I’m a Ford truck guy going all the way back to my 72 F-350 high boy pickup with a 390 and a divorced transfer case. I currently have 3 Ford diesel trucks in my small fleet and after 20 years and well over a million miles of owning Ford DIESEL trucks my opinion, mostly based on factual repair bills and downtime is they are very expensive and very frustrating trucks to own. I own 3 but only really need 2 because 1 is always in a state of disrepair. One always has a check engine or wrench light in my face. These trucks are maintained by a Ford fleet diesel mechanic and are on a “severe service” schedule. I asked for it thinking it would be pre paid extra insurance. My trucks are all garaged and driven by responsible trained drivers. This is not an exercise in bashing Ford. I am Ford through and through. In the 90’s, I began buying the 7.3 powered trucks and although the transmissions lacked reliability, I learned quickly how to make them last by keeping the transmission fluid as cool as possible. Ford finally addressed that issue years later when the Torqshift was introduced. Good, but too many years waiting for that. Fast forward 10-15 years to the 6L and 6.4L trucks and wow,,,, problems, problems, problems under the hood. Rolling chassis very good, but Turbos, head gaskets, rocker arms, HP fuel pumps, oil coolers.....cost me multiple 10s of thousands in repairs over last 10 years. Kept asking myself WHY? I don’t care if the engine was made by IH. Ford needed to step up and compensate their long time customers with either buybacks or significant trade in to new trucks. They would have kept me by doing that. They know they lost a lot of faithful over the 2003-2010 era and I am one of them.
Each time I would go to Ford to trade in one the new vaunted 6.7L, they offered embarrassingly low trade in value. Like 1/2 the retail value of the truck. I would tell the salesman how unreliable the 6.4L you sold me back in 2008 was after you claimed it had “all the bugs worked out from the 6L debacle”, but no avail. They wanted retail for a new 6.7 and wholesale for my Ford trucks as trade ins.
Finally, this time around RAM won my business. I promise I will honestly report any/all problems. I don’t hate Ford. Ford rolling chassis is the best if you ask me. I don’t hate GM. I currently own a GM gas truck with 208,000 miles on it and it is more reliable than any Ford I’ve ever owned. I don’t know anything about RAM except what I’ve read and investigated. I hear a lot of good and some bad.
Overall, I’m disappointed in all 3 of the major truck brands. They are better now, but also a heck of a lot more complicated. So while reliability is improving, it’s hampered by all the new sensors, computers, controls, etc.
Honestly, I see a BIG opening for a new player in the work truck market. Someone like Mahindra or Kubota, but the hurdles to enter the market make it nearly impossible. Simpler, HD diesel trucks with 10 year 200k warranties would get my attention. Can’t finance a truck over 5 years and pay repairs at same time. Like I said, not a Ford brasher, just reporting what has happened to me over 25 years and millions of miles. I hear complaints about ALL brands, but after 25 years, I’m giving RAM a try.
I wish the OP the best of luck. All these trucks are capable on paper, but once you really test them to their limits hauling heavy loads, plowing snow for hours you’ll find the weak points.
Good luck on the brand switch. I think it’s good to buy the best truck for YOUR situation.
