richard

OK gents let me know what you think of your 3rd gen trucks. <br>Went to look at an '03 today going for test drive on saturday.<br>Truck is an '03 2500 QC, LB, AT, Patriot Blue, loaded, power pedals too. Truck was full of ice, doors were fozen shut, 1&quot; of ice on the windshield from yesterday's storm, told him i'd be back.I did ask and it does have the updated trans! Please post your answers quietly,sweetie has no idea ;D

converteddzlr

Is it possible to love a machine????<br><br>OOOOOOOOOOH YEAH! ;D ;D

UTAH

;D Richard - I've owned two prior Gen. 2 CTD's and, though they were both great trucks, they could not compare to this one. I've also had the 7.3 2000 PSD. Not a truck I'd choose again in comparison to the '03 Dodge Cummins. ;D<br><br>Besides the engine and new body, there's other major improvements I notice - fit and finish, steering, brakes, and exhaust system.<br><br>I'm not sure what it means if the dealer says the truck you looked at has &quot;the updated trans.&quot; The new auto is just about to go into production and has not hit the lots yet. The 5-speed manual's been out for years, and the 6-speed manual for 2 years. The clutch is stronger and smoother now on both.<br><br>Best to y'all<br>Bill

BRDIESEL

:P :-X First things first. I sold my 96 4x4 ext. cab CTD with auto trans to get my 03 Laramie 4x4 QC 5 SPD.
Both trucks are outstanding. I have worked for GM for the last 27 years as a Technician and I drive a DODGE.
If you are looking for a big truck that tows , hauls , crawls and is good on MPG, has a long life and low service costs you have found rhe only TRUCK that will fill all this and more.
Just my .02 $$ worth, :'( :'( :'(
Oh yeah, that stock unit can`t have the new auto trans.
It will not be released untill Jan. 03

dealseeker

Richard, I agree with Utah; be wary when the salesman says it has the &quot;updated&quot; transmission. I doubt it.

pwabbott

I agree with Utah &amp; Richard,<br><br>Whatever updated tranny he's talking about is not the new 48RE which is not in production until January. Sounds like he is blowing smoke out his ears or elsewhere. Some salesmen will say anything but the truth. ??? ???

Moparior

I believe for 03, the 47re was &quot;electronically enhanced&quot; but that is all. I guess they changed shift points and such, but the unit is not enhanced with any physically stronger components. The new 48re, which is beefier(see Luke S's post titled &quot;Firm info on the 48re&quot is just now orderable, and only a few have been built so far, so it is extremely unlikely that your dealer just happens to have one sitting on his lot! I would look for some to begin showing up in January on the lots.

Casey Balvert

Love mine. But order one with the new automatic if you are not going manual. If you are going manual, I recommend the HO six speed combination. Sure works for me.<br><br>Casey

wick

If my experience does not get better real quick. I wil be trading it in. Nothing but problems with this heep since day one. I have the SO and the 47RE... they work great, unreal power. Yet the truck was delievered with no fluid, starting system gives me nothing but headaches, fan clutch broke on it, the dealership has see the truck more than I have. Plus I got hit in it.. Taking the truck in for a exorism after I get it back..

Sparky 794

Richard - I just took delivery of mine on Monday and I have one word to sum it up - &quot;WOW&quot;. I've owned a 98' CTD and a 01 PSD and there is no comparison! The handling and braking is unreal. I love this truck and have no regrets.

blownbanana

We love our '03. My wife leaves her '90 Toyota Celica GTS parked and drives the Dodge (even though we bought it just to tow the horse trailers) because &quot;it is quieter and easier to steer&quot;! ;D

Bluedresser

I had an '89 Ram 350 that I truly loved, but earlier this year used my friend's '97 to tow two race cars to Oregon. It was like comparing a chevy to a cadillac, I told my friend. I WAS WRONG. It was like comparing a chevy to a buick. My new '03 Laramie is the Cadillac. Just coming up on 1,000 miles, but it drives like a car, holds the road, quiet, great fuel mileage and powerful. Got 16+ mpg the first 350 miles (120 was highway - up to 70 mph). Then we took it up over the Sierra's - route 88 - 23+ mpg going over to California --- long downhill to sealevel. It was still gving an average of 21'5 coming back this way - long up hill and shorter downhill to 5,000 feet. drove another week in town and still ended up with 19.1 mpg. Don't know what will happen when I hook the trailer up to it, but so far it's much better than expected.

Mathew

I went from an '01 QC 4x4, 6spd HO to the 03 QC 6spd HO. I have spent much time in my dad's '91 (1st gen) and '94 (2nd gen) regular cabs as well - all manual shifts.<br><br>Positives:<br>Quiet! Much quiter than the 24v engines at all speeds, quieter at idle than the 12v, similar at speed (the '94 is really pretty quiet on the road)<br><br>Steers good! I have not driven a 2nd gen that steered good in my opinion. All have a &quot;dead&quot; spot on center that gives a real vague feeling. The '03 drives like you think it should - very nice. It also feels lower (and is lower) which helps to make better handling feel. Oddly - the old '91 drives (not to be confused with ride!) very well also - much better than the 2nd gens.<br><br>Brakes - they are good - although not much of an improvement over my 01 (which I considered good). A big improvement over the '94 though (and I assume your 96).<br><br>4 doors. I had a quad cab and it was OK - the new one has just enough more room in the back that full size people can sit straight forward. Probably not for long trips - but certainly OK for shorter. The main thing I like better is that the front door closes nice and solid into the cab, as opposed to the spongy rattly feel of closing into the 2nd gen quad door. No more creaks and groans as you go thru a twist either. Also - I think being able to roll the back windows down in the summer will be kind of neat. <br><br>Negatives:<br><br>I want the front door, windshield, and a-pillar back from the 2nd gen. In order to get the windshield flatter - seems like they just lowered the a-pillar into your face. I have hit my head a few times getting in, and the odd time when I have had a baseball hat on you are very close to hitting the pillar all the time with the bill.<br><br>The cowl covers more of the engine (another side negative of the raked out windshield. <br><br>3.73 gear ratio - I don't tow anything and would prefer the old 3.54's for a better highway RPM. <br><br>Strange feeling throttle off idle and when shifting sometimes - especially when cold. Not a big deal with an auto I doubt - but takes some getting used to with manual. This is where all of the 12v's are far superior than any electronic motor in my opinion. They just do what your foot tells them. Electronics and emmissions seem to have messed that up somewhat. Still better than most EFI gassers though.<br><br>Overall so far (3 weeks - 1000 miles) the positives far outweight the little negatives. The steering was a real sore spot with me on the 2nd gens - just never felt right. Everythign is much more refined feeling than my '01. The best part is when you show someone that is used to hearing 24v dodges - the look on their face is cool when you start it .<br><br>Mathew

richard

Thank you gentlemen for your take on the 3rd gen truck. I read Luke's post about the new trans and would much rather wait to get that one. I'm still going to take this truck for a ride to satisfy my curiosity... read as, I really want to drive one because they look soooo cool! ;D Thanks again,<br><br>Rich.