Thoughts on buying a 12v cummins

[Big Blue24]

I bought my current 98' 12 valve 4x4 for 8K with 248K miles.

It was perfectly maintained as far as I can tell. Great steering (Redhead steering box, DSS brace, new poly bushings on sway bars and control arms). Great brakes, great tires, clean paint and glass, etc.

Leak free rear end, etc. The only reason I picked it up for a good price is the previous owner thought the tranny was about to go out. I purposely pulled the tranny so I could build it up and it looked spotless inside. Just had a cheap stock converter that was loose and didn't put any power to the ground.

For 7K, you can find a decent truck, it just might take a while to find the right one. I wouldn't be scared of 260K if the rest of the package seems well maintained and tight.

 

[anthony77ca]

What these guys said^^^.

Be fore warned A-hole rant follows (you'll probably be offended):soap::

Note- I am not a brand *****. I dont go around telling everyone to get a Ford or what have you. Just my opinion. I got into engines and vehicle because of Mopar muscle cars to begin with. When I was a kid all I wanted was a 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T with a 426 Hemi or 1971 Cuda 426 Hemi or 1969 Plymouth RoadRunner 440 Six Pack. You get the point.

If I could go back in time I would NOT buy my 2nd Dodge again. I want to push this pile of a cliff. I wish I would have just done it right the first time, put a Cummins in my Ford Super Duty.

Cummins engine fugk ya!! No more needs be said.

Dodge...nope......nope...

I bought a GREAT condition '97 extended cab long bed Laramie truck, 150,000 miles. 2 owners- A construction company boss and a old timer. The truck was (is in) excellent condition cosmetically.

The problem...it was a POS from the second it rolled off the factory line. I am so sick of gettig nickled and dimed by this pile. I know guys who have spend more than $20K on there 2nd gen. to get it to be half way driveable/liveable. Still a POS 2nd gen. Dodge Ram in my mind.

I was raised on some pretty fine automobiles so maybe im just a spoiled bratt, but this Dodge doesnt cut it. If I could sum it up in one word it would be...CHEAP. This thing reaks of cheapness. When I shut the door...cheap. That rattle and shutter of a cheap piece of engineering. Like the things about to shake one final time and fall off. Interior...more cheapness. Plastic side panels you can pull off the wall partially with a finer nail alone..

The steering, brakes, and suspension...never have I seen so may corners cut by factory engineers....all trash, garbage, not fit for a tractor. ESPECIALLY pre-1998 2500's. The amount of money you have to throw at a 2nd gen. Dodge with, some miles on it, to drive straight, turn properly, and brake well is plain stupid. I park my two trucks together and look at both their front suspension. It takes less than a second to see how inferior my Dodge's is to my Ford's when I compare then side by side. The Ford has big beefy pieces than dont have any play in them. Solid suspension, kinda rides like an ox cart (leaves in front as well as rear), but it steers great, turns great, oh and actually brakes decent. The Ford is drive hard and fast on MI road with pot holes sometimes FEET deep and frost heave that buck the fat Ford in the air at 50MPH. Again, not trying to talk up the Ford, just my observations guys.

It sucks, because I love the looks of 2nd gen. Rams. Great looking truck, love it looks.

What really pisses me off is how foolish I was. Thinking an old ass truck was bullet proof. Thinking it was a golden god, because it had a Cummins in between the framerails. "The Cummins is great and ridiculously durable, so the Dodge Ram must be too" I thought. I was so pumped to finally own a Dodge Cummins...and now I am just filled with contempt for the thing. I should have known better.

Would I own a 2nd gen. Dodge Ram for a hot rod? Yes. A comitted puller or drag truck you bet.

Daily driver, towing rig, etc...never again.

End my A-hole rant.

Had to vent. Sorry if I offended anyone, that was not my intent. Just my opinion, maybe I am just a fool all around. I am sure I will get a lot of flack for this.

I have to agree. My truck is one of the cleanest 97 dodges any of my buddies have seen but it is a made in Mexico pile of crap. Windows getting stuck, horn goes bad and takes out the AC, just an all around pile of cheap corner cutting junk. Everything but the cummins is junk. Like a friken toy from china.

My buddie has a 2003 dodge and it's even worse. Drive it in a wind storm and the tin foil Mexican door folds back and you need ear plugs for the wind noise. His trailer lights wouldn't work but there are two modules it could be and it's just a parts changing game and he may need both, over a thousand bucks. He rigged something up to get them to work. His AC stopped working. Just an all around headach.

My brother has a 2011 that just shut off on us last night. Driving down a dark two lane road and the truck just shut off! A couple weeks ago battery died and you couldn't get the electronic key thing out of it.

I was driving my jeep down a back road and hit a pot hole. All the fn lights went out! I have never owned a Chrysler product before the jeep and the dodge and I see why. I had a ford work van for 150k and beat the piss out of it. Would idle and do paper work for hours in 100 heat, load the crap out of it etc. Never a problem.

When the government bailed out Chrysler the first time they turned them into a fat, ghetto, 10 kids havin, welfare queen who just wants more hand outs, now they just made it worse.

F dodge and their Mexican made junk. I will never own one again.

 

[YOUNG GUNS15]

I dont get why people are complaining about old trucks. they are going to have problems, grow a pair and deal with it. Personally my truck has held up great, ive killed 3 starters but that was my fault. 1 alternator and 1 set of batteries (3 years old and still the best batteries we have owned)


Some people are just way too picky. "if it doesn't drive down the road like a Bentley im fuggin pissed" Get real

 

[Smoken Gun]

I don’t get why people are complaining about old trucks. they are going to have problems, grow a pair and deal with it.

Really!?!?! Old trucks have problems!! Fuk me I didn’t know that, thank you SO SO much......any other jems you want to lay on us?

Old age smold age, 2nd Gen. Dodges have had serious quality issues since the day they rolled of the factory line...

Pay for all the parts on my truck that need replacing/ things that need to be corrected, because Dodge cut corners big time or STFU kid. If I want to complain I’ll complain.

Some people are just way too picky. "if it doesn't drive down the road like a Bentley im fuggin pissed" Get real

Its called being a grown up, but ya why wouldn't you want a truck that steers a little better than a container ship and has brakes that are borderline unsafe...:nail:. I guess drivability doesn’t matter much when your trucks down with a fukked up Trans all the time huh...

And for the record I don’t spare any expense when it comes to my vehicles.

There are a bunch of aspect of my '97 that I love, but there are also a lot of things about it that make me want to push it off a cliff.

 

[chevota84]

Electrical issues seem to be an ongoing issue, check for splices or any signs of repairs. My whole dash harness just burnt up in mine because of a bad trailer pig tail. Not one popped fuse lol. My dads 05 kills the battery overnight if you leave the key in it, its done it since 2009 and he's just adjusted to it.

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