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Old 10-18-2008, 05:40 PM   #1
mopar1
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Dodge V10 or Cummins?

My current truck is both too old and not GVW rated to pull my new Montana so I am looking for a replacement.
At this time I have found two trucks I can somewhat afford. One is a 95 Dodge extended cab 2x4 1ton with a V10 and a 97 4x4 everything else the same Cummins.
The V10 I have not seen yet but it looks like it is in good shape with 100,000 miles on it. He wants $5,500 obo so maybe I could get it for $4000. The 1997 Cummins truck I looked at today has been neglected. It has 106,000 miles. It needs a lot of work. It needs new front tires, the doors are rusted out, the front of the bed has been pushed into the back of the cab, the seat is ripped on the side. The paint is cracked off and rusting in places. He wanted $10,000 for it but I talked him down to $8,000 even before I went out there because that is all I have to spend. I cant afford to do any work on it with that price tag.
I will not use the truck often as we will be leaving it in the camp ground through the summer. We do plan on taking it on a vacation maybe a couple times a year. Maybe 1 or 2 thousand miles a year with the camper.
So I consider the costs of the trucks and the price of fuel and wonder is it really worth the extra cost for a diesel truck or should I keep on looking for a better diesel and pass on the 8-10mpg of the V10?
 
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Old 10-18-2008, 06:37 PM   #2
JimF
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T think I would keep looking..
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Old 10-18-2008, 07:40 PM   #3
skypilot
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Mopar1 -- I'm not affiliated with the following - just happen to know of this because the person who traded it is a friend -- in any case, Ed Schram's Dodge, Manhattan KS just got a White Dodge dually in on trade -- this is a 2nd generation truck I believe -- High output motor but has the mechanical injector pump, 130K miles, auto trans. Has gooseneck ball in bed and heave chrome metalplate running boards, white (smooth) metal toolbox in bed. Had lately developed a few leaks (fuel pump (CP3 pump) which I'm sure the dealer will replace). Also has one of the dually fenders cracked (fiberglass). In any case, they gave next to nothing for it on trade in on a new diesel and would probably meet your needs if you don't mind coming out to get it. Engine was strong, uses no oil (and doesn't make any either!!); older engine so the oil doesn't get so black as the new ones.

Now all that said - given your statement that you won't be putting but a few thousand a year, the gasser will probably meet your needs. Diesels will pull all day long and are designed to be worked. However, you do pay a premium for them and, in most cases, will never run then long enough to offset the higher initial cost if buying new. However, there are some great buys in the used market and I don't know of anyone who pulls with a diesel who would like to go back to gas.

Now another - that said -- because this diesel is an older one - it doesn't have all the latest smog / pollution stuff on it; not as powerful as the newer 3rd Generation Dodges, but gets better fuel economy than they do.

Once again, I have no affiliation with the company other than being a customer of theirs myself. There are better trucks out there than that one you mentioned - keep looking.
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Old 10-19-2008, 01:28 AM   #4
Bob Pasternak
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Don't know if you've tried "autotrader.com" yet but you can set your desired parameters and distance you'll travel to get it and do a search. That is where I found our first TV. A 2 year old Cummins with 15000 miles. Had to go to Detroit to get it but worth the ride. And Detroit is only 270 miles so just a nice day trip. Good luck.
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Old 10-19-2008, 02:13 AM   #5
richfaa
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Well we had the 05 Ford V-10 and now have the 08 Ford 6.4L diesel. In terms of V-10/ Diesel so as not to start a war we pulled the 3400 all over the country with the V-10 and it performed exactly as we expected it to..It did the job and we have no complaints on the performance...The diesel also does everything we ask of it but does it better than the V-10.The V-10 would serve your needs..however I would recommend a diesel but from the description you gave of the diesel truck. I would as was posted.....keep looking. We put 12/15K towing miles on the truck per year which is ,IMO, advantage diesel.
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Old 10-19-2008, 03:50 AM   #6
mopar1
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Thank you for the replies. I went to Ed Schram's web site but the truck was not listed yet. I have not used the auto trader web site but I will. Between those to trucks I mentioned, $4000 would buy a lot of gasoline.
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Old 10-19-2008, 04:03 AM   #7
ols1932
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I wouldn't even consider a vehicle that had been beaten up. If you're not going to be traveling a lot (who knows you might reconsider) then I would go with the V10. The big three all provide a pretty good gas engine for towing. The diesel advantage only comes if you're going to be on the road a lot and you want something that's going to hold up well.

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Old 10-19-2008, 05:25 AM   #8
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I have a 1995 f-350 power stroke diesel that might fit your budget. you can e-mail me at rb1157@bex.net, hope I can help out, Thanks Roman
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Old 10-19-2008, 08:25 AM   #9
TLightning
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I'd keep looking, neither of the trucks you described sound too reliable...high mileage and beat up. Plus that model 5th wheel is over 14k, which puts it in dually country if you want to stay within the manufacturer's ratings.
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Old 10-19-2008, 11:25 AM   #10
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Orv hit the nail on the head. If the truck is beat up I wouldn't consider it. If they didn't take care of the outside then they didn't take care of scheduled maintenance and you'll pay for it in the long run. Speaking of run....run from that truck!!!
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Old 10-19-2008, 02:55 PM   #11
stiles watson
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If you can find a 1998 to 2002 F350 with the 7.3 L Powerstroke within your price range, you will have a proven reliable diesel engine that gets good mileage. If I were going to buy a pre-owned truck, I would stick with a diesel strictly due to the longer lifespan of the diesel along with the raw towing power. This is my personal opinion.
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Old 10-20-2008, 03:40 AM   #12
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I just went to Cragslist and a new truck was just posted and I talked to the owner this morning and have a appointment at 11:00 to test drive it. He knew it's history. It was owned by somebody that transported food for carnival cruise lines. Then the second owners were retired and had a camper but fuel prices got so high they sold it to the present owner who just bought a Freightliner truck from his Dad so he no longer needs it. It's had the trans rebuilt and the warrantee is still good for a while. He put in a shift kit at that time, K&N air filter, Firestone air bags to rid it of the leaf springs slapping while driving, new rotors and bearings, B&W flip over gooseneck ball, adjusted the valves @ Cummins at 175,000 miles turned up the fuel @ Cummins just enough to give it some extra power but not enough to have any black smoke, plus a few new oil filters too! Woo Hoo! Now if it is in as good shape as he says it is...

http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/cto/885388803.html
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Old 10-20-2008, 03:50 AM   #13
stiles watson
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OK, that sounds and looks a lot better. You should be able to get another 175,000 out of it. Keep it serviced. Be nice to it and it will be nice to you.
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Old 10-20-2008, 07:38 AM   #14
mopar1
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Cummins it is! It is in really good shape and the previous owners always changed the oil every 5,000 miles. There is no rust on the truck at all but the paint has cracked and came off in places so I will have to get it painted soonish. It runs and drives nice and when the trans shifts into overdrive @ 50MPH it really sets me back into the seat. And for $7,000 I thought it was too good of a deal to pass up. Now to pay for it.
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Old 10-20-2008, 10:23 AM   #15
HughM
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When you say the previous owners always changed the oil every 5,000 miles then they should be able to produce reciepts showing that. I never take people at face value when dealing with money....Probably the "ole cop" coming out in me.
Remember Ronald Reagan's motto when dealing with Russia, "Trust but Verify"
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Old 10-20-2008, 12:07 PM   #16
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I think you found a reliable truck. It has the mechanical fuel pump which is a plus on a Cummins. Just drive it and enjoy it they are very reliable.
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Old 10-25-2008, 07:53 AM   #17
sreigle
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Congratulations, mopar1! Those Cummins engines run a very long time. Ford and Chevy say their diesels have a design life (before overhaul) of 250,000 miles. Chrysler says 350,000 for the Cummins 5.9 and 6.7. A Cummins exec, per one magazine article, said Chrysler's comment is hogwash and those engines are designed to go 450,000 miles without major overhaul. Properly cared for, of course. In any case, a good diesel properly cared for will last a long time. And many (all brands) exceed the mfr's mileage comments. Good luck with yours.
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Old 10-25-2008, 04:03 PM   #18
mopar1
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Thank you! I read on Turbo Diesel registry where some people have over 800,000 miles on theres. Of course you can claim anything you want on line. Several years ago I looked at a truck with 410,000 miles on it's untouched Cummins engine. It was only about 4 years old at the time. I would not wanted to drive that much myself.
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Old 10-25-2008, 10:43 PM   #19
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I'm presently switching from a Dodge V-10 to an F-350 Turbo diesel. The Dodge served me well but it only got about 6 MPG while towing. I am getting much better mileage on the F-350 now but at this time haven't had a chance to tow the Monty with it yet. Sounds like you got a nice T/V.
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Old 10-26-2008, 04:30 AM   #20
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One of the neat things about the diesel engine is its "wearability" factor. While it may seem that some overexaggerate the total mileage claims about their diesels, they in fact are most likely not exaggerating. These engines, especially the Cummins are noted for their extended mileage capabilities. It was this capability that sold us on our diesel back in '95. While I would originally have preferred the Cummins, I am very happy with the Navstar diesel we have in our Ford.

Orv
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