A man and his truck.....

I wouldn't put much $ into a truck with 300,000 miles on then, glad you've had good luck with dodges, your a diamond in the rough. And when you say new I hope you mean new to you. Scrapping beats up a truck and a new one is just going to loose value faster. With an old truck say you need new shocks then shocks then you need a new fuel pump and then your tranny needs rebuilt which isn't worth it in an old truck then your out hundreds in the new parts you just put on it. A newer truck is a better investment dare I say.

Take it off the road for a future project, that's if you have a storage spot for it. I have had several brand new vehicles you can't beat that feeling. But I have learned to buy used. Say 2 or 3 years old I think you get better value.The first owner already ate the depreciation for you.

The answer to your question basically boils down to if a different truck is a need or a want. If the vehicle is a make it or break it situation for survival, buy another truck. If it would be nice to have a different truck, wait.

More details -
Mileage if HYW does not matter
Pure city
Country roads
what is the 300,000 comprised of .

Next does the old truck need fixing now , or is it the future .
Get the new or newer truck .
then hunt for insurance companies that will give you the best price for 2
I've seen it for me , one company to expensive and another priced rite .
Having 2 trucks is the way to go , one for more easy going scrap projects & used to get new jobs ( looking more successful ) & the other for use that you just don't worry if a big pipe hits it wile you load. Dividing up the use with 2 is a good thing . Finally in time the old one will pass on . Then you have your new truck that has been babied for a few years ready for full action .

If the old truck runs don't get rid of it .If major work is needed to continue thats different . As to Dodges lasting , yes absolutely , still a factor I believe is many of us take for granted our driving stile causes most any vehicle will last if you use care.
Driving technique transcends to any vehicle you have . Well driven & maintained Motors / Trans will last .
But the truck may look like a beast .

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Final factor - as long as you have a decent family car and the wife is happy with her ride
then whats the rush if your truck is doing it's job . Lets face it a scrap truck is a work truck
being gun shy when loading - stepping on roof with abandon to get a better grip . tossing off heavy item's off the side with no care is a priceless feature .

Originally Posted by gabrielservices

Lol yes a new to me truck. on the other hand I do heavy hauling for other people from time to time, and I want to start doing that more,So maybe getting a 1ton dually would be better.

Are you pulling a trailer? Or doing your heavy hauling in the pickup bed? Maybe a trailer is your answer. You can do lots more weight in a trailer and pull it rather than lots of weight on the truck.

I wouldn't put much money into a 300k mile truck unless you knew everything about it.

Since it's a 25 year old truck that you have, the owners make more difference than the brand at this point. But, I've done very well with the two Dodges that I have. It sounds like you like them, so I'd buy a Dodge. If nothing is really wrong with this truck, I'd save up to get as much truck as you can. If something expensive is out on it now, I'd go for another truck, instead of running the risk of getting upside-down in this one.

I think you've made your $1000 back. You can work on it, but we've done that with both a farm combine and a baler. When something's just worn out, there is always something else to go wrong.

Now, if your brake lines were corroded, check for metal fatigue. That was the worst problem with the combine- if the metal is weak, things will shake themselves apart. Personally, I'd look for anther truck, and since you have the parts, work on the front end and see if you can get a few hundred bucks for the truck. If not, I'd use it as a run-about until something I didn't have parts for broke, and then I'd dump it....

There's nothing wrong with that. Out here, though the first generation Cummins trucks have a loyal following. The only complaints that I've heard on them have been that they're kind of loud. If that's the worst to expect, that's doing pretty well!

My only full-size Dodge is a 1986 D250. The truck is really well-put together, and is very easy to service. I don't see too many extended cab or crew cabs of that generation, but if you can wait and look, I'm sure one will turn up. Being in Nevada, you shouldn't have any rust issues, so that'll help.

Wow! They're both great deals!

You'll love the 360. I have one in my 1986 D250 with a 4 speed. In my mind, the 360 is the best small block V8 for pulling from the era. If your 5 speed has a low gear, you can move a lot. I can pull a 4000# trailer of straw at almost an idle. The 360s have very good lugging capabilities. Being a 1992, I think yours may be the first year of the Magnum engines, which means even more power.

For the price, you can't complain! Plus, it sounds like they did most of the hard work on the restoration for you!