Jesus Chrysler
Forgiving Sins Against Mopar Since 1983
As a previous owner of two first gen dodge cummins trucks, I cant help but chuckle when I see $15k+ W250 CTD's.
They are great looking trucks, the CTD is awesome and the D60/NP205 combo is rock solid, and that's about it.
They're loud, slow (of course you can tweak them), and that chassis is really not up to the task of supporting an 1,100 lb. Motor.
I had an 89 D350 and one day I noticed cracks at the LCA support where it rivets to the cross member. Like an idiot I shrugged it off until one day I was backing out of the driveway and creek, crunch bang, next thing I know the left front tire is folded under the truck. Turns out in '90 they redesigned the LCA mounts to be a stamped steel integral component of the cross member. I lucked out and found someone doing a ford truck conversion who had a 1990 front chassis for $250.
One day I was rolling through a drive through in my 92 W250 (typically a tight squeeze) and my right front tire popped over the curb. As I rolled through and drove back into the lane the 1/4" stamped steel bracket that places the steering gear ripped off and I basically limped home at 15 MPH with wild steering. That cheesy bracket was a pain to get and had to shipped from a dealership across the country. I was inspecting the new one after a year or two of use and it was developing cracks which I ended up repairing with a stop drill and small gusset.
I know there are work around for this stuff, and I would pick up another one in a heartbeat - for the right price - but as far as I'm concerned, anything over $10k for a nice 1st gen W250 is not worth it. Might as well step up to a 2nd gen and have a nicer truck with a more robust chassis, more reliable injection pump and greater creature comforts. About the only drawback I see is the lame central axle disconnect system and the less stout transfer case. I know they have a few of their own issues, but the price better reflects the value.
They are great looking trucks, the CTD is awesome and the D60/NP205 combo is rock solid, and that's about it.
They're loud, slow (of course you can tweak them), and that chassis is really not up to the task of supporting an 1,100 lb. Motor.
I had an 89 D350 and one day I noticed cracks at the LCA support where it rivets to the cross member. Like an idiot I shrugged it off until one day I was backing out of the driveway and creek, crunch bang, next thing I know the left front tire is folded under the truck. Turns out in '90 they redesigned the LCA mounts to be a stamped steel integral component of the cross member. I lucked out and found someone doing a ford truck conversion who had a 1990 front chassis for $250.
One day I was rolling through a drive through in my 92 W250 (typically a tight squeeze) and my right front tire popped over the curb. As I rolled through and drove back into the lane the 1/4" stamped steel bracket that places the steering gear ripped off and I basically limped home at 15 MPH with wild steering. That cheesy bracket was a pain to get and had to shipped from a dealership across the country. I was inspecting the new one after a year or two of use and it was developing cracks which I ended up repairing with a stop drill and small gusset.
I know there are work around for this stuff, and I would pick up another one in a heartbeat - for the right price - but as far as I'm concerned, anything over $10k for a nice 1st gen W250 is not worth it. Might as well step up to a 2nd gen and have a nicer truck with a more robust chassis, more reliable injection pump and greater creature comforts. About the only drawback I see is the lame central axle disconnect system and the less stout transfer case. I know they have a few of their own issues, but the price better reflects the value.
