Cummins diesel engines offer legendary reliability and capability. But they don’t come cheap. The 6.7-liter I6 is currently a $9,795 option that bumps a new Ram 2500 to $56k. And that’s for a basic work truck. Need four doors and 4WD? You’re looking at $61k, minimum. Luckily for us, Dodge started putting the Cummins in Ram trucks in 1989. With 3 million sold there are some model years you can get for a bargain.

2013-2018 Ram 2500/3500

Ram rolled out the fifth generation of its half-ton trucks for the 2018 model year, and the fifth generation of its heavy-duty trucks for 2019. Ram fans love the upgraded interiors and aggressive exterior styling, so these newer trucks are worth a ton on the used market. That means that 2019-present Cummins-powered Rams can be expensive.

The good news is that motor heads know the powertrain didn’t change between 2018 and 2019. In fact, the later fourth gen Ram 2500s had rear coil springs the six-speed Aisin and the same 6.7-liter I6 as the standard output fifth gen. The big benchmark was the 385 horsepower and 850 lb-ft of torque tune for the 2013 model year.

Fourth gen Dodge Rams 2500s (2010-2018) are currently re-listed for $36,103 on average, with the lowest listing recent sale at $13k and the most recent at $20k–according to Classic.com. The 3500 is currently advertised at $43,600 on average with a lowest sale of $18,500 and a most recent of $27,990.

1994-1998 Dodge Ram Cummins

Dodge built the “first gen” of its Ram trucks from 1981 through 1993. It introduced the Cummins engine option in 1989. This first 5.9-liter engine–also called the 12 valve–is prized for its simplicity. Paired with the old body style (1993 and earlier), it’s achieved a sort of cult status and clean first gen Cummins resell for $25k or more.

Yet again, being a true motor-head can save you thousands. Dodge rolled out the “second gen” body style of its Ram trucks in 1993, but didn’t change the Cummins engine to the more complicated 24 valve until halfway through the 1998 model year. Yup, halfway through. So you definitely want to double check if you buy a 1998. The newer body style with the older engine is often overlooked by buyers, so there are still bargains around. As a bonus, Cummins began installing the Bosch VE fuel pump–often called the “P-Pump” which many tuners prefer.

The highest first gen Ram 250 listing at the moment is $58k, while the average is $25,338. The highest listing this year was $66k. The Ram 350 comes in at $27,955 on average with the highest listing currently at $77k. Meanwhile the top of the second gen Ram 2500 market is just $50k, though the average there is $23,662. The second gen Ram 2300 is listed at $24,253 on average, with a top end of $40k right now.

Cummins years to avoid

Overall, a Cummins will likely last. iSeeCars rates all Rams as one of three brands most likely to see 250,000+ miles, with a new truck having an 11.5% chance of being registered and driving well when it hits 250,000 miles. But the Ram 3500 specifically won the #1 spot of any model with a 42.6% chance. That’s 2.2x the national average. The Ram 2500 landed in spot #8 with a 27.2% chance of lasting over 250,000 miles.

If you ask 10 Cummins fans what their favorite year of heavy duty Ram is, you may get 10 answers. Likewise, if you ask which years to avoid, you’ll get a range of answers. The Car Complaints website compiles negative owner reviews. It says the 2018 Ram 2500 has the most complaints (52) while the 2015 comes in second (45) and the 2012 comes in third (44).

Of the 2018 Ram 2500 complaints, 31 were brake issues and only 6 were engine problems. The NHTSA recorded 1,502 brake complaints and 266 engine problems. 2015 only saw 6 engine complaints on CarComplaints, but the NHTSA received another 51 engine complaints. The most common 2012 problem the NHTSA heard about was with the steering system. The NHTSA also got 57 reports of engine problems.

What about the Ram 3500? Car Complaints recorded 43 complaints for 2012, 40 for 2013, and the numbers have been declining steadily since. What were these problems? Eleven 2012 Ram 3500 owners reported engine problems to this website, while 44 reported them to the NHTSA. Suspension problems came in second. Suspension problems became the number one report in 2013, though the NHTSA recorded 43 engine problem complaints for that year.

Note that tracking owner reviews may under represent problems with newer trucks because they haven’t had a chance to “act up” yet. It also may under represent problems with older trucks just because there were fewer made and fewer of those owners were online.