I bought my truck about 2-3 years ago. The odo read abot 280K although it was broken when I got the truck so who knows. The truck was towed home and I went to work and put it on the road about last spring. The truck is used for business so I didn't spare anything it needed. My question is...When do you call it quits and look elsewhere? Here what I have in the truck to help your input.
1)Tranny built with kevlar clutches, kolene steels.
2)Brand new front driveshaft about 2 mo. ago.
3)New brakes all the way around.
4)New rear hub bearings and seals and one speedy sleeve.
5)New u-joints in rear driveshaft.
6)New kingpin bushings, bearings, axle seals and 1 new kingpin.
7)4" exhaust turbo back.
8)Guages
9)Class 5 hitch used twice.(need new wiring)
10)New front springs
11)Skyjacker Nitro shocks.
12)Helwig load pro 25 helpers in the rear.
13)Driver's side floor, both rockers, cab corner.

The truck performs flawlessly except is in need of a starter, it's unpredictable. I would drive this truck anywhere provided I had some wire and electrical tape to repair any fusible links. The cab has no floor stiffeners (cab is sinking)and the front inner fenders are almost completely detached from the truck. I wanted to get a body donor and swap cabs and beds but I can't find any that are worth swapping. I use the truck everyday and rely on it for work so I wonder if I should just look for a 2nd gen to replace it. However, if I do this than I'm starting fresh with a truck I know nothing about and I have a ton of money wasted. Even with the new stuff I'm still going to need a t- case rebuild, countless seals, perpetual wiring issues and body work. So I fear I will never be done. I just can't help but think it's penny-wise, pound-foolish running a business out of a 16 year old truck.Any opinions? Thanks.

 

I think you ought to keep it. My test for when to get rid of a truck is this: Can I buy a better truck for what it will cost me to fix this one?

You will never be "done", but I bet your repair/maintenance costs on average are about half of a new truck payment.

2nd gens are kinda flimsy compared to 1st gens. Any 12 valve 2nd gen is at best 9 years old, and I wouldn't want to rely on a 24 valve truck. You're going to have to work on whatever you get, unless you're thinking of a brand new truck. 1st gens are much easier to work on.

 

True enough. And no I'm not thinking about a new truck. The new emissions stuff doesn't impress me. Also I just bought a 06 hemi durango limited so one payment is enough.

 

i feel your pain im at the same point has you are here is what i think

if you keep it you dont have payments but you got some repair
if you buy another newer truck youre gona have payments + repair
the repair costs are less on a 1st gen but for a guy who has a company you could put a lot of that payment on expenses but
1st gens are built to do the work or 2 2nd gens

 

You're right, it would be tax deductible and that helps alot. I do all my own repair and I don't mind it except that when the truck doesn't run it costs me not just time but money and frustration of having to to work all day than come home and work all night on the truck so it is ready the next day. I think that I will just keep it though because a truck that's paid for is one of life's simple pleasures and I have a lead on the body parts I need. Besides if I go a little further there shouldn't be anything major left to go wrong. Also you can do alot of repairs for under the $600-$700+ payment it would cost to get into a truck that doesn't need any work.

 

Reliability, fuel economy and easy/cheaper maintenance were the reasons I bought a 1st gen. Could have bought a new one. I figure even with the addtional money I've already put into it along with the initial outlay (comparatively speaking) I'm still way ahead, and getting farther ahead every day.

You just have to be ready to accept the maintenance issues. There is a point of diminishing returns somwhere around where Wanna said. There is also point of increasing returns where you get ahead of it. Then keeping the old vehicle on the road starts to really pay off. It is not real clear exactly where those points are sometimes.

 

Probably just needs starter contacts. Common problem easy fix.

 

for the 3-4k you'de have on a downpayment on a newer truck, you could buy a second 1st gen and have 2 . i agree with wanna on this one, only 2nd gen worth having is a 12 valve and you won't get one thats still in warranty. so you will be paying for one plus have to keep it running. not a good deal. just take the mindset that you're ahead of the game with what you have even though it won't always be the most convenient thing.

daryl

 

I'm glad I there is such wisdom on this site to tap into. I like the idea of a second first gen. The only thing better than having a first gen cummins would be having a spare one I guess. I guess I'll keep her. Unless of course it starts costing me about $600 every month in repairs, which I know will never happen. You can definitely justify alot when no payment is involved. My next task will be convincing my wife I NEED the compound turbos and DDP stage 4's.LOL

 

Yeah she's running a little hot. you NEED the turbos to cool her down and make her last longer.... it's really an economic thing.

 

dont get me rong im not saying to get rid of the old girl i no ill never be able to do the work i did with my 1st gen with any other truck out there but i was at the same crossroads has you and right now im shopping around for another better 1st gen that has extended cab because this year im supposed to buy some appartment complexes and i would keep the one i got for snow removal and the hard work i need done cause believe me these tanks will pull alot of weight and its better to put some scratches on a 5000$ truck than on a 30000$
by having 2 one would do the labour and one would do the fun

 

Oh yeah and you can get the starter contacts and solenoid rebuild kit here.http://www.fostertruck.com/dodge/

 

That's beautiful, I never thought that compounds could really be justified but that is the closest I think I'll ever see.

 

How do I know if I just need contacts? Sometimes the starter makes horrible groaning, grinding sounds like the bearings are shot and than other times it's fine so I don't know. I would rather do the contacts but if the bearings are shot I might aswell just get a new one. Maybe the groans aren't bearings and just the motor current struggling across a big gap????Maybe????

 

Hard to say without pulling it out. That place also has a brand new starter with the super contacts already installed. Kinda spendy but you'll never have to do it again.