Looking for a reliable diesel truck

I was a diesel mechanic for 21 years for Freightliner and I knew what truck that I wanted. I searched Craigslist almost everyday for a year before i found one. I bought a 99 Dodge 1 ton dual wheel 5.9 24 valve Cummins with 125,000 miles on it for $10,300. It had a new lift pump and injector pump, recently. It has an auto, which i like! The 1st thing that I had done was change the fluid in transmission and adj the bands. He said it looked new, inside! I have used this truck for 2 years and it has been perfect! I average 10-12 mpg pulling my 33' 5th wheel toyhauler.I change the oil and filters when I should and keep a spare fuel filter under the back seat! If, and when you find a good truck that You like, you have to jump on it because it might not be there, tomorrow! Hard to come by!

Once again, do research on freguenvy of repair on the 2006 Dodge 2500 Diesel. In Diesel Resource magazine there is rarely more than a page of issues where all other years before and after will have many many pages of problems. Mercedes owned Dodge for little more than a year in 2005-2006 and poured $$ in to the truck line as they realized it was the cash cow of the deal.

If your set on one brand it may take time. It took me over one year to find my 06 Duramax.
Alot of good comments so far. Good luck.

allendlung wrote:
What are other good years of dodge trucks?

What should I look out for. I'm guessing I need to expand my budget, that's fine. I just want something that will last a long time.

The best years of the 5.9L Dodge Ram are 2003 to 2006.

I bought a 2004.5 (a few factory mechanical changes halfway through 2004) just over two years ago. Quad Cab, standard bed, 4WD, 136,000 miles, one owner new Ram trade in, excellent condition, local Southern AZ truck (means NO corrosion or rust). The Ram dealer put all new front end parts on it, fixed the AC, and a few other minor repairs to bring the maintenance up to date. We paid $18K. We got it before it ever got on the lot, or I think it would have sold quick. This truck has been great for us, very reliable, very happy with it, excellent towing machine. I believe if I were selling it today, it might bring as much or more than I paid for it, but we intend to keep it a long time.

Good luck to you. Clean diesel trucks at good prices come up for sale. You just need to be diligent. As someone suggested, 5.9L Dodge, 7.3L Ford, or 2006, early 2007 Duramax LBZ (the Duramax will be out of your price range) all tend to be good reliable trucks.

Foy R. Smith wrote:
I was a diesel mechanic for 21 years for Freightliner and I knew what truck that I wanted. I searched Craigslist almost everyday for a year before i found one. I bought a 99 Dodge 1 ton dual wheel 5.9 24 valve Cummins with 125,000 miles on it for $10,300. It had a new lift pump and injector pump, recently. It has an auto, which i like! The 1st thing that I had done was change the fluid in transmission and adj the bands. He said it looked new, inside! I have used this truck for 2 years and it has been perfect! I average 10-12 mpg pulling my 33' 5th wheel toyhauler.I change the oil and filters when I should and keep a spare fuel filter under the back seat! If, and when you find a good truck that You like, you have to jump on it because it might not be there, tomorrow! Hard to come by!

I am surprised being a Freightliner Mechanic you did not stray away from the 99's since they are known for block cracking. I wish you long life on the 99.

FYI, I found my truck two years ago on CL, private owner. 2004.5 Ram 3500 quad cab, DRW, 2WD, long bed, auto, Laramie, 62,000 miles, Leer canopy, Bed-Slide, Bed-Rug, excellent condition, new tires all around. I had to pay $27k but sold the canopy and slide to get it down to $26k.

There was no engine braking that year so I installed a Pacbrake for an extra $2k. I am extremely pleased with the truck and expect it will be the last one I will ever need.

I went from a 97 CTD 3/4T 215hp 5 spd 3.54 diff to this 03 305 HO 6 spd 4.10 DRW and the 03 will tow circles around the 97 but the 97 would run circles around the 03, empty. Both have/had similar power mods - towing turbos and a little more fuel. Both were daily drivers for several years and both got the same mpg. The 97 was rated to tow 10500 (12500 if it had the 4.10) and the 03 is rated about 14500 I think. I didn't like the feel of the SRW once I went to a 9600 gvw 5er but the 03 DRW handles and pulls my now 15000 gvw 5er with ease and way better stability than the SRW with the smaller 5er. Just some more to think about. I wanted an HO 305 6 spd 4.10 quad cab and wouldn't settle for less and I read for 3 years before I found mine. 2001.5 was the 4 wheel disc brakes, 03 was the first 305. 03 - 04.4 had NO emissions... the most simple for a CR CTD. 98.5 - 02 had a weaker injector pump and block. 94 - 98.4 had the P7100 bulletproof pump and only a cat for emissions. 96-98.4 was 215 hp for the 5 spd and 180 for the auto and that's why I got the 5spd. They are really easy and cheap to turn up to 300hp. The 5spd had an OD gear problem but I fixed mine. 2006 - 2007.4 was the best 5.9 auto. I'm still absolutely thrilled with my 03 and you can find good 03 - 04.4s for under 20k. Good luck! Craig

If you're not in a hurry and don't mind traveling you will find something. I think the best years would be before the first round of big emission stuff hit around 2007. So, early to mid 2000s would be a good target. The only one I'd rule would be the Ford 6.0 - the 7.3 Powerstroke was a great motor as are the GM/Chevy and Dodge/Ram of the same era.

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Foy R. Smith wrote:
I was a diesel mechanic for 21 years for Freightliner and I knew what truck that I wanted. I searched Craigslist almost everyday for a year before i found one. I bought a 99 Dodge 1 ton dual wheel 5.9 24 valve Cummins with 125,000 miles on it for $10,300. It had a new lift pump and injector pump, recently. It has an auto, which i like! The 1st thing that I had done was change the fluid in transmission and adj the bands. He said it looked new, inside! I have used this truck for 2 years and it has been perfect! I average 10-12 mpg pulling my 33' 5th wheel toyhauler.I change the oil and filters when I should and keep a spare fuel filter under the back seat! If, and when you find a good truck that You like, you have to jump on it because it might not be there, tomorrow! Hard to come by!

I am surprised being a Freightliner Mechanic you did not stray away from the 99's since they are known for block cracking. I wish you long life on the 99.

That issue applies to the "53" blocks, which are fairly easily identified.

Rusty

allendlung wrote:
I'm looking for a reliable diesel truck. I like the idea of finding one of the dodge 12 valves but I haven't hand any luck. I want to replace my 2005 dodge 2500 Hemi.

Any suggestions?

Post your requirements/desires on the *Tow Vehicle* forum.

You *may* get some good suggestions where to look.

IMO - Spend a lot of "quality"? time on CraigsList.

Good luck.

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