Truck Decision UPDATE: Decison Made (pending)

No help, but I enjoy reading about HD diesel trucks from their owners.

No help, because my unit is a 2002 Ford E450 7.3 Powerstroke diesel Class C. It's been almost perfect (the engine) in 84K, since I bought it in 2003 w/5K miles on it.

Were I buying a one ton HD diesel pick up? It would have to be the Dodge Cummins - to me, if the engine is the best of the three - I'll put up with the rest of it to get the reliability /economy of the Cummins. Without the best, most economical engine? What good is the truck to me regardless? That's my belief, and I'm sticking to it!

martyn8677 wrote:

3. Should I consider a one ton gasser? I am not convinced the better mpg of the diesel will offset the higher purchase price, maintenance, and price per gallon. But will a gasser struggle to carry the weight?

Won't struggle at all. These trucks are engineered to pull much more weight towing than you could ever fit in the bed as payload. For Fords you want the 6.2 which became available in 2011 and has better fuel economy. That will be hard to find for $15K though. The Chevy 6.0 would probably be my first choice for anything in that price range that would be a bit older and possibly available for that price.

I got mine for the same reasons Bedlam mentioned.

On the other hand, you said you love your truck, so if your only requirement is to have a slideout there are options that you could probably make work with your truck if you beef up the suspension and tires. You will probably spend $5K on upgrades to make it work, but that is definitely cheaper than a new truck. Not ideal, but getting a $15K truck isn't going to make you very happy I would think.

I'm another satisfied 6.0 PSD owner with no engine mods. I will be replacing this truck next year to get a bigger one, not because mine is problematic. However, I am leaning toward a new gasoline engine powered truck due to complexity and cost of the emissions on the new diesels. I prefer to be able to do my own maintenance or work and choose when to have service done by someone else (this view also keeps me away from hybrids).

martyn8677 wrote:
... I have generally heard great things about the Cummins diesel, but have never been a big Chrysler fan. While the motor might be good, I hear the quality of the rest of the truck is not great. ...

2. Lots of Dodge owners on here. Is my perception wrong about Dodge quality. Can any of you convince me otherwise?

Interesting post. I will give a disclaimer, I am a Chrysler fan, a GM fan, not much into Fords. You are asking the reader to change your belief system. That is pretty tough. If you "have never been a big Chrysler fan", I think it is fair to ask why? Have you had personal bad experiences with Chrysler vehicles?

A couple of thoughts to ponder:

1 Ford has had major problems with the Harvester International engines, to the point of law suits between Ford and International.

2 International trucks do not use International engines in their big trucks , to my knowledge. It is my understanding International uses the Cummins in their big trucks. Wonder why?

3 I am pretty ignorant on the GMs. I understand they had issues with the Duramax engine in earlier years, but do not remember which ones. Do any of the big trucks use the Duramax?

4 The Cummins engine has about 30 percent less parts than the Harvester International or Duramax, but as I understand, the most common diesel in big trucks.

5 When you say, "never been a big Chrysler fan", does this include all Chrysler vehicles? If so why? What part of the Dodge truck do you understand to be "truck is not great"?

In my opinion, it is easy to find things you do not like in any of the trucks. Some things require a lot of research. Each of the trucks have weak points. But you and/or I have to decide which weak points we are willing to accept. I have read through the years, Ford has a great body, GM has a great transmission, and Dodge has a great engine. So, which truck has a Ford body, Allison transmission and a Cummins engine?

I love my 6.0 PSD. had it since it was 2yrs old with 27,000km. I will say that do not go buying a 6liter without first purchasing a scangaugeII or edge insight CTS which allows you to monitor all of the necessary parameters which will immediately show signs of if the truck is in need of repair work. Also i would recommend having the latest flash on the PCM, which will also warn you of impending problems (doom). (overboost, etc will throw a wrench/limp mode). I also would never buy one without first hitching up a heavy load or putting camper on the truck and flooring it up the longest steepest hill you have near you to see if it self destructs. If it doesnt and all necessary parameters are within spec then u have a keeper.

So many of these trucks on the road have been abused/chipped/messed with and they are going to cost you some cash to fix up.

If you see any with red juice in the degass bottle or a coolant filter then the dude new how to look after his truck. I would shy away with any that have tuners.

I could write a book on what to look for/run from lol. I think a full "bulletproof" costs around 5k but i have not yet had to do it.

thanks for the thoughtful replies. Keep them coming.

You might be able to find a PSD that has already been Bulletproofed but you'll need to learn how to recognize them. A guy on one of these forums found one a couple of months ago. I had an '05 v10 gasser. It pulled my 11.5k fiver fine, but cost so much to tow with, at 7.5 or so that I hated to tow with it. I think the diesel vs. gas increased maintenance is largely a myth. My diesel doesn't cost that much more to maintain, and the increased mileage and range makes up for what little there is. Yes, it costs more to buy, but you should get more back too.

IMHO - and I have driven all three - I am OK with the quality of my RAM (formerly Dodge). I have owned 1973, 1975, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, and now 2013.

I think the Fords have a better interior, better seats, etc. but I like my Cummins 6.7 with the turbocharger exhaust brake, etc.

Reason behind so many year models? 2000 was a 5-speed manual. Wife wanted me to get an auto thus the 2002. 2004 was an 8' bed so I could buy a TC. 2008 was when the turbocharger exhaust brake came out, the 6.7l, and the 6 speed auto. I drove it 100,000 miles and traded for a dually.

The 2013 is a truck that listed for $52,000 and was bought for $42,000. Has a 13,000 lb. GVWR and a towing capacity of 30,000 lbs. I have towed near 25,000 lbs. a few thousand miles. My 2013 has 15,100 miles on it and will be a year old in September.

If I could get the Ford 350 with a 6.7L Cummins for $42,000, I might just try one.

BTW - my son has a 2006 Chevy w/Duramax and 150,000 miles. Minor stuff like ABS and front hubs have been replaced.