I am looking at picking up a diesel Ram 04ish. I want one with a 6 speed and a quad cab.
Are any years better than others?
what needs to be done to keep it going other than fluids?
What are common problems?
Banks TT kit FTW!
I know the 03’s had some problems…the cummins is bulliet proof. BUt if you really want bulliet proof…go with the 12V.
oh yeah…good luck finding one around here. Esp. with what you are looking for (6spd) unless you go high miles you won’t touch one for under 30K
the cummins is a great motor…but…dodge…eh. go with a duramax. My dad has one…so quiet…and the best performance out of the big 3…
don’t bother with the powerstroke…ew
the only reason I would go with a chevy is for the allison tranny. But I want a stick
I am looking all over the place not just wny, I will drive for the right truck.
I want something with under 80k
Price range?
I’m looking to spend mid 20s
Could you be anymore narrow minded? Every truck, and I really emphasize EVERY truck has it’s issues. The allison is a good tranny, but I’ve seen my fair share shit the bed from bad ECU’s and bad internals. I’ve also seen a handful of warranty claims of blown duramax’s because the cooling system is so terrible that the engine overheats pulling any form of a load.
Can you honestly tell me who wants a diesel that self destructs while pulling a load?
Ford had bad turbos, headgaskets, injectors, seals, etc…
I know of very few problems with the common rail, mainly because I don’t follow it too much. The 6 speed is a stout tranny, try to find the NV5600 if you can. 24 valve motors had bad lift pumps, bad injector pumps, and the possibility of a piece of casting on the block cracking. The cracking is easily repaired, and non-detrimental to the motor.
The 12valve had basically one engine issue: the KDP. An alignment pin in the timing case would wiggle out and possibly destroy the top end. They sell kits for tabbing it to hold it in place. All of the automatics have sucked. The 48RE was a great improvement, but far from bulletproof. Any of the manuals from Dodge are damn near bulletproof with the addition of a clutch. Any of the older 5 speeds will have an issue with the 5th gear nut falling off and toasting 5th gear. This also has an easy fix.
Maintenance wise, cummins are cheaper to repair plain and simple. A ford diesel injector costs anywheres from 2-300 per INJECTOR. Thats over 2000 dollars for injectors alone. The older 7.3 is a pretty stout motor, and I’d compare it to a cummins any day of the weak as far as reliability goes.
It sounds like you know what you want, the question is what is your price range? You can find a lower mileage for under 30k, I don’t know what pipe that posted was smoking. Hell, I could find a REALLY nice 04-05 in that price. I’ve seen 03’s go for as little as 20k with ~100k miles. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not bad mouthing any brand. However, anyone who is so brand loyal that they are completely oblivious to the fact that the Big 3 all make a pretty good truck, and that they ALL have their own issues, is just retarded. The only truck I would avoid like the plague is a 6.0 PSD.
Oh yea, I think you’re making the right choice choosing a Cummins. Could you tell I’m a dodge guy? 
Hope that helped some…
You posted that while I was typing my response. You can definitely find a pretty nice truck with what your looking to spend.
^ thats a good deal
IC blows up when more than stock boost is present.
Clutches and input shafts shatter when towing.
other than that sweet trucks, get the banks kit and be done.
this will be a work vehicle I doubt I will raise the boost, or modify it more than dual 5 inch stacks
work for what? What are you rounding up clients, hog tieing them, throwin in the back and dropping them at their new jobs? 
LOL^
its for a side job.
Don’t jump on me. The 6litre in the fords suck. I know plenty of people who own them and they hate them…comparing it to a duramax…duramax has more power,quiter,cleaner,better mpg more reliable.
now the 7.3 is a much better motor. and the NEW 6.4 i heard is pretty danm good.
As for the cummins. I’ve never heard anything bad about them. More reliable than the 8’s and take better to mods.
Plus they sound pretty dope too
lol, hes rounding up mexicans at the boarder. Nice side job.:lolsign: