Thinking about a 2005 or 2006

[Weidner]

My lease is up in a few months and my dealer really wants to get me in a new truck. My 01 is all set up the way I like it, but needs some front end work, oil pan gasket & the 6 speed is grinding in 3rd & 4th gears. So I am thinking about a new one...



What do I need to look forward to with the 3rd gen trucks? Do I still need to keep one eye on the fuel pressure gauge? Do the new ones track down the road better than this wandering old one? What about the auto trans... do they hold up?-it would be nice to not have to shift.



The wife would love adjustable pedals. The 4 real doors look nice.



You guys that have gone from the 2nd get to the third gen what advise do you have?

 

[Grizzly]

I had a 95 Dodge/Cummins dually and I loved it. What I like about the 05 Dodge/Cummins dually best are: 1, Almost twice the power. 2, The remote control trailer tow mirrows. 3, Quad Cab v extended cab. Cup holders are much better. 4, 6 sp over 5 speed HD standard. 5, The fold up rear seats w/ steel platform for storage. 6, The three button home link garage door opener, (I have three garage doors). 7, Fog lights. I guess I could on and on. Grizzly

 

[DPelletier]

Hopefully this won't turn into another 2nd gen vs. 3rd gen thread as a couple of those got a little ugly. To answer your questions;



- monitoring the fuel pressure is less of an issue. The '05's and up have a fuel tank mounted lift (pusher) pump and I don't know if there has been enough time for meaningful feedback regarding thier reliability, but what I can say is that the CP-3 injection pump seems to be far less susceptible to damage from low fuel pressure (failed lift pump) than a VP-44.

- My '03 and '04 track down the road very nicely. Much better than my '01 even after the steering box replacement.

- The 48RE does hold up better than the 47RE, but I still love my NV-5600. Note the new trucks have the G56 - too early to tell with them yet.

- The adjustable pedals do work well for the wife

- the four doors are much nicer for the kids, plus the QC has more room and thier windows roll down.



No regrets here.



Dave

 

[gonzo2]

No regrets here.

Ditto



Craig

 

[crobertson1]

I had a '01. 5 before. '01. 5s are IMO, the most refined of the 2nd gens because of the 4 wheel disc brakes, still had a hood insulator, and rear fender liners, and front axle disconnect (parts weren't deleted yet). My new truck is, how shall I delicately say, far superior. I had a DSS to help the steering on the old one and it only had 42k miles on it, so it wasn't worn out by any means, and the new one drives so much better. It really is incredible. I don't think you can go wrong with a new one. Just test drive at highway speeds to check for the dreaded vibration at 65-75 mph. It doesn't seem like the fuel mileage is as good on the new motors, but not that bad. Good luck.

 

[wneubauer]

I love my 05. Traded my 04 Hemi for it so i would be able to tow something. Wish I had bought a diesel a long time ago. I think you will like the new Dodge's... .

 

[LCrisp]

2005, I have a 2500, quad cab, diesel long box, silver, 4x4.

I only have about 300 miles on mine. It has a shorter turning radius than my '03. The engine runs quieter. The Michelin tires on my '05 ride better than the BF Goodrich on the '03. They do not offer the adjustable brake, accelerator. & cluth anymore.

 

[KCJackson]

My lease is up in a few months and my dealer really wants to get me in a new truck. My 01 is all set up the way I like it, but needs some front end work, oil pan gasket & the 6 speed is grinding in 3rd & 4th gears. So I am thinking about a new one...



What do I need to look forward to with the 3rd gen trucks? Do I still need to keep one eye on the fuel pressure gauge? Do the new ones track down the road better than this wandering old one? What about the auto trans... do they hold up?-it would be nice to not have to shift.



The wife would love adjustable pedals. The 4 real doors look nice.



You guys that have gone from the 2nd get to the third gen what advise do you have?

Check my thread here in the 3rdGen forum titled "First impressions of the 05" https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125567



As far as 05 vs 06... depends on which nose you like. I liked the current front end, and am glad I ordered my 05 when I did. When I saw the 06 nose on the MegaCab, I was completely put off.

 

[EBottema]

If you keep your 01 it will obviously cost you less in the end and last longer since their are less components on the truck.



However, if you get a 3rd gen you will prob have better brakes (unless your 01 has rear discs), better front end design, quieter engine, real 4 door setup with bigger backseat, and something new... .



It is up to personal preferance, if it was me, i would stick with the 01 since I like injection pumps, loud diesels and thicker sheet metal



Whatever you decide good luck, stay away from the 06's ugly front end



Flame suit on :-D

Erik

 

[jcarey]

They do not offer the adjustable brake, accelerator. & cluth anymore.



According to Dodge's website today, they do offer it for both the auto (minus the clutch option, of course) and manual trans. Has that changed, but their site hasn't been updated?

 

[Weidner]

test drove one last night...

Sales guy sucked. I almost had the truck sold to him. He did not know anything about it. I kept asking about the different options and packages and I ended up with more questions. I thought the auto was slow, but thats coming from an ETH with dd3's, Comp, 4" ect. also its the first auto I have driven in years.



I parked my sport with leather at the dealer and asked to see a equally equiped truck, I was disappointed when they did not have one, and wow the new ones are a lot more $. I think I will start searching bombs for the 3rd gens & keep looking at the different dealers.



Thanks for all the replys guys. A few more hours on the TDR and a few more test drives.

 

[Grizzly]

DPelletier, what's your problem, Weidner just ask what we like of one over the other and I said what I think.

 

[rashwor]

I sold my '99 and bought the '05. Almost 19K on the '05 now and no serious problems. I have the design flaw with the weather stripping on the front doors and very rarely white smoke on cold soak startup. Other than that, no problems.



I went from a regular cab 3500 to a quad cab 3500. The power is far smoother and slightly more than the '99 with a EZ on it. I went from the 5 speed manual to the 6 speed manual. I love the 6 speed; it is definitely built to tow and not race (lot of shifting to get to the top gear), but I would not change a thing.



I love the ride, the brakes, the quad cab (all far superior). The wife likes the quiet and it is growing on me. I would not go back without a fight. The plan for this one is to see if I can make the "Million mile club". Oo.



Good luck with whatever you decide. You are right - it is a LOT of money to lay down - and ultimately, it is just a truck. :-laf

 

[crobertson1]

baccagab,



I don't think he's got a problem. He didn't say anything against you. He just doesn't want this to turn into a 2nd gen vs 3rd gen argument like they have in the past.

 

[LCrisp]

adjustable brake accelerator amd clutch not being available was told to me by a salesman. So, might this be the 1st time that a salesman lied?

 

[JHardwick]

I have no problem or regrets coming from a '99 DRW 2x4 auto to an '03 4x4 DRW manual.



I still like my '99 (sold it to a freind), but the '03 is a better truck if your gonna work it IMHO.

 

[DPelletier]

DPelletier, what's your problem, Weidner just ask what we like of one over the other and I said what I think.

My post wasn't referring to anything you said or to you in particular. If you do a search on "2nd gen vs. 3rd gen" you'll see why I made the comment. Nothing wrong with civilized discussion, but frankly some of those other threads got WAY out of hand. I was just trying to prevent it from happening again.



thanks CRobertson1



Cheers,

Dave

 

[DBond]

adjustable brake accelerator amd clutch not being available was told to me by a salesman. So, might this be the 1st time that a salesman lied?

They told me it was available when it wasn't so that evens it all out



The fact is; adjustable pedals were getting redesigned at the beginning of the model year, and became available again early this calendar year.