well i want to get a diesel truck. in all reality if i would have had enough cash at the time i never would have bought my dakota, i would have just bought one then. but, anyway, the dakota is paid off, my motorcycle is paid off, and i'm truck shopping again. so i dont know too much about the diesel world, other than i love torque. IDEALLY i would like to have one of the 5.9 turbo diesels, just so i would have 2 5.9's in my driveway, lol. i can't buy new, or close to new. probably looking at from a 1995-2003 year range. let me know your opinions on the best ones, the good, the bad, and the ability to modify ( i can't keep anything stock, lol ). thanks again guys.

 

If you enjoy doing the work yourself, and saving a bunch of money, get a 12 valve, '94 - '98.5. I have 306 RWHP without spending a dime, up from 180 flywheel hp.
The auto tranny's are a weak link, once you add 50 or so hp, but the stock manual clutch's will start slipping too. Figure close to $5k to upgrade the trans, unless you can do it yourself.
If you're a "plug n play" type, get the 24 valve, but beware of the VP44 issues. Low fuel pressure cooks them, so get the codes read, and fuel pressure checked, before buying a 24v.

 

If you look at a 98,99,2000, and I think 2001 look for the 53 block, It a casting number and it was made in Brazil and tends to crack

The newer Common Rails you can put programmers on and even the 24 valves