the transmission shifts.

 

[MADDOG]

By the time you get to 2009 you'll see very few 5.9's and most trucks will have the 6.7L in them with the early DPF systems. Shy away from those unless you are willing to shell out some bucks to delete that system and do some programming.

I agree with you that the manual is more desirable but if an automatic has been recently rebuilt it will work fine for a long long time.

The front suspension is probably the weakest area of the third gen trucks but it's much better than the previous generation. Ball joints for both trucks are probably needed unless one of them had 'em replaced recently.

I would lean towards the truck with fewer miles unless the older one has been better maintained. Not having been lifted is a plus, IMHO.

Good luck with your choice.

 

[IrocRam]

You can do the cap test on these right? Where you take the oil cap off and if it lifts the blowby is excessive?

And I'm not too worried if it needs some front end work. I'm mainly worried about transmission, engine, rear end and injection pump. Which brings up another question, what injection pump is on the common rail and are they as bad as the VE's on the 2nd gen 24valves?

 

[IrocRam]

So I have a new question. I drove the 04 with the 6 speed. I am not a fan of the shift pattern. I had trouble finding 5th and 6th. Accidentally hit reverse area and grinded it. 6th was kind of hard to find. I don't think it was the transmission, it was just unusal for me as I've only ever driven 5 speeds. And, it seemed gutless until 4th gear, and even then it didn't seem too powerful. My 97 F250 with a 7.3, 5 speed and 6" lift is quite a bit more powerful and quicker than that truck was.

I'm passing for sure on the truck. There is clear evidence of trying to cover up something, probably water damage. I think it's a hurricane Harvey truck which a lot of those were sent to Phoenix.

I mainly just wanted to drive the manual and see how it felt. Personally, I think I'd rather have an automatic in this than the manual.