Hey guys, I am a ford lover, my whole family drives ford and i learned to drive in one. I currently drive a 2007 f150, But all the buddys have bigger and better toys. I have looked arround and i have drove my uncles power stroke, i was extremely impressed with it, But until i drove my buddys 02 cummins, i didnt know what i was talkin about, Now im in the market for one and id just like to know what to look for in a diesel truck, and know what to be ready for, im currently looking for trucks from 01-06 (5.9 cummins).

 

welcome to DF...

there is not much to look out for in these trucks, they are pretty damn solid. I would recommend the 325/600 or 610 motor personally which is found in teh 04.5-06's and some '07's. those are the 5.9 motors, the newer 6.7's are found in the '07s & up trucks. IMO, they are going thru a growing pain phase where they are finding problems that are popping up. Perticularly with the exhaust. you dont have issues like that with the 5.9, plus there is a ton of aftermarkt parts for the 5.9 out there already.

 

Welcome to (cummins) dodgeforum Danny. There are a lot of former F150 guys here myself included. I still think hands down the F150 is the best half ton pickup a person can buy for what thatparticular truck is designed for even if the 5.4 Triton is a little underpowered compared to the 1500 Ram's and GM's. You just can't beat one for reliability and creature comforts.

That said when it comes to diesels nothing beats a Cummins for reliability. A lot of guys here chip and bomb their trucks but if you keep one stock it has plenty of power on tap and it's not uncommon at allfor them to run more than 500,000 miles with routine maintinnce. Ford has had a ton of problems with International on warranty and reliability with the Powerstrokes. Being a Ford guyI hate to admit that but it's true. The Isuzu Duramax engines inGM's,, as much as I am loathe to admit it being a died in the wool chevy haterare reliable trustworthy engines but still no where nearas good as a Cummins. The inline 6 Cummins has larger main bearings connecting rods and is better balanced than those v8 diesels which plays a big part in why they last so much longer.

Creature comforts in the Dodges aren't as good as Ford or GM but when you climb into a Dodge there is no mistaking it's a TRUCK and that is one thing I really like about it. Also Dodge is the last of the big 3 to still be putting the proven reliable solid front axle under the front end instead of the independant axles. One of the quirks about these cummins Rams though is the air conditioning seems to be a litlle weak that is a big complaint you will hear. Also theball joints areseem to be a weakness.PersonallyI would avoid the 4 speed auto and think that "stock" auto transmission (the new 6 speed autos in the 6.7 is a completely different story but then you have emssions garbage on the engineto deal with there)is another weakness but some guys prefer them and have no problems with them. But every brand has their quirks andI wouldn't let that sway me.part of the fun of owning this truck for me is maintaining it although there again it is more expensive with a diesel but that would also be true if you had a powerstroke or duramax.

If I were in your shoes and looking for a 3rd gen diesel Dodge I would go with any 2004.5 thru 2007 truck equipped with the5.9L Cummins. If you are looking at the new 6.7 L emissions compliant enigines in the 2007.5 modelsand up I would go with a 2008 model they seem to be less troubleseomethan the early 6.7's in the 07.5's. If you're looking for cheap I would go with a good old 12 valve Cummins in a 1st gen. I actually have a 1949 Ford F1 I was doing a groundup build on that's got a 351 Cleveland sb and C6 auto 9" rear that I'm thinking about yanking, beefing up the chasisputting a 12 valve converting it to 4x4 with dana 60s etc now that I've caught the CTD bug lol..

 

Well i have ran into a problem guys, its been a month and still no trucks that i want are within 100 miles of me, all of them are sadly auto, i was really diggina 6 speed but the autos seem to be in abundance, are all the rumours about dodge autos true or fan boy hype?, meaning do you think if i buy an auto is it going to be ok

 

Mines an auto and I just had it rebuild- completely @ 183,000. I was dead set against getting a standard because I have driven one for the last 18 years and I wanted to get away from it. Now I wish I would have gotten it. With a clutch/pressure plate upgrade you are much better off. Not saying your auto can't be built, but you're talking serious $$. I'm sure it will last, I just wish I could throw some power adders at it and not have to worry about it. Maybe I should have bought a standard and put it in instead of rebuilding mine.

 

Dodge transmissions are NOT as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Mostly what gave people that impression was the transmissions used in the 2nd gen rams, which after they were rebuilt well with aftermarket seals they were extremely tough. Sure there are some problems with them, they are not the best transmissions on the market, but no worse than ford or chevy.

 

All,

Like DiEseLjunKy, I have driven Fords all of my life. I have owned at least30 trucks and cars through the years that were all Fords. Last year, I was looking to upgrade to a Ford Diesel F250 or F350. I wanted the 6.0 but was unable to find a new one given it was way late into 2007 and they were starting the hype on the 6.4.
I stopped by the Dodge dealer and looked at a brand new Dodge. All my trucks have to be regular cab, manual tranny, manual transfer case, no power windows and as basic as possible. I figure the more electric crap you have, the less I can work on it, the more the sticker price is, and the less "truck" it is. I know they have lots of goodies on these things, but I don't need 'em.
They had a new '06 that had been sitting there for over a year with everything I just described and nothing more. I got this thing for a steal! I have since placed the EMS lockout kit (more manual stuff) and took off the factory chrome wheels and replaced them with black powdercoated OEM wheels (not so pretty).
I haven't done any power upgrades because this thing is plenty strong without all of the computers, exhaust and filter upgrades. I know most of you guys in here dig that stuff, but that is some of the reason you bust stuff. These things are made to work really hard for years and years. You start increasing the power way past what they were intended for and you will have problems, including the tranny. I haven't heard too many guys riding around in stockers have many troubles with their transmissions. I f you take care of anything, including your truck it will last a long time.

 

Up until about a year ago, I was a Ford guy, too. I've had a '68 Mustang, '91 Probe, '93 Explorer, and most recently a '98 F150. Loved them all. But at 120k the F150 started showing its age, I was really itching for a 4x4 diesel (didn't know exactly what I wanted) and about the same time I was presented with an opportunity to buy my father-in-law's CTD. I've not regretted it at all. I don't haul heavy loads that often, but it's nice to know I can move my house (foundation and all) if need be!

 

I traded in my 04 f150 fx4 for my 06 quad cab cummins diesel 6spd. It was the best decision i've ever had. My payment went up 50 bucks a month but i'm saving that in fuel milage. My ford with the 5.4 was getting 13 religiously and my CTD is getting anywhere between 17-22 depending on where i'm driving. I pull a 10k trailer like it isn't even there. You can't beat the cummins!

 

What year Auto's are you seeing? There have been some changes and it makes a difference on how long it is gonna last ya.