Hi all, sorry for kind of some newbie questions, but I have been out of the diesel truck market for about 4 years, since I got rid of my trusty 1998 12 Valve that I wish I still had.

I am in the market for a used diesel truck, and was simply wondering if there are any big things that I need to avoid that daily forum owners/readers know but that I don't since I haven't been on in months.

Ror example, the 5.9 was such a tested and trusted engine stay with that for sure. Or maybe stay away from the first year for the 6.7, had some problems. I've also read that the 6.7 gets worse gas mileage than the 5.9, is that true? I know I know, depends on gear ratio, 4 wheel or 2 wheel etc etc, that was just kind of a general question.

Thanks for any guidance.

 

i bought a 05 model two wheel drive, some old man died and left it to his daughter, it was too big of a truck for her and she traded it in.

So i got it with 40K miles.

seams like a great truck to me.

on trips we get 23-24 mpg with all kinds of power.

has some wind noise on drivers side window, but i worked on that .

after owning a 2500 chevy that got 12 mpg with 350 engine,
the dodge is one great truck.

 

I bought my 08 with about 45k on it, instantly did the deletes and bumped my mileage by 3-5 on the highway. The 5.9 doesn't have the emissions crap, and it's got a little smaller displacement which usually helps in fuel economy.

Both are good engines with their ups and downs.

 

thanks for the feedback. I know my question might seem dumb, but here is an example.

I have 3 friends at work with Fords and the 7.3L, all have over 300K miles on them. the 7.3 was replaced by the 6.0 and all of them say to never buy a ford with the 6.0. It was a crappy engine, with even worse fuel economy. but I wouldn't have known that if they hadn't told me. You read the ads online and everything seems great.

Anyway, I think I'll restrict my search to the 5.9 Mega Cab.

 

The 6.0 was a turd of a motor that pukes head gaskets for breakfast. When you see pickups hauling 3-car goosenecks loaded down, you see Rams driving down the highway, and you see Fords sitting on the shoulder with steam dumping out the hood.

The 7.3 was a good motor, it's just stupid hard/expensive to make any power out of them.

Want to do head gaskets on a 6.0? Get ready to shell out the bucks... about $80 each for the part, plus another 20 hours of labor. We charge $110/hr, you do the math. I know of other dealers that charge as much as $175/hr.

Anyway, I banked my money on the 6.7 being decent, but I also did my research and moved somewhere I don't have to worry about the emissions crap. Either tranny will need work if you plan on being stupid.

 

ok, next newbie question. If the 1500 Mega Cab is built on the 3/4 ton platform, what exactly is the difference between a 1500 mega cab hemi and a 2500 mega cab hemi?

thanks for your help.

 

Softer springs? I don't know...

but what I know is the hemi is not enough motor for that truck. I would guess 12mpg highway on a good day. My 2500 quad cab short bed 4x4 weighs about 7500 pounds. Subtract a few hundred for the Cummins vs Hemi (ok, several hundred) and then add several hundred pounds for the Mega cab.... well you get my drift here, they're a heavy pig and the Hemi just isn't ballsy enough to move it with authority.

 

I've had alot of cummins motors. Usually the 5.9 and never had any problems. I bought the new 6.7 w/the emmission restrictions and have had nothing but trouble. I've had several turbos go out leaving me stranded on the side of the road out of town. After replacing one of the turbos the motor got so hot flames were shooting out the exhaust destroying the entire exhaust system and another turbo. Since then the motor has blown and I need to replace it. I would stay away from the 6.7.

 

On the flipside, I've had nary a problem with my 6.7. I would definitely recommend one. The newer ones you can disable the EGR without physically removing anything. The DPF and regen issues have been more or less solved, and if you use your exhaust brake and get on the throttle you shouldn't have any turbo issues.

If you had repair problems, that's on the tech who did the work.

 

I agree it should be on the tech. Just wish Chrystler would stand behind their work.