I have found a really awesome looking (clean and well-maintained) 2001 2500 long bed 4wd quad cab. Asking price 21500. Has been turned up some by Performance Diesels. 45000 miles on it now. Fully optioned Laramie 6 spd limited slip trailer tow etc. Stout ranch-hand bumpers front/rear, MT wheels, Rhino liner spray in bed, on and on. Even the right color I wanted: white ext with black leather interior! I was driving on my way to go to a Dodge dealership and saw this truck on the way there.

I am going to go drive it tomorrow morning...had been leaning towards a 3rd gen but this truck is really exceptional. I feel like the used truck is a heck of a deal. I am having a real hard time trying to decide whether to just go ahead and jump on this truck or continue trying to get into an '03 or '04 3rd gen truck.

Any input from 2nd gen owners? I know ultimately it's what I want to get, but I like both body styles and feel like the 3rd gens are sufficiently improved to warrant a move that way. This is really an awesome deal though...

 

This sounds like an EXCELLENT truck !!......has a lot of extras on it and is loaded......you will not get into an 03 or 04 for that kind of money. Having the 6 speed - this truck will be a H.O. (dont know if that matters to you or not). If you can handle the more noise a 2001 makes - go for it. It is an excellent truck and will serve you well. If I had to make the choice I know which truck I would choose.

I have a question for you.....What makes you feel that the 03's/04's are so much imporoved over the second gens???

If you are considering this truck.....I would suggest going over it with a very fine tooth comb....taking it to a good diesel shop for a once over would be money well spent. Things I would specifically look for (other than If it was ever in an accident) are: check for a #53 block, check if the pump wire has been tapped (or if any fueling box has been added), pull off the intake hose on the turbo and make sure the impeller doesnt have any oil or dirt on it, spins freely and doesnt have a lot of play in it.....Also, note what kind of oil filter it has on it, if it has a Fleetguard or an "approved" filter you can assume that the previous owner took reasonably good care of the truck.

One more thing, if your not gonna buy it PM me and let me know where it is....Thanx...

 

In addition to the above, it would probably be a good idea to take the VIN to a Dodge dealer and have them run it.

This will pull up any red flags regarding warranty work,
and any TSB's that have been done or need to be done on it.
And they can give you a build sheet so you know what it came with off the lot.

Chances are if it has been "turned up" then there will be some warranty issues, unless the previous owner never had it in to Dodge for service.

As a happy owner of the last of the "real diesels" , my recomendation is to get it and hold off on a 3rd gen for a couple years.


phox

 

One more thing that I forgot to mention.....take it to Dodge or some place that can read codes (Autozone apparantly will do it) and have them check to make sure there are NO codes showing......

 

All good suggestions and will be followed through on. I was leaning towards a short bed and this one is a long bed but that really doesn't bother me too much. I am almost positive it has a fueling box on it though (will find out soon) so I am probably going to have to be my own warranty station if I do purchase it.

I was actually looking for a truck that had not been modified at all (stock) since I am not really too much into modifying the engine and drivetrain. Usually the only things I would consider doing would be opening up the fuel delivery plumbing [reducing restriction]and a good AFE air filter but that is about the extent of mods I would ever do. Typically for enhancing mechanical reliability and fuel mileage.

This is one thing that people should consider when radically altering their trucks...I think many guys would rather buy a used vehicle that has not been modified in any way, since can never really be sure about warranty issues, damage to the engine [running way too hot exhaust gas temps from heavy fueling etc.] and these things will not be readily apparent from a cursory inspection. These trucks were never designed to be used on a drag strip anyway...

As far as the rest of the truck, it looks rock solid and in excellent condition. The tires are too wide, but have good tread left. Chances are if it does have a fueling box on it I will pass it up. Can a fueling box be installed that does not "tap into the pump wire"? I don't understand exactly what that means. On my '99, the box plugged into the existing wiring harness. There were no other wires to be "tapped into". If that were to be the case, then there would probably not be any codes. On my '99, I put a van aiken box on it without knowing that would invalidate my warranty. I took it in to get an oil pressure sending transducer replaced and they took great pleasure in telling me "You no longer have a warranty on your engine and drivetrain!" "Oh and BTW, those injection pumps cost $3500". Etc. etc. I learned my lesson on that one.

I am going to keep whatever truck I get until the wheels fall off (way over a half-million miles) so I really don't want one that has been modified a lot. Stock is good...

 

3rd gen improvements: steering has been tightened up; no more VP44 fuel pumps; 4 full doors. Is HPCR going to prove to be a lot better than the previous Bosch pump? Probably so from what I have been reading on this web site and TDR in regards to this issue. I drove a truck with the new auto trans and still VERY MUCH prefer the 6 spd. So whether or not that has been improved I can't tell... No 3rd gen truck I have test driven has had any vibration at any speed, which seems to be a real concern to a lot of owners on these boards. 3rd gen trucks are a lot quieter too. I was running an open pipe on my '99 and it was very loud. The new trucks seem to be a lot tighter all around - steering and handling etc. Fit and finish has been awesome on all 3rd gen trucks I have looked at...and that has been a lot of trucks! Paint has looked really good on every new one I have seen.

I do think that the bed on a 2nd gen truck looks a whole lot better though. If they would have kept the bed from the 2nd gen and combined that with the new front end would be a better looking truck (my opinion).

3rd gen bummer: costs too damned much! Also EGR if and when it rears its ugly head. It would be great if they did come out with an engine that had a lot more power/torque ratings and everyone freaked out and went to get one of those. Then the existing late '03 and '04s would be priced a lot better! The current trucks have more than enough power from the HO to do what I want to do. 3rd gen trucks should have been built with locking hubs on the 4wd's. To me it is stupid to make a 4wd truck without manually locking hubs. The drivetrain is always engaged the way they have it now. Of course the 2nd gen trucks are that way too. Can't use 2-low with the front differential setup the way it is. Rear spring set-up: seems too soft and promotes axle-wrap on acceleration in soft terrain. My '99 with the stiffer rear spring pack still did that though; they should address this problem and get it right. Still needs the anti-sway bars IMHO.

 

Sounds like you've done your research. That is a killer deal though.

I wish for hubs too, but the market seems to lean the other way. The consumers got sold on the "Johnny has to get out of his truck to engage the hubs while Billy stays in the cab". Fail to mention that if any road conditions are suspected you can engage the hubs before you get in the cab and then it's the same for Johnny and Billy.

2 wheel low is a great way to bust axles etc. Done that.

 

Well I went to look at it and drive it. Turns out it has twin turbos as well as an edge fueling box. It was really amazing the difference in how the '01 felt vs. the '04 I drove yesterday. The new truck felt so much tighter it was really amazing that they would be that different.

The '01 ran like a spotted-a** ape though. It smoked TERRIBLE...barely touching the throttle was guaranteed to lay down a cloud of black smoke. A HUGE cloud! But the truck would literally just jump if I got on it. It has 5" exhaust open-pipe. Oil filter was some off-brand and the oil (what little was in it) looked like it had not been changed in a long time. Air filter was a ratty looking old K & N cannon-type and it was filthy. Looked like it had a three-piece exhaust manifold. Never seen a two-turbo setup before; it looked pretty well thought out and installed from what I could see. Pure music hearing two turbos spooling up at the same time! It was almost scary how fast the exhaust temp would ramp up with increased throttle. TC was mounted pre-turbo.

I did not really like the leather seats. The trailer tow mirrors were not power; I thought they would be on a Laramie. Could not hear the stereo over the exhaust noise unless turned up very loud. Felt a lot of driveline vibration but maybe it was the tires. They had a fairly aggressive tread pattern. Steering was (ahem...) imprecise at best. Felt like an after-market clutch also.

I am not sure if I will pursue this one or not. At this time I am thinking the 3rd gen is probably the way I will go. But still thinking about it...there really is a huge difference between the 2nd and 3rd gen trucks. Much more than I ever realized until I drove both one after the other.

 

A couple of things you said that I was curious about,

First, the paint isnt any better on the third gens - ask anyone that has a Patriot Blue 03 - they are complaining believe me.

Second, of course an 04 is going to drive smoother - its a brand new truck.

Third, I was going to say that adding a low power modification of an Edge EZ or Diablo puck will not affect engine longevity in the least. These are strong engines and can easily handle the extra HP as long as you do things properly. This point is probably mute now since it sounds like this truck has a rather serious fuel box or injectors or both (as indicted by your "lots of smoke" comment). The higher hp boxes plug into the wiring harness and must also tap into the pump wire to give that added HP that they provide.

Fourth, I personally dont like the 4 full doors (as you call them) - the back doors dont appear to be full doors to me.

Fifth, I have to agree about the leather....I have it and its ok - this is the first vehicle ive had with leather seats and I think Id like cloth better.

Sixth, none of the second gens have power tow mirrors - have to get the 3 rd gen for that.

I must admit owning a twin turbo truck would be really cool - but I think Id have to pass on this one unless it maybe passed a pretty thorough maintenance checkout.

I believe there are still some issues with the third gens that would have to be worked out before I personally bought one - but thats just my opinion. Anyway, good luck with whatever you choose....I dont think you can really go wrong with either...

 

Agreed on all above points...I really wish I had the money just to buy this one and also a new '04. The '01 obviously has been seriously bombed. It was neat driving one like that just to see what it would do. I think that truck would pull hell right off its hinges!

Unfortunately I have a serious saltwater flats fishing problem (addiction) to support; let's see, I would like a new 150 TRP yamaha, poling platform and bow tower, a condo in Port Mansfield, etc. etc. So I have to make a choice and I would prefer to have something that will be real reliable. Not that the '01 wouldn't be, but with all that bombing I'm not sure...could be passing up a real neat truck.

 

I'd pass on a truck like that that made it to a lot. Those kinda bombs with no history raises red flags aplenty.

 

I'd pass on this truck, too, because of the bombing. Also, because the way you describe the engine compartment, it sounds like it didn't have the best of maintenance care. One thing I can't stand is a great vehicle like that not being maintained properly. >

 

Wouldn't be the first truck ridden hard and put away wet. Some folks have more dollars than sence.

Air filter being that dirty with those mods spells danger to me. Someone knows good equipment specs, but doesn't know to maintain it. I'd even be suspect of the 46K.

Cool mods, but not what you want. Then again it could be a helluva deal for the right person if it's solid.

 

Buying someones problems can be very expensive let alone a real headache.

 

I'm going to have to agree with the others. Im never one to buy a vehical thats been modded at all. My truck car and bike were all bone stock. Alot of people who "mod" things take it to some place where people do the work fast because its not theres and just want to get it done and get paid. Then the owner dosent really know how to take care of it and abuses it. I'm not saying that this is the case though. Its just my opinion. My dads truck was bought new. Mine was bought 4 years old and with no warrinty. Neither have had any problems. As far as power and logevity go. As far as I'm concerned the big trucks with thies motors get well over 500000miles without tomuch trouble and they have a mild power increase over our stock motors. I know theres diffrent driving patterns and all involved. But I think if you take care of it right and do proper mantiance with a mild power upgrade theres no reason it shouldnt last so long.
I hope this helps some.
Chris