Looking for 2nd Gen Cummins
 

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forums, well at least posting here, and I'm looking at getting a 96-98 Dodge 3500 DRW for towing. I've never had a diesel truck before so I've been doing a lot of reading about them and it seems that a 2nd gen Cummins would probably be my best choice. I like to work on cars but I don't have much knowledge other than problems I have fixed on my cars over the past few years. I've read that the 2nd gen is mechanical and one of the simplest and most durable engines ever so I'm leaning towards that. The problem I've found is that where I'm at (eastern North Carolina) they are still pretty expensive for one without 300k+ miles. So I'm looking for advice on them like: what mileage should I look for? Is 250k+ too high to consider for around $8k? Should I stay away from trucks that already have mods on them? What is the towing capacity on them (from what I've read it is only rated around 10,000 lbs)? Should I consider a newer truck like 03-04 since they are only around $3k more?
Any input would be helpful.

Thank,
Nick

The 2nd gens are nice trucks.
The years you are looking for have the 12valves in them, until the late 98 when the 24 valve came out.
If your looking for the 12valves, I would ask the seller if the killer dowel pin has been dealt with. That is a big issue with a 12valve.
as for mods it all depends what the previous owner did.
The gvw for those years are around 8800#
As for the milage good luck on finding a low milage one.
I like my 12valve:tu:
As for the commin rail for the 02-early07 they ride a little nicer than the 2nd gens.
Any other questions just ask.

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