considering a new truck

i was researching and read this.

hey I Love my Chevy Diesel that i have 220,000 on the current one, had a 99 Dodge 2500 cummings before much better motor. I wouldn't buy a 6.0 *ford though due to tooo many problems and broken cranks. They cost more to change oil in due to most of the hold average of at least 2 gallons or more of oil. But you don't change the oil as often in them. they say 8,000 to 10,000 on oil changes unless you use syn. rot. oil then 12,000 to 15,000 mile changes. I change mine every 9,500 to 10,000 miles. Ford diesel don't get the fuel mileage that Chevy Diesel's get. Fuel filters should be changed every 15,000 miles but i change mine every oil change. You can't go wrong with a diesel. i average 21 in town and 23 hwy but in tow of the 250 i get 18 town 20 hwy. 70 to 75 MPH.


are you running a chip skools? because those are some awesome numbers
 
2004.5 Dodge 2500 here with the 325hp-600lb.ft of torque inline Cummins 6 cylinder. Nothing has the power numbers of the Cummins. Great truck, and gets really good mileage for what it is... a 9,000lbs beast! Mine has been very, very reliable.
 
Nothing has the power numbers of the Cummins.

The DURAMAX has had the CUMMINS beat for several years in HP and IIRC torque as well. FORD is still 3rd in numbers amongst the big 3. The CUMMINS is a great engine, as well as the DMAX. The NAVISTARS are also good engines in INTERNATIONAL trim level, but once FORD entered the picture it went downhill. The DMAX also has the ALLISON backing it, but the cab and chassis DODGES with the CUMMINS have an ALLISON copy in them(the regular 2500/3500's use a DODGE built tranny designed off of the 545RFE). FORD's TORQUEFLITE is a turd I think that has proven it's weakness's time and time again. FORD sunk to much money into designing them to abanden them once they realized what they were. The best bang for the buck is a 96-98 DODGE with a CUMMINS or a 94.5-97 FORD with the 7.3L POWERSTROKE.
 
7.3L POWERSTROKE is about the most reliable one out there. The CUMMINS up until 03 had a fairly problematic injection system lift pump that caused ALOT of injection pumps to fail. The DURAMAX is also a nice choice, but pricey even used. The common rail injected CUMMINS is NICE as well, but DODGE's autos never impressed me when stock(they can be built up to hold-up better, and the lat 03+ 48RE has an OK track record stock.
 
yeah the d-max's were the ones i was probably set on. esp with the alli' trans. i heard about front wheel bearing problems with them though. its probably not true just hear say
 
i own a 99 ford powerstroke with the 7.3 .. currently around 128k miles .. love the motor.. all in all i like the truck. some of the parts on it i question whether they are "super duty" ... like front hub/bearing assembly, ball joints, etc.

starting to see some rust on the areas where the door skin wraps around the door shell and same on the tailgate.

i have a programmer on it, but have recently returned it to stock to get some better mpg at $5/gal fuel prices.

motor wise, the truck is rock solid ..

except for the rotting oil pan .. ford had a problem with them .. thing is rusting like crazy and many have had problems with rot thru. have to yank the motor out to change ..

a good truck ... but for the $40k+ initial price tag, some things could have been better.
 
FORD has had there share of hub bearing and ball joint failures in all of the SUPER DUTIES. GM has had a few problems with the hub bearing assenblies as well, haven't heard of any issues with ball joints. DODGE also had some issues with hub bearings and ball joints on the drivers side. The DODGE and GM's actually use a pretty similiar hub bearing set-up in the front end, and the FORDS is similiar. FORD also has issues with the 4X4 going out due to the vacuum lines to the hubs breaking off. All trucks have there issues, just pick the one you like best because in the end your the one that has to live with it.
 
I've got a 98.5 dodge for sale. Best truck I've had so far. But then my King Ranch F-250 hasn't been bad either.

If the vacuum line for the hubs on the ford gets ripped off, get out and turn the knob.
 
If you need the extra torque and hp, or you plan on driving it for 500k miles, go for a diesel. At $.80 more a gallon for fuel, it better get better mileage than my Ford F250 Super Duty with a 5.4 Triton (13/17 mpg). My truck has a tow rating of over 8000 lbs and that's plenty for me. I did the math and the return on investment on a diesel just wasn't there. Also, diesel fuel costs much less to refine than gas, so why does it cost 25% more at the pump.
 
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The thing I don't like about the Dmax's is their suspension. It's way too soft. It's nice if you want your truck to ride like a car, but it feels way too soft for me. My Dad bought an '07 Duramax 2500 and it's comfortable to ride in, but I don't like it that much. With a suspension that soft it doesn't have near the capacity as my '04.5 Dodge. The '04.5 - '07 Dodge 2500 is sweetest truck made. It comes with the Cummins common rail 600. It's the exact same block I run on my marina forklifts. On my 3/4 ton I've towed a trailer full of steel weighing 13,000lbs and I couldn't really tell it was behind me. It has so much power that when I click it into 4wd Low I literaly have to stand on the brake pedal or it will start pulling! Most powerful truck I've ever been in.
 
that sucks about the ford oil pan rusting out. i guess when the time comes closer to getting one i'll go do some test drives. at the dealership i worked at before the owners had each a d-max 2500hd with the alli and 4wd. like said above the suspension was really soft, but i did like it compared to my truck the the torsion bars. the t-bar ride is like being on a train.
 
It's the salt they put down on the highways for ice removal.

thats true i wasnt thinking for a second, the whole water thing i was talking about, was that south of where i live my parents used to have a place on grand isle and no matter how much you spent on doorknobs hey wouldnt last but a couple years, due to the salt air.
 
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