OK, I am seriously considering a new 2006 Ram 2500 4x4 Cummins with 6 spd. Not for towing but for camping trips from Baja to the Arctic and all places between. #1 is reliability! I am not towing, I like the idea of diesel but I can get along with a Toyota gasser. In reading the posts I come across lift pump problems and other items that bring the vehicle to a stop. I can't have that 300 miles North of the Artic Circle nor 800 miles into Mexico. Are these rare occurences or common occurences? My Toyotas have never ever just stopped running. Might the Dodge become a thorn in my side, are they problematic in any way that renders them undrivable? Thank you for your help!

 

If you're buying a brand spanking new truck, this is the one you want. I've had to replace my AC system (warranty), and the lift pump (warranty) in the 78K miles I've put on it. I love this truck. I use mine in construction, so I put it through he**.

 

I think if you take care of the truck with all the scheduled maintenance, you'll be fine.
Unfortunately most of the threads are about problems, which are a small precentage compared to happy problem free owners.

my .02

Jamie

 

I am on cummins # 4 and i put a hard 50,000 miles on each truck...including towing 17k occassionally and plowing snow all winter...and i am yet to have any problems...and these trucks will walk all over that thing that you call a toyota.....


GOOD LUCK

 

I love my 05 with 37000 miles of mostly towing 20,000lbs or better in the mtns of west virginia, I recently experienced my first problem and its just a sensor, however it is usually easier to find someone to work on a gas engine than a diesel, and it sounds like you goto pretty remote areas, you probably wont have any problems but if you would it will usually be easier to find a gas mechanic compared to a diesel mechanic, just a little something to think about

 

I don't think there are any guarantees that you can buy any truck, dodge or toyota or whatever, and be assured of NEVER having a problem. However, that said.......I would expect the Cummins powered Rams are as reliable as any trucks on the road. I have had a couple of very minor things repaired (cd stuck in cd player and torn door seal) at the dealer but I have never been left stranded by my truck. I would take off right now to anywhere it is capable of going without worry.

 

I wouldnt feel comfortable doing what your talking about doing in anything other than a dodge/cummins. The problems your reading about are miniscule compared to the actual amount of people who own them. And the issues are minor, and ussualy caused by people who modify there trucks. With that being said, The 06 you may get has a much more reliable lift pump( in tank pusher pump) than preavios years. even if you had a 04 and below and it worried you that much you can keep a lift pump with you being that there not that expensive and easy to change. I would worry more about the cold temps and getting my truck started and keeping it running and warm regardless of what type of fuel your new truck is ran on. I think you have a better chance of one of santa clauses bags of toys falling of his sleigh and crushing your truck or being hyjacked by tequila driven mexicans than you have breaking down in you new dodge ram diesel.

 

reliability in a cummins = carrying a spare fuel filter and belt.

 

I agree. 20,000 miles and not a single problem yet. Extra fuel filter in case you get bad diesel somewhere. Extra belt in case that one shreds after many miles.

 

Travel is exactly why I bought my '06...After the last trip in my wife's Corolla, I couldnt stand it anymore...Too small, cramped, and low-slung....I already had an '02 Ram, but 12MPG highway didnt lend itself to travel....I could have replaced her car with some SUV, but then its the same boat...Poor MPG and "short" lived gas engine....Now I have a roomy vehicle, with the most durable engine on the road, 15MPG city with 1000 miles so far (not even close to broken in yet) and plan to drive it a lllooooonnggg time...I dont tow often, but when I do its usually stretched the limits of my half-ton....My new towing capabilities are just an added bonus to what I wanted overall...


It seems to me that the lift pump/injection pump problems are mostly limited to those who tax the fuel system beyond its limits...Stock and the fuel system is fine...Bombed, and it just wont handle it...

 

Engine and drivetrain are bullet proof, but the rest is just as reliable as any other electronically controlled fuel system, but being a diesel , you won't have the extra ignition problems of a gasser, so that's one less thing to worry about. I'm coming from a big block gasser I used to tow with, and of course the power is much better then the gasser a had, and the gasser would always need sparkplugs, and plug wire changes about very 50k or so, because the heat would dry up the wires , and cause engine misses all the time. I'm so impressed with this engine for towing so far. Just this weekend , I was in a hurry to get home from camping250miles to get home, I ran this engine so hard I thought the hitch might come out of the truck, or the front of the truck was going to come off the ground pulling my fifthwheel trailer, and this engine didn't even break a sweat, or run hot ,or change idle speeds or anything my old gasser would do, and I only have about 5k on the truck, and felt kind of bad throwing that much load on it, but I guess that's good for breakin they say, and I got about 14mpg pulling it that hard too.

 

If you are not going to tow , it would be hard to beat a Toyota if the quality is anything like it used to be in the 80's-90's.The 22R is bulletproof, not sure of the newer 4 cyl but just looking at it there are a lot of similarities.The downside to the Toyota is that the Cummins will probably get about the same fuel mileage and is capable of towing a house.Seems to me that the Toyota is probably more offroad capable due to weight which may be an issue on sand.

 

I was thinking the same. And wouldn't it be a pain in the a......uhh neck to have a diesel in a super cold climate as well. Not to mention alot of the roads where you are going are not going to be first rate ones, might be narrow, or not very well compacted, both are not places I would want to be in a brand new $40K + diesel. Sounds like the Toyo might be ther better choice.

 

Man I think you already answered you own question. You don't compare a Dodge Cummins to a Toy truck. One is the heavy duty/ work/towing rig/sled pulling/1/4 mile king and the other is the reliable/offroad/small/?.... Toy truck! I'm not trying to be a smart *** here but for what you want your truck to do get the Toyoda. I spent time overseas and Toyota's/Nissans/Mitsubishi(spelling?) are super capable of going anywhere. Most all of them are diesels by the way. Trouble is on this side of the pond they are extremely if not impossible to find. Your right wanting a diesel but for your expectations find a Toyota Diesel.

 

it isn't. i am not the first person here to have traded my tundra for a real truck.