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What to know before buying 5th gen?

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98GTSViper

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Hello all. I'm new to the forum but I've been reading several threads the last few days about early model 5th gens and the CP4 vs CP3 injection pumps as i'm trying to do my due diligence

I currently have a 94 3500 with a 12 valve in it, that I use to haul my racecar to and from track days (approximately 300 miles typically). My wife wants me to get a nicer truck that has a back seat for children.
Since I really want to stick with a diesel, I'm planning on selling my 12 valve and my daily - to pick up a 5th gen with a cummins in it. It really needs to be around $55,000 or so - anything much more than that would be stretching myself a little bit financially

My trailer is an 18' aluminum trailer and the cars i haul typically run from 2,500 to 4,000 pounds. So nothing particularly heavy. I am thinking that a 2500 with the cummins standard output would be more than sufficient and that the 68RFE would be up to the task.

I've read conflicting things about issues on 2019 models with minor issues that all new models have, however, I've started reading that the 2019-2020 trucks came with the CP4 that everyone seems to say is a horrible injection pump. Should I just completely write off the idea of getting a 2019 or 2020?

I'm hoping this truck will last me as a daily driver (less than 5 miles every day commute) for close to 10 years. Please let me know if any of my assumptions are off base or if anything else needs bringing to my attention.

I'm thinking a 2021 Ram 2500 tradesman is probably what I'm looking for. But if you guys say differently, I'm open ears
 
I know there are aftermarket solutions for the 19 & 20 MY trucks that upgrade the pump to a more reliable version.

As far as pricing goes, I would definitely reach out to Mark Dodge and get with Sandi or Aaron for pricing. Just for grins, I priced out a Bighorn, 4x4, 6'4 bed, with a diesel and it came out to $59,095, they are typically about 12% off of MSRP so that would bring your total before tax to $51,920. With that being said I feel like you could get to your $55k budget and have a nicer optioned truck as well.
 
If I was spending my money I would skip the 19-20. Yes there are solutions (that will cost you more money) Yes they don't all fail (but some do) at the end of the day you have choices so I personally would skip them. In todays market $55K isn't going to go far but you can probably order a mid-lower trim 2022 under that.


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move to a 21 - 22 model and drive it. you'll love the truck. enjoy the warranty..

hopefully you'll keep the 12v for when the new one is at the dealer for various warranty / recall activities.
 
I agree with what has been said. Until Ram offers a good solution for the CP4.2s in the 19 and 20s I would skip them unless I found one at an extremely good deal.
 
elephantrider said:
move to a 21 - 22 model and drive it. you'll love the truck. enjoy the warranty..

hopefully you'll keep the 12v for when the new one is at the dealer for various warranty / recall activities.
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Thank you for the reassurance, I’m excited to drive one and see how much better it is than the 12V

I probably won’t hold on to it though, I’m planning on selling it to help with the down payment on the new truck
 
mine has been rock solid, as have majority of owners here. certainly a few horror stories, no doubt.
 
Given the towing is so light and it'll be a daily driver you might want to look at a 1500 with the 3L diesel.
 
BikePilot said:
Given the towing is so light and it'll be a daily driver you might want to look at a 1500 with the 3L diesel.
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Fair point. My thoughts on that are:
-it's not a Cummins diesel. So there's not quite as much trust there (maybe irrationally)
-when I price out a 4x4 crew cab 1500 with the EcoDiesel, it still comes out to almost 50k. And that's setup as a tradesman with not very many options. So it's not much of a price jump to the 2500 for a truck that has room to grow into (in case my needs grow)

what are your thoughts BikePilot?
 
98GTSViper said:
Hello all. I'm new to the forum but I've been reading several threads the last few days about early model 5th gens and the CP4 vs CP3 injection pumps as i'm trying to do my due diligence

I currently have a 94 3500 with a 12 valve in it, that I use to haul my racecar to and from track days (approximately 300 miles typically). My wife wants me to get a nicer truck that has a back seat for children.
Since I really want to stick with a diesel, I'm planning on selling my 12 valve and my daily - to pick up a 5th gen with a cummins in it. It really needs to be around $55,000 or so - anything much more than that would be stretching myself a little bit financially

My trailer is an 18' aluminum trailer and the cars i haul typically run from 2,500 to 4,000 pounds. So nothing particularly heavy. I am thinking that a 2500 with the cummins standard output would be more than sufficient and that the 68RFE would be up to the task.

I've read conflicting things about issues on 2019 models with minor issues that all new models have, however, I've started reading that the 2019-2020 trucks came with the CP4 that everyone seems to say is a horrible injection pump. Should I just completely write off the idea of getting a 2019 or 2020?

I'm hoping this truck will last me as a daily driver (less than 5 miles every day commute) for close to 10 years. Please let me know if any of my assumptions are off base or if anything else needs bringing to my attention.

I'm thinking a 2021 Ram 2500 tradesman is probably what I'm looking for. But if you guys say differently, I'm open ears
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RAM just announced they are recalling ‘19-20 MY trucks to replace the fuel injection pumps. I am not concerned about the intervening period. When it affects you it is a catastrophic failure but statistically it is not common. Given your mileage and what you tow, I’d look hard at the Hemi options in the 2500. You will lower your cost basis and maintenance costs, and it is more than capable of pulling your trailer, in fact more comfortably given the impact on GVWR going with a Cummins in the 2500.

Your use case is similar to mine, I tow a 34’ enclosed hauler. Most of the time I am well-under the rating for the truck, even if I squeeze 2 cars in I am around 9,500 lbs gross, but the cars are a lot more valuable than the truck so peace of mind prevails. I should have bought a stacker trailer to give me more options, I could have downsized on length and given me option loading of cars over the axles, even when 2x.
 
98GTSViper said:
Fair point. My thoughts on that are:
-it's not a Cummins diesel. So there's not quite as much trust there (maybe irrationally)
-when I price out a 4x4 crew cab 1500 with the EcoDiesel, it still comes out to almost 50k. And that's setup as a tradesman with not very many options. So it's not much of a price jump to the 2500 for a truck that has room to grow into (in case my needs grow)

what are your thoughts BikePilot?
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I think the 1500 will be a much nicer DD, and should get around 25mpg in mixed driving. I haven't looked into relative pricing. Fwiw my wife has a Jeep with the littl diesel. 70k miles and no problems so far. I think she's averaged around 27.5mpg over the last couple of years in it. I would not expect the little motor to be as robust as the Cummins either.
 
The 1500's with the ecodiesel do get pretty amazing mileage! I have a buddy that gets about 28-29mpg unloaded. and they are a very capable truck for such a tiny engine.

If you really have your heart set on a 2500 diesel and you currently have a 3500 diesel, albeit an older one but still, you'll never be happy with anything else and would potentially have regrets. Quite honestly, you can get exactly what you want for your budget if you go to Mark Dodge, Bud Clary or Zach @ Granger as they all seem to be very competitive price wise and chances are your current 3500 will be worth more now than any other time in the future given the current market. I'm just trying to give you my POV as I have made a similar downsized purchase and regretted it ever since.
 
FWIW, Overall I've enjoyed owning my 19 2500. The CP4 has been hard for my brain to handle so miles on truck are still low(13kmi). I've been running it more since Recall news dropped about replacement coming( TY Mopar), so happy about that. Has a few quirks but has NOT needed to see a dealer in two years. Poor Reliability is a deal breaker for me. It seems as though this truck has the potential to be here for awhile..
 
MtnRider said:
If I was spending my money I would skip the 19-20. Yes there are solutions (that will cost you more money) Yes they don't all fail (but some do) at the end of the day you have choices so I personally would skip them. In todays market $55K isn't going to go far but you can probably order a mid-lower trim 2022 under that.


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No- tradesman 2020 just Booked at $44, with tax/Tags/title fees = $50k crazy
 
For the towing weights your doing, you really don’t need a diesel. That would reduce your cost
 
If you want a cummins, get a cummins. The Hemi will do that job, though, and do it well.

When I tow my car, a 2600lb Car on a 2000lb trailer, my Hemi doesn’t even bat an eye or drop MPG.

When I tow my rock crawler, it works a little harder and I lose ~2mpg with a total load of ~6500lb
 
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