Home Forums Gear Hunting Trucks and Four-Wheel Drives If you were going to buy a new diesel 4x4 truck-What would you buy?

Getting the itch for another diesel truck. The last one I bought was in 1982. Thinking along the lines of King Cab (4 door preferred), short box, maximum fuel economy and long term reliability. When it comes to trucks and women everyone has a different idea of what a good one is.



What are your thoughts?

PS

The only criteria is that it comes in bright RED [color:"red"] [/color]

I do not care for Dodge, but there new Cummins sure meets a lot of criteria. They have a lot of features that I like. If you drive enough to justify a diesel they would be a good choice.
When are you coming back? Kurt

RD:

You say King Cab or a four-door. If you want a true crew-cab, the Dodge is out ... the Ford and GM have a much larger rear seat. The Dodge crew is , well, NOT. If a King Cab is big enough, then the Dodge is in, and their crew might be just the ticket. Nice truck!!

Don't know enough about the Dodge to opine more than that, other than the Cummins 600 is reputed to be a hell of an engine, and I rode in two in Texas, and both were nice trucks, no doubt.

Between Ford and GMC:

The Duramax is a proven engine and the Allison transmission is the cat's meow. Independent front suspension gets criticized by some, but if most of your driving is on paved roads, it's the right choice. I have a red shortbox, crew-cab Duramax, and I love it. I went to the Ford dealership just last weekend to check out the 2005 Powerstrokes, and I ain't trading.

Ford has the best looks body-wise in my opinion. There was a time when I (and everyone else) thought the 6.0 Powerstroke was the class engine of the three, but time has proven otherwise. LOTS of issues in the first-year 2003 (which actually dissuaded me from the Ford and into the GMC), and they seem to have not gotten all the bugs out. Word is there's a new engine in the works, NOT made by Navistar (International). The kicker is that there has been at least one recall on the Torqueshift tranny that was designed to compete with the Allison, something about a screw/pin backing out that pretty much requires a tranny rebuild if not caught. Ford has the touted solid front axle, and if you're into a true work truck, that is a good selling point and would get dibs over the IFS on the GMC, but overall, as much as I like Ford's looks, they built themselves out of the running, at least in this generation.

Putting it all together, as much as I like Ford's Tonka look (they are beautiful trucks!), as far as diesels go, the current generation does not have my confidence. Multiple recalls on engine and tranny make me nervous when cutting a big check. Also, I find the Ford interior much more spartan and utilitarian. The GMC is plush, comfy, and offers some neato stuff like DVD and OnStar that you don't think you want until you get them (if you have kids, rear DVDs are worth it at ten times the price, and I really LOVE knowing the truck has OnSTar when my wife is driving it alone or with the kids ... if anything happens, she has help on the way!!). The Ford does have a roomier back seat, but the GMC has plenty, even for adults. I like the Dodge interior much better than the Ford.


If I could have it all, I'd want a Ford body with a GMC interior, a Cummins engine (barely edging the Duramax), inf front of an Allison transmission. For me, the IFS is the best choice, but if I needed a true work truck or something to run a plow, the solid front axle would get the nod.

The GMC was the best package for me.

I prefer the Dodge, the Cummins has al ot longer reliable history to it. Now with the 6 speed it's super. I like the standard transmission, as I put compression brakes on them , although I hear that the newer autos can be equipped. Also the newer autos have lock up torque converters, but I prefer to rely on the compression brakes. If you are not pulling over any mountain passes, it probably doesn't matter though.

I have a question about the Dodges concerning the exhaust noise level. I was behind a new one up in Anchorage a few weeks ago, and the durn thing was LOUD. I was looking around for a real semi-truck but the racket was coming from the pick up. Samething last week in Petersburg, Dodge diesel pick up that pulled away from the curb while we were walking past, it was loud enough I wanted to cover my ears.

Neither truck looked modified, but they could have had custom exhaust systems I guess.

The Chevys look hard to beat right now, even though I'm a Ford fan (but seem to own a lot of old chevy pickups.)

I'd think that with the Ford problems you have had, that you'd be a Chevy man.

I'll bet they weren't stock. You can get crazy amounts of power from a diesel and to look at the truck you'd never know...I guess you might see the 4-5" exhaust though.

Of the new generation of diesels I think the Cummins is the quietest,the D-max is second and the Ford 6.0 is the loudest.

I'm a Chevy man at heart,but if I were in the market for a new diesel I'd go with a Dodge/Cummins.

I like the D-max as well as the Cummins,but I really like the look of the new Dodges. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

fwiw,
I bought an F350 Crew Cab Lariat Short Bed, 6.0 Diesel 4x4 with the new tranny and Tow Command a couple weeks back. It replaced my 03' 7.3 Diesel Excursion which I gave to my mother. My father is a die hard Chevrolet fan and owns a 04' 2500 HD Crew Cab Short Bed with the Duramax/Allison. It's a nice truck, however, the interior has never impressed me coming or going(nor did the 99' it replaced). This new truck is no exception with plastic crap everywhere that squeeks constantly. The interior is quazi cramped in comparison to my Super Duty. I'd not trade either...




Regards, Matt.

Dodge . I believe they have the potential for the least amount of headaches . From what I can tell , they can be bouht for less money than the other 2 brands , and yes , they do come in red .

I am most concerend about the reliability fo the Ford's engine and Auto tranny. Also, the Fords front wheel bearings are crap, actually worse than the GMs.

The Cummins is a first class engine, but I don't know how good their new auto trans is. The Dodge is probably the simplest to lift, though I hear they went with a similiar front bearing design as the Ford and GM.

The GMs have a stout engine and tranny. The front wheel bearings are crap, and the IFS is about the sturdiest IFS on a light truck, though it isn't flawless.

Having made all those criticisms, there is a 99% chance any of the above three trucks would work out very well.

My current ride is an '02 2500 HD Duramax/Allison. I installed a Rancho 4" lift and run BFG 295/75R16s on 8" wheels. I have the Rancho RS9000X adjustable shocks. I run a Forntier "full front end replacement" bumper/brush guard. I put on tie-rod sleeves, which fix the big weak point of the IFS. I have no fix for the front wheel bearings--yet.

I have a power module installed, the Juice w/Attitude by Edge. It is a 125 HP box combined with a bunch of gauge features. I also had a 4" SS muffler installed.

I installed a secondary fuel filter and installed a lift pump--wired through an oil pressue switch. I also installed an OD lock-out, which didn't come standard until '03.

My truck gets 18-22 mpg on the freeway, and around 13 mpg stoplight to stoplight. Here in Tucson, my "city" mileage consists of about 30 miles a day on the freeway and 10 purely in town, so my city mileage here is about 16 mpg. Last trip to Phoenix, with a speed limit of 75 mph, I got close to 20 mpg.

The truck has done 0-60 in uder 6 seconds, and will spin those 33" tires in three of the Allison's five gears. I did that only once--BFG ATs are just too spendy to peel off rubber from.............

I plan to add Bushwacker Cut-out Fender Flares to my truck. The Rancho kit sticks the front tires out another 1.5" per side over stock. While this makes the truck incredibly stable when cornering, every little wet spot on the road covers the sides of the truck with water and mud. I could also fix most of this problem by getting some wheels with 5.25" back-spacing, but that is really too much. Five inches is about perfect, but no one makes a wheel like that, at least the last time I checked. My current wheels have 4.375" of back spacing. I will eventuall go to 315s and 4.10 gears. This will put the ratio back where it was when I had 265s with the stock 3.73 gears, which was a good ratio.

I am also going to upgrade to the 150 HP power box, though like I do with my current bix, I'll keep it at the 90 HP setting for most of my driving. Only after beefing the tranny will I turn the power up all the way and keep it.

The GM HD IFS CV axles are stout. I had to drive 170 miles with the suspension settled all the way down on the bump stop, putting the CV at a steep angle. the CV was as tight after the trip as it was before. (I had a torsion bar relocator--an aftermarket part to the Rancho kit--break last Dec while I was hunting. I have since returned the Rancho lift to it's stock configuration.

If I were buying new:

2005 GMC (The Chevy nose from 2003 and on is butt-ugly) 2500 HD with the DMax and Allison. I'd again run the Juice w/Attitude. I'd set aside the factory wheels and tires but keep them--some dealerships may give you a hard time if you need warranty work on the driveline unless you have stock size tires on--though I haven't needed any driveline warranty work. I'd then put BFG 285s or 295s on a wheel with as close to 5" backspacing as I could get. This may mean getting another set of stock wheels. I'd crank the t-bars about 1.5" and tie back/reform the inner fender liners and parking brake cable. I'd install the tie-rod sleeves. I'd get either the Bilsteins or RS9000Xs again. I'd also install stout brush guard.

I may: install a 4" exhaust system, the Bushwacker Cut-Out Fender Flares, a secondary fuel flter, and lift pump.

Rick,

the interior space problem is about to be a non-issue. The Mega Cab is almost ready to order & has an adittionaL 20" of interior room but will only be available with the regular bed option.

See this link:
http://www.dodge.com/autoshow/mega_cab/gallery.html

badger

Why compromise? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
The International� XT family

Gm w/ the allison! I think the duramax is the quitest deisel too, not to sure cause I am not a deisel man. But I do know the allison is one sweet tranny and like like gm/shevy trucks in general better than the comp.

Little thought on Cummins:

The following listing includes the most prominent national
corporations and/or corporate heads that have used the company name while
actively supporting anti-gun proposals or organizations.

Ben & Jerry's Homemade, Inc.
Bennett R. Cohen Chrm. & CEO
Rte. 100, Box 240
Waterbury, VT 05676
(802) 244-5641
Ice cream and frozen yogurt


Carter Hawley Hale Stores, Inc.
Philip M. Hawley, Chrm. & CEO
444 South Flower Street
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(213) 620-0150
Retail clothing and accessories stores


Crown Central Petroleum Corp.
Henry A. Rosenberg, Jr.
One North Central Street
Box 1168
Baltimore, MD 21203
(301) 539-7400
Refiners and marketers of petroleum products, convenience stores


Hyatt Corporation
Jay Pritzker, Chrm. & CEO
200 West Madison
Chicago, IL 60606
(312) 750-1234
International hotels


ICN Biomedicals
Adam Jerney, Chrm. & CEO
3300 Hyland Avenue
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 545-0113
Pharmaceutical and biomedical products


[color:"blue"] Cummins Engine Company, Inc.
Henry B. Schacht, Chrm. & CEO
500 Jackson Street
Box 3005
Columbus, IN 47202
(812) 377-5000
Diesel engines, related parts[/color]


Clorox Corporation
Charles R. Weaver, Chrm. & CEO
1221 Broadway
Oakland, CA 94612
(415) 271-7000
Household cleaning products


MNC Financial, Inc.
Alfred Lerner, Chrm.
Ten Light Street
Box 987
Baltimore, MD 21203
(301) 244-5000
Commercial and consumer banking,
financial services


Hechinger Company
John W. Hechinger, Chrm.
1616 McCormick Drive
Landover, MD 20785
(301) 341-1000
Lumber and building supply retailer


A & M Records
Al Cafaro, Chrm. & CEO
595 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10022
(212) 826-0477
Record Production, Entertainment


Southland Corporation
Masatoshi Ito, Chrm.
2711 North Haskell Avenue
Dallas, TX 75221
Convenience stores


Rolling Stone Magazine
Jann Wenner, Chrm. & CEO
745 5th, Avenue
New York, NY 10151
(212) 758-3800


Time Warner Inc.
Gerald M. Levin, Chrm. & CEO
75 Rockefeller Plaza
New York, NY 10019
(212) 484-8000
Publishing, film and music recordings


Working Assets
Peter Barnes, Founder
701 Montgomery Street
San Fransisco, California 94111
(415) 788-0777
Long distance telephone service
Publication and Media Outlets



My money will not be going to them regardless of how good that engine is, and by buying a Dodge thats what you are doing.

LINK

Basicaly I did a search on Cummins - anti gun and a web page for RTKBA came up with them amongst the usual suspects came up.

Hmm,

Lets see now.
The boycott list is growing:
Ford is catering to the fudgepackers & at one time, the anti-hunting crowd, Cummins to the anti-gun crowd, Toyota because they bombed Pearl Harbor, the French because they are French, the Germans because of that little fracas in the 1940's etc etc.

I guess that leaves GM. Or does it? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

http://www.jpfo.org/alert20010628.htm

http://www.saabnet.com/aas/1999.W52/1265644767.36016.html

(Saab is owned by GM)

badger

F-350 extra-cab or single cab. with custom flatbed. and chrome stax

Being a ford guy I would have to say that if I were going to buy new right now I would go with the dodge and the cummins for the reasons that Rick and Blaine said. My old boss bought a new 6.0 powerstroke last year and it is truely a POS, gutless and unreliable. I couldn't buy a GM pickup again had three, two 6.5 diesels and a 350. Only one a 93 6.5 was worth a [bleep]. The new ones are butt ugly.
About the cummins thing, arn't they atleast partially owned by GM now. I saw an ad in one of the trucking mags a few months ago and I think it said GM at the bottom, not sure though.

Rick
Dodge has the only true king cab on the market....have a look.....http://www.dodge.com/autoshow/mega_cab/index.html
Charlie web page

Charlie:

Thanks for the link. NICE move by Dodge. The only reason I didn't consider Dodge in 2003 is because they had the smallish crew cab. That mega is gonna sell them some trucks!! Also, in 2003 they did not have the new Cummins 600 that is in your truck. NICE engine.

If I were looking now, I'd definitely be test driving that Mega.

RIck

Dodge 2500, and I'm debating a long bead to pile more crap in.

My toy truck has been more than reliable, but it really isn't enough truck to be hauling my boat.