first of all, i'll introduce myself. i currently drive a 1998 M90 blown V6 mustang in the summer and a 1988 F-150 XL in the winter. im graduating from school in may and am looking to upgrade my winter beater. i've decided that i want a 4x4 diesel because of their fuel economy, reliability and resale value.

i found a red 2003 Ram 2500 sport cummins 4x4 w/ 6-speed transmission. the buyer is only asking $14990 for it, but it has 190,000+ miles on it. being this new and having that many miles, im assuming its mostly highway miles, but **** that is a lot of miles.

my grandpa has a 2001 cummins 6-speed 4X2 with 500,000+ miles on it and hasnt had to replace anything besides general wear parts (clutch, tires, brakes, etc).

do you guys think that this 2003 would be as good to me as my grandpa's 2001 is to him?

 

It all depends on how it drives now and how it has been looked after all this time. 190K hard driven/put away wet miles are totally different than well looked after, responsible driving miles IMO.... Get a good history and make sure everything works good. BTW if your looking to upgrade your winter beater to a 4x4 diesel I would look into a 1st gen (89-93) or even a 2nd gen if you want, (94-98)

 

Unless you are buying from this guy,

http://www.break.com/index/dodge-truck-big-jump.html

190+K is just getting broke in. I bought mine with 198K and didn't bat an eye. As said before, make sure it runs and drives right then go for it.

 

buy a 2nd gen. u can find a 96-98 12v for 10-12k with decent miles. u will prob like it better to. better mpg imo too

 

I'd rather buy a newer truck with that many miles than an old one. With that many miles on an 03 you know it's highway. The truck was ran at a good temp that way. The engines that get fired up to commute 5 min each day and hammered only occasionally are the ones that won't be in good shape. A cold start will tell you much as to the condition of the engine. Make sure you see it start COLD. If you doubt whether it's been started recently before feel the engine to see if it's warm. FWIW my old dodge has 230'000 showing on the clock (which didn't work when I bought it) and doesn't burn any oil and runs better than new.

 

i dont care for the looks of the 1st gen trucks and i would consider a '98 12V 4x4 5-speed if i could find one at a decent price, but it seems when you do find one, they go for $15k+ because they are so rare

yeah, i'd definately check it out good before i buy it. my buddy runs pure diesel power (and has quite a few dodge cummins trucks), maybe i'll drag him along to check it out.

as said above, i wouldnt mind a '98 12V 4x4 5-speed, but they are a ***** to find at a decent price...and the interest rate on a 12V would be 7.25% vs the 6.0% i could get on this '03

 

how can you tell how the engine is from a cold start? just how many times it cranks before it fires?

 

what the smoke is like out the exhaust, sputtering/rough idle, how hard it is to start, how many times you need to crank before it fires(if it doesnt start on the first turn of the key)

 

The engine is probably, and should be, fine. But it would be nice to know if it was bombed heavily and raced. The clutch should be fine with sensible driving and a lot of highway.

It will almost certainly have a new lift pump and may be ready for its second one if it was done under warrantee and is still on the fuel filter canister. The front end is very likely worn and needs ball joints, U joints and unit bearings. The stock shocks were never any good and if they are still there its definately time for new ones. Find out what you can about its service history.

At least do a major service with valve adjust and all new fluids.

I think the '03-'04 trucks are very good and I love my '04. Dodge could have done better with the front suspension, but it's all fixable. Sounds like yours is an HO since it has the 6 speed. Cool.


John

 

it appears to be 100% bone stock, so that is usually a good sign of it not being beat on/raced/etc. i think i might seriously consider this truck, i see there is a 03 2500 6-speed on ebay for $17k buy it now, and that truck has 187,000 miles on it. seems like if i could get this for $14.5k, i wouldnt be doing too bad


edit- here are a couple pics of it. if driven nicely, is this truck capable of ~17-18mpg?

 

I forgot to mention a few moths ago someone found one that had, I think 625,000 on it. It was a third gen too and we all commented on it.

For the longest life possible I'd take a twelve valve. But the third gens, with a little help, are doing fine in the engine department.

John

 

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/search...sfyc=&systime=

I can usually find a fair number of 12 valves with sticks. If you want, I might be willing to sell mine (100K miles, just rolled over on way back from NY). It'll cost ya though

 

there are 23 1998 dodge ram 2500 4x4 5-speeds on autotrader. MAYBE 10 at the most are 12V's, and of those 10, only two are quad cab short bed trucks

they're just impossible to find, especially anywhere near where i live. this '03 has 4 doors (much more practical) and is only 140 miles away.

here are the two '98 5-speed 12V 4x4 quad cab short bed trucks on autotrader...

-A white one for $11,480 w/ 182,500 miles (its pretty beat up, you can tell it was used as a work truck) - 1132 miles away
-A black one with a bunch of gaudy chrome for $16,991 w/ 166,200 miles - 1,569 miles away

 

it would be a nice truck if you have the money to buy it or finance it but without steady work the can be a pain to mske the payments, thats the nice thing about first gens, paid for the day you drive it home.

but i would not be affriad to buy it, just watch those payments.

 

i definately wouldnt risk my credit rating over a pickup truck...i can afford it