Thinking about a diesel truck - got an opinion?

I'm partial to Dodge but can be persuaded with clear logic and facts.

My DD 2001 Ranger is headed south one nickel and dime at a time. My 1995 4-Runner is going back to the earth, I'm replacing fuel lines and brake lines all the time. It runs great but I'm afraid some day it won't be safe.

One of these is going away, probably the 4-Runner. I'd like to replace it with something diesel; I've never had one before so use small words and speak slowly. Mileage benefits? Maintenence? When my tow vehicle died on the way to the $2004 Challenge it was towed by a 4 cylinder turbo diesel ND automatic. I was impressed. Now, would it do 70 mph? Who knows. I'd like something with enough weight to tow a car or boat, but I'd also like to get 500 mpg.

I travel for work so could go somewhere and drive a vehicle back. I mostly go to Yuma, Az., Lawton, OK, Hattiesburgh, Miss. and North Carolina; all are places where rust is not the issue it is in upstate New York.

I don't have a price range yet because the Finacial Advisor isn't on board with this yet, but I'm working on her.

Thanks for your input, I know they're out there.

Dan

Oops, not him. http://lawton.craigslist.org/cto/1521313921.html

Little guy, top left. Flat black, slammed, chrome pipes and white wall? http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/ctd/1502474234.html

http://oklahomacity.craigslist.org/cto/1499778454.html

If I kept the Ranger, why not have a van? http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/1521236561.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/1502268406.html

I have also been keeping an eye out - my personal opine is that if you go newer the Chevy 2500 HD Duramax w/ a six speed is the way to go. The Allison auto trans version is good but sucks more fuel. If you go older then the pre-'03 F-250 with 7.3L and manual is the right thing to do. The Dodges look good and have a great motor but the truck itself seems pretty crappy and the parts are expensive. I think the Mopar will end up cheaper to buy and more expensive to own.

The Chevy rides nicest if you care.

I really liked both my 99 7.3 Powerstroke Ford and my 95 Dodge with the Cummins. I like the Ford truck better, but the Cummins came out on top engine wise. I ended up selling the Ford and keeping the Dodge because I prefer towing with a dually. If the Ford had been a dually as opposed the 3/4 ton it would have stayed.

I just drove my '06 Dodge CTD from D.C. to Jacksonville, Fl. on one tank of fuel...straight through, 13 hours.

YMMV

I've used 4x4's from the big three in very extreme towing situations. The Ford boiled all its coolant out. I like both the Chevy and the Dodge. Allison trans=awesome. Of them, my pick is the Dodge-especially with a stick shift. Hard to touch the Cummins

I'd say it depends on how much you have to spend and how quickly you need one... and maybe how picky you are and how long you can wait... I'm also partial to Dodge (mainly the Cummins) and Ford, but if were to do it all over again, I would look for the best/newest truck I could afford in my price range. I often second guess buying my '95 CDT, but after DD'ing it for the last month while I wait to fix my TDI, not as much. I do need to fix the suspension/steering... and the new tires I'll be installing this week will be welcome.

We've sort of beat the diesel vs. gas issue to death here, but IMO, unless you drive a lot and/or haul a lot, the pay-back on a diesel can be tough.

My buddy had a Ford F-350 and when the Stealerships were having all those cost cutting enticements, he swapped it in for a Chevy, both were 4WD crew cab duallies.

He said the Ford drove like a two ton truck, the Chevie rode like a car.

Dan

The Allison trans in the Chevys is awesome indeed. In an ideal world, I think I'd want an F350 with a Cummins and Allison. It not being ideal, The Silverado with the Duramax and Allison wins IMO.

My brother has had 3 Powerstroke Diesels. The first two were the 7.3, and the current one is a 6.0. He preferred the 7.3, but they have all treated him pretty well. They all had window regulator issues, and don't ride like Caddilacs (crew-cab dually) but they will pull anything, and give 15 mpg in non-towing regular driving.

All of his interiors have held up well, and he's never had a transmission problem with any of the trucks. He uses them hard, as he owns a Marine Surplus industry.

www.fpmarine.com

The ford is a better truck. The dodge has a better engine.

The chevy isn't really a truck.. It's a redneck limo. I've tested all three side by side for NVH and the Dodge is the quietest at idle. The New Duramax is nice, but I still don't get a good feeling from the engine. It's my opinion, nothing else. ( I know for a fact the turbo is junk)

I'd go with a ford just because they don't demand the C premium.

The key is to find one that hasn't been Modded or Bomb'd or whatever the rednecks call that stupid E36 M3. Buy a dead stock truck owned by a guy who maintained it well. People think that diesels will last forever, then crank up the boost add tons of fuel and wonder why the thing starts having issues. Be careful of anything with an exhaust and intake, it could be OK or it could be that the person ran the piss out of it.

Cummins is the best engine out there by far. I had a 93 Dodge that I sold with 365K on it, trans replaced (and beefed up) once, engine and rear end never opened ('cept for fluid changes). I NEVER had a problem with that truck. It will just pull and pull and never ask you for anything. I averaged 17 in the city, 22 on the highway. If I loaded it down (double axle trailer and car) I'd still get 20 or 21 on the highway. If you have the time, swap the Cummins in a Ford, if not, just buy a dodge.

The Ford F250 was our choice. Tested all 3. Regular driving with 4 people in cab, it gets 15.3 mpg. Towing 8,000# with a 102" wide trainer and tipping the scale at 15,000# total we get 10.8 into the wind and 11.1 with the wind. FWIW, we towed 6,000 miles this year and crossed a state border 39 times. After 63,000 miles (mostly towing) I would recommend the truck to anyone. The mileage is probably not great as it is 4WD and is usually running between 70-75.

That said, if we go to a 2WD it will likely be a Duramax. The mileage is much better than the Power Stroke. At the time that we bought the Ford, GM did not offer the brake controller and the Ford has a Dana 60 front axle.

This same basic discussion was covered in this tread a while ago. We picked up an F250 power stroke with the earlier (7l Ithink) engine, and its been doing its job well.

I owned a 92 Dodge 2wd 2500 Cummins with a 5 speed for many years. I would say get the Cummins with a manual trans of that doesn't bother you,and I would also recommend a 12-valve engine as opposed to the 24 valve. The 12-valve mechanical injected engine don't make as much power,but can if tuned correctly,but they are way simpler,and more reliable.

My Cummins equipped truck had 265K miles on it,and the only major thing I had to do was rebuild the ring-and-pinion as I chipped a few teeth once. This was at the 255kish mileage mark behind a turned up 200RWHP Cummins that was factory rated at 170 at the flywheel.

Gosh I miss that truck!!!!

Chris

My personal preference in diesels is either an older International 2-ton or an Isuzu NPR (or the Chevy/GMC equivalent.)

The IH will get you the same engine as the Ford but with real chassis stuff to back it up and never a concern for breaking anything. Figure about $5-7k will get you one 90 or newer with under 200k and you'll never have to work on anything. Swap on a pickup bed if you must, but empty it'll get the same mileage as a 1-ton truck even with a flat bed. Also consider the super-single rear tire for it to save you some on tolls and such up there if you're going to be driving it a lot.

The Isuzu is really the only choice if you're getting one of the little cabovers. I say that because parts availability for almost any of the other ones is spotty at best. The little ones are really just one-ton trucks all shortened up, with a ride in-between Chevy and Ford 1-tons. Regular 1-ton sized tires and components allow for easy maintenance too.

There is also a huge following out there for swapping the 4-cylinder versions of the Cummins and the Isuzu diesels into 1/2 and 3/4-ton trucks. Bread vans contribute the Cummins engines, and add either a Dodge trans using the Dodge stuff, keep the trans that came with the engine, or swap on a Spicer 3053A from a military 2.5 ton.

Wow! Good input guys, thank you very much!

Dan

I second the Isuzus.. I drove the W7 GMC version for years.. the biggest of the non-cdl little cabovers. 200hp.. 400+ feet of torque. Still took forever to get to 60mph... but would pull 26000 pounds to that speed with no effort and still return 11mpg no matter how much weight was in it

Gearing was on the low side (this was a pre 65mph speedlimit truck) so it redlined in 5th at just over 70mph, but it pulled like a freight train. Seated three across in the cab (feel sorry for the centre guy) and was as reliable as gravity. I often said if I were to get a 5th wheel trailer, I would forego a pickup and go right to an NPR or larger Isuzu

Yeah that's my first choice if I were getting rid of the Ranger, but this week reminds me that sometimes you need more than a two seater. For Christmas visiting or going somewhere with another couple it's nice to have four seats.

Too bad these aren't sold here....

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Mazda-E2200-Dual-Cab-Ute-1986_W0QQitemZ220528555653QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Trucks_Commercial_Vehicles?hash=item335886b685

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CREW-CAB-NPR-DIESEL-TRUCK-ENCLOSED-CARGO-SERVICE-BODY_W0QQitemZ300379069087QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Cars_Trucks?hash=item45effcda9f

Check out this bad-mamba-jamba.
$35K with only 23k miles and 3 years old.
Heck, you would be hard pressed to find a Crew Cab Dually Chevy or Ford for this same price. Sure, the back door is a little goofy with its universal design but this baby is about function, not fashion.

Cops in NY and Va. (that I know of, maybe elsewhere too) are cracking down on duallies with trailers. They suspect you are actually hauling someone's car for money under the table and skirting some law. Pay $500 here or we impound your trailer until Monday and you can fight it. Leaving VIR with stickers on your car?; sponsorship = commercial, pay up.

That thing's a little large for my garage there jrw.

That thing is a garage.

Could you wait until spring 2010?

Mahindrana diesel trucks to launch spring 2010

dyintorace wrote: Could you wait until spring 2010? Mahindrana diesel trucks to launch spring 2010

Could you wait even longer?
I just ask because here is a press release from Mid 2008 that says we would see the trucks in Mid 2009
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUKN3148333920080731

Here is some discussion on the topic dating back to 2006
http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?tp=on&autono=17743

My guess is that these trucks never arrive. Why? Because they are really what we want.

I know this isn't a gas vs diseasal thread, but... I bought a truck last spring. I ended up with a 2500 Silverado, 6.0 gas, 4L80E trans. My dad has a 2500 HD with Duramax and the 5 speed Allison. His truck will out-tow mine hands down, obviously. His truck gets 24-25 MPG (Canadian gallon) on the open road, mine gets 19.5. He just spent $1800 replacing one bank of injectors, I didn't. I don't need to tow 14,000 lbs. My RV trailer is about 5500lbs, and my truck pulls it just fine and gets 12 mpg doing so.
Comparing apples to apples, the price premium for a used diesel would have taken me about 7 YEARSto recoup in fuel savings. Thats barring any other potential huge repairs on the diesel.