Hello everyone I'm looking to buy another truck. The 2 I have it down to are:

1999 ram 2500 quad cab, miles 107,946, auto, diesel

2002 ram 2500 quad cab, miles 173,663, manual, diesel

I really want the 02 because it's 3 years newer and manual trans but the mileage is a little higher. Which one would you buy and why? Are the engines the same for those 2 years? Any problems out of the trans if either of them? What kind of mpg would they get?

Thanks for any help..

 

Yes they are both the same motors 5.9l 24v 6 cylinders. And from what I was told is that those cummins motors will run forever. My friend has one with 450k on it on the 3 or 4th tranny but the motor still runs good and I think he gets about 20mpg in his while running 305/70/16 mt tires. And his a a manual regular cab long box. Thats all I can tell you. You would probably have better luck posting this in the cummins forums they can tell you about common problems

 

177k miles ain't no scratch on a Cummins. What do the $$$ look like?

 

Like everybody said the cummins are bulletproof...so its basically down to which one YOU want

 

the 99 with auto is $500 more.

 

If thats the only diffrence and you want the 02 get it. Then take $500 you saved and get your self a nice chip right away and go out and pollute the ozone with all that black smoke.

 

Lol, a little more miles? A 66k mile difference is more than a little. That aside, the problems you will encounter will not be with the Engine. They will be with the suspensions, bushings, mounts, bearings, bla bla bla. Make sure all of the above are good. I'd be willing to bet more than just a little wager that a Ram with 173k miles has all of those problems.

 

With only the info you gave (not seeing their actual condition), i'd go with the '99. The difference in mileage is significant in my opinion. The '03 averages out to almost 25k miles per year since it was built. The '99 at less then 10k per year. I would pick the one that was driven less. Sure the Cummins might last a long time in either of them, but you have to look at how that mileage is going to affect all the other components - i.e. trans, suspension, etc. Plus, I like the 2nd gen's better then the 3rd gen's.

The only thing that would appeal to me about the '03 over the '99 is that it has a manual trans.

 

and 02 2500 IS a Second Generation..

 

i totally agree with you i would go with the 99 also