thinking about buying 06 4x4 manual

[BBarton]

What are the things I need to look for on an 06 2500 manual shift with 32000 miles and whats these typically going for in good shape. All help appreciated. thanks Brad

 

[iplank]

06 3500 SLT 4x4 G56 Mine has been a good truck. I pull hard every day and have 124000 on it. Main complaint I know is the absolute horrible service the parts dept. at Chrysler has. I have replaced the flywheel once and the a/c compressor twice. Waited a total of 5 wks just for parts on these. Finally bought a SB clutch and flywheel which I have had nothing but good things to say about. Really like mine. Good luck

 

[NJones]

Get used to hunting for a 7th gear if you get one. I am going to have to buy a gearvendor so I can run with interstate traffic and not run 2200 rpm or higher. That being said I LOVE IT ANYWAY. Check out all of sources such as Edmunds, Nada, Trucktrader etc, then you will have a firm idea of what one is worth. Good Luck.

 

[VRidgley]

I second the notion of the previous post about Gear Vendor. I purchased one after 25,000 mi because running 75 mph at 2500 rpm was driving me nuts (Dodge had no numerically lower rear end than 3. 73, though I would have much preferred a 3. 55). GV reduces ratios by 22%. You will need to get GV serviced every 10K miles (oil & filter, preferably thru shop that installs it).



Now getting 20-21 mpg unladen on I-80, 70-75 mph, running 1800-1900 rpm. Curr mileage 41,000. Post me privately for charts and graphs I have constructed shpowing GV in relation to CTD torque curves and highway speeds.



Also, you will also have to get used to fact that gate for 6th gear is not the smoothest or most natural path, and it's really easy to accidentally try for 4th instead.

 

[d.miner]

I have 31K on my 06 and I too love it. Everything printed thus far is accurate, with the 6spd you will turn high rev's at highway speeds.



Run the A/C through all of it's settings. Check that it blows cold and has an ample supply of air and make sure it's blowing from the location you selected. Some of the A/C doors have broken (mine) and caused issues. At 32K you're still within warranty.



I also have a lot of vibration or foot feedback through my clutch pedal. Some say it's the dual mass flywheel but I'm not sold on that yet.



Good luck, I've been very pleased.



Dan

 

[wcjp]

The 6spd is geared perfect for towing. Geared wrong for running empty. I had a weird clunking. Turned out to be a hose going to the AC compressor had something wrong. I also immediately bought a Kilby Condensor Guard to protect the stock condensor. No problems with the electronic transfer case.



Look to see if the front driveshaft has received regular grease. I've heard some dealers are not aware of the grease requirements.



#ad

 

[BPropp]

I love my 06 6spd. I average 20mpg hwy as long as I keep it under 70 I drive at 68, the truck seems to like it there. Hopefully you are not city driving or you'll be shifting all the time, but if you're looking at a manual then you won't mind. City driving I'm averaging 21mpg. My truck is completly stock except for a tonneau cover.

 

[BTighe]

i had one for almost a year. the drivers seat killed my butt on long trips. im 23 so age aint catchin me. my truck had a louder than normal ticking noise too. dealer tried to find it but couldnt. after they adjusted the valves and the noise was still there, they claimed it to be normal. i told them to show me another 06 stick shift with the noise and they couldnt. ive heard the airboxes didnt seal right and some people dusted there engines but that might have been due to the enviroment. you already have a 3rd gen so you probably know how wonderful dealers can be. all that being said, i would like an 05 with the g56! that trans is the perfect mate for 35" tires!

 

[BPropp]

You are absolutely right about the seat I don't consider myself a Lard ***** but Dodge could have put somemore padding in the seats

By the end of a long trip I feel that Iv'e been sitting on a concrete bench!!!

 

[CDonaldson]

I've had my 06 for 18 months, only have about 24K on it, runs great, tows great, just a pleasure to drive. It took a little to get used to that 6th gear synchro angle, but now I don't even notice. Only problem I had was the rail relief valve, warranty covered. I went to taller tires, decreased RPM's at freeway speeds. My seat has been fine, few long trips of close to 4K, the material is a stain magnet if you don't scotchguard it well. My a/c works perfectly, nice and cold and blend door is right on all the different settings.



I have no idea what they are going for, bought mine new. I do know they are becoming more and more sought after because so many do not like the EPA stuff on the new trucks. You should be able to get the extended warranty on it, that's a good idea since you don't know how the previous person took care of it. If you are buying from a dealer, make it a bargaining chip for the sale.



I'd buy another one, love the 6-speed, great truck.



CD

 

[BHolm]

This is my fifth 3rd gen CTD truck. It is my first manual trans, and I was just thinking this morning about how much I love this truck. There are very few weak points on theses trucks. I suppose that a new flywheel before 100k miles is probably a reality I will have to face. I also had the front driveshaft replaced under an extended warranty, probably due to lack of service as mentioned earlier. I had the ball joints done at 72k as well. Truck drives great. I personally really prefer the seat in the '06 over the earlier ones. The bottom cushion is much longer which is perfect for my longer legs. The headlights are way better on '06s and I like the dash design better. The G56 is geared a little low but I ran I-70 through the mountains last weekend at 80 mph, 2500 rpm pretty much all day and it still got 16. 5 mpg on the 600 mile round trip. Pricing is a little tricky, I bought this one for $26k at a dealer with 72k miles on it a few months ago. With low miles like that you are probably looking at closer to $28-30k.

 

[hsmith]

The "filter" is a screen that you clean and reuse.

 

[Motorhead]

I just bought a new 2007, 5. 9 G56 with the taller 6th gear. At 2,000rpm I run about 68mph. I was used to my 01. 5 with . 69 auto OD and 3. 54 rear end. 74mph at 2K. I love it. I swore I would never buy a stick. I drove UPS trucks for 30 years and kinda got burned out on sticks!! I feel that my 07 will be perfect for towing. I thought of having 2 sets of wheels... one set with the stock size for towing and a tall set of tires for running the rest of the year.

 

[BTighe]

one more thing. my truck averaged about 12-13 mpg where my other truck have gotten 14-16.