dude, its all about the 2nd gen 12 valve cummins 6bt.
all mechanical, sooo reliable. easier to work on. easy to build more reliable power for less money.
once they switched the 6bt to 24 valve it all went downhill. those motors can build alot of power but they really arent that reliable.
diesel power took a 12 valve to a million miles, i doubt you could do that witha 24 valve without spending over 100 grand on pumps and what not.
my dad has a 99 2500 5 speed cummins and weve spent about 20,000 in engine repairs since he bought it brand new. its all stock save for an economy chip.
diesel adds up fast when stuff breaks lemme tell ya.