Ford nor GM diesels compare when it comes to that Cummins rattle and roll. Bought my 2004 Dodge 2500 Cummins brand new. Still have the window sticker, bill of sale and the 2004 brochure. Paid $39k.. 4 door 4x4, SLT.
The best part is 2004 was the last year of no exhaust aftertreatment. The EGR was only in the cam profile.... and as they say... that cam was lost.
600hp 1200tq at the rear wheels today.
Yes I have put a ton of money in it over the years. Took a while to get the front end bulletproofed but it is. In the end it really wasn't all that much to get the front end there... bigger steering box, steering box brace, Synergy linkage system, Carli ball joints and a Thuren trak bar.
Using the original style single steering stabilizer with a Bilstein damper.
My biggest shot was 2003-2004 had a tendency to drop a valve seat. With the higher power.. bigger turbo and such, it did just that at around 150k. Bent a connecting rod and scored the cylinder wall. Cost me $15k for the entire job... R&R.. full quality rebuild... new performance F1 injectors, 100lb valve springs.. .020 bore with new pistons, Hamilton tow cam., BD high flow, two piece exhaust manifold.
The trans (48RE) had two rebuilds but neither was due to major failure.
First was done when I jacked up to 600hp. Had a Goerend built performance trans installed. I think that was around 65 or 75k miles.
I just had it refreshed last year at 215k miles. Overdrive was starting to blip a little.
At 22 years old this truck is in the classic realm. Living here now in East Texas I have a lot of young bucks eyeing it up.. lot's of Cummins fans around here. When you see the older diesels... it's most often Dodges. With the newer diesels it's a pretty even match around here with all three brands.
At the prices of new trucks today and the junk they are producing with all the garbage emissions on them...I wouldn't waste my money on ANY of them.
I'm driving the last diesel I'll ever own.
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