lookin to buy my first diesel and ive talked to a few guys in my area who have and they say that the 12v is the only way to go and to not waste my money on a 24v. I dont have alotta cash and tryin to stay under 14k j/w what others thought on this subject?

 

Well, 1998.5 through 2002 have the VP44 fuel pump these create issues (over 1k just for the part)
94-98 12valves have the mechanical fuel pump, the 'million mile pump' so thats something you dont worry about.
95-97 (i think these are the years) have the KDP (killer dowel pin) that CAN destroy your motor if it wiggles loose.
if you want more power with very little modification, or simple modification, the 98.5+ years all have tuners that are capable of pushing power.
According to most, 94-98 are 'easy to bomb' and pull a lot of power out of with a relatively few engine mods, but most of these mods involve dumping fuel and losing efficiency


Is that $14k mark including mods/fixes?
Will this be your daily driver?

Read the forums and try to make a decision, also check out the cumminsdatabase.com

 

I have an 01 and love it! 12 valves are great too though. 12 valve will get better mileage than the 24 and can upgrade cheaper. The 24 however can get more power easier by just adding a programmer or chip. I would go with what ever you could find that was decent and in your price range.

 

+1 on the 12v. I love mine, and as someone said, with a few inexpensive mods you can boost the power considerably. You can't go quite as far as with the newer electronically-controlled engines (98.5+)—at least not easily—but unless you're wanting to go way off the deep end you'll be quite happy. I'd rather have the proven reliability of the P7100 vs the VP44 any day.

The dowel pin issue is something to watch for but a relatively minor concern, in my opinion, given that the fix is fairly inexpensive.

Be aware that the 12v's are considerably noisier engines than the later models. Doesn't bother me. ("Radio? This thing has a radio!?")

 

well the 14k is mainly just to buy the truck and to use for my daily for a few years until im outta school since im only 17 now i gotta wait ti lim 18 so i can get a loan so we'll see what happens. thanks for the info