OKay, I have been looking at Rams for a while, both 12 and 24 Valve trucks and even considered biting the bullet and buying a new one. I am going to look at a 1996 3500 Extended Cab later today, nice price and 220k miles, 5 speed truck. Not familiar with the 96 interior, but some seem to dislike it. Also looking at a 2002 2500 Quad 5 speed with 59k, really nice truck and of course pricier than the 96. The 02 has the new chrysler lift pump installed but I dont think it has a new injection pump, so I fear it may be going bye bye soon. I know the 12 valve trucks are legendary, are the 2002 trucks good trucks too or should they be kind of avoided. I know some of the upgrades such as the disc brakes etc. but does the VP-44 pumps make them worth avoiding, seems to be a chronic problem even with some of the "fixes" in place. I plan to keep the truck for a long time, maybe add some slight power mods but nothing drastic so I want to get a good truck that will be enjoyable. It seems with all the doom and gloom with the 98-02 24 valve trucks they may not be worth the trouble, especially with the way some of them hold their prices. Also, how about the 03-05 trucks, any major problems with those.

 

The differences in the 12V and the 24v come down to how they drive. I have had some very good 12Vs. The 24V that my dad has is alright. Gets better mileage stock than mine does. Test drive each one. See if you can try like a 50 mile drive with each one and test the mileage. If you tow see if you can give that a try. Either one my be gold or a lemon. If you would post what rear end ratio each one has. 4.10 is great for towing but only a few trucks get good mileage with that ratio. 3.55 is good for mileage unless towing then the truck has to work harder. And it still might not get the greatest of mileage. The 24V is easy to ad power to electronically. All things done on the 12V is hard components.As for the 3rd gen. Engine can make lots of horses, not as much torque as the 12V for the same amount of horses though. Enterior is more spacious in the 3rd gen.

 

I'd stay away from the 02 unless it's a KILLER deal... I'm not a big 2nd gen 24v fan.

I wish I had the older interior in my 98... I hate the heat/AC controls!!!

I thought long and hard about getting a 3rd gen, but couldn't stay away from the 12v!!

 

If you happen to be buying a chrysler certified truck off a dealers lot, this is for 24v trucks mostly, I wouldn't worry about the injection pump, because you get an 8/80000 total time/mileage warranty from the in-service date.
That being said, the general consensus is that 12V's are the holy grail of the CTD world. Even with that, I could not find one that met my personal requirements for mileage (under 100K or just a hair over) anywhere when I was in the market. So I wound up coughing up the cash and buying my '02. I love the 6 speed, and the engine is your typical CTD, runs like a raped ape (esp. since I put the EZ on it last week) And I got the warranty from chrysler. Makes me feel a little better about the whole thing.

 

I like my 98 12V

 

Know that there is quite a large difference between the 12 valves from 1989-1993 and the ones from 1994-1998; mainly, the later models have a more capable but less adjustable injection pump, and they don't look as cool.

 

I LOVE mine!

white w/ gray cloth SLT quad/short 2wd auto. 170k miles. got it for $8600

 

I'm enjoying my '01 with the 5spd. My brother has a '96 2500 with 4.10's and it drives like a tractor, he wishes it was a bit more highway friendly (rpm's), 4.10's was a factory ordered deal. Pulls like crazy just stock. My '01 got a new FASS fuel pump right away, may or may not increase the life of the injection pump, hopefully My truck had a reman VP44 when I got it so hopefully it's fairly new. My dually is getting 14-15 mpg average with an even amount of city/highway. I'm very happy with towing power and driveability.

 

I would stay away from the 4.10
I would stay away from the 98 1/2 24 valve they have weaker valve springs then the 99-02
I think that the 12 valve is a good reliable engine and so is the 24 valve. I would buy a diesel only if the engine was stock,and I knew where it came from and talked to the previous owner.

 

All the 98-02 trucks came with the 60lb valve springs. Even the 98 12 valves. Unless I missed something somewhere

 

I have a 01.5 and am very happy with it. I did have to have the lp pump changed at 38,000. Once my warrenty is over I'll move the lp back near the tank and replace the banjo's with a Vulcon kit. When the Vp44 goes I'll go with an after market vp44( hrvp44 or one from Blue Chip Diesel ) and hopefully that will solve the fuel system issues. You need to take em for a test drive and buy what you like the best. All of them have some problems, but you can work through them. Good luck

Gary

 

I bought my '01 truck this January and have driven my Dad's 3/4 ton '91 4x4 5sp quite a bit. Both trucks are stock and pull hard. My truck is nicer as a daily driver, much quieter and more comfortable. The 12v is great but I needed the Quad Cab to have room for the kid and better safety features. His truck will get about 21 mpg empty on the highway, mine about 18. It feels like my turbo spools a little faster than his so power seems to come quicker.

I love my truck and have accepted that it will probably cost me more to drive and maintain than an older 12v but if that was my only concern I would not have bought a 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel. Sat in a brand new '06 and didn't like the rake of the windshield. Would get used to it I'm sure but for now prefer my '01. Bottom line for me is that they all have plusses & minuses so find the one that fits your needs and don't look back.

 

I love my 02 24v. I have an auto with 4.10's and my city mileage is roughly 16 mpg my highway mileage is around 19 mpg. I've had my truck a little over a year now and i've done 2 LP's on it. I replaced the original before it got bad and i replaced the replacemnt pump. All of a sudden it just went out on me. I've not really had anything else break or go bad on the truck. I use mine mainly as a daily driver and i tow with it once in a while, usually not heavy. When i do have to tow heavy it never fails, especially with the 4.10's. I suggest like other probably have is to go drive the 12v,24v and the 3rd gen and decide what fits you best. I really wanted a 3rd gen when i got mine but i just couldn't afford the price of one.
matt

 

I have driven and owned about every model. The 12valves are definatly low on power STOCK. My 01 had a 6speed and 3.55 rear 4x4 LB. It would pull great, and mileage was around 19mpg Highway/city average. My 03 had 4.10 rear and got 18.5 4x4 shortbed auto w/od. S/O Motor and would fall on its face pulling any hill without the o/d locked out at 65mph. Just not enough power going through the 47re auto, not to mention that the 47re is probably the worst transmission that was ever put behind the Cummins Motor. Now have a 05 610 48re 4x4 Dually that the have the worst design leather seats ever made. Truck only gets around 16.5mpg empty, 4x4 LB , 3.73 rear, rides like a brick unless loaded.
**Dad has a 97 12valve auto, dually, 4x4, extended cab, LB. Gets 19+mpg Highway and will pull anything that you could possibly put behind it. Not the fastest in the world but it works.
The 01 6speed 245hp 505tq Cummins was by far the best truck that I have ever had. Looking for one now, but everyone thinks that they are gold and dont want to come off the price. You can get a 3rd gen for the same price about!!

 

I've had them both. The last one was an 03 with leather interior and it was murder to keep it clean and from crackin'. Had to replace the seats with vinyl and the wife hated it. Stinks like roadkill on a warm day! VP44 was replaced twice inside the warranty period (thankfully). Got a meager 18 mpg with 4.10 gears empty.

Give me a 12V anyday. That mechanical pump outshines and outlasts any 24V pump and I got 21 mpg with the 3.55 gears empty. Plus it will keep on running long after that 03 is dead and buried.

My older trucks have gotten over 455,000 miles on them before o/h. You might find a hundred really babied 24V's getting upwards of that.