Thoughts on new truck purchase

[Salty_Dog]

Not looking for the "my truck is better that yours" discussions. I have been a GM guys for a long time (but not set on a GM) and I am starting to look at new diesel trucks. Currently have a 2012 D/A pulling a Montana 3750 5'er. What features / options should I look at for each of the brands? TIA, Mike

[Bedlam]

The guys that are managing fleets of vehicles are still complaining about parts availability from FCA. They tell me it is much easier and faster to get parts from the other two competitors. I think GM lost out of many sales due to not having anything beyond a Class 3 truck - Now that they are back in the game, they should get more fleet sales. With Ford now using the same transmissions and engines from the F250 through F750 allows a shop to minimize specialized parts inventory and have better training on the focused common platform.

[Samsonsworld]

Grit dog wrote:
Dodge didn’t offer a crew cab until 2010.

I owned a Ram as early as 2002 with 4 doors, granted a smaller cab. But there are a ton of Chevy 4-doors with a smaller cab and a ton of extended cab trucks being used.

I'm not bashing any brand either. Everybody has their own preferences. Maybe it's regional. Maybe we've had different experiences.

[Grit_dog]

TAke what bedlam, blofgren and idad said to the bank. All truths.
Note their locations too. East of the Rockies is a bit differnet story.

[Samsonsworld]

anw7405 wrote:


Yep. Ford owns the Fleet world because they sale them cheaper.

I bid fleet vehicles annually and that is not always true.

[Grit_dog]

Samsonsworld wrote:
Hmmm....I see way more Fords hauling and towing in the oilfield. GM is well represented but there aren't that many Rams.

Not dogging any brand here but there are reasons for that. Some real, some perceived.
Perceived, IFS front end is weaker. That notion isn’t totally dead yet
Need diesel due to oilfield HSE rules regarding flammability. Dodge didn’t offer a crew cab until 2010. Took them out of the mix until then. And at that point a lot of older diesels were being run longer than they should have due to emissions issues with idling.
In an ironic twist, the 6.0 Powerstroke was the go to formany years. Fleet shops in the oil fields had rows of rebuilt 6.0s that they changed out like regular service because Ford was “the truck” and they stopped buying trucks for a while when the emissions fiasco started.

Ford generally has better fleet purchase plans. This comes from managing large fleets of pickups.
GM has begun to kick their stigma.
Ram is getting on board too. Some oilfield outfits have been going all Ram in recent years.

[anw7405]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

Samsonsworld wrote:
Hmmm....I see way more Fords hauling and towing in the oilfield. GM is well represented but there aren't that many Rams.

Probably mostly company owned trucks. In the RV hauling/HotShot world the trucks are usually owner operated. RAM is dominate in that arena.

Yep. Ford owns the Fleet world because they sale them cheaper.

[Cummins12V98]

Samsonsworld wrote:
Hmmm....I see way more Fords hauling and towing in the oilfield. GM is well represented but there aren't that many Rams.

Probably mostly company owned trucks. In the RV hauling/HotShot world the trucks are usually owner operated. RAM is dominate in that arena.

[Samsonsworld]

Hmmm....I see way more Fords hauling and towing in the oilfield. GM is well represented but there aren't that many Rams.

[anw7405]

blofgren wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

IdaD wrote:
I'd personally stick to GM or Ram to avoid the potential CP4 issue in the Powerstroke. Other than that black mark the new Super Duty looks like an awesome truck, but with the other great diesel choices available I'd prefer not to take on that risk. To be fair I think the risk is pretty minimal but Ford's track record with covering it under warranty is spotty and the financial hit would be pretty significant if you got unlucky.

I agree!

X3. It is one of the main reasons this long time Ford owner went with a Cummins.

X4 My dad delivered travel trailers all over the country and canada for years and companies required diesel. The Companies mostly consist of Ram's with some GM's in there and very few Fords. There is a reason for this. This is coming from a chevy guy too.

[blofgren]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
IMHO, diesels are not worth the additional cost UNLESS you drive more than 30,000 miles a year, towing/carrying a large load.

Not my experience at all after owning diesels for the past 22 years. The extra torque, much better fuel economy, and excellent resale value definitely makes them worth the additional cost. It is tough to give away a HD gas truck in my area.

[Bedlam]

I would only consider towing that much with a gasser if I planned to stay east of the Rockies. The altitudes combined with the change of elevations would make for a fatiguing trip.

[4x4ord]

Me Again wrote:

theoldwizard1 wrote:
IMHO, diesels are not worth the additional cost UNLESS you drive more than 30,000 miles a year, towing/carrying a large load.

None of the current gassers will handle his 15.5k 5th wheel.

A gasser might handle a 15.5k 5th wheel if it had to, after all the diesels are capable of 32k lbs. A gasser might even be cheaper in the long run. Even so if my truck is gonna have a hitch it's gonna have a diesel engine under the hood.

[Me_Again]

theoldwizard1 wrote:
IMHO, diesels are not worth the additional cost UNLESS you drive more than 30,000 miles a year, towing/carrying a large load.

None of the current gassers will handle his 15.5k 5th wheel.

[theoldwizard1]

IMHO, diesels are not worth the additional cost UNLESS you drive more than 30,000 miles a year, towing/carrying a large load.

[blofgren]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

IdaD wrote:
I'd personally stick to GM or Ram to avoid the potential CP4 issue in the Powerstroke. Other than that black mark the new Super Duty looks like an awesome truck, but with the other great diesel choices available I'd prefer not to take on that risk. To be fair I think the risk is pretty minimal but Ford's track record with covering it under warranty is spotty and the financial hit would be pretty significant if you got unlucky.

I agree!

X3. It is one of the main reasons this long time Ford owner went with a Cummins.