I have been lurking on this and other Dodge Ram Diesel and Cummins' forums for a while, doing my research on the older 5.9s and newer hard-nut-to-crack-DPF'd 6.7s and have finally pulled the trigger on what I thought was an amazing deal (got it at the price I wanted and it only had a babied 9000 miles on it).

I managed to find a 2006 Ram 3500 Quad Cab 4x4 in my 2nd choice color (silver) with the 6speed manual. As you can see from my current garage, I indeed am a fan of the manual gearbox and I absolutely love the G56 on the truck.

This is my first pickup and my first diesel and so far the first day of ownership has been a blast. The torque is simply amazing. I love both N/A and Turbo torque (via my grunty 2.7L BMW inline 6 and my 2.0 Subaru flat four turbo), but this Cummins is a real torque beast. I don't think I can ever get tired of just stomping on it or just starting off in 3rd gear and romping on it. I have a feeling that my other cars may not see daily driving as much now that I have the truck, but I kind of expected it. Plus now I can build either the BMW or Subie into a stripped out race car AND still have a way of getting it to the track!

Anyways, just wanted to introduce myself and thank you guys for a great forum.

-Chris, Diesel convert!

 

Well... let me be the first to congratulate you and welcome you to the big boy club

 

Thanks! Its definitely a different feel looking down on just about all other road traffic as opposed to being eye level other car's tires driving the Miata (actually the wife's car until we sell it). After a 3 hour plus road trip back from where I picked the truck up, I definitely felt I had made the right decision.

-Chris

 

And it only gets better... I had the same feeling 6 months ago, and I still do.. not to mention, people seem to not ride your butt as much cause they only see your tailgate ... maybe check into a chip/module... I just added a bully dog triple dog (downloader) to mine.. its added a ton of power, but most of all around 4 mpg. I bought it used from the classifieds here on dtr. Congrats again!

 

I am looking over all the options right now, but after this purchase, itll be tough to convince the wife I need to spend any more $ at least until after the new year.

-Chris

 

trust me you are gonna want to drop some coin in your truck, ya know i dident even know they sold diesels in new jersey

 

I bought it used in Delaware, but did price out a few 2008s in NJ. I wanted that tried and true 5.9 and found a pampered one.

-Chris

 

Either did I?!

 

You have a nice truck but it could use some bigger tires for sure. First the tires then the... you understand it never stops and there's always something that could be better

 

congrats, i got my first diesel on july 07 and there is nothing like it.

 

I can't wait! None of my vehicles have stayed stock for long.

-Chris

 

Welcome tothe addiction........

 

It's always better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

 

Update with new Pictures:









So far, the first month of ownership has been fun. Best MPG I have gotten was hand calc'd to 13.6 mostly stop and go driving (saw 17.2 on the overhead while on a highway trip once). Since my commute is so short (2-3 miles one way), I have put the winter front on in an effort to get the engine up past 140-170 degrees for the trips between work and home. I keep all four flaps closed and it takes about 13-15 min for the gauge to move and 15-17 to blow hot air from the vents (this is with ~40 degrees F outside temp). I also installed the heater cord, but have yet to find a place to plug it in @ my apt. complex.

Also, it appears my Michelins may be cracking so I need to find out what I can do about that. I'd really like to replace those with the Toyo 285/75 ATs to help lower rpms @ 70mph on the highway.

Other than those small issues, I look forward to many years of enjoyment.

-Chris

 

There's no better feeling than getting a new or used Cummins for the first time. Makes me smile just thinking about it.
Good looking truck by the way.