im a dodge owner but own a 2006 dodge 1500 hemi.. im looking into getting a cummins.. its a 2003 with 126000 on it.. i know for diesels thats not bad for mileage.. but what problems should i look out for? what are some major things i should check into with it? it wasnt used for towing it was a daily driver.. what are common problems i should be aware of and any other good useful information i should know about please inform me thanks. oh and is trading my 06 hemi 2wd with 85k for the 03 cummins 4wd with 126k bad or good?

 

2003 is going to have the 5.9 in it still which is a very solid diesel. i've owned a couple and been around/worked on many of them and i can tell you that they are a good engine. with only 126k on it there shouldn't be much going wrong that you need to worry about. eventually if you buy it it will go through a lift pump and some other fuel system parts. they'll easily run 300,000 miles if they are taken care of. transmissions seem to be sort of problematic if they are used as towing rigs but the one you're looking at sounds as though it wasnt used for that much. as for you're question of whether it is worth it i would say yes if you are willing to go backwards 3 years. the hemi is no doubt a good pickup but i think you will be happier with the 4wd. the cummins should get the same if not better mileage than your current pickup. its just up to you whether you need or desire the diesel, they are a bit different to maintain and drive.