Well first off I wouldn't be getting it now. Right now I am working two part time jobs and I have only had my 1500 for about 2 months. I was looking at the diesels for future useage. This ram isn't going to last forever and I would still like to trade it in while it has value. I was thinking about trading for one in 5 or 6 years because by then I will have saved up money and will be working my real job. So I figure if I get it then I won't have to worry about getting something new for years to come. The reason I want it is becauseI have wanted to become a diesel owner for some time now. Everyone I have ever talked to about having a diesel truck has said that they would never go back to a gasser. Not one person has said it was a mistake going to diesel and that is a pretty powerful statement IMO.Plus I have also wanted a 3/4 or 1 ton truck for a while and the diesels have so much power now that it compensates for the weight of the truck. Not to mention the longevity of the engine. I have seen alot on the cummings diesel and don't know much about other diesel outside the fact that the 7.3 was a great diesel. Would the Cummings give me the best bang for my buck? Will they last longer and give me more power than a DMax?

 

whew!.. that is a relief. I thought for sure you were going to be one of those guys your age or my age that are spending their parents' money but acting like it is theirs. I'm not saying that I wouldn't mind having rich parents, but I just typicallydon't get along with the rich unappreciative kids.

With that out of the way..... You should definitely make the switch as soon as possible. I haven't regreted it and would never go back to a gas truck. I had an 06 4.7L ram for about a year and then traded it in on this one, and love it!

The 5.9L (IMO) is gonna be your best shot and should out live and perform any powerstroke or dmax.

Welcome to the forum and good luck getting a new baby .


oh yeah... you need to go back and edit "cummings" to "cummins" before you get hounded on here for it .

 

If you don't mind paying over $4.00 a gallon for diesel fuel then it is the way to go. I love my diesel. I tow a heavy utility trailer on occasion and don't even know it's behind me. I've pulled my friend's 1987 Ford F-250 with a 9 foot plow on it out of a gully last November and my truck never even grunted. If you really want a good diesel you should try to find a Dodge with the 5.9L. That motor is well proven. I'm sure the 6.7L is a good motor it just need the bugs worked out of it. It is still too new yet. I like to change the oil and filter myself every 3,000 miles. I save money because I do it myself. Even at 3,000 miles it is pitch black with soot in it. I always change my fuel filter every 6,000 miles, rather than the 15,000 miles that the owner's manual says. It is just piece of mind for me, because I know diesel fuel has a lot of crap in it.

 

Yeah my parents aren't rich by any means. I am currently paying for every dollar of my gasser (Payments, Insurance, Gas, and Maintainance) and also for my college. So far I have no debt but these 14 hour days are getting tough. I have worked really hard to obtain that and it will pay off as I continue to age and mature. But I am currently holding off on the mods on my truck because i have a more important purchase coming up within the next year. I will be buying an engagement ring and I don't want to have to finance it. That is the reason I have no debt because if I don't have the money then I don't spend it. But I would be buying the CUMMINS diesel probably in 5 years or so because obviously I don't have the money now, but when I am on the fire department I will be able to afford it. And maybe by then the 6.7 will be freed from its bugs and perform like a 5.9, but only with more power.
And FYI I would never get a powerstroke unless it was the trusty 7.3, but the new ones are crap IMO. The DMax's claim to have more power, but the Cummuins seems to get better fuel mileage and out run the Dmax's in every race. I think my next one will be a Cummins for sure. The Chevy blazer I had before I bought my ram had a lot of problems and that is why I made the shift to Dodge. We are typically an all chevy family, but now I am a dodge man and am very proud of my purchase. I just kinda wish I would have saved up a little longer and got a Hemi w/MDS but the blazer was out of time.

 

I came from a 3.7L v6 in my Ram 1500. I saved and saved untill I could get one in my price range. My dad loaned me $5000 to get my truck. I saved up 10k to get it. After selling my dirtbike(had to because of back problems) and trading my 1500 in I only owe my dad $3000. So my truck will be paid off by the end of summer for sure. Unlike you, I don't pay for my insurance or anything. I pay for the gas that I use for fun(going off road, or driving out with the 4wheelers to have fun.) My parents are paying for my fuel to go to school and work though... Which I am glad because I drive a a total of 500miles a weekend for my dads work.

Keep in mind... It takes $160 to fill up 44gallons in my truck. Although, I do get 650miles out of that. My 1500 got 330miles to the tank, filling up at $85. So actually it was about the same to fill up this truck. Your 4.7L gets better gas than my v6 does though.

Other than that it is a blast to drive and you WONT regret it! One thing I love, once this truck shifts into overdrive, not matter what kind of hill you hit on the highway it isn't going to downshift unless you are pulling a trailer.

-Austin

 

No downshifting would be really sweet. I can just feel the gas being sucked away as I am running 2300 RPM's to go up a slight hill at 55mph. lol But you aren't paying for fuel because of your dad's work. That is a really nice thing. But for me its pay for all of have nothing so I am in a tight spot. I just bought my truck over a month ago and took out a six year loan. I fiqured I would keep the payments low until I got my real job and then start writing checks like a banshee. I am looking into purchasing one probably in the next 5 years or so. I just was looking for info to help me make that decision. So far it seems like its going to be a diesel and that I will be staying with the dodge family. But when I get mine I am going to do a few things to increase some performance on it. I PM'ed Triton and asked for a list on what he is running. His truck is just absolutly ridiculous! A truck like that would be an amazingly sweet DD to take to the fire department every time I am on shift. Thanks for all your guys help though. What else should I know about making the switch from gas to diesel. What would be some of the major differences? Obviously you can't drive it like a gasser, but I already am driving it like an old man to save on gas so I am not worried about that. But anything else?

 

I went from a 04 4.7 1500 2wd. (intake, exhaust, 34"s 3" level and 4.56 gears) I got about 12mpg in town and 14 on a good day on the highway.

My 06 5.9 has done nothin but get BETTER mpg with each mod. Smarty got me about 2mpg on the H/W and the 35"s helped about 1.5mpg on the H/W and didn't show any affect in town (tenths if anything)

The Smarty gets better mpg the higher I set it! (keeping you foot out of it of course)
The 35"s dropped my H/W RPMS enough to help with gas but not to much (37"s might start dropping H/W not sure)

Over all I actually save on gas $ compared to the 4.7 even with higher prices! I got tons more power than the 4.7.

You do have to buy more oil with an oil change and change the fuel filter at every or every other oil change but that like a $14 filter no biggy. Power is easier to add on and cheaper (programmers).

I went with the 5.9 cause its proven, I was a worried bout glitches with the new emmisions and all with the 6.7. Still I would rather have my 5.9 over a 6.7.

I'd say go for it. If your not in a hurry you might wait till they put the smaller diesels in the 1500s I believe thats a 2010 deal...

 

35's increased your mileage on the highway? That would be a good excuse to get bigger tires. And I am really not in too big of a hurry to get one because after all I am only 18 and still have over 5 years left of payments on my current truck. So I still have time. And I am not looking to wuss out with a light duty cummins in a 1500. I am looking into at minimum a 2500 or if I can find a good one a 3500. Probably by the time that I am buying my diesel (5 years or so) the 6.7's will have their glitches fixed and have plenty of performance stuff out there for them. I think it will be a good motor once they fix all the bugs. How is your smarty though? I have heard alot about smarty, bully dog, banks, and the edge w/attitude. What would be the best one for a combo of mild mileage increase, max power increase if needed, and not cause me to destroy my engine/trans/axel/ect.?

 

Hey! Me too! Went from a 4.7 to a 5.9 with 37's and yet I STILL get MUCH better mileage in the Yeti.

 

What kind of mileage do you get with the 37x13.5 MT's on their. If I do get the 2500 or 3500 I will be putting a 6 in lift and either those exact tires or going with the Mickey Thompson MTZ's that are 395x65x18 (38.2x15.5). What type of power do you still have with those and the 3.93 gears. Can you lite them up still? lol