Replacing stolen truck

[acende]

My 2006 crew cab 4X4 with a manual transmission was stolen. It's difficult to find a 6.0 with a manual so I'm looking at 7.3 cause there's more of them available. Some sellers are claiming under 150k miles. I find that low mileage hard to believe. What should I look out for? Also I have heard the 4x4 from 99-02 ride harshly compared to the 04-07 models.

Trying to stay away from car dealers, people who lifted their trucks. Chips on the 6.0 are a problem IMHO I don't know enough about the 7.3 to have an opinion. Any advice greatly appreciated. Don't think that I would ever be happy with an automatic transmission so that's not an option till I've exhausted all other choices. Not a fan of Dodge trucks however it's way easier to find a manual transmission there. My dad had a 96 extended cab DWD with a 5 speed, he installed a hi-lo Gear Vender. Awesome drive train the rest of the truck not so much.

 

[highlandre]

Yes the 7.3L will ride rougher, it's leaf spring vs coil spring. I loved the sturdy feeling of the truck on the road. Personally I'd take a 7.3L over the 6.0 due to the known problems with the 6.0. I made numerous updates to mine but the motor never gave me trouble and I only did regular maintenance.

Found a nice looking manual in Utah you may be interested in.

 

[hawkdriver]

My '01 rides like, well, a truck. I do like the firmness of it but it jostles the wife around some lol. Like you, I searched for months for a manual. I have owned it since '05 and have 275,000 on it with no major issues. I'm keeping until it falls apart. Good luck and sorry to hear about your loss.

 

[JimmyDee]

I know it is probably a little late to post this but I had a 2001 Crew Cab with 57,000 miles on it. Very clean and loaded with many extras. Dealer purchased it from me for $16,000 and sold it for ??? There are some low mileage trucks out there but they are few and they are commanding a big price. I owned that truck for about 17 years. Served me well but we no longer needed it to tow a RV. It had an automatic tranny that I put a shift kit in and it never caused me on bit of trouble and responded as well as a manual. I would not be afraid to purchase a truck with an automatic. Change oil with Mobil 1 often and you will have a trouble free ride for years and lots of miles.