Alright I now have my new truck perchase down to two truck. Problem is I can't choose betwThe first truck is a 98 12v extended cab 4x4 5sp 191k miles. I drove the thing and it drove ok for bone stock. Biggest problem is there is a good amount of play in the steereing. Still driveable but does need fixed. When I got ther the battery was dead, but it had sat for a while on the lot. When we got it started (pretty quick for a cold dead battery) black exaust was comming from the turbo flange, It looked like a loose clamp, leaked prety good then stoped at idle. While driving the truck is prety slow due to the stock nature. 3rd gear would grind just a bit but I think it was just me or old fluids. Drove good. Exterior paint is good and rust free. Just a medium dent on the side of the bed that can be popped out with a tap on the inside. It rides on stock steele wheels and will need new tires befor long, maybe half way through summer. One thing that did scare me about the truck was that the PO had an Aux. tank in the back and when he took it out he didn't put the filler neck back on the tank and a rag in stuck inside the hole in the tank ( water in fuel light was on). The interior is nice and prety clean, speedo doesn't work and parking break is loose. The dealer wanted 8,250. As I see it it will need a clutch soon and the steering fixed plus new tires.

The second truck is a 92 ext. cab 4x4 AT DRW 196k mi. This truck ran great, auto trans shifted with ease and the engine is turned up a bit but not sure what is done to it. Driving it down the road it would smoke a bit on command and no slack in the drive line. No leaks under or around the engine. New tires all around and wheels. Interior is clean but in butterscotch brown .Captins chairs and all stock trim ( pw,pl, the works). Exterior is light brown again with a red stripe. There is a bit of rust on the rockers and the driverside duely fender is cracked just a bit. Paint is good and scratch free and clean. A few of the running lights are either missing or hanging off ( easy fix ). Drove great and looked good too. I do like the look of the first gen and would love to trun it up some more. Is there any way I can find out if the trans is rebuilt? The dealer would not go any less that 7750. He just picked it up this morning from another dealer, the PO traded it in for a newer dodge.

My question is Buy the newer 2nd gen and put some money into it to get it running properly ( $700 clutch, $200 steering fix, $600+ on new tires and wheels, maybe a couple hundred to et speedo and all lights fixed, Water in fuel light fixed who knows how much) or Buy the 1st gen and put a few hundred into the engine and stacks to make it look super mean. I like the 1st gen a lot but I think it might be a bit over priced. I like the 2nd gen because it has a 5sp ( not a big deal but it is nice). I am on the fence with both but can't decide. The first gen lookjs taken care of but the second gen will have more value in the future. What would you choose?een the two so I nee some advice.

 

Wow, that's a tough call....the '98 sounds too cheap and the 92 sounds about what the market will bear, lately. Watch the rust on the 1st gen...mine had 'a little' rust on the rocker too. Apparently the paint was all that was holding that 4'' square section together. I guess you really need to be honest with yourself at this point as to what you really want and, truthfully, what your power goals are. The '98 is the holy grail of factory cummins go-fast stuff---215 pump, the nv4500 gives you the d80 rear weather it's srw or drw. However, if your goals don't include huge hp/tq #'s, I think the 92 is a better buy. Man, still a tough call...I can't even vote on the poll...

 

Ok, I had to vote. Went with the old school. I got to thinking about all the 'little' things wrong that made my truck a real 'deal' and when I added it all up, I could have already had twins and a p-pump conversion and I still haven't got the rust fixed If the 92 is as solid as it seems, you're that much closer to having the truck you're no doubt building in your mind.
JMO

 

Thanks for responding. I have to say my HP/tq goals are small at this point. All I want is a good truck that can be my daily driver and still be a fast at the same time ( not like 10 sec. 1/4 but still fast enough to beat some ricers). Even with the 98 my hp goals will be the same. I just don't want to throw a bunch of money at the 98 to get it road worthy and looking nice. If i buy the truck for 8k and then spend another 1k on parts to get it nice it might not be a good deal. I can spend all that money on go fast parts for the 1st gen. Plus I think there is a lot of water in the fuel fron the gas filler problem. Would this cause big time engine probles in the future even if I flushed the tank and fixed everything? A big thing for me is that the 1st gens are rare on the road and look very cool. Everyone has a 2nd gen, like the 98. Just trying to figure out what would be the best gas mileage, fun, and looks wise would be. Rust realy doesn't bother me I can get replace ment pannels and fix it my self if it comes to that. I just can't get off the fence on them. Each has a negitive and a positive, need to dort them out. i did have an argument on how much a 1st gen would smoke. I bet I can get a lot out if i wanted.

 

Well, If you want My opinion, Go with the First Gen. Maybe try and talk him down some on the price. But it sound like a really nice truck. Also, If you want a truck that is easy to work on, go with the first gen, due to a mechanical fuel pump, and they are reliable. I have a first gen and I am extremely happy with it, and I get many looks from strangers because there is not that many first gens around here.
When it comes to price, I have a 4x4 W250 Dual wheel(converted to Dual),Flatbed, 160k miles and some rust in the exact same spot as you. I only paid $5,500 for mine and talked the guy from $6,500 down. Like I said, these are excellent trucks and they can take a good bit of abuse.
The problem that I see with the 98 is that the lift pump is more than likely to give you some problems. Do some searching around and you will see what I am talking about. I personally would go for the first gen and sink about $500 into it and you should have one heck of a mean truck. Looks like the poll results are pretty close, so its your call cheif. Good luck and I hope you get what you want in the end.
Wheelo

 

That 98 is starting to sound like more trouble than it's worth. Remember this: Even though you have it 'narrowed down' to these two trucks, they are not the only two trucks out there. I remember very well getting desperate before I got my truck. First, I really wanted a CTD. Second, my daily driver was down and I was borrowing, hitching etc etc. Third, I really wanted a CTD! But I had it 'narrowed down' probably a dozen different times over the course of 14 months. And I still think I jumped too quickly. There's a real nice '89 in the classifieds right now, for instance, and it's a couple hundered less than I paid for mine...I'd say, drive each one again, only this time, kind of clear your mind. Don't think about things like KDP's or water in fuel lights. Just hop in and drive. See if it fits you. See if the seat springs are wore out nd your leg falls asleep after 5 minutes---something that you usually don't notice on that 'first drive'.

 

hey wheelo90---the 98 he's looking at is a 12v...that fuel system (lift pump included) is even more bullet-proof than ours. If it were a 98 24v, you'd be right in saying that the lift pump leaves a bit to be desired.

 

i would have to say go with the first gen. I think the only way you would want to go with the 98 is for making bug HP numbers. But with little money and some tuning you could make the 1st gen run like a dream. I vote first gen

 

Ok I have talked with Cowboys toys who drove me down today. FYI that truck is insane. We hit an empty stretch of interstate, punched that rightfoot going 65 we hit 120 in about 1 second flat maxed out the guage at 60lbs boost, that was sweet. Anyway back to the good stuff. This is what I have boiled it down to.
with the 98 I am going to buy a truck that will hold its value better that the 92. Put about 1k in wheels and tires and 200 in steering and I will be spending over 9k total. With a few add on it will put me over 10k. The 98 is bullet proof in the trans and fuel delevery setup. The 92 is rare and looks very good but will loose it value quicker. I will still put some money into the engine and in the body to get it looking realy nice. To tell you the truth I real felt good driving the 92 because i never see one on the road and duelys look huge. I hope that the fact that the 98 being stock and the 92 having a few mods isn't clouding my judgement. I am starting to lean tword the 92 because i will end up spending less in the long run for all kinds of thing. Problem is it is hard to find parts for the 92. Oh well thats what junk yards are for. If anyone knows how to put cell phone pic on here i can show pics of both.

 

I'd go for the second gen, but I like my creature comforts and more modern looking dashboards...

You've got quite a bit you can haggle with on the '98, and really get the price down... You could get the price down to 8,000 out the door easily. Look up the blue book on that truck..

If I could have found that truck, I would have scooped it up in a heartbeat.

The steering could be as easy as a trac bar or aftermarket kit. Exhaust leak? phooey. no big deal. Speedo sensors are $40.. You're way ahead of the game with the '98. $700 in parts (exhaust, intake, #10 plate and a 3k GSK) will net you ~350rwhp with over 700lb-ft rear wheel. Happy ricer hunting!

 

God too tough to call

I went with the first gen for these reasons. (I know i know, treason to my second gen) the mileage is not that far off the second gen truck, and it needed less work to get it up and running over the second gen. the cons to my decison are, 215 PUMP.. cannot get with a 1st gen, but the monster power can still be there, (IE stomp, and wannadiesel who has just under 400 horses) I would dare to be different with teh first gen but in this case, seems to me the PO of the 97 is just having too many issues with the truck, and wanted to get rid of it. Seein this, with that money u save on the parts and so forth u can turn ur first gen into what you want it, if you wanna do that to the second gen, the powergains will be much more impressive, but ull have to shoot more money at it, i see your point, but i also see this, u want a cummins bad, may as well have one already that is just ready for you to tinker with, drive without a worry, and put some BOMB money into.

good luck!

Rick

 

I have owned both (tho the 2nd gen was a gasser ). Look at my sig and you`ll see what I like...but thats me. It is a tough call, heck just buy em both and be done with it!