New vs Old Diesel Truck

I have looked extensively over the years. If buying used, the 04 and up Duramaxes seem to be pretty good. I dislike GM for personal reasons, but, apparently, others like them. The Rams are great from 03-07 if a quad cab will satisfy you. If you need a crew cab, a new 13 and up will be great. I just bought my third Ram and this one is the best truck I have ever driven. Not sure about reliability yet, only have 1200 miles on it. I had a 91, 97 and now the 13. Would have kept the 97 if it had more room. If you are handy with wrenches and have a shop, get a diesel a few years older from an RVer. They tend to be a little more picky about modifications and maintenance. I would avoid early model emission diesels as they get pretty bad mileage due to frequent regenerations. I wanted a crew with the DEF from Ram, so I bought new. I would have bought an 06 but a quad just didn't offer an improvement in room enough to justify cost. Good luck. Get an exhaust brake and that will solve that white knuckle feeling on downhills.