Buying used CTD

[DStuetzle]

Hello all,



I am a new subscriber, in search of some useful advice. Soon (6 months or so from now) I will be in the market for a late model CTD Ram. I am a long time Ram owner, as I drive a '96 2500HD with the V10. I am happy with this truck (bought it new) with 2 exceptions. First, the gas mileage is brutal, sometimes less than 10 mpg. Second, I need a quad cab to haul my family. My wife's Durango is OK, but long trips are tough because it's a little small.



So I will be looking for a '99-'01 with the Cummins. I don't want a new truck, as the depreciation after a couple of years is just too steep. I'll probably want something with less than 50K miles on it. Not so much out of concern for the engine, but because I want lots of lifespan still left in the rest of the truck.



So my first question is, can you tell if the Cummins has been abused? Is it possible to abuse one in <50K miles? Of course you can tell if the vehicle has been beat by observing the appearance, but should I make a point to have the truck inspected by a diesel mechanic before purchasing it? If so, does anybody know one in the San Jose, CA area they can recommend?



This truck will be my daily driver, so I need to do my best to insure it will be as reliable as mine has been over the last 80K miles. I know there are no guarantees, but I am looking for some pointers.



I do know my way around gas engines, but diesels are new to me, so I'd be hard pressed to tell if one is running well or not. Any advice is appreciated.



Doug

Los Gatos, CA

 

[willyslover]

Doug. . San Jose Ram Runners a TDR club meets the third tuesday of each month at CoCo's on Hamilton ave around 6:00 PM or so. . drop in and say Hi... lots of good guys there and they will help you out a ton



introduce yourself to Blair Pine one of the best CTD mechanics around. . a good guy to know and help you. . !!!!

 

[Oil Burner]

Doug,

Check to see if the truck was modified or even worse, modified without gauges. If you are buying a 98. 5 or newer, bump the starter and listen for the lift pump. If possible, check the pressure with a portable gauge set up. Injection pumps can be expensive and can strand you away from home. Check out the local TDR meetings as posted above. I'm sure one of those guys would be willing to tag along with you during your purchase and give great advice. Make sure it has a Fleetguard or Mopar oil filter on it. Some others are good, but stay away from Fram. Best advice is take someone who is very familiar with them. So many little things to list.

-Jason

 

[rrausch]

I have always bought my trucks from private parties and never from a dealer. You can tell a lot about a truck by talking, in person, to the owner and seeing what the guy is like, and what his house and other cars look like too.



3 years ago, I got my '95 2500 from a nice older guy, who was a TDR member and even though the truck was bombed, and he towed and had a 5th wheel hitch in the bed, everything else checked out 100%. He had every receipt, the truck was spotless, he lived in a well-kept house. I got the truck with 57,000 miles and I've now got 133,000 miles on this truck and it has NEVER given me a problem. I think I got a jewel!

 

[Oil Burner]

Robert has it right on. If you buy from a private owner, it will be easy to tell if that person is as meticulous as you are. If they took good care of the truck, it should be obvious.

-Jason