Community Forums

CecilD · 10-07-2019, 10:23 AM

I bought an 04 Ram with the 5.9 six years ago, albeit with a lot less miles, and have been really happy with it. It is a Northwest truck so no rust. At 189k, other things will be wearing out, not just the engine.

The nice thing about an older diesel is you don't have to worry about EGR, DPF, DEF, SCR and all that other stuff because it doesn't have any that stuff installed. My strategy is to buy an honest truck (no lift, no tune) with as low of miles as possible, then maintain the heck out of it. My cost of tow vehicle ownership is extremely low.

Good luck with your search.

dix39 · 10-07-2019, 10:35 AM

It is my common sense theory that a part that moves 2-3 times as many times as another similar/identical part will wear out faster, all other things being equal. Generally speaking, diesels develop their torque/HP at lower RPM than gasoline engines. I know my Cummins 5.9 did. Also, diesel fuel used to be a lubricant which I believe helped with cylinder, piston, ring wear. Gasoline has the opposite effect.

The 5.9 Cummins in our first gen '89 Dodge W250 had around 80k miles on it when we bought it in '93. When we sold it in 2014 it had 286k 11.5' camper hauling, trailer/boat/toad pulling miles on it. The only things I needed to replace were the alt and starter, which I had rebuilt before they failed. At about 260k when we were planning our trip to AK I bought a lift pump and water pump to carry with us, just in case. After that trip and an OR-WV-OR trip the next year I was still carrying them with me and thought it would be easier to change them in my driveway than along the highway somewhere, so I did. That was not long before I sold it. Those were the ONLY engine parts I replaced/rebuilt during the time we had it. The engine seemed to be as good when I sold it as it was when I bought it. Of course a lot of non-engine parts were repaired/replaced over those miles.

With that truck the gearing (3.54 diffs with 5 speed manual 5th OD) allowed the engine to run at about 1900 RPM at 70 MPH, comfortably past peak torque and at my cruising speed. Back to my common sense theory about moving parts, lower gearing would run the engine faster and...... Gasoline engines usually run considerably faster than diesels because their peak torque/HP is at a higher RPM.

Steve

jacknife · 10-08-2019, 12:08 PM

There’s a lot more to a truck then just an engine .

kdauto · 10-08-2019, 04:14 PM

darn right! Most people let their vehicles die a slow, painful death just because they start to get dirty, scraped, and look like crap. If people are too lazy or don,t have the time to detail them they should spend 200-300$ at least once a year to keep it waxed and looking/smelling good. If folks did that they wouldn't bitch about repair costs on an "old" (old to them may be as little as 6-7 years young) vehicle. I see some with 2 year old vehicles look like they've been at war.

Rubber parts, plastic bits, rust, it all eventually breaks. You can have the best 1 million mile engine but if something else breaks or leaks every month you'll tire of it.

NevadaNick · 10-08-2019, 07:57 PM

Sorry but wax and smelling good doesn't make a truck last. My work truck has had less problems than my personal cared for truck and has more miles than my personal truck.

tuffr2 · 10-08-2019, 08:31 PM

I think a gasoline engine will last longer than the turbo in a diesel engine or the emission do-dad's hung on the exhaust system.

kdauto · 10-08-2019, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NevadaNick

Sorry but wax and smelling good doesn't make a truck last. My work truck has had less problems than my personal cared for truck and has more miles than my personal truck.

My findings are from years of owning my shop. Typically, those that take care of their stuff and keep it clean usually keep up on maintenance and don't bitch when they face a 1000$ repair.

Those that have accumulated 20 years worth of crud on a 4-5 year old car will put the bare minimum to keep it moving again.

Normal_Dave · 10-09-2019, 05:52 AM

If you are considering that age (vintage) of a truck, don't overlook a well maintained Ford 6.8L V10 gas engine. Reliable, simple, plenty of torque, but fuel thirsty. (aren't they all when we're towing...)?

Might take a road trip for you. Here's an example in Mesa, AZ that caught my eye. 2001 F-250 SRW LB 6.8L V10 Manual trans. 98K.

https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/c...991623051.html

wstalker · 10-09-2019, 06:10 AM

I have a 2001 ford f250 with 7.3 diesel. Blew a tranny at 150,000. Now has 268k and runs fine. Also have a 2011 with the 6.7 and have been very happy with it. I am a Ford man obviously, and have been told to stay away from the 6.0 and the 6.4, but have heard more than once they can be made bullet proof. For those on here that are suggesting gas over diesel, i understand what they are saying, but if you are going to tow a lot I would stay with diesel. The gentleman that posted about detailing to me matters not. Anyone can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

Jshopes81 · 10-09-2019, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstalker

I have a 2001 ford f250 with 7.3 diesel. Blew a tranny at 150,000. Now has 268k and runs fine. Also have a 2011 with the 6.7 and have been very happy with it. I am a Ford man obviously, and have been told to stay away from the 6.0 and the 6.4, but have heard more than once they can be made bullet proof. For those on here that are suggesting gas over diesel, i understand what they are saying, but if you are going to tow a lot I would stay with diesel. The gentleman that posted about detailing to me matters not. Anyone can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

6.0 can be bulletproofed. They have oil cooler issues and can blow headgaskets. Theyre pretty cheap to buy, cheap to fix, and they pull pretty good. The 6.4 has a few issues that require a total teardown to fix. The maxxforce 7 supposedly did way better than the psd. Internally the pistons are different and one issue with the psd is cracked pistons among other things. The plus side to the 6.4 is that you can hit really off the wall power numbers with just a tune.

Rhagfo · 10-09-2019, 07:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstalker

I have a 2001 ford f250 with 7.3 diesel. Blew a tranny at 150,000. Now has 268k and runs fine. Also have a 2011 with the 6.7 and have been very happy with it. I am a Ford man obviously, and have been told to stay away from the 6.0 and the 6.4, but have heard more than once they can be made bullet proof. For those on here that are suggesting gas over diesel, i understand what they are saying, but if you are going to tow a lot I would stay with diesel. The gentleman that posted about detailing to me matters not. Anyone can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

6.0 can be bulletproofed. They have oil cooler issues and can blow headgaskets. Theyre pretty cheap to buy, cheap to fix, and they pull pretty good. The 6.4 has a few issues that require a total teardown to fix. The maxxforce 7 supposedly did way better than the psd. Internally the pistons are different and one issue with the psd is cracked pistons among other things. The plus side to the 6.4 is that you can hit really off the wall power numbers with just a tune.

Why would you want to buy a used TV that before you feel safe pulling a load with it you need to invest $2,000 to $5,000+ just to hopefully make it reliable?

Jshopes81 · 10-09-2019, 07:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rhagfo

Why would you want to buy a used TV that before you feel safe pulling a load with it you need to invest $2,000 to $5,000+ just to hopefully make it reliable?

Because the rest of the truck is way better than anything dodge or gm puts out and the initial buy in is usually more like 10k cheaper. On top of that alot of them are fine left completely alone so you may not even have to drop that 2-10k at all. I can spend 15-20 on a 6.0 and maybe another 5 on the add ons or i can spend 25-30 on a dodge and then probably an additional 3-5 on a trans (for a 48re but im sure the 68rfe junk is probably more) and then front end parts. I guess the way i shouldve worded that is why do you dodge guys spend 10k more on a truck and still have to spend the same after the fact to address dodges shortcomings?

Dogpatch · 10-09-2019, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wstalker

I have a 2001 ford f250 with 7.3 diesel. Blew a tranny at 150,000. Now has 268k and runs fine. Also have a 2011 with the 6.7 and have been very happy with it. I am a Ford man obviously, and have been told to stay away from the 6.0 and the 6.4, but have heard more than once they can be made bullet proof. For those on here that are suggesting gas over diesel, i understand what they are saying, but if you are going to tow a lot I would stay with diesel. The gentleman that posted about detailing to me matters not. Anyone can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

I think the point being made is if the owner was meticulous about keeping his truck clean, then its liking he was also care about the maintenance. You can generally tell if someone simply cleaned it for sale or looked after their vehicle. I’d lean more towards viewing this type of owners vehicle than a dirty, unkept one.

mrgrayaz · 10-09-2019, 10:07 AM

Are you planning on towing for 500k miles straight? Get a Diesel. Do you want 1000ftlbs of torque and the ability to cruise at 75mph at 1600rpm? get a Diesel. A newer one, with a warranty.

Are you planning on occasionally towing on weekends? Then who cares?
A modern gas engine will last 200-300k miles no problems, and it will do it for far cheaper $/mile then a Diesel. It will tow just fine. Go buy a nice truck with a gas motor, and enjoy maintenance largely limited to spark plug and oil changes, just like every other vehicle you've owned.

A lot of us (my self included) got sucked into the "Diesels will last longer" siren song and with a limited budget, went and bought an older diesels and got bitten.
If you've never even had a diesel truck before, DO NOT go out and jump in on a 10+ year old Diesel truck with 150k+ miles on it. You have no idea what your doing, and it will hurt......its just such a completely different animal to maintain.