Looking for: Dependable, tough work truck that will also be a daily driver

I'm graduating from college this May, and I'm going to need a diesel truck for my job. Right now, I'm deciding b/w a 2006 and up 2500 Cummins and a 2006 and up F-250 Powerstroke (weird to say, since i've owned 3 vehicles and they were all dodge). Anyways, consumer reports gives the F-250 absolutely horrible reviews almost completely across the board, while the Ram got horrible reviews in the drive system, fuel system, and transmission minor sections. My brother has a 2006 Powerstroke with over 65K miles on it and has had absolutely no problems and it pulls with ease. I've driven and towed with it several times and I really must admit that I like it. However, I'm kind of worried about the Powerstroke in the long run b/c of the reviews it got.

According to owners' reviews, the Ram is very uncomfortable to ride in and i guess the paint/clear coat is absolute crap. Almost every review mentioned the ease of getting scratches and dents. I don't want to pull up to the job site with a beat up, crappy looking truck.

Can anyone provide me with detailed feedback on the pros and cons of the Cummins and/or Powerstroke?

Thanks in advance

-Garrett

 

Dodges look better than fords even if they are dented and scratched up =)

good strong name by the way....i'm kind of partial to it...heh

 

I don't find the Ram uncomfortable at all and I'm 6 foot 268 pounds. I also prefer the cummins motor. It has a long dependable history. I would however avoid any newer than an 07. the 07.5 model year is when they updated the motor for all the mandated emissions crap and they are still working out the bugs. Some guys have had no problems with them and others have had nothing but problems with them. I tow with mine daily and have had no transmission problems as of yet but that is definately one of the dodge's weak points at least with and auto.

 

thanks for the feedback guys....anyone else?

 

never had issues with comfort in my Dodge.
any problems I had were my fault-play you pay.
my brother runs a fleet of industrial ambulances in the oilfield, he has fords with 7.3 (best engine ford had for diesel) and 6.0 they had the most problems, he had a chebby but was no good on bush roads too low!! and of course hes got Dodges (5.9) hes had the least amount of problems with the Dodges. Now they all get banged up and believe me not one of them is any stronger then the other when it comes to dents/scratches. the fords with the 6.0 spent more time in the shop then out in the field! hes been replacing the ford 6.0 with Dodges. now my brother is a paramedic and is not mechanically incline, he does know what works and what doesn't. there will be others that will argue which is best, but this is his findings and opinion. we do know the 7.3 fords are great trucks as are the Dodges. I know this as well cause I get to wrench on them all.

 

They're called the "6 Oh-no" for a reason(s).

 

Ive got two Dodges. Never had a problem that wasnt self-induced, i.e. automatic went out in my 07 because I was running (and still am) a heavy-fueling programmer. Now I have a billet race tranny and its awesome!!

Body damage-a 57 Chevy hitting the side of the bed on ANY truck isnt going to look very pretty on the pickups part. The Chevy, however, nary a scratch on her...a couple dings here and there, thanks to my ex-gf, are all thats there. No paint problems, a few scratches (their both driven daily, and offroad occasionally) I used to work in two bodyshops, and have never seen a 3rd gen Dodge with these so-called paint problems people seem to have

The Fords are junk. Plain and simple. People might say just the engine is, but the rest of the truck is the best in the industry. My experience, however, says Dodge is tops. Our work trucks are all Fords, and they fall apart like youd expect a Chevy too...

Ride-My 07 rides better than my 03, and BOTH ride WAY better than any Ford Ive been in. Hell, Id take my truck over the 08 GMC I drove; SOB was rough!!

If your towing, Id recommend a manual trans, on account of they are real reliable, and seem better driving with a fair amount of weight behind them. And auto will handl it, but your going to HAVE to put in an aftermarket torque convertor. The stock one balloons and slips like a mother and toasts your tranny...

The only thing wrong with the 6.7 is the DPF and EGR...ditch the DPF and straight pipe from the turbo back. You can use a muffler if you want. The 6.7 straight piped is alot quieter than a 5.9 straight piped, and with the 6.7s exhaust brake, it whistes like a jet! Sounds pretty cool. Also block off the EGR on the 6.7, and youll have trouble free driving. Illegal? Yes. But the satisfaction of a) WAY better mileage b) no more regens and c) you arent dumping exhaust particles back in the intake, potentially increasing cylinder wear are well worth it to me...

 

what's a ball park figure of how much one of these torque converters will run me?

also, thanks again for the feedback guys...lots of good information.

 

the 48re and newer trannys are big improvements over the older auto trannys, its the abuse of the tranny/truck that gets most in trouble. at 160,000miles pulling 60% of the time 10,000+lbs mostly on gravel/mud/snow covered roads still going strong on stock tranny. regular filter/fluid changes helps as well as treating the truck well.
if ya wanna go fast buy a race car

 

you are my new best friend