stuck between two vehicles. need opinions

[buckysaccord93]

Ok so I currently have the oppurtunity to by either a:

1998 Dodge Ram 2500 extended cab
Specs:
5.9L inl 6 cummins diesel
4x4
184k miles

OR

2003 BMW 330xi
Specs:
3.0L inl 6
AWD
67,506 miles


I have always wanted a diesel and thats a steal for it where I live, But i also love bmw's.

Anyone have experience with either?

My buddy have a the same year cummins, and I know there notorius for wheel bearing problems, and injection pumps.

Don't know to much about the problems of that year bmw though

Any help is appreciated,
Bucky

[oyajicool]

If you like helping others with moving, buy the truck.
If not, buy the car.

[Ralphie]

It really depends on what you will need/get out of it.

Those are fucking lightyears away from each other.

I wont sit here and list pros and cons, as it's obv.

Truck has really high mileage and if used correctly, take quite a beating.Dodges hold up ok though in the long run iirc.

That BWM is probably sweet, but they are some of the most expensive cars to maintain, just even in the first 5 years according to Consumer Reports.

So id really go with what you will get the most use out of.

You don't really have long windy roads in PA(that I know of).

Trucks come in handy in a pinch.

[Losiracer2]

you want a diesel truck when prices are over $4 a gallon?

If you won't use it for your job or hauling stuff, there's no need to get a truck. Unless you like spending $150+ dollars every fill-up every week or so

[Leung]

If you like helping others with moving, buy the truck.
If not, buy the car.

That is sooo true. When i had my Dakota, all my "friends" kept asking me to help them move.

[mtnbikaah]

Even with a wagon people ask for help moving *cough* dysfunk *cough*

To the OP: Is this vehicle going to be a daily driver?

I'd like to own a truck, diesel preferably, but as a work truck and not a daily driver.

I wouldn't worry about the miles on the Cummins as long as it's been maintained. Even diesels need proper maintenance.

Both Cummins parts as well as BMW parts are expensive....

[N9netwoAccord]

If you have a house or will be buying a house in the future, get the truck. If not, get the car.

[Jarrett]

If the Cummins is not the HO engine, don't even bother. Is it a manual or automatic?

Either way, I have a real problem seeing how a newer E46 BMW with much fewer miles is priced similarly to an older Dodge pickup with much more.

[DanCan]

Though you could profit off moving too.....cases of beer are always nice

[deevergote]

Even though the dodge diesel trucks are decent, that's a LOT of miles. Then again, the BMW is a decade old. Miles are low, but an old BMW will be pricey to fix. AWD will make it even pricier.

[Accrdwgnguy]

Bmw will just be a money pit that gets you from A to B. Dodge is at least useful for something, hauling stuff. A 3/4 ton diesel truck is great for towing, and you can charge your friends to move their cars. Cummins engines are good for 500K miles at least.

I've read the 1998.5 to 2002 Dodge Cummins engines have a bad injection pump design. Look it up, and find out if the truck has had it replaced. Injection pumps are $1100+, so run the other way if it's condition can't be confirmed. Usually a good price means someone is off-loading a problem vehicle.

[SOHC-FTW]

It being a diesel and a cummin's 187k is childs play to a properly maintain cummin's, hell 500k is normal around here with the hauling of X-mas trees.
Now the clutches are a weak point especially when trying to throw power at them, but it being a 98 means it's a 12V not as easily modified as the 98.5+ 24V's.

[lucifer1]

My parents have 3 e46, 2000 328i coupe, 2005 330i, 2006 330' coupe. The bmw at that age with that mileage is going to need a lot of money in maitenence things.

Pulleys, coolant bottle, cam sensors, 4 dr window regulators are all built to break or wear quickly parts. Plus all the rubber will be rotting as well as exterior plastic dry rotting( grillles, cowl, coupe window moldings, headlight seals). Interior blower fans wear out and make noise.

[buckysaccord93]

184k on a diesel is barely broken in. especially of that year. And this will be a pleasure vehicle. I drive 62 miles one way to work. So neither of these would be a good option

[deevergote]

The engine may have a ton of life left... but the rest of the truck is still a Dodge!