After reading some of these threads,,,,it seems to be foolish to buy this truck. It has 105k miles xlent cond...$8k...
It appears the future (exspensive) issues are lift pump/injection pump & trannys,,,,are there any more?

Is there a long term fix on Fuel Inj pump? aftermarket? $
Is there a long term fix on lift pump?
Is tranny designed for failure or based on useage?

What say you?

 

Necred,
You don't actually say much about the truck you are looking at other than low mileage, good condition and $8k. With just that information a lot of us are going to say 'that sounds like a good price for the truck'.

Every vehicles ever made has some kind of problems. In the 24valve trucks, unfortunately the injection pump can be a problem. If you leave the fuel system stock and don't put it on a chip, the fuel system problems decrease in frequency but don't go away all together. Lift pumps are a different matter, there are lots of after-market solutions to keep your IP fed with a nice healthy supply of free flowing, cool diesel. Next you ask about transmissions, for most of us who have left things stock, the transmissions aren't too much of a problem. That being said, something went horribly wrong in my transmission last spring and I had to shell out $7k to get it rebuilt by a reputable guy. The truck is almost 15 years old so things are going to wear out.
Keep in mind that you are reading a site where we come when there are problems. Judging the quality of a truck on a website where we diagnose problems is kind of like judging the health of a city by looking in the emergency ward at the hospital. You don't walk into the emergency ward and say wow is this a sick city because everyone in the emergency ward is sick. People only go to the emergency ward when they are sick. Same thing here. Only a teeny, tiny of a fraction of a percent of 2nd Gen Dodge owners in all of the world actually post on DTR, but almost everyone who posts on the forums does so because something isn't working well. Just keep in mind that these forums can give a skewed view of the world.

Now, as you can tell, our 2nd Gen Dodges with the Cummins are not without fault. The front ends are a little weak for the weight of the engine, the VP44 injection pumps are less reliable than we wish, many people say Ford has nicer cabs. On the flip side, GM and Ford also have their issues.

Sorry I can't give you a straight answer but $8k for a low mileage 2nd Gen Dodge with pretty good body condition sounds like it is somewhere between a good deal and a fair price.

 

thanx for your imput,, I haven't seen truck yet,,,i go tom...Its had 2 owners, one for 3 yrs & one for 12....The pics are flattering from the outside...Who knows this may have the 53 block too? That will be the deal breaker,,,I realize all have inherit issues but the searches seem to show more not "if" but "when" will these issues arise?

... I don't want to be afraid to go out of town,, I did consider taking to auto store & get them to scan see if any codes come up, I read that 1688 & 89 are pump or lift problems..Maybe ill quit looking & keep my gasser?

If you spent 7k on tranny, I can assume every weak link was replaced..?

 

To be fair, I would walk away from a 53 block too

 

$7k on a tranny would replace every single weak link on the tranny and build it for >500HP - considering if your truck is stock it has 235hp it will be fine. The tranny goes when you add HP - left stock it will last just fine. You can do everything from $2k rebuild through 8k replacement depending on your needs. I added power and it still lasted to past 100k miles - then I put a quality piece in and haven't looked back - that was 100k miles ago and it is still strong as ever. Oh, I've also replaced my IP once too and am >200k so just be prepared. Sounds like a pretty good deal.

 

Codes can be read by flipping key on and off three times, and then back on. Look at the odometer.

 

SeaDrive - I do think I got taken to the cleaner a bit on the transmission but the guy was highly recommended by a lot of local Dodge owners. There are so many shady transmission shops and no really good way to tell who is good and who is bad, so I went with local recommendations. I wasn't very happy when I got the bill but I also have to take the blame because I was in a hurry (about to travel) and although I am pretty good with wrenches I have never been inside a transmission and don't really have the facility or equipment to R&R a transmission so I went the 'pay someone to do it' route.

Live and learn.

 

Probably a bit high but if you're happy and still paying the other bills, no harm done. I had the ability to R&R my own (friend with a lift) so I went that route.

 

How about this. The auto tranny in stock form is junk. There, I said it.

As far as the horrible expense of lift pumps and vp44 pumps. Get a good aftermarket l.p. and you won't have many problems. And if you think the vp44 is spendy, throw a set of injectors at a 3rd or 4th gen truck. Ouch. Also, when your VP pump fails, it's an inconvenience, as opposed to an injector failure taking out 1 or more cylinders, bearings, etc.

I have had problems with my 01 for sure. However, it has worked hard every day of its life, so there are trade offs. That said, I haven't put 1/4 of the money into that unit, compared to what has gone into the 05. And the 01 has double the miles on it. The 05 is a 1 ton mobile coffee shop. The 01 is a service truck running around at 12k lbs every day.

Pick your poison, and remember, unless it has a 53 block, which in 01 is doubtful, newer is not always better.

 

Mileage is a good indicator ONLY IF the truck has been properly maintained and not been abused. My 01 had 172K on it when I bought it and has been a company owned work truck all its life. Rode hard and put away wet, but maintained. I had to replace the lift pump ($600) and overhaul the tranny ($3200) so far. The point is 200K miles is the ball park life +- for about any vehicle when taken care of.

 

Just check it out real well regarding the stuff you have read and use your findings as a bargaining chip...
My friend Rick has an 01 with about 40K original miles on it with a 53 block. He tows a trailer with it and hasn't had any issues but he treats it like a baby chick.

That 53 block at such low mileage would be a deal breaker for me, however, finding a 24 valve engine for under 2 grand would get the wheels turning. Easy swap out....