I bought a new ram because I didn't have powerstroke money....
I had an 06 5.9 manual before my new ram. My 3rd Gen was reliable as heck, but that darn front end was gonna bankrupt me, and did all my own work. Maybe that was the problem! 
While I don't have any cross-section knowledge of 3G Rams, my buddy's '05 or '06 hasn't experienced front end issues.
I recall Gen2's were common for "death wobble", but mine (or his older '01) haven't had that issue. Soon after I bought my '01 with 35K on the clock I took it to a frame and wheel shop to be aligned. They cleaned up some weld splatter on the track bar mount.
An extra brace for the steering box was a common "upgrade", but I haven't needed such.