Buying A 3rd Gen Need Help!
 

i am looking to buy a new truck. i need a 3500 crew cab dually. what is the best year for the 3rd gen dodges? i am talking about 03 to 07 5.9 cummins.is there 1 year better than the other or it really does not matter? what is the HP difference between the years? also what are the knowen problems with the 3rd gen trucks?

I like the 06 but I do own one so ya know

I got a 04.5 I might sell you. In my opnion the 04.5 are better untill you get to the 6.7

so your sayin that the 2004.5 year is the best until they came out with the 6.7 motor???

thanks for the offer guys but i have to either wait till i sell my truck to buy from private party or trade mine in on something. and i dont think the trading it in thing is going to happen because they will not give me what i want....

No 04.5 and to when they started making the 6.7. But there is a few guys out there with some powerful 6.7 If I was going to buy new and stay stock then I would get a 6.7 but stock is not a option for me :c:

ok good to hear you say that

IMO, you can't go wrong with an 04.5. The lift pump sucks, but most are on the filter canister, so replacement or upgrade to AirDog or Fass is easy.
Pretty much the same as the 05-07, but didn't the 05-07 have plastic tanks on the intercooler? I know my 04.5 has an all aluminum IC and I like the NV5600 better than the G56.
Nothing wrong with the earlier trucks, just a little less power and the 47RE trans wasn't that great. The 48RE started in 03 IIRC and other than a little less power than the 600 series engine, they are about the same.

i found a 04 3500 with a build date of 6/04 so that would make it a 04.5 right?

Yes, anything with a build date of 1/04 should be an 04.5.
Another way you can tell is look at the drivers side of the valve cover. There should be a sticker that tells you which engine it has. If it says "HP 325", its an 04.5.
The 04s will say "HP 305".