Want to get an old diesel.. Thoughts?

[MnTom]

I have a 1996 Ram with a Cummins and as of now there is 317, 182 miles on it. The inline P-7100 injection pump is the easiest to get power out of and also the least expensive. I have had mine at 365 HP and 833 lbft of torque at the rear wheels for about 10 years without any engine related issues, plus my wife and I got back to Minnesota from the winter in Texas with it.

[CecilD]

You might want to look at the price from a different perspective. I bought a 2004.5 RAM 4 years ago with the 5.9. Yes, I did pay quite of bit more money but I have done nothing but drive it and do meticulous routine maintenance. Here is where the money comes in: According to KBB the truck has depreciated only $700 from what I paid 4 years ago.

[bobbin]

Originally Posted by CecilD

You might want to look at the price from a different perspective. I bought a 2004.5 RAM 4 years ago with the 5.9. Yes, I did pay quite of bit more money but I have done nothing but drive it and do meticulous routine maintenance. Here is where the money comes in: According to KBB the truck has depreciated only $700 from what I paid 4 years ago.

true. the price curve has shifted upwards, due to the ridiculous prices of the new trucks. and true also, the 2006 Ram 2500 CTD/G56 I had is likely the best truck I may ever own. its price today for low mileage is about 85% of original purchase, over 10 years! incredible. sadly, that truck was destroyed when someone in a F450 lost control on ice in winter and collided head-on into driver side and literally crushed the truck to a pancake. luckily my Ram was parked without me in it!

[Elisavaet]

Datacom,
Lot's of good suggestions here and I don't disagree with any of them but have two cents to add...

I've found that 12V Cummins seem to be going up in price, probably deservedly so. The 24V from late 1998 to 2002 seems to be the in between step child, between the legendary 12V and the more powerful common rail.

You can get one w a solid motor in your price range. Go to Cummins forum.com to see what to look for. The injector pump is actually a solid design IF you have a decent lift pump. You have to replace that and the steering box is week. Any old truck will have issues though.

2002 is the last year before emissions as well.

I have to agree w the gasser crowd here though, you can get a cleaner Ford or Dodge V10 for less money and they seem to be pretty bulletproof.

I own a 2002 5.9L Cummins and think I'm cool as hell when I idle by in a clatter, but if I'm totally honest I'd probably be better served by a newer V10.

But I do love that diesel clatter!

[turtlem1969]

I own 3 "older diesels", all with the same basic mods, larger air filers, 3.5" straight exhaust.

One is a '94 Chevy CC LB Dually, automatic with the 6.5 turbo. It rides like a Cadillac going down the road, pulls kind of sluggish up to about 50 mph pulling over 10,000 LBS. biggest draw back to the motor is the pmd that goes out about every 10-15,000 miles. Gets 15-17 mpg empty at 75 mph, has a 28 gal fuel tank.

One is a '95 F350 CC LB SRW 7.3 powerstroke 5 speed manual, has a little bit stiffer ride, a little quieter than the Chevy, under 10,000 lbs i can still start off in 2nd with minimal fuel, pulls good and strong over 10,000 lbs. No real issues with the engine,parts are relatively in expensive for a diesel. Gets between 15-18 mpg empty running 75 mph. Biggest draw back is the two small fuel tanks, a 16 and 18 gal.

The last is a '01 Dodge 2500 QC LB Automatic SRW 5.9 Cummins. Has the roughest ride on highway empty, but its not bad, feels like you're driving a truck. Pulls kind of sluggish up to about 35 mph then pulls good and strong on up to the speed limit. It's the loudest inside of the cab out of the three, but you can still hold a conversation without yelling, its the loudest outside of the truck at the front bumper of the three. I use it primarily as my daily driver. Draw backs, the vp44 injection pump is very picky about fuel pressure from the lift pump, too low of pressure and it will burn up, $975 for the injection pump plus core charge. Easy to and fairly inexpensive to beef up the HP, week link is the AT. Inside the cab, good luck with finding one without a cracked/busted dash, around $4-500 to replace. To replace heater core and AC condenser you must remove dash. Gets on the average 22-24 mpg at 75 mph.

With all that said I would not hesitate to by an "older diesel" in decent shape.

[Duoglide1]

Originally Posted by turtlem1969

I own 3 "older diesels", all with the same basic mods, larger air filers, 3.5" straight exhaust.

One is a '94 Chevy CC LB Dually, automatic with the 6.5 turbo. It rides like a Cadillac going down the road, pulls kind of sluggish up to about 50 mph pulling over 10,000 LBS. biggest draw back to the motor is the pmd that goes out about every 10-15,000 miles. Gets 15-17 mpg empty at 75 mph, has a 28 gal fuel tank.

One is a '95 F350 CC LB SRW 7.3 powerstroke 5 speed manual, has a little bit stiffer ride, a little quieter than the Chevy, under 10,000 lbs i can still start off in 2nd with minimal fuel, pulls good and strong over 10,000 lbs. No real issues with the engine,parts are relatively in expensive for a diesel. Gets between 15-18 mpg empty running 75 mph. Biggest draw back is the two small fuel tanks, a 16 and 18 gal.

The last is a '01 Dodge 2500 QC LB Automatic SRW 5.9 Cummins. Has the roughest ride on highway empty, but its not bad, feels like you're driving a truck. Pulls kind of sluggish up to about 35 mph then pulls good and strong on up to the speed limit. It's the loudest inside of the cab out of the three, but you can still hold a conversation without yelling, its the loudest outside of the truck at the front bumper of the three. I use it primarily as my daily driver. Draw backs, the vp44 injection pump is very picky about fuel pressure from the lift pump, too low of pressure and it will burn up, $975 for the injection pump plus core charge. Easy to and fairly inexpensive to beef up the HP, week link is the AT. Inside the cab, good luck with finding one without a cracked/busted dash, around $4-500 to replace. To replace heater core and AC condenser you must remove dash. Gets on the average 22-24 mpg at 75 mph.

With all that said I would not hesitate to by an "older diesel" in decent shape.

Now thats a well rounded and honest opinion.

[Edd505]

Too bad your so far away I have an absolutely pristine inside & out
2000 F250SD 7.3 w/163K It's setup to tow, bed rails & airbags, like new 10ply tires. None smoker all synthetic since new Pm for more info.

[johnsonk2396]

Originally Posted by dix39

That would be my choice too. My choice would be with a manual transmission. My son had a '96 and wasn't very satisfied with the auto. The same son just had the auto transmission rebuilt in his '94 7.3.

If you plan to do the maintenance yourself, take a look inside the hood of a 7.3 and compare it with a 5.9. IMHO, the 5.9 is much less cluttered and easier to work on.

Best of luck.

Steve

I own a 5.9L Cummins and worked on a 7.3L. That Ford sucks butt to work on. It's so cramped inside the engine compartment. The Cummins is all out in the open. Just replaced the starter on my Cummins in the parking lot in about 30 minutes. Who can say that about anything on a Ford lmao. But regardless of what you get, manual transmission all the way.

[Scottybdivin]

Originally Posted by Edd505

Too bad your so far away I have an absolutely pristine inside & out
2000 F250SD 7.3 w/163K It's setup to tow, bed rails & airbags, like new 10ply tires. None smoker all synthetic since new Pm for more info.

I drove a 2000 F350 for 220K mi. People are talking about not having enough room under the hood to work on them. That truck never saw a mechanic's shop until I sold it to our diesel mechanic. He put another 100K on it before he sold it.

[dix39]

Access is also important because there are always filters and the like that need to be changed on a routine basis. Also starters and alternators that just go when they go.

As for reliability, our old 5.9 had 286k miles on it when we sold it. The only thing other than routine maintenance items, starter, and alternator that were replaced were the fuel lift pump and water pump. When we made our AK trip the engine had around 260k miles on it. I bought these to carry with us just in case. 20k miles later I was still carrying them around and decided it would be easier to install them in my driveway than alongside a road somewhere, so I did. They were both still working just fine.

That being said, our son and many others, like their 7.3 diesels as much as I did our 5.9. I guess "it's to each his/her own".

Steve

[Bob_C]

Bought my 99 2500 Dodge 4x4 when it had 22,000 miles on it....it's a 5.9 with auto trans....changed trans fluid to synthetic, been trouble free, and as it does have an electronic injection pump, one cannot change pump timing as you could with a 12 valve.....I tow with it, made 4 cross country trips to North Carolina, and from north to south US boarders.....! starter, 1 lift pump, 2 crank sensors, and the biggie..1 injection pump. When the pump failed, I bought a pump from Blue Chip Diesel, an upgraded one, cost $2000, but, picked up power and mileage.....have added a 4" exhaust system with muffler, a better air filter system, and a pillar gauge set....now has 185000 miles, doesn't leak a drop, and if the Cunnins was to take a dump. I'd be money ahead to fix it.....never have had any suspension problems, and this truck will far out turn a Ford....out here tho, these truck seem to retain their value....the ones that don't, aren't worth buying.....