hello all, i have been lurking on this board for a while but ashamed of my tow rig rotfl it is a 95 chevy extended cab with the 6.5 turbo diesel and i have been a little disappointed in the performance out of it, although it has taken me to illinois, missouri and arizona as well as all over texas last weekend it gave up the ghost (or got jealous) when i traded one of my chevy's for a 98 ford f-150 to just run for a parts getter. it wouldn't start for anything, i drove the ford home and left the trailer with a friend (j20m715 on the board) and had the chevy towed to a shop. they don't know what is wrong with it and i am thinking of getting another rig. cost is a big deciding factor here with a purchase price of 10-12k. so it will have to be used. my plan is to just get a slide in camper on the truck and leave it parked except when i hook up the trailer and go wheel and use the lighter truck for a parts runner. so what i am asking, is what choice would you make (cummins or powerstroke) and why? auto or stick? given that the years i am going to look at will be 2000 models +/- 2 years waytogo
You won't be able to get into a 2000 +/- 2 with 10-12K$. 2000 Dodge Cummins run above 20K for clean 4wd's under 125K or so. 2wd's can be had for 4-5K cheaper. I am not a fan of Fords....that said... I would look for a Dodge Cummins 12v from the 1994-97 range. The manual 5spd rigs lay down a few more ponies than the auto version. An auto truck would be fine also but just keep in mind that it won't last forever.
While RJF is not a fan of Fords by any stretch of the imagination, I am. I picked up a 99 F350 CC DRW 4x4 PSD 6spd with 180k on it for $13,000. The truck was in good condition, with absolutely no rust on it at all (being from IL, this is a big selling point for me, but I had to go to New Mexico to get it) Anyway, if you are looking at Fords, 01 and 02 are the years to have the 7.3. The ZF 6spd will practically never fail you, the rest of the drivetrain is damn tough too. All DRW trucks got D60s up front, while SRW got D50s until late 01, when all trucks for D60s up front. While I am a fan of the Ford truck, I do like the Cummins motor better. In either truck's case, I would forget the auto trans right away, it will save you headaches and trouble down the road, that is if you like driving stick. With either truck you mentioned, you should be ok, they are both VERY reliable units. TX and OK seem to have a on of 1 ton diesels for dirt cheap, so check around there, its worth a long drive to get a good deal in my opinion.
I would personally go with a Ford. Ford has sold gobs more pickups than Dodge, and because of that resale suffered, you can find fords quite a bit cheaper than dodges. I dont know why people think the dodges are worth money anyway, but they do. :stir: The 7.3 is a good motor, no, it cant be bombed to 1600+ ft.lbs. of torque, but so what. They get used hard in a lot of medium duty trucks, and hold up great. Both trucks have good manual tranny's, neither have the greatest auto's. I personally like the interior layouts of the fords better, and the fit and finish sure seems to be a lot better than any of the dodges we owned. Plus you can get a real crew cab, if thats what you want. The extended cab versions i find that i fit better in the ford's than the dodges, and i am 6'5". Neither are comfortable, but the Ford is less unbearable. Going from a 6.5 to either the Ford of Dodge will be a welcome relief, id say just go test drive them and see what you like better, and where it falls in your price range. I personally like the Fords a lot better than the dodges, our piss-poor dodge experiences helped that.
thanks for the replies waytogo i live in texas and am pretty sure i can find something in the price i am looking for; after all everyone down here drives a truck. i am just looking for a 2wd as i have enough 4wd's and was really wanting an auto but am not totally opposed to a stick imp: i am looking at extended cabs as my kids are deciding that staying home and hanging with friends is more fun than wheeling with mom and dad
Nothing wrong with a Ford 7.3 P/S in the 1999+ Super Duty body style - major improvements from the previous 1998 and down body style "F" series trucks in the exhaust department and other odds and inns. Ford and Dodge diesels both have thier specific problems and gremlins but both are up for some serious work when required ( Cummins being my favorite ) . The Dodge top pick would be a 1997/1998 12 valve motor with a 5 spd. and ANY Ford P/S with a stick is a good choice if the condition is top notch for the age of the vehicle. Both manufactures seem to have problems with the auto's being killed early/easy but the Fords seem to hold up somewhat longer from what I have seen. Good luck ! Tom
Id (did) pick the powerstroke for a couple of reasons 1. more comfortable for me im, 6'2" and 260 lbs. 2. true Cew Cab with an 8' bed 3. Heavier and more stout frame 4. Tow mirrors 5. Huge glass (windows) all around 6. Powerstroke aka International t444e is one of the most durable engine ever made (no better or worse than the Cummins, they both are medium buty engines) 7. IMO , it looks better 8. bigger brakes and calipers than all in its class , 02-up models that was just a few reasons
Although I agree with you on most listed, I would say that 3 and 4 might be arguable. 3, I don't think the Fords are any heavier than the Dodges, and the frames are probably about the same strength, not positive though. I know the Dodge frames were fairly tougher than the earlier PSD trucks. 4. This is a no brainer. Although the Ford tow mirrors are nice, nothing like the functional use of the fold out Dodge mirrors.
well said! i know that my dodge has a fully boxed in frame and it is very solid when you're on rough roads or whatever. also the tow mirrors on the dodge (especially now that they are powered) are the best mirrors ive ever looked through no competition waytogo
I had a Ford Crew Cab dually 7.3, put a Banks Stinger on it, 4:10 rear, Automatic some years ago before I got my first cummins in 96. I sold it to a welder. He made a rig out of it, loaded it up, and has put two more trannys in it. Overall it was a great truck. Mileage was around 15. The 7.3 is a good engine. It runs dirty however compared to the cummins. Oil is black after the first 200 miles in the ford and never turns black in the cummins for the most part unless you do alot of heavy towing. You can still see thru the oil on the dipstick at 3000 miles with the cummins. (Rotella T). I don't know what your towing, but if its less than 7000lbs an Auto would be fine. Above that, a manual is the way to go. The ford I had needed a tranny at 135k, not bad (E4OD with trans command) But, I did not tow heavy. (not more than 6000lbs, boat) The 96 cummins Extended Cab 12V 180hp, automatic long box, 3:55 rear, was the best truck I ever owned. Did not tow heavy still around 6000lbs. It would run 740 miles on 33 gallons of fuel or from New Orleans to Melbourne, Fl without stopping for fuel at 70mph. I gave it to my son and it now has 263,000 on it and still gets 20 on the hwy 17 around Tampa in town. My son has replaced one fuel pump, two relays, ball joints, and a dash since he's had it. I replaced the tranny at 116K. That truck does not have any computers on the engine. I now have the Dodge Dually with a 6 speed. It has 154k on it, replaced two sensors and one fuel pump (LP), not injection pump (VP44). I tow alot and love the six speed with the exhaust brake. Personally I would either go with the 12V 98 or earlier with a fuel plate or a 7.3. You pick the tranny. The 98.5 to 2002 Cummins has some issues with the fuel system as does the ford 7.3 with the rotary fuel injection pump. Stay away from the 6.0 ford diesel especially in 2003. Some have had good luck with it and others have lemoned it, had ford buy it back, and ford has spent millions on warranty work. They now have turbo issue with the 05's. Sorry for the long post. Dave
I forgot to add this link to my last post advising to stay away from the 6.0. This link will take you to posts completed in 2003 when the 6.0 first came out. Look at the Quals for the posters. These are the guys who had to work on them. http://flatratetech.com/cgi-bin/ubbcgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=000851;p=1 Dave
