Steve10

I've been reading through this forum for the last week and have read much about "pump failures" and "weak tranny". I know now to have the fuel pressure checked before I buy, but should I rule out the auto and just go with the 6spd, since I will probably get the edge mod on whatever I buy. My wife's not going to like driving that, but I couldn't afford to have tranny problems right away. I use my father-in-law's '99 PSD, 4x4, auto, to pull ~9000lbs right now, and with a chip it performs amazingly. I've decided the CTD is the way to go, but I want it to perform as well as the Ford, and I'm a bit concerned about the tranny.

I wish I could afford the 3rd gen. If you were in my shoes...what year would you try to get from '99-'02? In other words, if I find a '00 with similar mileage to a '02, is there a reason to pay more?

I'm around Austin, TX...if anyone knows of something sitting on a dealer lot that looks good, let me know, even if it's Houston or Dallas.

Thanks for any help,
Steve

RankRam

I would do my best to get an 2001.5 six speed or newer. The 01.5 is the name we started calling the 01's that got the four wheel disc brakes.
There should be alot of trades going on with the good deals every one is getting on these new trucks. You should be able to find a nice used truck if you are patient.
Good luck in your search.

billg

First welcome to the site you will find a lot of helpful and friendly folks here.
You can try looking in the Classifieds at the top of the page for a start with your shopping.
I have an auto and love it. I tow an 8080lb 5th wheel. I had 56000 miles when I upgraded my trany. I didn't need it I wanted it for the peace of mind. When I tow I go long and hard and don’t want to have to baby anything. It worked ok when stock no trouble. With that said they are not set up to shift in the torque curve and they are a little soft with the shift (I think for the I want a big truck too crowd). A good shift kit will raise the pressures and change the shift points to a more desirable spot (if I’m wrong here someone will correct me on this). You can get a shift kit and have it installed at a local shop (not too expensive), or the next step would be to get a valve body and torque converter and have a local shop do that for you. Some of the big trany shops that specialize in diesel auto tranys will work with shops near you. Here is the top four to check out, there may be others. Give them a call they all are friendly and seem ready to help.
http://www.atsdiesel.com/
http://www.dieseltrans.com/
http://www.gbtransmissions.com/default.htm
http://www.suncoastconverters.com/
I know Suncoast will work with you and I’m sure the others will also. Bottom line you can do it in steps so it is a little easier on the wallet. But the first upgrade should be gauges. You can do a search on this; there is tons of info here about why and how.
After the upgrades I’ve done I’m very satisfied with my trucks performance as a tow vehicle and with good maintenance it will last a long time. I hope this helps.
Good luck in your search.

Rick1

2001.5 is the best year just like the other post you get disk brakes on all 4 wheels. 2002s they took way some things to cut cost. Such items as under hood liner, cup holders for the back passengers and if you have leather they took away the embroidered Ram head on the back of the seat. These are the items I know of. My father has a 2001.5 SLT plus and anther gentalmen that we camp with has the same truck 2002 SLT plus. The differences I mentioned was just comparing the two trucks. I know if I did not need the extra room for my kids I would of had a 2001.5 HO with a six speed. Still like the styling of the 2nd generation the best.