Dodge 2500 orrr?
- Thread starter RememberTheAyyLmao
- Start date
I believe wholeheartedly that the truck that you have your mind set on is the best truck out there in your price range.
I bought into the whole "cheaper" rhetoric years ago and sold my 03 5.9 manual and bought what I thought would be a much cheaper truck to drive, an 02 new body style gasser with a manual as well. I hated that truck more than any truck I've ever had, It rode horrible, drove poorly, and didn't have enough power to drive freeway speeds (it was a 4.8, or 4.6 or whatever the small V8 was) and as such I usually only saw 11-12 mpg.
Just as soon as I could I sold it and bought an 04.5 5.9 manual. My current truck is my baby, finally got it paid off and am able to put some money into it. Just did a KORE 3" Recon system with the FOX 2.0 remote res shocks, and all the other Carli goodies and it is now by far the best riding ad driving truck I've ever had. As well as being one of the more off-road capable (for its size) vehicles I've had.
Drive-train is SOLID, that being said, with a Dodge its no secret that the rest of the truck will nickle and dime you a bit, but as long as you keep up on the body, and the constant little broken interior parts and switches and what not, they are still my favorite trucks. I do feel that Ford probably has the best body followed by Chevy.
I bought into the whole "cheaper" rhetoric years ago and sold my 03 5.9 manual and bought what I thought would be a much cheaper truck to drive, an 02 new body style gasser with a manual as well. I hated that truck more than any truck I've ever had, It rode horrible, drove poorly, and didn't have enough power to drive freeway speeds (it was a 4.8, or 4.6 or whatever the small V8 was) and as such I usually only saw 11-12 mpg.
Just as soon as I could I sold it and bought an 04.5 5.9 manual. My current truck is my baby, finally got it paid off and am able to put some money into it. Just did a KORE 3" Recon system with the FOX 2.0 remote res shocks, and all the other Carli goodies and it is now by far the best riding ad driving truck I've ever had. As well as being one of the more off-road capable (for its size) vehicles I've had.
Drive-train is SOLID, that being said, with a Dodge its no secret that the rest of the truck will nickle and dime you a bit, but as long as you keep up on the body, and the constant little broken interior parts and switches and what not, they are still my favorite trucks. I do feel that Ford probably has the best body followed by Chevy.
RememberTheAyyLmao
Observer
I love hearing the encouragement. All the newer diesels just don't have that rough and tough nature, imho. Should I be looking for 2004.5 at the newest? Or can I go up to 2007 and still be good with it
EMS WJ 2000
Observer
Depending on what your power goal are for the truck to and if the truck will be only for over land or full on exploration will depend on year. For 2003 - 2005 only turn I would recommend is Smarty so you can get custom tunes. For 2006 and newer I highly recommend EFI Live with custom tuning.
With that said I love my 2006 Mega cab 5.9L Cummins and I am glad I got the mega cab with 2 growing kids. I got a great deal on it and had it shipped from Norther Alberta Canada for cheaper then what you can find anywhere in the States. Only thing about my Ram I dont like is the fender flares and those will be going away soon.
With that said I love my 2006 Mega cab 5.9L Cummins and I am glad I got the mega cab with 2 growing kids. I got a great deal on it and had it shipped from Norther Alberta Canada for cheaper then what you can find anywhere in the States. Only thing about my Ram I dont like is the fender flares and those will be going away soon.
You really cant go wrong with any 5.9. You do have different tuning options. The HO engine from 04.5 on has a bit more pop from the get go, but the earlier ones have better injectors. Just find a good solid truck, shop for the color and interior package you want, because you will have this truck for a long time 
RememberTheAyyLmao
Observer
How hard was it to import??
You really cant go wrong with any 5.9. You do have different tuning options. The HO engine from 04.5 on has a bit more pop from the get go, but the earlier ones have better injectors. Just find a good solid truck, shop for the color and interior package you want, because you will have this truck for a long time
Sounds like a good plan to me
EMS WJ 2000
Observer
It was not hard at all, the shipper took care of everything and was really easy to work with. This is the company I used http://www.turboautotransport.com/, the only hiccup I had was didnt know that I had to pay with a money order or cashiers check when the truck was delivered. Was not bad at all and the seller worked with me and sent me back that part of the money. The great thing is the shipping cost was even added into the loan so no extra money out of my pocket . I think there are pictures of when it was delivers in my build thread as well. If you are interested in looking for a vehicle from the north let me know and I can get you some links to look at trucks.
. I think there are pictures of when it was delivers in my build thread as well. If you are interested in looking for a vehicle from the north let me know and I can get you some links to look at trucks.RememberTheAyyLmao
Observer
It was not hard at all, the shipper took care of everything and was really easy to work with. This is the company I used http://www.turboautotransport.com/, the only hiccup I had was didnt know that I had to pay with a money order or cashiers check when the truck was delivered. Was not bad at all and the seller worked with me and sent me back that part of the money. The great thing is the shipping cost was even added into the loan so no extra money out of my pocket
That would be awesome! I'm looking to buy in like feb/March so I'll definitely keep in contact
rockskullz
New member
Besides changing the oil every 5k and a water pump at 65k nothing else. Truck fires up every time.
Thought I would throw in my 2 cents on this. I have owned my 03 Dodge 2500 6spd since 2008. Best truck I have ever owned. Do yourself a favor and get some aftermarket gauges first to keep an eye on exhaust temp and fuel pressure. CP3 pumps are not cheap and the factory Dodge lift pumps are garbage. Cheap insurance is a FASS lift pump. Injectors are are good for around 120,000 miles with the odd set that lives forever. CR Injectors are expensive. The NV5600 and the G56 are great transmissions. However the G56 stock dual mass flywheel/clutch was junk. Fuel economy stock was around 15mpg on average. Open up the exhaust and intake plus a mild tuner and that usually improves greatly. I get 21mpg highway, 18mpg city(heavy foot....), and towing anything up to as much as 32,000 gross I get 15mpg. The blend door is an issue that most Dodge owners are well aware of and might just shed a tear when it breaks. (Whole dash has to come out.) You can fit 35" tires on stock wheels with no lift, they will touch the control arms just lightly at full steering lock but there is lots of room in the wheel wells to fit. Do yourself a favor and find the HO motor. If you get one with a 6 spd, change the fluid in it and when you refill, fill it through the shift tower with 1 quart more than spec. Manual hub conversion was my most liked addition. Unit bearings are junk and die often. Turning radius vastly improved and saw a 1mpg increase in economy. Kind of jumping around a bit but im typing things as they come to me. Ball joints wear out often.
In the end though, I love my truck. It has been awesome to me and when the motor finally dies it will get a new one because I like it that damn much.
PS.... It kicks butt off road.
In the end though, I love my truck. It has been awesome to me and when the motor finally dies it will get a new one because I like it that damn much.
PS.... It kicks butt off road.
RememberTheAyyLmao
Observer
Sweet sweet! Love that rig you've got. How much did you buy it for?
I stole it...
Seriously. Paid $15,000 back in 2008. Bone stock and Had 84,000 miles on it. Bought from original owner who still owed $13,700 on it. Went straight to his bank, paid off the remaining loan and he left with enough to pay his mortgage.
Regcabguy
Oil eater.
Carli or Thuren kill the bounce and vastly enhance the factory suspension.
Additional fuel filtration is a must. This goes for any newer CR engine. I've got Dynatrac bj's and hubs and haven't seen much+ mpg wise but shutting down all that rotational mass is comforting. Water pumps pay 2hrs shop time,injector changes on a 5.9 are about 3-4 hrs. compare this to 15hrs on a Duramax. The various Ram forums help a bunch.