Keep your old truck and upgrade the trans. along w/ some other stuff and you'll be happy again. There's a reason the older trucks are still bringing good money.

I kind of do want a new truck but wouldn't want to spend 58K for one, and get worse mileage.

I look at new trucks every once in a while then I start doing the math. Just the sales tax paid on a new truck would put a trans in my '97 12 valve. Not to mention increased registration(here in California anyway) and insurance. Mine gets around 20 unloaded. Loaded up with camper, enclosed trailer, kitchen sink and dirt bike hanging off the front hitch, it has gone down as low as 12MPG. Normally tow 60-65mph. New trucks sure are nice though. I may consider a newer one someday

Unless you are running 100,000 miles a year +, fuel is a negligible expense and absolutely the worst reason to spend $60K on a new truck.

80 MPH and good fuel mileage will never be in the same sentence together nor will 70 MPH. 60-65 is about as good as it gets for speed vs mileage. If you can drive 55, that's where the best number is.

Kevin

Transplant an early diesel & trans into your truck. 12 or early 24 valve. Some of the guys are getting over 1000 hp out of theirs. You'll have a better AND cheaper truck.

So what year model are you guys saying is the best..I'm in the market for a diesel now..

[quote=earthmover]So what year model are you guys saying is the best..I'm in the market for a diesel now.. [/quote/]



2003 diesel with the big six speed trans, from what I heard the least problems

Thank you. I've been looking to see what's out there..my 4.7 took a dump on my last night

I thought the 2006 diesels were the best. At that point, they had fixed many of the issues (plastic intercooler for example) and that year and the early 2007 are the ones to go for. Is that wrong?

My 2003 5.9 ho with 6 spd trans has been trouble free. Has 130,000 on the clock.

You'll have to pry my 2006 2500 MegaCab from Kung foo grip before I trade it in. I just turned 100k this week. A penny saved is a penny earned.

You are correct.

I understand that the 03/04 trucks are the darlings of the 3rd gen units. My 03 has been solid since new and just recently replaced the original batterys, and rear brake pads. I even installed a hurst stick that used to be in my gtx.

The other side of the argument is that many times it's easier to finance a new truck than it is to pay cash to fix the old one. To continue this further - a good diesel trans + converter can easily be $3-4K, which someone may not have the cash available. You also have other common big ticket items - injector/lift pumps, turbo, etc. looming as possible failures at the worst possible time. Or a $1200-1500 set of tires. They may not want to bang that much on a C/C at 20+% interest. But, you can trade the old one in for a big down payment and drive away a new truck for no cash out of pocket, or even with a check in hand if you pull some of the equity out of the trade in. Yes, you do have a payment then, usually at a LOT lower interest rate than the C/C - but you also have a new vehicle with a fresh warranty that you can budget X dollars a month for the payment, and not have to worry about having cash in hand for big repairs.

Trust me - MANY new vehicles are purchased using this logic.

Don't be steered away from newer diesels because you think they get bad MPG. I have had many newer 6.7s that get 20-21 MPG. My current 2012 Megacab will get 20-21MPG hiway with 3:73 gears. I only deleted the EGR and run a tune to get rid of any CEL on the dash. I have gotten a worst of 10.5MPG towing 10k trailer in bitter cold driving into the wind.

2006 and early 2007 5.9 diesels are bringing top $ these days because of lack of emmission controls.

2012's will become the NEXT hot item because it's the last non-DEF year

13-up are DEF equipped but that can be removed also

I have a full time business repairing crashed late model Rams so they are all I work on. I have no problem selling late model diesels I have repaired. For example you sell your hi mileage 06 for $25k and buy one of my 2013 loaded Laramie diesel crew cabs for $35k. That's only 10k out of pocket to upgrade to a much nicer looking and comfortable truck with 100k less miles on the clock. Or spend 60k at the dealership for nearly the same thing

I'm going to buy a new truck next year. I have a 2004 1/2 with 150k, mostly highway miles. Any idea what I should expect to sell it for? Leather, heated mirrors, 5" exhaust, cool air intake, Edge with attitude, etc.

A vote here for a new one. If you have not driven a newer(13+) truck you don't know what youre missing! Quiet, power, comfort, you name it. Not to mention the warranty for piece of mind. The older I get the less I like messing with vehicles, especially daily drivers. Do your homework, as there can be a vast difference in price between dealers. Also, check into any new leftover '15s, as this can be a savings as well..

Just drove a 2014 Diesel 6-speed auto with 3.42 gears that had logged on only 16k on the Odometer.....Very un-impressed. I think I will stay with my '03....

The 2014 had less options than are on my '03 to boot...No back up camera which I added and love, no fold out towing mirrors which were standard on mine, no lower center storage compartment no lower bumper running lights.....All standard on mine.

And then to top it off, it seemed sluggish. For six stinking gears, I thought pushing on the gas pedal would need less effort to get that thing to move. My 03 feels like it would run circles around it, but then again, I have a Smarty on mine. Obviously 10 min of city driving is not enough to really evaluate it, but I don't know how to justify the cost if it doesn't get me something more.....They could not even tell me lowest price because they would have to figure in the tow mirrors!

So 11 years newer, and all the frills, and I am not impressed. I am the kind of person that can't help myself on the latest carburetor or whatever for the Hemi, but on a new vehicle, I am stingy. I can't explain it, But to go from what I have to that, I had bigger expectations when driving something with 800ft/lbs of torque. I could not even tell if the converter ever locked...Pedal had too much musyness to it and I thought it would accelerate faster.

I would bet side by side, my 03 out runs it....I have driven my engine builders 8-speed Hemi, and expected similar performance from the newer 6.7 with the 6-speed. I cannot catch that gas truck of his with mine unless he has to tow my trailer. I guess I expected way too much. 800ft/lbs of torque should be like a hot rod you don't want to climb out of after driving it.

Dracula, There are 3 ratings for the heavy duty trucks, 660lb ft for manuals, 800 lb ft for 68re auto, and 900 for trucks w the Aisin auto. As far as options go, these trucks can be as loaded up as you want them to be. The truck you drove must have been extremely basic to not have the things you mentioned..

It was listed as the 6-speed 68RE with the 800ft/lbs, but it felt like I had to push the pedal a lot further than I was expected to get it moving. Here is the listing:

http://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?endYear=2014&zip=14094&listingType=used&listingTypes=used&transmissionCode=AUT&transmissionCodes=AUT&maxPrice=40000&showcaseListingId=423341756&mmt=%5BDODGE%5BRAM25002WD%5B%5D%5D%5B%5DRAM%5BRM2500%5B%5D%5D%5B%5D%5D&photosOnlyActual=true&modelCode1=RAM25002WD&driveGroup=AWD4WD&fuelTypeGroup=DSL&sortBy=distanceASC&makeCode2=RAM&showcaseOwnerId=6580039&startYear=2013&makeCode1=DODGE&firstRecord=0&numRecords=100&searchRadius=500&listingId=409355606&Log=0