My buddy is selling his 04 5.9 cummins for 12,000 I was interested in taking it off his hands but some people are telling me to stay away from such a high mile motor. I have heard it all about this type of engine (it's a million miles motor, it's a cummins so it will break soon, etc) I have owned a diesel before but I gave it to my brother at 100,000 miles so I don't really know how one drives past that or what kind of maintanance is needed for a higher mile motor. My buddy already has new injectors he has in maitanced really well. He has new seats in it new rims and tires a leveling kit. He egr deleted it and has a tuner I know this is a bad sign of abuse but he only used it rarely and only really used it for towing. The heaviest thing ever pulled was probably a skid loader that he only pull two or three times for maybe 20 mile at a time. The only other thing he pulls Is his boat that he takes probably 2 or 3 times a month in the summer. The only thing I can see wrong with the truck is the dash is kinda of gone to ship. Is this truck worth it or should I wait for something better to come a long, I don't want to buy a vehicle and spend quite a bit just to keep it running I probably won't even put 10,000 miles a year on it either

 

the people telling you you to stay away are either gas drivers or Ford owners injectors done at that mileage is a great bonus. The cummins won't let you down but the dodge may. I would be thinking of trans rebuild in near future, check front end parts for wear, and road grime/salt depending on your location. If your buddy takes care of his stuff that will give you some peace of mind...and when something does need to be replaced he can provide an extra set of hands for you!

 

The running joke about them is "A milion mile motor in a 100,000 mile truck! LOL!
Like has been said, the transmission is the real weak point, if it's the automatic. If it hasnt been rebuilt already, it will need to be soon. 200,000 is not high mileage for a diesel, and if your not driving it anymore than what you say, the motor will be fine for a long time.

 

Well I forgot to add in my previous post but he put a new ats transmission probably less than 20,000 miles ago. So getting it I shouldnt really expect very many mechanical issues?

 

ATS is a well known brand- 5 yr 500k warranty on them. The dashes have been know to crack and the gauges will quit working due to the contacts becoming knocked loose. I have a shop locally that pulls the dash and re connects everything for $100. Air noise in the door is a complaint and AC systems being avg. at best: My biggest beef with my truck is the electrical is a PITA. Keep fresh batteries and clean grounds, the good news is when something strange happens usually the battery is to blame and not something major. I just put new terminals on my cables. As long as you know it's a diesel pickup so it's loud and bumpy it'll drive down the road as long as you'll let it!

p.s if injectors have been done look at a fass or air dog for upgraded filtration to protect them! 2 micron is ideal