I'm thinking about a new truck

I'm thinking about a new truck. 1 ton Diesel
Maybe dualy... But diesel, 6 spd. Crew cab.
I like the Dodge, Have a couple friends that have Chevy's. Nice trucks.
Not a Ford guy at all, so it's not a choice.
Now, Besides the typical Chevy, Dodge thing, Which one and why?
I like the turbo six cyl cummins, cause it's a cummins, and more torque.
I'm a little afraid of the allison tranny as I've hears some reliability issues about them.
Thoughts?

They are all about apples to apples in comparison and reliability. But when I was a service manager for my brother's contracting company, we had mostly Chevy 2500's (about 6-7 of them), some Ford F150-250's and a couple Dodge 1500's. Dodge's were rubbish (no surprise there, both had new transmissions after 75K miles), the Chevy's were fine (though we did have the 8.1L with the Allison, and after about 15,000 miles the transmission filter was almost plugged with metallic particulates), and the F150-250's were fine but the F250 was a rough ride and a real gas hog.

Cummins is a good diesel, though Dodge is abysmal...and the International is good diesel, but you won't do Ford..and I'm not sure what the consensus is on the Duramax.

If had to choose between the three...I'd buy a Tundra

my freind has had several 1 ton fords and dodge deullys. he just got a new 07 dodge, after the 05 dodge oafter the 02 ford. the ford was in the shop less but had a rougher ride. the 05 dodge had major work 3 times but would do over 95mph with a 4 horse slant load with tach room and camper. the ford would only do 90 mph..... no word on the reliability of the 07 dodge yet

the early duramax's were rumored to have issues snapping crankshafts when pulled heavy and also the high pressure injection system caused issues over about 100k miles. I know of one that blew up that the injectors were blamed for, possibly incorrectly. The cummins in front of a manual tranny I don't think dodge had issues with, but the early auto's just were not built for the task of 200k of high torque. The Ford 7.3's are still among the most proven durable trucks out there, but for the choices you list i'd be looking for a dodge with a manual.

I have a 97 Dodge 1500 (new tranny at 75K, another needed now at 130K)... SWORE I would never own another Dodge. But after looking and pricing, I am now seriously considering the 2500 or 3500 Dodge with the Cummins Diesel. Have "heard" good things about them, but have no personal experience with the diesel. SO, I am very interested in this thread as well

WTF!!!

Dodge has problems with trannys ???

My Dodge Durango (1999) 5.2L V8 Automatic 2WD is starting to do funny things with shifting...

Goes from 1st to 2nd no problem...
Goes from 3rd to 4th (OD) no problem...
But when its trying to go from 2nd to 3rd, it gets hung up...

Does not want to shift from 2nd to 3rd...
I have to get the RPMs up to about 3,500 then let off the throttle... once RPM drop to 1,500 i have to tap the throttle 1 or 2 times , then it will drop into 3rd...

If i just drive the car normally, it will not shift into 3rd... Now everything is ok once ive been driving for about 10-12 minutes...

But for 10-12 minutes the car will not shift...

And my car has about 69k miles on it

So 75k is just around the corner

I NEVER TOW Anything with this car...
It's NEVER been offroad... Never in a crash, always doing the oil changes, and minor tuneups...

Basicly i baby this car (SUV)

I had a Toyota Supra That never had a problem untill 195k miles... Then it just died...

But i used to FLOOR the throttle and slide and race around with it all the time...

Is this how US made trucks are ?
This sucks ass... The Japanese are kicking our asses...



PS : this is my first AND last dodge
Back to japanese

I have a buddy who is a Dodge nut. He switched to them when they first started with the cummins engine in the old square bodied rattle traps. He still swears by the engine and manual transmissions, but he says the rest of the truck still falls apart like twenty years ago. Switches break, seat sags out, and they still rattle like a coffee can half full of bolts when they get older. But he still keeps buying them because the expensive parts of the drivetrain are pretty bullet proof.

Another buddy has a four year old duramax GMC with almost 200K on it and he is getting ready to buy another. He usually has a big travel trailer or gooseneck behind it. He claims almost 20 on the highway empty but it drops to 12 when loaded. I think that the perfect truck would be a chevy/gmc with the cummins engine.

It's kind of funny, but right after I bought the truck (used), my mechanic said "you know how many transmissions I've put in those things?" AND, this was 30K before my transmission started acting up.

I think the 2500 and 3500's are OK but the Late 90's 1500's were a POS (at least in my case). Course I tow 6 to 8K lbs on a regular basis. Which is why I am so interested in this thread.

Mine don't act like your's Solar, but it sometimes makes a "grinding" sound at the intermediate shift point (like when you are going up a grade and just give a little gas). Sounds almost like a hole in the exhaust. Just let off the gas, and give it a little bump and the noise goes away. BUT this is the exact same problem it had the last time...

Anyway, like PBMW, I also need to get something else that's build like a truck and will last. BUT am also keeping an open mind with regards to the possibility of another Dodge (daughter works for a local dealer).

I have never been a big Dodge fan, but my dad always had them. I thought the creature comforts were prety nice... I'm a farm kid, and have owned a bunch of Freightliners and KW's with Cummins and Cat power. I may have to go look at the Chevy again and see if there is a 6sp option.
I'm about 3 or 4 months away from this I think.

The 5.9L Cummins B series engine is very good, cannot remember what truck there in over there in the US, but here in the UK they are very well proven in tractors and construction equipment. I've the 4 cylinder version in a CASE backhoe and its a good motor. However, I think the International DT358 is one of the best engines ever made. Its a beauty !

My step brother buys a new 3/4 ton chev with the duramax/alison combo every 2 to 3 years. His brother inlaw buys the old one right away.

My step brother pulls a 28' goose neck with his truck. The heaviest load I've heard of was a 30,000 lbs to the scrap yard. I know he hauls 100 hp.+ tractors with it all the time.

I have other relation that have them also, and they always praised the alison trans.

I don't know anything about the 6sp version yet, but my uncle has one. I will ask him and repost.

Rosie

Jim,
Why do you want a dually are you getting horses or something? They are a pain to drive around in the city and probably wouldn't even fit down your driveway, my Toyota barely fits down it.

I was an auto tech for 24 years and the last 8 were rebuilding transmissions. Putting an automatic behind any diesel is tough due to the way diesels run (high torque, low RPM oscillations), but Dodge Automatics have an issue with the way a one of the clutches engage. They use a spring instead of hydraulic pressure to apply, very cheesy. That is what causes most of the Dodge trans to fail. The new ones might be different but they were like that when I left that job in 2005. Besides Dodge trucks are made in Mexico by a German owned company, you should buy an American made truck like the Toyota Tundra.
Mark Hockett

Dodge's advance 2008 product information does not list a 1 ton pickup as being available. That leaves you with current dealer stock. Both the 6 speed manual and 6 speed automatic are available with the diesel engine in 07 and will also be available in 08.

Chevrolet only builds their diesel pickups with the 6 speed Allison 1000 automatic. This applies to 07 and 08. Ford offers both transmissions with diesel engines in 07 and 08.

I don't think any of the manufacturers are accepting 07 orders this late in the season, and if they are it will only be for a few more weeks. You can always negotiate a better price on an ordered vehicle. Generally there is only a few hundred dollars difference between the Chevy and the Ford, model for model and option for option. Dodge always carries a price advantage, some times as much a two thousand dollars.

Todays medium duty automatic transmissions are very touchy about regular filter and fluid changes. The more weight you haul or pull the more often it needs changed. Additional coolers are always a good idea, especially in the Southern climates.

Vern

I had an f350 1990 460 v8 4x4 rough as hell to ride in.

I now have a 2005 super duty f350 diesel crew cab long bed single rear wheels. It rides like a limo.

You should test drive all the trucks and forget what brand name is on the outside. They still don't charge you to test drive a truck.

If a van is an option I think the sprinter is the onle one I would buy ( they can get 30 mpg )

I know someone that bought a titan. He loves it I think it looks funny.

Wiz

I've got an Chevy 2500HD Crewcab w/ the LT trim that I purchased new in 03. As far as creature comforts and ride, I'm estatic. Couldn't ask for more. The only service issue was the CD player quit at about 12k miles and the steering column needs grease every 20k or it gets a slight clunk (I guess it was a defect that's been corrected with newer models). I can't speak on the drive train as I'm totin' the 6 liter gas engine , but it moves a rather heavy truck towing a 3500lb car to the track just fine. I might just need a little stategy getting to speed while merging on the highway with the trailer.

My son drives a 2004 Dodge 3500 4 dr dulley diesel it now has 246,000 miles on it. he drives approx 6000 to 7000 miles a month. Half of those miles have something behind it,anything fron a Kia to a loaded 53ft. 3 axle loaded car trailer. He is very PM minded oil change every 6000 miles tires rotated every other oil change ect. He had to rebuild trany at 225,000 and new u-joints about 2 wks ago also has recovered the drivers seat truck looks and drives like a 60,000
mile truck. This truck is used but not abused so he is happy so far and he is typicaly a GM person.

If I was buying a new truck from any of the Big 3, it would have a manual trans. Not because I like shifting gears, but because I like shifting better than buying transmissions.

Seems like all the manufacturers have lost auto trans reliability via cost engineering and over-complication in the form of various mileage enhancing doo-dads. When I worked in the tire business, starting in the mid-70's, general vehicle build quality was trash by today's standards, but TH400's, 727 Torqueflites, and C-6's were all damn near bulletproof. We ran 16 Chevys with 454/TH400 a total of over 7 million miles with zero trans failures. Same sorts of average mileage on a bunch of Fords with 460/C6 and a few Chryslers with 440/727. Every one of these vehicles was loaded to the stickered max GVW for every mile of its life. They were retired as vehicle size, and consequently tire size, got smaller over time. Never did have one that had any sort of powertrain failure rendering it not worth repairing.

I've got a 92 Chev p/u with 4.3/5sp and over 200K with no trans problems. Also have a 92 Ford crew cab dually with 460/5sp, about 160K with no trans issues so far. I remember reading in Consumer Reports when both these trucks were about 5 or 6 yrs old, a report of trouble areas on various used trucks. In both cases, the auto trans was a major trouble source. Didn't have one of those, but every other item they listed as a frequently reported problem was a mirror of my own experience. Because of my perceived accuracy of that article and a few others along the way, I tend to view CR as a pretty good source of long term reliability statistics. Over the last 15 yrs or so, there's a lot of solid black dots under the auto trans column in most any CR report on used vehicle reliability. Seems like all the manufacturers forgot how to build a tough auto trans somewhere along the way, just the same as Ford forgot how to make trouble-free brakes for half ton pickups starting in 1980 and continuing at least past the 2000 model year.

All good thoughts.
Mark, I'm not really thinking of a dually, but am thinking of a 1 ton. I'm going to have to go drive some more of them I think. Heck, I may even go see a F*rd...

Dodge can blow it out their oversized exhaust pipes. I have a 2004 Ford F150 4x4 Lariat, the ride is plush, close to my Dodge minivan and way more room for my azz and legs.

Both of my brothers have 2003 Dodge 4x4 diesels, Rob has a 3/4 and Dave has 1 ton. Both ride like a damn buckboard yeehah! Dave's 1 ton handles so well he turned a corner in about 2 inches of snow in 4 wheel drive and slid right into a cop car this winter. This after bragging that he would be along in a few minutes to pull me out of a ditch. lmao

48k miles on my Ford and zero service issues. I just put new brakes and tires on it last month, my first out of pocket expense. The Ford's are more advanced design wise bumper to bumper, dig deeper into the details, start with the frames. They are built for pulling though, they don't do light to light drag racing.

Dave has had his into the shop a number of times, couple two or three weeks ago it up and died on him. Rob has had his into the shop a couple times but he never drives the thing, its 4 years old and has like 12k miles on it.

These days though, if you don't need a full size truck on a frequent basis I say buy something better on gas and rent a truck when you need one. And if I was buying a truck today it would likely be a Toyota if for no other reason than I'm 1 for 5 on the last Made in USA rides, my F150 being the only winner.

I'll never buy another Dodge, my Dodge minivan puked a head gasket at 37,000 miles, just out of warranty. I said to the service tech, what are you nuts? A blown head gasket? It's only got 37k miles on it? He says, 'yeah thats common for this model' I lost it, oh yeah, why the hell didn't you tell me that when I bought the POS?

Hey Solar, trade that Durango in fast before it pukes a tranny all over the freeway.

I love my ford too, but he asked about duellys and they are 1 ton. my excursion has a rough ride too, it is leaf springs and there is no getting around it. I am sure a F150 rides better but it is not a 1 ton. in the 1 ton range the ford is rough and the dodge is not. I dont know about the chevys