mikemc53

OK, very new to diesels and know little about them. Looking at three potential purchases and whatever I get will be used to tow a travel trailer (35 ft about 11000 pounds) of some sort. The three vehicles (all 4WD, Quad Cabs) are:

2006 3500 5.9, auto, 115K miles (small dealer who gets their cars from auction). Carfax shows 1 owner and mileage seems legit but I know little about the truck other than this dealer pays to have all of their vehicles undercoated and detailed so they, at least show well. Not sure about the mechanicals on this yet - haven't been out to drive it. This one is the long bed.

2004 3500 5.9 (been told it is the HO but haven't seen it yet and will check), auto, 134K miles. New shocks, tires, ball joints, u joints, axle joints, fully built trans (triple disk torque converter) the owner described this as “bullet-proof”, tires, smart s06 tuner.

2004 2500 5.9 (not the HO), auto, 87K miles. Seems clean and it is at a dealer that I haven’t been able to visit yet.

First of all will the 2500 with the older 5.9 pull the trailer easily (spec wise)?

Also, is there anything that I would need to look for, specifically, on any of these units or with the 5.9 truck, in general?

They are within a few thousand of each other with the 04 3500 being the lowest.

Being new to this I am a little leery looking at these, though I would imagine it’s like checking out gasser as far as test drive, fluids, undercarriage, etc.

Anything that stands out to anyone on these three, or any red flags with these models?

All help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

m-o-p-a-r

What is your location?
If the owner can produce documentation for the tranny/converter in the 3500, that would be a nice bonus. Physically crawl under the truck and look at the tranny, the install, and if you can, remove the inspection plate and look at the converter. I don't believe there is a triple-disk converter available that doesn't have a machined front cover.

For towing with an auto, the converter is your most valuable tool.

And, that Smarty will test it! LOL

If I could verify the tranny/converter in the 3500, I personally would lean that direction. Even though, with the Smarty, and beefed tranny, you know that truck has been worked/played hard.

I would steer clear of the 06' because of the "auction vehicle", and undercoating.

The 87k mile 04' is definitely worth a look if the miles are legit!

Numbers would need to be known for more input.

Just my opinion which ain't worth snot as I bought a lemon a few months ago!!!! LOL

m-o-p-a-r

Also, be aware, injectors for the common rails are HUGE money!
I had no idea before I purchased mine they were so expensive. I got bit, and needed injectors. $3k hit on top of the purchase price of the truck. I thought I got a smoking deal @ $15k.
I have easily spent another $5k since purchase only 3 months ago. Not such a good deal now that I am in to it for $20k.
The bummer is, the truck "seemed" to run beautiful on the looong test drive. I didn't notice the subtle issues caused by dirty/clogged (and later proven to be oversize) injectors until well after I owned it.
$3k later (just parts!), it runs like a new truck. But, the wife still looks at me crooked! LOL

HighTechHick

As an 2004 2500 HO owner, I would probably go with the 04 3500 with the tranny rebuilt.
My father-in-law has an 06 3500 SRW QC LB and pulls a 32ish ft 5th wheel. (so much better than his previous Checvy 6.0L 2500...)
With the 04, you would have less emissions to worry about. (not a lot more on the 06, but still more).
however, one really cool thing on the 06 vs 04 is you have 2 "tow" modes on your shifter. I can't remember exactly what the difference is, but it is nifty.
here is a link that should help you with towing and weight capacities of different versions of the 04 - I don't think much would have changed between the years.
2004 RAM Pickup Payload and Towing Charts
Also, is that 04 with the tranny upgrades an early or late 04? this will make a little difference in the power of the engine. (HO is the only version on the late 04, early OF had standard of 250ish HP and HO is 305, late 04 is 325).
also the torque is a little more on the late 04 - 600 vs 555.
the late 04 - early 07 transmissions changed a little as well, just some more electronics on them that are better for towing downhill as well.
maybe with a trailer that size you would want to look into an aftermarket exhaust break anyway.
are all 3 trucks long beds? I've heard that does make a difference when towing a 5th wheel, but I do see a lot of guys with the standard bed as well.

Things I would check for would be any leaks (engine tranny and diffs), blow-by, a lot of rattling (these trucks are pretty quiet compared to the previous gen), make sure ALL the electronics are working.

bring a multimeter with you and/or a trailer plug tester. make sure all the trailer plug pins work. (if a turn signal isn't working, you will more than likely need to replace a relay inside your fuse box - doable, just a pain).

make sure you can turn the air inside all the way on high and then change the air to your feet and up to defrost. I've seen trucks that can't change when the air is on high - some motor going out for that.

also ask when the front bearing/hubs have last been replaced if they know - these are heavy trucks and even good quality hubs will need to be replace pretty often. (4 or 5 years ish).

all those trucks have really low miles! almost rare finds.

good luck!

mikemc53

Thanks guys. I'm in Michigan, by the way, near Port Huron.

That "smart tuner"...I'm not familiar with tuners. What impact do they have on towing ability?

HighTechHick

The smarty is considered one of the best tuners for these Dodges.
I use my Edge Evolution mostly for monitoring boost, load and tranny temp. I leave it set on an Economy mode - not sure if it helps because it makes the truck faster... lol

Grit Dog

A good trans rebuild will be bulletproof, but I'm not a fan of the 4 speed autos, especially for towing. Too much rpms change between gears. If I was buying a 3rd gen again today, I would get a 6 speed manual like I have or go for a 6.7L, deleted, with the 68rfe 6 speed auto.
Of the 3, if you can prove maint records on the one with 87kmi and the front end is tight, I'd probably go for that one. Otherwise get the 04, as most everything that may needs repair around 100k has been done. I'd judge the owner pretty hard though to get a feel if the truck has been ragged on or just well built.
I would plan on injectors possibly on any of those if they have not had additional fuel filtration. Got less than 120kmi on my injectors with stock filtration. $2k+ for good injectors and 6 hrs shop labor or not too bad to do yourself if youre a decent backyard mechanic.
As said, the Smarty S06 is considered the best tuner for these trucks and can add significant power, but I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor. Whatever you buy, if it's stock and feels a little weak once youre towing, any of the popular tuners can be had, used for $2-300 and will give you a good bump in hp and torque that you can use and not thrash the truck if youre careful about it.
Good luck with the purchase. They are all good trucks.

Grit Dog

One of my aversions to buying a 10 yr old truck in the rust belt would be...rust. Look over the whole truck carefully and consider expanding your geographical search area to states that don't get much snow.