another vote for 03-early04.

 

Another vote for 03/04 6 speed with the 305/555 motor. I miss mine, it was a great truck and got 18-19mpg all the time w/o a trailer and 15-16 with a small trailer.

 

I read that as "All cummins are reliable, the 12v being the most reliable'?

 

3rd Gen. They're getting more affordable too.

 

6 speed rwd dually for a tow rig. Get a common rail if you can find one for a good price, but the 24 valves aren't bad. The average life on a vp44 is usually 100k miles- some much longer and some much shorter =\

 

low mile '98 12V QC updated interior, in a sport package...that would be ideal...unfortunately a 12V in great shape with low miles is hard to find, I tried...I do like the braking of the 4 whl discs on the 24V's in '01+ trucks...if you get a 24V with low miles in great shape you could always ppump it later or swap in a 12V down the road. From what I'm learning since being on the forums is that they all have their good and bad points and none are without thier problems beit fule pump, chassis, steering, interior etc...etc...no truck is gonna be perfect.

 

I'm not aware of any actual evidence the ULSD causes premature CP3 failure.

jh

 

Another early third gen vote here!

 

I went through deciding about which to get earlier this year. I thought I wanted to go with a 2nd gen 24v 4x4 auto trans. I test drove a couple when a 97 12v 4x4 manual trans(the truck in my sig minus most of the mods) landed on the lot of a new car dealer near my parents house. That truck sat there for about 3-4 weeks before my wife talked me into going down and taking it for a drive. That's when I called around and spoke with some mechanics I know/trust and my brother-in-law, who owns a performance engine machine shop, and they all said go with the 12 valve. So, I did, and I can honestly say I'm very happy I did!

 

I bought my 2nd gen new in 95 and haven't had and real problems after a few warranty fixes. I keep it maintained and plan to keep it for a long time. The truck runs better now than when it was new. The mileage is good and body tight. I use it as a daily driver and tow a 10 ft trailer from time to time. Working on it is easy, plenty of room to get at things. The water pump replacement only requires removing two bolds. One of the big pluses , no computer.

 

Maybe my truck was made on a good day of the week with parts made on a good day, because except for a wheel bearing/hub assembly on the right front it has been trouble free. This includes the auto tranny but then I don't tow heavy.

And as for making a CP3 last, I use two stroke oil (16oz) at each fill up and a swear my truck is quieter than many I hear.