New here...
I am looking at buying a truck for very long term...maybe until I croak.

I want to buy an older (early-mid nineties), 4x4, four door diesel, and I'm stuck on what to buy.
From the reading I have done over the past month or so, I can see the cummins are pretty much the best motors, when compared to chevy and ford.
I also like the fact that the 12V cummins has less electrical's, as I will be doing most of my own work.

I will be towing a race car/enclosed trailer of about 6500lb for long distances.
I plan to keep this truck, so whatever breaks...it will get fixed or replaced. Plan to keep it pristine.

How are the tranny's? Reliable and strong?
Are there other things about the dodges I need to worry about? Like transfer cases or rear ends?

The problem is this.
You cant find these in four doors. The extra cabs are **** rare too.

Whereas, I can find an old, say, chevy with all my requirements for thousands less...

Someone recommended I buy a chevy, and when the engine goes, transplant in a cummins.

Is this practical? Extremely expensive? Common?

This decision is a tough one, and I appreciate any wisdom you guys can share.
matt

 

buy a 12 valve dodge with a 5 speed trans and you will tow that with no problems and very bullet proof combo, from what i hear the older dodge auto trans are the weak spot, i have a 1994 with 5 speed and it tows a 6000lb camper like nothing, i had a 1995 chevy for the same reason as you stated(price was way less) that thing was a turd compared to my dodge and the dodge gets better mpg im getting 15mpg towing my camper at 75-80.

 

96-98 manuals

are the easiest to modify, most power gains out of mods, and come standard with the desirable 215 horsepower pump..., again it all links back to the same reasons stated before desirable...

6000 lbs behind that truck and engine? u will feel it, but once u get rolling, man its cake..

Rick

 

I liked the cummins, but i was VERY scared of the auto tranny in the 96-98s i was looking at. What I did was touch base with the tranny shops in the area where I was buying the truck waiting for one with a freshly cratered stock automatic, hoping the guy would sell cheap rather than pay for the rebuild. In the course of doing that we stumbled on a 96 with a new suncoast with Lockup torque converter and it is GOLDEN. I would tow anything anywhere with it. I have had in excess of 2.5 tons in the bed and towed a 4000 lb trailer to boot. No problem. With the chevy you will get what you pay for.

Easier to swap out the tranny for an aftermarket one than stick a cummins in a chev.

 

12v cummins engines swap into just about anything as long as it can support the weight of the cummins, but it is alot of work.

Personally id just buy an ext cab 96-98 cummins.
My 96 has 358k miles, and an auto transmission and still running strong.

you could always buy the truck and put a full 4 door cab on it

 

I tow an 8500 pound 5th wheel with my '97 Dodge with a 5 speed manual. It's obvious there's a load behind me, and sometimes in the mountains it would be nice to have a 6 speed, but overall absolutely no complaints. Mileage runs 12-14 mpg towing at 65 - 70 mph. Go for the Dodge or Ford, stay away from the earlier GM diesels. Personally I prefer the Cummins diesel in Dodge over the International in Fords - it seems easier to work on. Just personal preferance. I know many Ford owners that are very happy with their outfit.

 

just buy a 98 12v, they have 4drs

 

Forrest,
I would but the 98's are going for way too much money.
I was looking to spend a bit less then 10K...I know this may not be reasonable...

I found a 95 chevy dually with 4x4 and 4 doors for 4K. It has 217K miles.
I know the motors are not that great, and the cooling systems are inadequate, etc...Heck, the crank isnt even forged.

I just now found a 96 cummins with extra cab with a little over 300K miles for way less then 10K. It would cost me about 2K more then the chevy...and with more miles...

I am kinda thinking that even with that many miles, it should still last me pretty good, if well cared for...right?
I'm even thinking that with over 300K it is still a better bet than a 6.5 chevy with over 200K...whatcha think?

Thanks for all of your help guys.

 

You will not regret buying a Dodge w/the 5 or 6 spd many tranny . The pre-Duramax diesel engines in Chevys were a piece of junk , 8 to 12 mpg unhooked and lower hooked , poor power. And prone to breakdown . Also you might re-consider the Dually . If you read the mfgers towing specs for mid 90's Dodge the 4 tire CTD has a 600lb towing weight edge over the 6 tire (both with CTD and manny tranny ). As far as towing goes you wont know the load is back there until you pass a 10k load .The Dana 80 rear in mid 90's CTD's is a massive hunk of Iron and will hold up under lots of use . A 3.73 gear would have been really nice compromise however it wasnt an option.

 

I prefer the Cummins engine over the International. My friend has a Powerstroke and it has around 190,000 on it and the only thing he has had to do is change tires and fluids, but he doesn't get near the mileage a Cummins does. Now my truck has about 148,000 on it and the engine runs great (i'm dealing with a little blow by issue) but the rest of the truck is wearing out. I'd like to put a Cummins in a Ford personally.

 

Go for the cummins, but you need to talk him down in price.
I got my 96 ex cab long box automatic 4x4 w/ matching topper for $6000 plus tax and it had 356k miles on it... plus i got it from a dealership.
they were asking $8995 for it. AND CARFAX confirmed it only had one owner.

 

300K?

got a friend with 380K on the clock, and it runs just as good as a brand new truck, if its well cared for, and for a lower price, id just go for it...

Rick

 

Yeah, but.....the dually has a higher GVWR, which comes into play if the trailer one is towing is a 5th wheel or gooseneck where the truck carries a significant portion (15-20% or more) of the trailer's weight as hitch or pin weight. The only reason the manufacturer's "trailer tow rating" is less for the dually is that it is computed as GCWR minus curb weight, and the dually's curb weight was higher.

Rusty

 

if you buy a chevy, it's gonna eat you up on fuel, injection pumps, engine rebuilds

if your budget is $10 or less, I'd get a club cab Dodge and or save some more money... you can pay now or you can pay later, but usually when you pay later, you pay more and it's pretty inconvenient too.

if you get a 4x4, make sure the front end has been rebuilt or budget that into your price

 

I know about the injection pumps.
My plan was this...
Buy the chevy...getting four doors in the process...for around 3500 dollars...maybe putting a grand or two into it for reliability sake.

Suffering with the mpg and power for a couple of years (although, you can wake them up with exhaust and such).

Then, find a used cummins and swap it in. I can find a used engine for around 2000 or so. I would have a shop do it, as it is a lot of work from what I understand...prolly to the tune of a few grand...(still looking for a shop around here that can do it).

But, then I would have a four door AND a cummins...the perfect pair

At that point, in a couple of year...I would have put out about 5K for the truck and another 5 for the cummins swap. For 10K, I would have a four door cummins.
You cannot buy a four door cummins, 4x4, for anywhere near this price...more like twice this price.

whatcha think?