Need tow vehicle advice

GA2500HD wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Seriously, depends how much you're looking or spend how New you want as to which trucks have what issues.
Diesels I'd consider to be reliable or not have fatal flaws (not just the engine but the whole package) are roughly in this order.
'14-up anything. ('15 -up Pstroke for the exhaust brake)
'11-up Dmax
02-07 Dmax
94-07 Cummins, stick shift only
99-03 7.3 Pstroke. Stick shift preferably.

Any reason why you don't list the 08-10 Duramax? I found a 2008 I'm going to look at and interested why you didn't list those few years.

Of the early dpf emissions, the Duramax is probably the best of them, but I didn't list any 07.5-10 (or 2013 Ram) because they all were more finicky or problematic with emissions than the earlier or later counterparts in my opinion.
Otherwise bulletproof essentially unchanged drivetrain since 2001, says something.

Zogg
The oil bath and drain overflow was your fault (however, I'm sure you know that). And maintenance vs. gas is pretty much a wash given the longer OCI on diesel. About the only expense gas has over diesel is fuel filters which are maybe once a year unless you rack up the miles. And when talking about these trucks and what they cost, if a set of $100 filters once a year is an issue then the person probably shouldn't even be considering buying one. I'm suspecting your experience was also with an older Diesel engine. The newer ones are completely different. No fumes, superb cold weather start up and warming times, easy maintenance, insane power, DEF equipped trucks get great mileage, etc. I can crank my truck and engage the exhaust brake and fast idle and she will be at operating temps and blowing hot air in 5-6 min. And FWIW I get a TRUE mixed avg 17-18.5mpg empty and 11-13 towing with the common determining factors speed, wind, terrain, depending. Sorry your previous experience wasn't to your likings, but if you haven't tried a newer one you may be in for a surprise!

When we first started towing an RV in 2004, my first 3/4 ton was a Ram cummins for pulling our new 5th wheel....everyone said I needed a diesel. After a year, I traded it for a v10 Ford gas truck and probably won't own another diesel....just too much hassle for me.

First, I froze to death in the winter due to no heat in the cab. A guy told me to "plug it in"....sure enough I found a plug under the hood and started plugging it in at night and it was toasty warm in the morning. Then, a few times I forgot to unplug it....back out of the garage and the darn extension cord was behind my tool box, and over she came....dammitttt.....more than once.

Then I opted to change the oil....put a ten quart pan under the truck and didn't realize it held 12 quarts of oil....never did get all the oil stains off of the garage floor.\!!!!!

Every time I changed the oil filter I took a bath in dirty oil....

My wife complained daily about the diesel fumes going into the house from the garage....ugh

Almost ran out of fuel twice because I couldn't find a station that sold diesel fuel....ouch

Everyone told me I'd get 20+mpg...never happened. THe best I ever got unloaded was 16-17 and towing 9500 pounds was 11 mpg.

I found the maintenance to be a lot more than I ever would have thought...I do all of my own work, but I found it to be a pain.

SO, I traded for a V10 F250 and put in gas, changed the oil, did not have to plug it in, no more fumes, did not run out of fuel, and got 9 mpg towing and gas was about $.75 cheaper per gallon than diesel at that time.

Having said all of that, I currently pull a 8000 pound fifth wheel with a Ram 6.4 gas motor, and it does well. BUT, if I was pulling any more than that, I would buy another diesel in a heart beat.

You cannot beat them for pulling power, if you need them. We pulled a buddy's 14,000 pound 5th wheel from Arizona to Illinois last summer with his F250 powerstroke....no gas motor would had done that job.

Moral is that if you NEED a diesel, buy one...but be sure you need it. My nephew bought one a few years ago because he thought they were cool....That lasted about 6 months and he lost his butt on a trade in.....

The cost of the diesel motor is $6-$8,000....you need to keep it a long while to get your value out of it...

Grit dog wrote:
Seriously, depends how much you're looking or spend how New you want as to which trucks have what issues.
Diesels I'd consider to be reliable or not have fatal flaws (not just the engine but the whole package) are roughly in this order.
'14-up anything. ('15 -up Pstroke for the exhaust brake)
'11-up Dmax
02-07 Dmax
94-07 Cummins, stick shift only
99-03 7.3 Pstroke. Stick shift preferably.

Any reason why you don't list the 08-10 Duramax? I found a 2008 I'm going to look at and interested why you didn't list those few years.

Most every truck you buy, will rust out before it wears out.

I put in tow haul mode, turn on exhaust brake, set the cruise at 63 mph and I go 62 up the hill and 65 down the hill and enjoy the ride.

All your questions/worries will vanish within the first five miles of towing, especially coming from a 6.0 gasser.

My last truck was a 2005 2500HD with the 6.0 pulling around 9K lbs. Cruising at 65 mph usually required 3rd gear. Now, I literally have to watch my speed for going to fast.

At 10,000 miles per year I would expect any of the diesels to last you at least 20 years without doing much for maintenance. Change to oil once every 15,000 miles and replace the air filter every 5 years or so. You might have to change your fuel filter once or twice. Brakes will probably last 20 years .... tires might have to be replaced every 5 years.

We purchased our 08 D/A in sig. three years ago with 101000 miles. We have had zero issues with it, except the paint, and now at 148000 miles. We change the oil twice a year and fuel filter once a year. Just replaced the air filter which was a little expensive but this thing is huge and I could have gone another year or two as it was barely dirty.

Love our diesel and the only thing that intimidates me about the truck is letting my wife drive it.

GA2500HD wrote:
Since I have never had a diesel it's a little intimidating. But the more I read about them they are not as bad to work on as I thought, at least the Duramax motors. Just expensive on some of the major parts. I just don't want to get a diesel and start having problems because my truck has 141k miles and has not been any trouble. I know with anything used it's always a gamble because without detailed service records there is no way of knowing how good it was kept up. I know that a diesel all around would be better. My mileage now is 11 in town, 14 on the highway, and 8 towing my camper.

Only in America do people make diesels out to be tricky to own, I think it's partly because they like to think it makes them more manly and their pickups special compared all other non-commercial vehicles on the road.

Trust me, owning a diesel is just as easy as owning a gasoline-powered vehicle. Upfront premium is recovered come resale time not to mention they make for a great towing experience. You'll love the Duramax, the new one sounds superb.