I currently have a Durango that is in need of a lot of work, and I'm very seriously considering upgrading to a 3rd generation Ram, either a 2500 or 3500 with the Cummins. My budget is about $15,000, hoping to keep the payment a bit under $300/month, ideally around $250-270 at the most. My main concern is knowing what should I be looking for on one of these trucks thats nearing the 200k mile point, are there any common issues I should know about, I'd imagine that as long as its been well cared for and maintained, 200k miles on such a truck shouldn't be too worn out? I honestly don't have much if any experience with Rams that are this new, and this would be my first diesel truck as well. I've got quite a bit of help in the Durango section over the years, so I guess I'm mostly looking for any advice based on experience that might help me avoid buying a truck that I'd end up regretting deeply once I discover its got far more problems than I expected.

 

I'll leave it here as there are some folks around with great CTD knowledge, but you should really post over in the diesel forum... you'll probably get better feedback over there.

 

I honestly thought I was posting in the right area, I did not see the diesel specific forum.

 

If you can, get something well under 200k miles. The engines last a long time, the chassis will as well, if you maintain it. Look for someone with records of their truck.
I would look for a 2005. In many of our opinions, the 05 is the best year of the 3rd gen, be it for looks as well as tune-ability. In 06 they changed the electrical system.

In 04, you had the Cummins. 04.5/05 Had the H/O, you want that. Steer clear of any Cummins that originally sold to California. They have their specific idiotic libtarded views of diesels and any California bound truck is very limited.

In 07 they offered the 5.9 and the 07.5 6.7, get the 5.9. The 3rd gen 6.7's have problems.

 

No worries.

 

Trust me, I know all about California emissions, and don't really want one with that setup. I was definitely leaning towards either the 5.9 HO or the 6.7. I like the idea of the 6.7 being more powerful, but I've heard bad things about the DPF. If the 5.9 is a better choice, I'll definitely go that route though. I don't really plan on doing any tuning, I know sometimes having these engines make more power can also take a toll on them, and I know I won't be towing anything that challenging for it. Mom and dad have been wanting a camper trailer, or possibly a slide in camper, neither would be the heaviest of them, but they likely will be heavy enough for the Cummins to be of benefit, and if they go with a camper it'll likely be needed to have a 3/4 ton. Since it will be my only vehicle, it'll be what I drive to work every day, but I have a commute that is about 35 miles there and back, mostly highway, so I know that won't be too hard on it with short trips, most everywhere I go will be a long enough drive to get it well warmed up to full temperature. My price limit is 14,000, I could stretch it to 15 if absolutely necessary, but most everything I see online in my price range is either nearing or above 200K miles, part of me wants to think that if these trucks were starting to be quite worn out at that point, people wouldn't be willing to pay so much, but that isn't necessarily true, and I know that regardless, I'll want to make sure its thoroughly checked over for excessive wear, abuse, or neglect. I just don't want to go from one worn out truck to another, I;d much prefer to go from a worn out one to a truck that I can drive for a good few years, trust to take on long road trips, and not expect to do much other than normal maintenance to for a good many miles.

 

The 2010 and up 6.7 is more powerful with alot less issues.

 

True, but he's probably not going to pick one up for under $15k.

 

Missing the 15k.

 

I have found a couple 6.7s in my price range, though they are well over 200k miles.