jeephauler

Whats the opinions? Any drawbacks? My truck is in need of some money right now and I am thinking it is a good time to trade it in and move on to a newer one. Just as I was educated on the 2nd gens Anything special you guys are aware of to look for on the 3rd gens.

Valv

You might have better luck posting it in the 3rd gen section

cumminspower79

Im curious what people will say, as i have been thinking about this a lot too. Get away from the failure prone VP and also maybe get a little more room in the back seat!!!

HOHN

Posting here is wise, because those of use who have elected to stay with the 2nd Gen trucks have done so for good reasons.

That said, the HPCR system is a quantum leap forward, and imo it's worth it to upgrade if you can afford it. Never mind how much better the rest of the truck is-- stiffer frame, better brakes, better track bar, bigger cab, etc.

I've stuck with my 2nd gen because it's a known quantity, it does what I want, it still SOUNDS like a real diesel, and it doesn't have all the emissions junk on it.

jmo

natlchamp2k4

If I had the opportunity to go to a 3rd gen I would jump as fast as possible.

My main reason would be to get away from the VP44. It is the whipping child of injection pumps as every one here knows. the p7100 and the cp3 have already made 900+ on #2. The VP44 is light years away from that and most will say it is impossible, if it does it will fail, it will fail at 235 hp too. I am not by any means an all out HP junkie, but I like the thought. I have been spending as much time on the 3rd gen thread as the 2nd gen thread for about 6-8 months, I have yet to hear of a cp3 failure. I have seen alot of VP44 failures over here.

I think the common rail trucks are more reliable, will ride better over the road, quiter inside but can still shatter windows outside. They have the same tunablity and 24v as far as on the fly adjustability. The CR trucks can make stupid power on stock injectors, cp3, and turbo (500+ getting a little toasty)
I just read a thread earlier today on a very near stock 2003 HO auto a guy put down 480ish hp with just a smarty and fuel system.

Hope this helps, this is just the way I look at it.

Jamie

wcbcruzer

If I could afford it, I would do it. And by "afford" I don't mean empty my bank account. I mean easily be able to pay for it without having to struggle financially more than I am now. On the other hand, if I dump $5k into my truck now (which is far less than the price of a 3rd gen), I would have an awesome, new looking truck.

XJJoe01

I personally like the way my truck looks compared to the 3rd gens. And besides, I own mine...

I figure I can bomb.... I mean fix the items on my truck each month for less than the truck payment, I am good to go!!!!!

Joe

Black04Ram

I use to own a 98 24 valve and traded up to this 04, quite a bit difference in payment for me being 20..i like it and all but if i would have had the money to put a nv4500 in the last truck i probably would have kept it..

wcbcruzer

Yeah, that's exactly how I feel. Only good thing about a new truck is the piece of mind in knowing all you gotta change out is the oil and fuel filters.

jeephauler

Dont get me wrong, I am not considering upgrading because I dont like my truck, it is because I am at the crossroads now of doing both pumps, repairing door rust, upgrading tranny, fixing front end bushings. I just hesitate to drop all that money into this truck when it is still older and prone to the rust issues. I love the look and ride of the truck and hate to part with it.

Scramblinman

I looked at both when deciding which CTD to get. I can acknowledge that the 3rd Gen is definitely the nicer truck, but I did not feel that it was 4 times nicer or more capable than the 97 12v I ultimately settled on. I also considered how I intended to use the truck and did not want to be afraid of dumping a couple tons of rock in the bed or taking it down overgrown logging roads for fear of scratching a $40,000 truck that I was still making payments on. The far less expensive 2nd Gen 12v allows it to be a 3rd vehicle for us and able to be a work truck whereas a 3rd Gen would have had to be a 2nd vehicle and be equipped with an automatic trans so the wife could drive it when her car needed servicing in order to justify the cost of it.

If I already had a 24v that might change things a little. I just don't think that I would ever feel completely confident in the VP44 and might give more consideration to moving up to a 3rd Gen or back to a 12v.

Mike Holmen

I didn't like the steering on the new truck. The interior looks is not as nice IMO. The bottom-end torque isn't there as the older trucks. They still break down. I know lots of guys that don't have the original engine in the truck. They have had injector issues. They still have electronic issues, it may not be the dreaded VP issue but there are so many sensors on it. The new 6.7 have all the emission stuff that need to be there and working or else it goes into limp mode. The six speed auto has already been recalled. I'm thinking about buying a new truck but what you buy, a gaser. Yes you save money on fuel running a diesel but the maintence kills you. Honesty Dodge's warranty sucks. I already went thru that with my 02, heck a 07 is going to be worse as Daimler get cheaper with claims. I heard of guys getting red flagged for gauges and chrome. A gaser at least you just have to buy gas. Most last with little or no warranty issues