2002 Dodge Ram 2500

I'm considering buying a 4WD Quad Cab short bed version of this truck with the 5.9l V-8 and an automatic. Anyone have any real world experience with this truck, good or bad?

Unless the current prospect is free, spend the money on a Cummins Diesel 2500. You will not regret it.

Things that the Cummins is better at than the gasser: Towing

Cruising

Around-town driving

Fuel economy (about twice as good, especially loaded)

Durability

Resale

Things that the gasser is better at that the Cummins

Initial purchase price

Cold (sub -20F) weather.

That being said, I, along with most people, feel the only reason to own a Dodge truck is for the Cummins diesel engine. The rest of the truck is generally inferior to a comparable Ford or Chevy offering.

Some of the issues you run into on Dodges and you should check for before purchase:

RUST! These trucks rust much worse than their contemporaries. The door bottoms on the 98+ are especially bad, but rockers and cab corners are bad also. Same with over-the-wheelwells. Also note the doors are quad cab specific and only available from Dodge, and the supply of clean used doors is drying up.

Cracked dash. Very common on the 98+

Bad steering/suspension on the 4x4s. Death wobble, worn out balljoints, bad wheel bearings, bad track bars. Easy enough to fix yourself, but time consuming.

Ripped seats. Due to the high ride height and cheap materials, the drivers side gets ripped easily.

Bad brakes. This is pretty much a pre-00 issue, as the brakes were improved on the later trucks.

Terrible fuel economy. Being a big heavy truck with a slug of an engine (gassers) plus full time 4WD (no lockouts) means you will be hard pressed to crack 12-14 MPG.

You couldnt give me a 2nd gen Ram gas truck, but you will have to pry my Cummins from my cold dead hands. The motor is so great it overshadows the crappiness of the rest of the truck.

I don't really disagree with any of the above... I wanted a 1st gen Cummins... however, the g/f's opinion one out and I ended up with a 2nd gen...

One thing I've learned (the hard way) regarding the Cummins vs. gasser debate, is the potential repair costs... if some goes wrong with the gas motor, repairs will be relatively cheap... the Cummins, however, can require some serious $$$$ to fix...

If the truck will be a real "part time use" truck, then a gasser may be a better choice... From my experience, diesels don't like sitting for long periods of disuse... whereas my gas engines have been much more tolerant.

2003 was the first year of the Quad Cab (4 door) in the 2500. 2002 2500 was the old style extended cab. You could get a Quad Cab in 2002 but it would be a 1500. A lot of changes occured in the 2500 series in 2003 (body design as noted above, axle supplier (AAM replaced Dana), front wheel bearing design-whew don;t get me started, HPCR on the 24V Cummins, etc)

That arcane bit o'knowledge said, I have a 2003 Quad Cab 2500 Ram. Cummins, 6 speed, 4x4, short bed. The Cummins engine has been good except for the fuel control actuators (solenoid valve in fuel line) that have failed twice shutting off fuel to the CP3 high pressure pump leaving me stranded. The rest of the Dodge...not so much.

The aforementioned wheels bearings (SKF bearing assembly) fail regularly and expensively though I can see why DCX's bean counters chose them for the assembly plants cost benefit. I've replaced axle u-joints, drive shaft u-joints, entire suspension, exhaust system, etc and now have body rot on the rear fender. Very disappointing to me.

Good luck! Todd

All depends on the price and your purpose for buying the truck.. none of the full size trucks on the market are perfect. i like the style of the dodge and i know the litle things.. if its a part time vehical and no heavy towing then the gas is fine. other than that cummins all the way.. the 5.9 with some minor hot rod stuff is pretty strong and will treat you well.

ball joints.

Ian F wrote: If the truck will be a real "part time use" truck, then a gasser may be a better choice... From my experience, diesels don't like sitting for long periods of disuse... whereas my gas engines have been much more tolerant.

I would agree with you but the cummins seems to not obey the rules. Mine sat for 3 and a half years, I replaced the battery, shot some ether in the intake, disconnected heater grid and it started right up!! Over 3 and a half year old diesel and all! I'm a HUGE proponent of the cummins, hardly a better engine has ever been made.

I have a 2004 2500 CTD 6-speed standard cab long bed 4x4.

One of my buddies has a '01 quad cab 1500 4x4 off road package. 5.9/360 Magnum, automatic. He ordered the truck new in '00. It's the only new 4-wheeled vehicle he's ever owned (his Triumph Speed Triple is the only other new vehicle he's ever owned).

The truck has close to 175K on it now. He's always averaged about 12 MPG out of it. It's usually loaded up with several hundred pounds of tools. He had to have the trans done twice, and the limited slip in the rear replaced once. The one trans job was under warranty around 90K and the rear was done at the same time before his 100K warranty expired. The trans wasn't done quite right the first time and wasn't covered when it failed so he had it rebuilt by an independent shop.

The trans is probably the weakest point on one of those trucks. And it's really not the trans so much as it is lockup torque converter and how it functions. When the clutch in the converter fails the debris will make its way through the rest of the trans destroying more bits and pieces like the overdrive unit from fluid starvation. The guy at the independent shop made several improvements to the trans when he rebuilt it.

My buddy has been very happy with the truck. It's taken him pretty much anywhere and everywhere. But after being exposed to my diesel and the mileage I'm getting he's keeping an eye out for a diesel chassis to swap his cab and bed onto just so it will still be "his truck". He usually doesn't do things the easy way...

-Rob

Okay, here's the deal. I am not real brand loyal with cars or trucks, but traditionally I've always preferred GM trucks over Ford and Dodge.
I've been looking primarily at these trucks:

1999-2002 Chevy 1500/2500 4WD ext cab short and long beds 1999-? GMC " " " " 2000-? Dodge Ram " " " "

My use is hauling and sometimes towing my tractor, not a daily driver, with occasional need to haul 4-6 people in a pinch. My price range is 0-$13k, but I'd like to spend as little as possible for a truck that meets my needs.

I live in the rust belt, and although my experience may or may not be typical, I have not found a truck under $13k that didn't have significant body rust. And the GM's have been the worst, with every one (I've looked at 20+ GM trucks in the past 3 months) having rust in the bottom seam of the rear doors and tailgate, and the rockers under the extended cab part. I'm shocked at how rusty the undercarrriage and frame of virtually all the trucks are. I have also seen rust on the lower door area and tailgate seams on Dodge and Ford F-250 trucks in this price range. Okay, now the truck I'm asking about. It's from Florida and has been in Ohio for 3 months. It has no rust anywhere on the body and underside of the body. The chassis looks virtually new also. It has 110k miles and has been inspected by the dealer and also myself at home on my own lift. The only thing it needs mechanically is tires, and they will last a bit longer. I can get this truck for right around $8k, which for an Ohio truck is neither good nor bad. Considering that rust free trucks like this are extremely scarce here, I would pay a little more for a truck like this than I would for an Ohio truck. I won't debate the gas vs diesel issue, but I am only considering gas.
Knowing this, and that it will be in a heated garage in the winter, what do you think?

BTW, every reference that I have found indicates that in 2002, Dodge called the 2500 extended cab a "Quad Cab". But in reality it is an extended cab 4-door truck.

Personally, $8K sounds a bit steep for a '02 4x4 gasser... but maybe that's just me... But I hear you on the rust-belt issues... that was why I bought mine, despite the miles... since the body & chassis are relatively rust free as rust-belt 4x4 trucks go...

Yeah, the 2nd gen "quad cab" is an extended cab with rear suicide doors... that said, I wish my truck had them, since accessing the back seat is a bit of a pain... On the other hand, I've heard complaints about cab flex... so who knows...

The story about the truck you're looking at sounds frightening familiar to mine... the seller isn't by chance in western PA?

I've been looking for close to a year now, and the price of this truck is at the very least fair. The real key is that trucks this clean you just can't find in this area unless you are looking at newer, more expensive trucks. So what's that worth? The truck is in Northern Ohio, and like I said, the owner brought it up from Florida just 3 months ago.

bravenrace wrote: The truck is in Northern Ohio, and like I said, the owner brought it up from Florida just 3 months ago.

Hopefully, you're dealing with a more honest seller... I was told my truck spent the Winter in Florida... and half of it did... the frame, cab and bed... under the power of a V10... the 4x4 Cummins drive train and dashboard (including the VIN), however, never left OH/PA...

Gotta love eBay...

$8k is about twice what that truck is worth. Thats Cummins money.

Local stealership has been sitting on a truck that sounds VERY similar, very clean, all options 3/4 ton 4x4 for a year now. $6500 and no bites.

No offense, but you can't possibly know that. No, it's not twice what it's worth. It's dealer selling at under private party value. For a truck that isn't rusted, which is all but impossible to find in this area. You can't buy junk for $4k here.
What dealer and what truck are you talking about? Where are they located?

93gsxturbo wrote: $8k is about twice what that truck is worth. Thats Cummins money. Local stealership has been sitting on a truck that sounds VERY similar, very clean, all options 3/4 ton 4x4 for a year now. $6500 and no bites.

what? are you sure?