1969 1500 ram

From : jey1958

Q: i have a 2003 3500 single rear wheel 4x4 cummins ho love the truck. the 2003 cummins is much quieter than the 2002s and earlier models. get 20mpg and 12mpg pulling trailer 18325lb total weight. lots of power can pull trailer in od most everywhere except steep inclines. ok.. some questions for you.. drive off road at all 4x4 way to go drive with lots of snow 4x4 way to go want good mileage while towing cummins 4x2 way to go want to annoy neighbors while warming truck go with the cummins myself im in search of a 4x4 2500 cummins.. need auto tho.. wife refuses to drive stick.. my first post to this group...hoping for some helpful advice. am presently pulling a 8000 lb citation fifth wheel with a 99 dodge ram 1500 5.2 engine...got about 9 mpg last summer get about 17 without the trailer. am looking at the following 2 vehicles; a demo 2003 6 speed 2500 ram with cummings manual shift 2 wheel drive for about $36000 canadian or leasing a new 2004 1500 ram automatic 5.7 hemi automatic 4x4 . am looking for any kind of advice or feedback. i may put 12000 kms annually on the truck its used to go back and forth to work approx 2 miles some casual driving and then family travel. for most outings we have a jetta tdi wagon. what advantages/disadvantages re the cummings vs hemi. service wear and tear on both. basically anything you can think of. thanks...peter ps. just started 5th wheeling last summer and went on a 4000 km trip. my preference would be similar a 3 week trip at roughly the same distance with a couple more short hops throughout the summer. .