Which years used Dodge is best?

SSWaters

SSWaters

Old Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2005
Location
Kannapolis
I trust you guys opinions so here it is.

Need something to tow with so I can actually go wheel somewhere besides around my house again. Narrowed it down to extended or crewcab 00 - 02 Ford (prefer the 7.3) 6 speed or a Dodge Cummins 6 spd but don't know which year range is the best 98 - 04? Like to know what the big money issues are on the Dodges for certain years, hear conflicting stories on the blocks, lift pumps and such. Which used Dodges from 04 back are the best?

I have an old 84 F350 7.3 IDI 12' dump now but don't trust it more than 20 miles from my house!
 
if your on a lower budget id say and second generation with a 12 valve .the early model 98's . came with a 4 door extra cab. earlier years only had 3 doors. besides that i have a 04 with the 600 motor. i would recommend one similar but with a manual . the auto trannies are the weak link
 
91oneton said:
if your on a lower budget id say and second generation with a 12 valve .the early model 98's . came with a 4 door extra cab. earlier years only had 3 doors. besides that i have a 04 with the 600 motor. i would recommend one similar but with a manual . the auto trannies are the weak link
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Dodge never made the 3 door, they went right from the 2 door Club-cab to 4 door Quad cab in mid '98.
 
- The 24 valve engines (98.5 and up) came with shotty fuel lift pumps. It is an easy fix though. I replaced mine with a FASS pump. Sort of pricey at about $425, but I think it has a 6 yr warranty. That will help the Bosch VP44 injection pump live longer.

- Also check for 53 block code:
http://www.cumminsdatabase.com/read.php?id=185

- The manual transmissions are more durable than the autos
 
In all reality all Dodges are good trucks.. ok well most are..

as for years it just depends on comfort you like

I have a 92 that I have done a TON of work on and it is great.. the downfall is that it is a standard cab and with a grwoing family I need an ext cab or a 4 door club cab
that is why mine is for sale: http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37292

but finding an older body style 4 door is very hard so my next truck will be a 2nd or 3rd gen so I get the luxury and comfort but still get the reliabilty of the Cummins.

94 - 98 you get 2nd gen with better die then 93 and older..
it is also easier to get BIo or Grease working if yo are into that
98.5 and up you get 3rd gen with a lot more comfort but the prices really start to climb once you get into a 3rd gen..

I will probably end up with a nice 2nd gen

but yes you need to look for the 53 block
and which fuel pump you have
also always ask owners if they have done KDP.. if not that will need to get done.
I also recommend asking owners if they have towed a lot and if they have see if they have a EGT gauge or not..
 
BRUISER said:
In all reality all Dodges are good trucks.. ok well most are..
as for years it just depends on comfort you like
I have a 92 that I have done a TON of work on and it is great.. the downfall is that it is a standard cab and with a grwoing family I need an ext cab or a 4 door club cab
that is why mine is for sale: http://www.nc4x4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37292
but finding an older body style 4 door is very hard so my next truck will be a 2nd or 3rd gen so I get the luxury and comfort but still get the reliabilty of the Cummins.
94 - 98 you get 2nd gen with better die then 93 and older..
it is also easier to get BIo or Grease working if yo are into that
98.5 and up you get 3rd gen with a lot more comfort but the prices really start to climb once you get into a 3rd gen..
I will probably end up with a nice 2nd gen
but yes you need to look for the 53 block
and which fuel pump you have
also always ask owners if they have done KDP.. if not that will need to get done.
I also recommend asking owners if they have towed a lot and if they have see if they have a EGT gauge or not..
Click to expand...

When they talk about #-Gen dodges, they're referring to body style. 12V 2nd Gen is 94-98, 24V 2nd Gen is 98.5-2002. 3rd Gen started in 2003 with the common rail engine.

The Gen's are confusing because Dodge usually debuts the 1/2 ton first, while the 3/4 and 1-tons are the old body style. The following year, the 3/4 and 1-tons get the body change. I wonder if they'll continue this with the 4th Gen Ram, model year 2009 & 10. Rumor is the new half ton will have a small V6 diesel option.
 
i just recently bought a 1995 club cab 4x4 with the 12 valve and it runs like a champ. it has quite a few mods done to it and seems to pull my boat better than my dads 2007 F250 does. cant wait to pull my jeeps around with it and see how it performs. also putting a fuel plate in it this weekend. personally if i were you try to find one with the quad cab.
 
IMHO 93 down is the best TRUCK. Not being a cummins guy I cant comment on which engine is the best, but between the body styles offered with the cummins I would take the earliest. If I hadnt just bought my crew cab Id buy Bruisers.

Duane
 
I like my 96 dodge 3500 with the 12valve and auto. I recommend a stick or at least plan to get a new performance manual valvebody and HD torque converter.

the 12v's are simple and require very little to pull like hell. plus they aren't a struggle stroke.
IF you do go with a Ford Super Duty make SURE you get a 7.3 that has been maintained, I've been a FORD guy my whole life until I got this Dually
 
88-93 1st Gen Rotatry VE Pump
94-98 1st Gen P Pump
98.5-2002 2nd gen VP-44 Pump
2003-Current 3rd Gen Common Rail Bosch


There all good trucks, If you going to spend some money on it, The 24v's are the best of both worlds, The newer 03+ trucks have more expensive fuel problems than the VP trucks!
 
mysterync said:
The newer 03+ trucks have more expensive fuel problems than the VP trucks!
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Maybe if you turn it up, but stock they are very reliable. The 305hp/555 lb-ft engines seem to get better fuel economy than the later engines.
 
This site is great! Keep it coming.

Yes, I'm "if your on a lower budget" as said earlier. 2 kids, stay at home wife and house/truck payments. I'm looking for reliabilty in an older truck, will probably try to find the one with under say 115K miles. Will probably sell my dd and my flatbed to do this when I get one, trying to consolidate vehicles. But, the way fuel prices are now, who knows.
 
NC_Mog said:
Maybe if you turn it up, but stock they are very reliable. The 305hp/555 lb-ft engines seem to get better fuel economy than the later engines.
Click to expand...


Not so, Factory injectors are failing left and right without further modifications. You figure a Set of injectors, new run $400+ and Repairing those injectors runs about $150.00 a peice as well as if you want to upgrade, Your looking at more Cost!

The CP3 its self is very reliable! And by no means am I trying to critcize , I'm just saying I've put three sets of Factory Injectors in 3 FACTORY truck in the past three weeks!

Generally when a Rail Pressure Relife Goes, It will stick open , but in some cases more present in trucks with algae in the system failure rates are not only higher, but consistently show that the valve may infact fail and not allow any flow!

The factory Rail PSI is set desired at 21,000 at full throttle, most boxes do not in fact raise pressure , but when a pressure box is added, you'll be looking at desired 26,000 at the lower end, 33-36,000 higher and in some cases even higher. Most feel thats WAY to high, and in some cases it is, without other provisions!


Anyway, Just trying to help everyone I can!

If i can be of assistance, Its easy to reach me in my shop!
828-266-9077

Sorry for the mispells , im in a bit of a hurry
 
Could be. There is lots of spectulation about injector failure from use of pressure boxes, using a poor quality filter, poor lubrication from ULSD, excessive idle time, and the list goes on. I'm at 81k on a stock truck, Fleetgard filters since new, and I use B20 on all my fill ups (or additives while traveling). There are a lot of trucks with a lot of miles and no issues.
 
45k miles since I bought my 01' CTD 6 speed and no issues other than the cracked dash I replaced (188k now). I owned 2 PSDs and an IDI Ford before this truck...never another Ford and never another auto for towing. Can't run the 24valve CTD on WVO but the 12valve seem to like it..my business partner has logged close to 200k on nothing but WVO, it did cost him an injection pump around 250k , but the motor/truck has way over 300k on it now and still puts down over 1000ftlbs of torque when it's turned up. If you want big power mod options I'd go with the CTD.
 
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