Truck shopping 04-07 model years. Advice please.

[orange_jordy]

I am just starting to shop for a truck to replace my current 2006 Ford F150 supercrew. The truck has been unreliable for the last two years and the wife would like me to get rid of it so she feels more secure when we go out camping next summer. The thing is for us (and probably most folks) money is tight and we can't afford a monthly payment on a new truck so we decided to look at the previously owned market. I have only done some online browsing and not actually gone to look at anything yet. Our camper is the same one we have had for years(Gulfstream Amerilite 24RS, 7400 lb gvwr) and it meets our needs for now and the future so we have no plans to upgrade at this time, however we have talked about getting a truck that is large enough to comfortably step up to a larger camper without having to upgrade the truck. From the bit of reading I have done, I am looking at trucks in the 2004 to 2007 model years and I am looking at 3/4 ton and 1 ton both gas and diesel. The wife will not let me look at another Ford so I guess I am looking for information on Dodge and GM trucks from those model years. I am not biased toward one brand over the other, I am just looking for the best truck for my money. I have never owned or driven a diesel truck before so I don't know much except that in the years I am considering people seem to like the 5.9 Cummins and the Duramax LBZ. I know the 5.7 Hemi and 6.0 Vortec are strong gasoline engines as well. I will be using the truck as a daily driver to work(25 km each way on the freeway)as well as towing the camper during the summer. We mostly do shorter trips ,under 1000 km round trip, but we have discussed doing a couple of trips that would take us up to 6000 km total. If I could get some pointers or pros and cons from people that have owned or operated trucks in these years, it would be greatly appreciated.

[itguy08]

orange_jordy wrote:
My wife wants me to get a Duramax, but she has no experience with them, she is just partial to GM products over Dodge. She actually wanted me to get as many opinions as I could from the experienced members on RV.net.

Good advice. Short story on Dodge - "great" engine bolted to a horrible truck.

[maxwell11]

I bought an 2005 Dodge 2500 diesel with 42K miles.
when I was looking for a low mileage dodge diesel

all low mileage trucks I found, the old man had died and the family members were selling his truck.

otherwise, no one would get rid of a low mileage dodge diesel.

so far, 72K now, its been a very good truck, drives good, rides good, mama bear can drive it fine and we enjoy the power (wow), plus its gets very good mpg for a big heavy truck.

only draw back I have seen in an 2005 model dodge diesel, it has a 4 speed auto and you cannot lockout overdrive. with my old chevy 2500, I always pulled the trailer in (3) no over drive, but the dodge does not offer that option.

however, the old dodge has so much more power, it has never made a difference. but, I have never pulled the trailer in the mountains.

would I buy my 2005 Dodge diesel again (yes)

you do not have to add the extra material to my truck for EPA control, you do have to add this material to the newer trucks (ask about it) dep or sum such.

good luck,
I would steer clear of any make diesel truck that has evidence of power enhancers, would mean the truck has been pushed hard or pulled hard.

Good advice:
spend the money and take the truck you find to a mech and have him go over the truck front to rear, as injector problems or transmission problems can mean big repair bills.

[glamisorbust]

I bought my '07 classic chevy 2500HD 4x4 short bed in july of 2007. It has the 6 speed allison and LBZ duramax. Let me tell you, this truck has been trouble free 100%. Runs smooth, you don't even know you're driving a diesel. I would recommend this truck in a heartbeat. It's comfortable and reliable, everything I like. You will both like the independent front suspension, lots smoother than a solid front axle. The 5.9 cummins is a lot louder than the duramax, if you like quiet get the GM. If you don't care, the cummins is probably a lot cheaper.

[orange_jordy]

My wife wants me to get a Duramax, but she has no experience with them, she is just partial to GM products over Dodge. She actually wanted me to get as many opinions as I could from the experienced members on RV.net.

[orange_jordy]

I am appreciative of the replies from everyone, I am starting to see a trend developing. I know I do not need a diesel for the trailer I currently have, but a part of me does want one, something about the torque is just very appealing to me. On the other hand I love the sound of a small block V8 revving and am not at all afraid of letting them sing to make their rated power. I have had a bad experience with my truck but by no means has it turned me off to owning a gas powered truck either. The truck I own did well with our current trailer until this summer, and the engine was never the limiting factor. I'm just done with worrying about the extra stuff I throw in the truck bed, or hauling with a full water tank when the park we are camping in has a water advisory, and my wife for the first time actually did complain about the engine constantly running at 3500 rpm on our last trip this summer. That was before the transmission went kaboom on the way home that same trip.

[pappcam]

Just buy what your wife tells you to buy. :E

[rhagfo]

Gdetrailer wrote:

orange_jordy wrote:
I am just starting to shop for a truck to replace my current 2006 Ford F150 supercrew. The truck has been unreliable for the last two years and the wife would like me to get rid of it so she feels more secure when we go out camping next summer. The thing is for us (and probably most folks) money is tight and we can't afford a monthly payment on a new truck so we decided to look at the previously owned market. I have only done some online browsing and not actually gone to look at anything yet. Our camper is the same one we have had for years(Gulfstream Amerilite 24RS, 7400 lb gvwr) and it meets our needs for now and the future so we have no plans to upgrade at this time, however we have talked about getting a truck that is large enough to comfortably step up to a larger camper without having to upgrade the truck. From the bit of reading I have done, I am looking at trucks in the 2004 to 2007 model years and I am looking at 3/4 ton and 1 ton both gas and diesel. The wife will not let me look at another Ford so I guess I am looking for information on Dodge and GM trucks from those model years. I am not biased toward one brand over the other, I am just looking for the best truck for my money. I have never owned or driven a diesel truck before so I don't know much except that in the years I am considering people seem to like the 5.9 Cummins and the Duramax LBZ. I know the 5.7 Hemi and 6.0 Vortec are strong gasoline engines as well. I will be using the truck as a daily driver to work(25 km each way on the freeway)as well as towing the camper during the summer. We mostly do shorter trips ,under 1000 km round trip, but we have discussed doing a couple of trips that would take us up to 6000 km total. If I could get some pointers or pros and cons from people that have owned or operated trucks in these years, it would be greatly appreciated.

Fix what you have for now, it WILL be cheaper than buying AND FIXING someone ELSE'S "problem child".

Buying older or slightly newer USED vehicles to replace your problem child will result in more frustration even with different brands. Folks tend to USE their trucks and if they have not replaced front end parts by now, YOU WILL be doing that.

You simply do not know the "history" of someone else's vehicle and that in the long run could cost you more to "fix" than what you have.

For the money you will be tossing out there for those years you could rebuild the entire front end, replace the engine and perhaps even the transmission in your vehicle.

That is one way of looking at it!

The other is to shop wisely for a used truck, I would be extremely careful if a newer low mileage came along. I would wonder what was it, just didn't like it and had the means to change and take a loss, or does it have some issue.

Myself three years ago came across a 2001 Ram/Cummins 5 speed, Camper Special. One owner with 234,000 miles on it. I could not be happier with the decision to buy it.
I currently pull an 11,000 5er in the hills of Western Oregon, I did add a DS Power Puck for a little more go, and a Pacbrake for a LOT more whoa. I don't see us getting rid of this truck for a while.

Did I mention, 14 to 15 mpg around town with a few short highway runs, this is hand calculated. Breaks 20 mpg doing 65 on the freeway, and between 11 and 12 towing pulling the hills of western Oregon.

[Cummins12V98]

wcjeep wrote:
If you want an auto Cummins, highly recommend a 2006 or early 2007. An exhaust brake is a simple bolt on. The 2005 and earlier Auto transmission can take an exhaust brake with additional hard ware.

The late 2007 Dodge came with a different engine.

"All late 1998 and up manual transmission Cummins are capable of bolt on exhaust brake. Earlier Manuals need additional work."

Please tell me what additional work the 94 thru 97 needs?

[sausageking]

We have a 2006 GMC 1500 HD with a 3.73 that we bought two years ago. It pulls our trailer with no problem (5500 lbs dry), and has a high payload so I can load up the box as well. Everyday driving I average 16L/100 KM which is mostly highway not stop and go and towing 22L/100KM. I have gauges for trans temp as well as engine, oil pressure and voltage so I can keep an eye on things. The only issue I had was when my brakes gave out due to rotted lines, luckily I had the trailer brakes to stop us.

[orange_jordy]

My truck was purchased second hand four years ago. I drive it fairly gently, and I change oil every 5000 km and have it in the garage every six months for basic check ups and maintenance. I have never overloaded it or taken it off roading. It is basically a car except when I pull my camper. Since I have started having problems, I have replaced the rear end once , had the famous 5.4 spark plugs changed of which almost all broke, passenger side exhaust manifold cracked, transmission replaced last fall at 95000 km, and rebuilt the tranny again this past Monday. I try to take care of the truck k as best I can, and I feel I have been diligent I'm making sure I set up my weight distribution properly and don't overload my truck. I may have a lemon, or the previous owner beat the hell out of her, but we are done with wondering if she is gonna break every time we head out on a road trip. Never had an engine problem, but I only have 125000 km on the truck (65000 are mine) and I feel like the number of problems are disproportionate to the amount I use the truck.

[JIMNLIN]

I would include the '03 Dodge/Cummins 305/555 HO. Same engine/tranny options as the '04. I have the NV5600 6 speed hand shifter.
I have just over 220k miles on my '03 HO. It still gets 12-12.5 mpg average pulling a 11200 lb 5er and 21-23 mpg on long trips running empty.
This truck has been flawless.

Cummins gives the '03-'07 5.9 HPCR engine a 7500/15000 mile oil change schedule.

[transamz9]

What problems are you having with your Triton 5.4? They are normally very reliable.

[Kalabin]

I will honestly say that my 6.0 Vortec is the best gas engine I have used, but with that said if you can find a 5.9 Cummins I would go that route in a heart beat.

If your using it as a daily driver (as I am) I average 13.7mpg pretty consistently driving on the highway too and from work which is about a 15 mile one way trip. My brother in law has a 2006 3500 Megacab HO Cummins and gets 17ish hand calculated on the same trip. Beyond that for towing specs if you can find the HO version its 325hp and 610tq @ 1600rpm, the 6.0 gas makes it's power @ about 4,000RPM for max torque.

If you can find a good deal on a 6.0 I wouldn't pass it up. These are iron block truck engines, which routinely out last the trucks components with many guys pushing 200,000 miles without any major engine repairs.

Test drive a bunch, your driving in the Triton 5.4 now, the 6.0 wont be much difference in fuel economy. Find one that is comfortable with the most "must haves" and go with that one.

[rj0105]

either would be good trucks. When we experienced computer problems with our 03, we opted for the 07 classic LBZ 6 speed. Towed trailer nearly 9K last year and loved the experience. I would also suggest you drive each and make your mind up on how it feels

[wcjeep]

If you want an auto Cummins, highly recommend a 2006 or early 2007. An exhaust brake is a simple bolt on. The 2005 and earlier Auto transmission can take an exhaust brake with additional hard ware. All late 1998 and up manual transmission Cummins are capable of bolt on exhaust brake. Earlier Manuals need additional work.

The late 2007 Dodge came with a different engine.