'Nother Truck question...'93 Dodge

Still on a quest for a truck....the F-350 in Indiana didn't work out. Now I've came across a 93 model, Ram 350, Cummins, club cab, 5 speed, 4wd, 154k miles, asking $5250. Ad says new brakes front and rear and almost new tires. Were these pretty tough trucks??? How many miles before major breakdowns?? What about the 1st gen Cummins motor?? What about the front end...older models have the same troubles the newer ones do?? Any input is as always very helpful. And for the record, I'm going to buy a truck this week, I promise....

These trucks had the good, the bad, and the ugly. The engine is very good. The rotary injection pump, not so good, but seems to holds up reasonably well. The getrag transmission is not so good, well known for the bearing on the input shaft going bad. Fairly expensive to rebuild. Front end seems to hold up, but the turning radius reminds one of the Queen Mary. The body? Ugly. Doors fall off. Wiring harnesses have weeney roasts. However, the engine noise nicely covers up all the rattles. If the one you are looking at has been taken care of, should be OK, but if it has been abused, then forget it. My two cents worth.

Got a '93 2wd, regular cab, 240,000 miles, bought new. The 5-speed Getrags had a bad reputation, but mine's never missed a lick. The first generation Cummins didn't have near the HP or torque of the later ones, but they're bullet-proof. A little slow pulling away from a red light with 30,000 GCW, but easily maintains highway speeds. Put a clutch in last Fall, replaced the radiator a couple of years ago because a seam let go and I found a new one at a great price, so I replaced rather repaired. Before I retired 4 years ago, it spent much of its life pulling a 32 ft goose-neck cattle trailer and 27 ft flat w/backhoe, hay and farm tractors. Still got original water pump, alternator, etc. Other than as mentioned, only replaced tires, battery, brakes, wear items. Not the best paint job in the world. Front end is original except for one ball joint. Don't know how long before major break-down; hasn't happened yet. Still gets around 20 mpg empty. Easily the best truck I've ever owned.

Ted, don't be laughing at our old Dodge trucks, LOL.. Yes, the pre-94 trucks were a bit outdated, but they are still sort of cool... I have an old rusty 92 4X4 Cummins Dodge, and I get folks stopping by all the time, wanting to buy it.. If it had new tires, I would not be scared to take it on a cross-country trip..
The 93 model may have a NV tranny, instead of the Getrag, they switched over somewhere during 93..

My dad put over 1,000,000 highway miles on his 95 with a cummins, and never had the engine worked on. he changed out a couple water pumps, transmissionparts, and lots of belts, and oil changes, but other than that it ran great. he still drives it to the VFW in the summertime.

The biggest thing to be carefull of with that truck is the tranny, but it might not have the Getrag 360 in it. It very easily could have the NV3500(?), which was a step up in longevity.
That said, the Getrag isn't terrible. If the tranny is still in good shape, it isn't impossible to keep it that way. Keep the fluid level up with a 5w30 synthetic. Change the fluid once a year. They make after market side covers that will let it hold a bit more fluid and there is an aftermarket filter kit that bolts on in place of the PTO cover.
As far as the engine, the 1st generation Cummins were the best so far. There is more that can be done to those engines for performance.
I have an 89 Cummins, first production year, and the only issues have been transmission and turbo, kind of. The tranny went out the first time from general use and abuse around the farm. I had my uncles shop put in the new one and didn't pay any attention to the fact they filled it with 90w when done. That tranny somehow lasted almost a year before it froze up so my uncle rebuilt it and it is still running that tranny.
The turbo issue was a different story, still the original turbo but I have had the exhaust flange wear out twice. Once pulling a tractor back from Indiana, it broke and let the turbo blow full blast up against the firewall, appropriately named. Once my uncle rewired the firewall, its been fine.
So I wouldn't be afraid of that 93, just check it out good. And for that kind of money it better be pretty sweet.

Mine (93 dually) has been a daily driver and load hauler since new 220,000 miles tires and a radiator only thing I have done. Never have to add oil between changes. Did service the auto trans once.

The first generation of the CDC engine is probably one of the most reliable...
The rest of it... is a Dodge. It rides like a chuck wagon. Especially that one with the solid front axle and leafs. It wouldn't be my first pick for a chassis, but if it's cheap enough, it'll do I guess.
The engine should still be worth the best part of 4 grand sitting on a skid, so use your judgement from there as to what the truck is worth.

Rod

I've got a 92 extended cab 4WD with the intercooled 5.9 Cummins, five speed Gertrag, and 3.50 axles. Has 240,000 miles on it and never had a major repair. I had to fix the front steering knuckles at 140,000 miles. When I put brakes in it, I put larger 1-ton style in the rear since it already had the 1 ton extra-wide drums. This truck has been bullet-proof. Doesn't use any oil, starts great in cold weather, shifts great, and has all the power I'll ever need. It does ride like a Sherman tank when empty, though - i.e. it rides like a truck. My 94 Ford ex-cab 4WD rides like a Cadillac, but the 7.3 turbo diesel doesn't have the pulling power, or the fuel mileage, my Dodge has. I hear some silly complaints about the old trucks, especially about the front end. Seems to me it's just as rugged as the newer ones, and 4WD ALWAYS works, unlike some newer ones. I say that since my neighbor has a 1995 Dodge 4WD Cummins that he bought new. He's had problems with 4WD working since the day he brought it home. Seems that just about every time he really needs it, it won't engage. Been kind of a standing joke. He comes here to get hay, and can't get up to my fields. He has the independent front and new body style. Also has the in-line injection pump (mine is rotary), aluminum transfer case (mine is cast-iron), and the New Venture 5 speed trans (mine is Gertrag). He front end got loose at the same mile-mark as mine and cost more to fix. Other then that, there's been no difference in longevity between his and mine. I'll add his sheet metal is rusting worse than mine is. He also bought a Chevy Durmax with the Allison trans when it first came out. He say his Dodge is better for heavy work, and only uses his Duramax for long trips since it rides nicer. His Dodge has always gotten 18-21 MPG on his highway, and his Duramax has never gotten better than 14 MPG.
My 92 is crude by today's standards, but that aslo makes it cheaper and easier to work on. With the 3.50 axles, it easily outpulls my 7.3 turbo Ford that has 4.10 axles. Doesn't seem that's the way it should be, but it is. The Cummins has amazing low-end torque with its long stroke.
I've only got two minor complaints. One is the sideways 30 gallon fuel tank that sits right against the frame. It traps salt, mud, and moisture. My frame rotted out in that area only. So, I cut the frame out and replaced that section, and gave it some extra rust-proofing. The tank straps are no longer available from Dodge and are known for rusting out. So, I made my own heavier ones.
Other thing I didn't like was the single fuel tank. I added a second 45 gallon tank in the rear where the spare tire was mounted, and now have the spare mounted on the front bumper.
I'll add, that even with the 3.50 axles, this truck has such good torque that I feel like I'd like an extra high gear on the highway when cruising at 75 MPH. More overdrive would be nice, or maybe some of those rare 3.07 axle gears for the HD Dana 70s.

The NV3500 is a great 5 speed; granny low and all synchro (including reverse). I have a "93 2WD D150 short box with the 3.9 V-6 and the NV3500.
Why Dodge put that tranny in that truck is beyond me but it came from the factory that way; I have the build sheet.

Those are good old trucks but ride rough and don't have a good rear seat if you need to haul people.
I almost bought one. But I found a 1996 with the nicer ride and cab. But the 1996 front ends wander all over the road and the old solid axle likely doesn't.

My son has a 92 Dodge W250 4X4 Ext. cab Diesel with 316000 miles and has had very few problems. in fact he just replace the factory thermostat a few weeks ago. He will admit the loud engine noise covers alot of the rattles but still would trade it for a new one! Says he has to keep something thats reliable!