Thoughts on truck selection...

[LarryRB]

I've had several Dodge w/cummins motors. All but one, who lost a lift pump, has been great. You can argue all day about which diesel is better, All have their good and bad points. I now have a 6.7 w/DPF sytem almost two years now,.. No problems with this either.. My only problem now with Dodge is if Chrysler bankrupts, THen the truck will have near zero value. Fords seem to hang in there and not ask for a bail out, however, I read constant this and that problems with the 6.4 and the 5.4 gas just doesn't have the power., Dodge hemi has the power and torque for a gas job however,, I hear 11 to 14 mpg tops, A dodge salesman who I see in the local gym each week told me the other day that their new 150 and very soon 3/4 and 1 ton truck interiors have finally caught up to and at least meet or exceed what GM and Ford truck interiors have had for years. If Dodge goes out that leaves me a GM or Chevy which ever is left after this financial mess is straightened out.

 

[dodge man]

I'm not trying to put a plug in for Dodge, but you can use my comparison for Chevy and Ford also. I have a 2007 1/2 ton Dodge 4x4 Quad Cab with a 5.7 hemi. One question I have is do you need a 4x4? A non 4x4 sits a lot lower.

My nephew just got a used 3/4 ton 2007 with a Cummins. The big difference between the diesel and the gas engine is the RPM's that they make power at. If I'm pulling a load hard the engine won't shift until 4000 rpm's or higher. A diesel will shift at 3200 rpm's instead. You just have to get used to the fact that a gasser is going to rev alot higher. I don't know if this holds true for Chevy and Ford, but a STOCK Cummins is slower empty than a stock 5.7 hemi empty. You tow alot but I'm betting you still drive around empty most of the time. There was two reasons I didn't buy a Cummins, cost and the price of diesel. At the time I bought my truck the Cummins was $10,000 more.

Lets look at towing. I'm sure you know a 1/2 ton gassser will not tow as well as a 3/4 ton diesel. It sounds like if you got a 1/2 ton equipped properly, it would do the job. With the big load you might want a sway control and weight distrubiting hitch.

The big question is, how do you want to equip you truck, for every day driving or the towing you do on the weekends? I tow just a few times a year and a lighter load then you do. If I were you, I'd get a 3/4 ton diesel, IF you can live with the parking problem.

 

[Egon]

very hard to go from diesel to gas. The gas engine is not bad but struggles to motivate a very heavy truck, even empty.

That sorta answerers one question. Next you have to pick one that fits in your parking spot.

Seeing as you trade every few years the long term issues should not be issues.

 

[Builder]

I don't understand why Dodges keep getting suggested when the OP already said that Fords & Dodges sit too high for his situation?

Don't worry about the probable bankruptcy of GM or merger of Chrysler. That's drive-by media hype that's much ado about nothing.

Sure it might happen, but the demand for these trucks is so unbelievably huge (million of trucks per year are sold in the US alone) that GM and Chrysler will reform into more profitable companys by chapter 11 or merger and end up stronger, selling more and better trucks than ever.

Just buy what best suits your needs. It's not like you can never switch back.

 

[LoneCowboy]

I've run Ford's and Dodges and currently run Chevy's (06, the older body style, the new one is MUCH better). This is for 2500/3500 diesels. The 1/2 ton won't pull what you need to pull. 1/2 tons have evolved to be cars with beds. They do ride much nicer, but they simply aren't going to pull SAFELY 9000/10000lbs.

Dodge has the best turning radius (by far) and the best motor and best fuel mileage. Worst transmission if you want an auto. Chrysler is going under and is in real danger of being liquidated

Ford has the best (strongest) frame, has a good transmission, doesn't turn at all (I think my semi outturns a ford CC long bed) and their motors while strong don't get good mileage and well the 6.4 is still unproven.

Chevy/GMC has the best transmission by far, a good motor (middle of the two for mileage), the most comfort and ride.


All of these will pull a house down the road, power isn't the issue.
Honestly, we drove them all back to back to back and we picked the one we liked best. None of these are small, you are still going to have to back into spots, simply not go to some parking places, etc.

Government motors is going to be around for a while, but in what form, I dunno.
The similarly equipped trucks should all be within a few hundred dollars of each other. IF the Ford is 3,000 more, the dealer is on crack. Ain't nobody buying cars right now.

 

[Dmace]

The 1/2 ton won't pull what you need to pull. 1/2 tons have evolved to be cars with beds. They do ride much nicer, but they simply aren't going to pull SAFELY 9000/10000lbs.

These statements are just plain wrong! There are plenty of SAFETY margins built-in to that towing capacity rated on these 1/2 ton trucks and they can and will SAFELY pull the 9-10k loads they are rated for. I guarantee you can easily add 1-2k lbs to that number and still pull it safely, they are not going to rate a truck for more load then it can safely pull. If a company did that it would basically be committing suicide after the first handful of accidents and the civil suits to follow. My 03 1/2 ton is rated at 8900lbs and I was within a few hundred lbs with my tractor, trailer, and various implements and it pulled it, stopped it, and handled it with ease.

I don't understand why Dodges keep getting suggested when the OP already said that Fords & Dodges sit too high for his situation?

If you look at the numbers I posted, the Dodge is lower then the Ford and Toyota overall height and if Chevy had a decent site that actually listed more then the standard features then we could compare that too. The new redesigned Dodge is lower and more spacious inside. Compared to a Super Duty Ford, any full size truck is low. Those trucks are ridiculously large yet have the smallest interior.

Go test drive a new Dodge Ram and you will see the difference, then drive it to a Ford dealer and park it next to a F-150.

 

[LarryRB]

I don't understand why Dodges keep getting suggested when the OP already said that Fords & Dodges sit too high for his situation?
Don't worry about the probable bankruptcy of GM or merger of Chrysler. That's drive-by media hype that's much ado about nothing.
QUOTE]

I don't feel I was suggesting Dodge but quite the contrary, It seems, at least to me, the Dodge is always at the bottom.. It is a truck, and has always been built as such.. It is only the past year, when they hired a truck engineer away from Toyota, that they realized it's beyond a long time to make a major interior improvement. Ride and interior in todays world plays a major part of ownership, something that Chrysler has overlooked.
As far as bankruptcy, it is too bad when Gm first sought fed monies to acquire Chrysler. Instead of getting jealous or whatever the problem was against it, both companies merging would have produced the best each had to offer, Now instead, someone is going down the pike and it doesn't look pretty. I think in the end, Chrysler will sell off names like hemi, power wagon, etc. Fiat wants to share, however, they don't have enough monies to keep all going either... Guess we'll wait and see what happens,,

 

[Dargo]

I don't understand why Dodges keep getting suggested when the OP already said that Fords & Dodges sit too high for his situation?

Don't worry about the probable bankruptcy of GM or merger of Chrysler. That's drive-by media hype that's much ado about nothing.


Just buy what best suits your needs. It's not like you can never switch back.

Yeah, I liked the old Dodge I had. I've probably had 15 GM pickups over the years and, other than the 73 - 78 model years, liked what I've had with them. I've had 3 Ford pickups and have liked them. I haven't had a Toyota. I suppose I'd just feel odd in a Toyota pickup.

It's pretty well a done deal that GM will file. Their attorneys are working on it right now. Like most things attorneys do, they are shooting high to start. I've read where they, they being GM via their attorneys, want to stop paying dealers for rebates applied for but not yet paid, warranty claims performed but not yet paid, and dealer hold back. This is along with pretty well forcing the union to accept normal and acceptable wage and benefit standards or dismissing them. Per the same memo from a GM attorney who was "speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak", they don't believe they will get all the above money saving plans through a bankruptcy judge.

It will be a long, drawn out process and about 30% to 40% of existing GM dealers are expected to go away. Three of them who have been my clients announced that they were shutting their doors last week. They are far more worried about the end result screwing the GM dealers than screwing the GM owners. Remember, Obama has already said that the government will cover GM warranty costs (why do you think that GM's attorneys are wanting to stop paying for warranty work right away?) but has said nothing about protecting GM dealers.

When 'Builder' said "Just buy what best suits your needs. It's not like you can never switch back.", I think that about the best advice anyone can give and what I planned to say.

 

[Builder]

And just to piggyback on Dargo's post, I think this would be a great time to take a look at another brand for 1-2 years the O/P will own a truck. None of them are "junk" anymore.
Any of the 3 is a great choice, but I'll tell you this based on my experience, I bet if the O/P buys a GM diesel, he'll be very reluctant to go back. I know 5 or 6 guys that were Ford or walk and they switched, now they love their GMs.

heck, I may buy a Dodge cummins/aisin next time because I really want an Ex brake.

I love not being brand loyal anymore. It allows you to buy any brand that suits you when you purchase.

 

[SpringHollow]

My biggest complaint with GM is their lack of customer support/loyalty. Two months out of warranty (38 months - before their extended warranty) at 14,000 miles, the speed sensors in my chevy truck's front wheel bearing went. It is a corrosion problem due to the design. I look on line and they have had this problem for years. Their quotes in the news start saying only in Canada where they use "special" salt, then keep increasing the area.

When I called GM directly about the problem, their person said that problem should not have occurred, they never heard of it before but since it was out of warranty, i was out of luck. I said, "Oh, really. What about the tens of thousands of reports to NTSB, etc and your comments to the news and your silent recall". She said , "Well, there is that" but would not even pay for the parts. I asked to speak to her boss. Her boss went through the exact same spiel almost word for word, saying they had never heard of such a thing, then admitting but still not paying even for parts.

I said if that was their final answer, i would never buy another GM product again and if anyone ever asked, i would tell them what happened to me. They said that was their final answer and i was on my own. I said "and you wonder why your sales are plummeting".

For what it is worth.

Ken