I'm planning on buying a used Cummins very soon so that I can haul an occasional (1, maybe 2 per month) loads for a friend, anwhere from 3,000 to 12,000 lbs.
The necessities for me are a Quad Cab, 4x4 and a limited budget ($12k or less). A 5 or 6 speed would be nice but they're next to impossible for me to find in this configuration and price range.
There are two trucks I'm considering. I've not driven either one, and one of them is not located locally.

1. (local truck) '98 Sportautomatic, 190,000 miles,Q-cab long bed, 4x4 24-valve, power windows &locks, trip computer in overhead console, new tranny 6k miles ago, along with the front drive shaft rebuilt, starter has been replaced, 1 year old batteries,Clean inside & out, good condition, class III or IV receiver (he thinks IV?) brake controller installed, no goose neck (which I likely may need), asking $9995.
2. (not local) '01 SLT automatic, 130,000 miles,Q-cab long bed, 4x4, 24-valve, power windows & locks,clean inside and out, owner claims it has been extremely dependable, class III receiver, hideaway gooseneck, towing package, camper package, nerf bars,"mechanically perfect", can be bought for $12,000 to $12,500.

My feelings:
'98
Pros: It's nice to buy a local truck, easier to deal with. It's a couple thousand cheaper, has almost new tranny and other parts, I love a trip computer. Sport package is purty. Has bedliner and aluminum toolbox.
Cons: 60,000 higher mileage, 3 years older, lower power output (I think), no goose neck which I very likely will need at some point.

'01
Pros: Newer truck, from Texas,60,000 less miles, spoke with the owner and he sounds like a nice guy to deal with(this can be deceiving over the phone, though), sounded as though he maintained the truck well,already has goose neck which will save a few hundred, has a fiberglass topper which a buddy would buy from me, has clearance lights on cab, nerf bars,higher horsepower rating, camper package.
Cons: 6 hours away, higher price, no trip computer in console.

Any opinions? Ok, everyone has an opinion, but any constructive ones?
One biggie is the power difference. How much difference is there between these years, considering they both have an auto tranny? If I remember correctly it's 215 horse vs. 235, right? What about torque? How much noticable difference is there, really?

Thanks in advance!

 

lol. . .the power output issue is a mute issue here. you can get the 98, throw a towing box on it and have more power then the 01

asside from that, the mileage, I wouldnt worry about 190K, that thing easily has another 100,000+ miles of life left before you would need to think about any type or repairs. the only thing I would check would be the valve lash. Ido have one question for you to ask the owners. . .any injector pump or lift pump issues? this is a known problem and can be fixed easily.

I think I would go the same route as you and go for the 98. the 01's have a possability of having a defective block design that can cause to MAJOR repairs if the engine is not warmed up and cooled off properly.

as far as towing, you wont notice a difference. The power increase serves only two purposes, to compete number wise with other manufacturers, and to increase GVWR and GCVWR. An 89 160hp truck will pull a load just as well as my 04.5 325hp truck as long as your not trying to prove something

 

Thanks for the fast reply!
I have toyed with the idea of some mods, tempered by the fact it has an auto tranny. Retaining high fuel mileage is important to me but like everybody else it's fun to occasionally dust off the occasional sports car. With these things in mind, what would be a good "budget" solution for this?

 

drive it around. . .you'll be surprized how fast it is for only 215hp.

 

$500 for a chip, $500 for guages and your good to go, watch out though, it is addictive. I would go for the local one. If it doesn't have a gooseneck means that it hasn't had a real load behind it.