Hi Guys, I'm looking for some opinions. It's likely that I'll be trading my '03 F250 6.0 on a new Mega Cab w/ Cummins. I like my truck but not too crazy about the engine. I like the Cummins but since I've never owned a Dodge before, I don't know too much about them. What do you guys like about your gen3 trucks & what do you not really care for too much on them? This is a sincere question and I just want to be as informed as possible before I take the plunge. Thanks alot for your time!
Scott

 

You will be happy - speaking from someone who's owned both Chevy's and Fords before going the Dodge way. On my fourth third-gen Quad Cab Ram 4WD (2 gas, 2 diesel) now - and that I keep buying them instead of the others in itself says a lot. I drive a lot to say the least, and at 6'3" find the Dodge cab to be the most comfortable over long hauls. At the age where knees and back are going bad, and have the least (if any) pain sitting in the Dodge all day. The ride seems to be a little less harsh than the other mfr's, and although most of my driving is highway, I do get to take the curvy mountain roads now and then, and I like the way the CTD 2500's suspension handles the turns better than most IFS trucks!
As for the drivetrain, I've had a couple issues but nothing that I'd consider bad enough to keep me from staying with Dodge - lift (fuel) pump on '04, and axle seal on '04 - and although the diesel isn't as quick off the line as the gassers, it's plenty quick for my purposes. Besides, when you're rolling on a highway most of the time, that doesn't do you much good...
What I really like about the drivetrain is when I am going up a 6% grade (like the Grapevine in SoCal) at 65 or so, it doesn't even downshift out of OD to continue on up at the same or better speed - passing all kinds of vehicles that slow down on steep grades. It has so much torque it's amazing - at 70 if I need to speed up a little to squeeze between someone going slower on those 6 percenters, I just touch the accelerator and again, no downshift, just smooth acceleration right up the mountain. I suppose if I had any complaint, it'd be that at a stoplight for a lengthy stop, the exhaust will get sucked into the cab with the aircon or heater going - but it's easy to turn it off until I get moving again.
Oh yes - one more plus would be the sound system - with the Sirius and speakers all around, and the quietest cab on the market, you can crank that baby up and not even know you're driving a diesel - or know anyone else around you is!

 

Hey brother, join the club. I traded my '04 SD V10 in for my '06 2500 CTD Quad and am not regretting it for a single second.

Here is a link to the write up I did when I first got it. Pretty much explains it.

https://dodgeforum.com/m_509045/tm.htm

Overall, I think Dodge did a much better job at the details and the fit and finish than Ford. The truck seems much more refined and well thoughout. It's much quieter in the cab, as the insulation is second to none. Like ramtradxb said, I too have owned both Chev and Ford, and the cab is more comfortable than either of them. The ride is MUCH nicer than my SD, the wife has commented on this several times.

The best feature of this truck...........the CTD baby. I can't echo rantradxb loudly enough. This thing doesn't miss a beat. No crazy shifting, just smooth and even. Hills only get a little more turbo and off you go.

Go for it. You won't regret a thing.

 

Go for it and don't look back. I traded my '04 F250 6.0 on this truck and have never been happier. It tows better, runs better, is more reliable as comfortable or more, handles better. It is a better truck. I have owned nothing but Fords before this. I think you get the idea.

 

Thanks for the info guys! Anything annoying or wish something was a little different? For instance, I used to hear that Dodges had somewhat thin paint and sheet metal. Is this the case? There's things about my Ford that I don't really care for. I have no doubt that the Dodge is a towing beast! My 6.0 will be out of the shop tomorrow with a new turbo, and if it so much as looks at me funny, it's GONE!
Scott

 

I just got my 2500 CTD 4x4 Quadcab and love it. I had an 03 hemi 4x4 1500 quadqab for 3 years. This truck is better than that truck was. I cant think of getting a another truck.

 

Twotrack - I did forget to mention that right where the pull handle on the door meets the vinyl door trim around it, the vinyl sheeting that is stretched over a thin pad over the form, one day had a small (1/4 inch round) tear in it. I don't rest my elbow there, nor do I use the handle for anything but closing the door - so I figured the vinyl was just stretched too thin there. I didn't bother going to the local dealer (I bought it from a broker out of town) because I figured they'd say I abused it. But yesterday I went by them to make an oil change appt., and lo and behold, they said they'd replace the door panel under warranty! The part's on order already - so how's that for customer service! Just one more reason Dodge has a customer for life!
As for thin paint - yes, in the seventies I once used a mild cleaner on bird droppings and went through the paint - but from what I can tell, they now use more coats or a better paint. As for the sheet metal - I tend to bounce things off my truck now and then - and no dents. So maybe the only thing that annoys me is the way they now wire it so if you put it in reverse with the driver's door open, the horn honks!

 

I traded in my '99 F-350 dually PSD on a new CTD Quadcab dually last may. Had no problems with the PSD (7.3), just the rest of the truck falling apart. I pull a 13,500lbs fifth wheel and as the ford worked hard, it pulled okay at 9 miles per gallon. The new CTD pulls the same trailer almost effortlessly at 13 miles per gallon. I get 19 mpg empty and the ride is ALOT nicer. Fit and finish is better. I am glad I switched and am really happy with the new Dodge. So far, haven't seen anything on the dodge that I would want to change yet. And my oil changes went from $84 to $59!

RAMTRADXB.....Your horn honks when in reverse with the door open? This must be a auto trans function as I have not experienced this with my truck, although I have the 6-spd manual tranny.



'05 3500 QCab 2wd dually CTD 6-spd Larimee

 

KenZ - yeah, the dang thing honks if you open the door or have it open when in reverse. Might do it going forward too, but haven't tried that as reverse honking is annoying enough. It's supposed to be a safety feature, which I understand - some idiot years ago left his truck in drive, opened the door and got out to lock a gate, and the brake couldn't hold it any longer and it took off T-boning my brand new Toy truck. Trouble is, I sometimes go into some pretty tight spots and like to open the door and peak out while I'm doing so - but hate waking neighbors. Maybe I should have gotten the manual tranny, eh?

 

Your making the right choice! You cant go wrong with the Cummins motor.