I need advice! I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Cummings HO with 206,000 miles on it… love it but I was looking for another one with less miles and 2 very important to me options (anti spin Diff and the tow mirrors) I found a 2004 Dodge ram 2500 Cummings HO with my limited slip, tow mirrors and it is blue! Only 81,000 miles! Auto, leather… super nice… kind of.. Problem is rust.. It is a North Carolina truck (always has been) it is the type of rust you get when you get mud on your truck and never wash it off. It was owned by a person that ran/owned a nursery (plants not babies). If you can imagine getting mud on your truck and leaving it there underneath where the mud would lay is rusty… more then surface rust…. Anyways it’s 20k deer and has a beautiful fresh paintjob. (clean carfax) they say it was just scratched up and would not buff out… is it worth it? Or should I run? I pull a 13000 pound boat with my 04 now and we are pulling all the way to panama city beach in April… want a reliable ram that won’t cause me a lot of problems with rust!......

 

First, welcome to the forum. Second, before you get heckled to death, it's a Cummins, not a cummings LMAO

While the miles are really low, I've seen '06 and '07 RAM Cummins without rust for similar prices. Here's a few examples:

• 2008 2500 for $24k
• 2006 3500 dually for $22k
• 2007 2500 for $22k

For my money, I'd say it's not worth it.

 

the two autotrader links did not work... and i gotcha on the cummins deal.. thanks... But I want a 2004 or newer 2500 or 3500 srw 5.9 HO 4x4, quadcab, slt or better, auto, tow package, anti spin rearend, tow mirrors, short bed... Very difficult to find... this one is next to perfect minus the rust... if anyone has what i am looking for let me know... perfer blue, burgandy or dark gray.

 

You realize that you can get tow mirrors for about $300, and that the factory anti-spin differential is pretty crappy, right? An Auburn or Detroit Locker would serve you much better.

 

Rust is a total killer and can cost you lots of money and is a complete and total PIA to work on because every nut and bolt will be rusted to remove even when you try simple repairs! I'd much rather purchase a truck that is cleaner(less rust) with higher miles. BUT, then again, there are2006/2007 Cummin Rams around my area here in NY for $22-24k in outstanding condition with far less than 81kmi! 81kmi in a nursery to me, means lots of stop&go's, lots of offroad impact on the suspension, and lots of idle time! Id be sure to check the engine hours.
While the LSD diffs for the 1500 series trucks are pretty crappy, the 2500/3500 trucks don't utilize the same crappy 9.25" diff. Instead, their LSD is a worm gear and is very tough. Anything diesel is going to have a beefier rearend with the HD worm gear LSD, so no worries there! I think they are 11.5" diffs??
The price of mirrors did go up lightly from summertime last year. They were $324 for heated/power but the cheapest I could find last week was $400. Even so, its silly to buy a truck based on the mirors as they can be added. The locking diff is another story as they can be very pricey and a PIA to have one installed.

 

I do stand corrected. It appears the Dana70 was stock for the automatic Cummins as early as the mid-90s. 3rd gen went to a 10.5" for the auto and 11.5" for the manual. Factory LSD for a 3rd gen uses a helical gear design that requires no lubricant additives. Again, sorry for the mis-info earlier, but I still stand by my original conclusion that you should not buy the truck with rust or on the merit of tow mirrors. I've only ever seen 2500 ST Hemis without the tow mirrors, so finding an SLT Cummins with them should be a piece of cake. I can't find one without them.

 

Totally agree with Brandon, options are cheap, rust is expensive. It never sleeps and will continue to rust unless cut out. I'd pass on the rust bucket and find something else.

 

I give in!! Thanks for all the replies.. I have told the dealer I was not going to buy… After reading all of the responses I went outside and took a look at the underneath of my 04 with 206000 miles and it looks like showroom new compared to the truck in question. So I will get busy with the mods that I have been wanting to do and keep it! Last night I found and bought a set of Newer Style H2 wheels, I may have a junk yard willing to pull out a limited slip from an axle they have, and the lowest priced ebay OEM heated mirrors happen to be my dodge dealer here in hickory…. So instead worrying about my “high mileage” dodge that I only owe 11k on and trying to double my payment then I will start the modding…

 

Gotta link to those mirrors?

 

I can't believe they bother to make 2500/3500s with the Cummins without tow mirrors. You buy those trucks for work, and even if you're not towing the extra mirror area is useful.

I use them enough with a 1500 that they should be standard equipment on any HD truck.