Like others, I was raised on Dodges. My first car was a '66 Coronet 440. (paid $200 when I was 15). Then I had a used Honda that chased parts for my dream project-- a 1969 Coronet 2-dr sedan. I loved both of those Coronets.
Predisposed to Dodge, I know what owning a Dodge means. It means there will be quirks to the vehicle. There will be some "unconventional" aspects to it. Why were all the old Mopars equipped with Torsion Bar front ends? Why were they the only uni-bodies of the big 3?
So I knew a Dodge would have quirks-- idiosyncracies that you sometimes hate, sometimes love.
Buying a Dodge means finding out the weak points and seeing if you can live with them. On old mopars, it's rusting backlights and quarterpanels, sagging doors, and the like. But you can almost always count on a solid, well-engineered driveline.
On my CTD, it's lift pumps, track bars, ball joints, and other quirks. If simply having the best-built truck was all that mattered to me, I would have bought a Toyota. Toyota makes a very nice vehicle, with some cool options (TRD package). But no diesel.
The Dodge part just suits me-- it's something I can relate to. I don't just buy a vehicle-- I marry it, so this is important stuff
As for the Cummins part, I remember vividly the first CTD ad I ever saw. I was a plain jane boxy silver 1989 CTD. 160hp, 400lb-ft. I saw that 400 number and new I wanted one (keep in mind this is late 1988, when an IROC-Z had only a wheezing 225hp 350). I knew nothing of diesel engines at all.
Then I started reading and asking questions (both of which I did a LOT of as a teenager wanting to learn). The farmers were liking the towing power and mpg of the CTD, even though it was slow to accelerate. The RV folks echoed those comments. Yes, they were loud and came in a boxy Dodge, but people loved the engine.
As a dealership employee after high school, I got a ride in a new 1994 Dodge gasser. I loved the truck, the style. Finally, a Dodge that you didn't have to be embarassed about! Very cool, but I was broke so I let it go.
Fast forward to August 2002. I'm recently married and my wife's trusty beater is nearing a merciful death. I now have a real job and a little money. I decide I'd like a Dodge truck-- a lifelong dream. My wife is happy to drive my 1997 Nissan Maxima as a hand-me-down. I'm recalling my teenage infatuation with this little Cummins diesel.
So I go online to do a little research on the Dodge Cummins diesel pickup. I come across this website (you're surfing it now
) where people are nearly fanatical about their trucks. Then I see that they are hotrodding them and getting INSANE amount of power out of them will still driving them every day. Is this too good to be true? Can I have a durable diesel, decent mpg, a Dodge truck, and a hot-rod all in one??
When the dealer offered me $1k more than the wife's car was worth, I was all over it. I old them if they could find me the truck I wanted, we would deal.
I got the only 4x4 Quad Cab shortbed diesel six speed within 800 miles of Macon GA that didn't have leather and a bunch of other bells and whistles.
I decided I could live with a Red Dodge (when Red was everywhere in all the Dodge ads). I even decided I could live with the hideous "mist grey" interior (what were they thinking)?
It's been 31K miles of bliss since then.....
EDIT: I wanted to ad that my CTD makes me feel like I went back in time and bought a 1971 Hemi Cuda Convertible brand new. I'm just waiting to see if gas prices and/or insurance kill this second Muscle Car age we are living in... .
Justin
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
. Then i tell them that most 18 wheelers run staight 6 cylinder engines and they have beat the hell out of them day in and day out for years. If V8 deisels are so great why are,nt they running them 
