Help! Which diesel truck is the best? We can't afford and expensive mistake!

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dvaniman

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Feb 23, 2013
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Please help us decide. We bought a Tundra which we love but we can not pull a 5th wheel. Mistake. So we will sell the Tundra but which 2013 diesel is the best?
Dodge has the Cummings, Chevy has the Duramax and we don't necessarily like Ford but who's to say?
Looking at the 3/4 tons.
Please give us any insight you can! It's and expensive decision. Anyone want to sell their gently used diesel?
Thanks for the input.
 
Heaven forbid I would ever recommend someone to buy a Dodge truck, BUT they have by far the best motor in the Cummins. Ford owns Cummins so some day you might see them in the Fords.
 
I have a 2006 Chevy Duramax and I'm very satisfied with it. It will out pull a Dodge, [I have proven that on La Veda pass and wolf creek pass] although they[who ever they are] say they get all this great mileage with the dodge.  Don't know about the Ford. I'm just not a ford person.
 
The late model diesels have came a long way from the trucks of just a few years ago.

Best?  In what regard?  I've had Chevy but gave it up and went back to Ford.  Dodge isn't a consideration for me, for other reasons.  But this is just my opinion.

You have to live with the choice and the result.  I'd suggest educating yourself to all three of them.....horsepower, torque, GAWR and GVWR as well as tow capacity, etc.  Go take each for a test drive and check out the creature comforts.  You'll probably be spending a lot of time in the cab of that truck so be sure to pay special attention to the seats (especially driver's seat) and adjustments as well as fit and finish of the interior of the cab. 

You might also look at Consumer Reports, Diesel Truck Magazine and search for diesel shootouts from neutral parties, etc. 

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/features/1010dp_2011_ford_vs_ram_vs_gm_diesel_truck/viewall.html

http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/reviews/comparisons/exclusive-heavy-duty-diesel-pickup-comp-test

http://jdavis88.hubpages.com/hub/A-Side-By-Side-Comparison-Of-The-2012-Chevy-Ford-and-Dodge-Diesel-HD-Trucks

Good luck in your search and with your new truck, what ever you land.
 
I read somewhere that the new fords, if you have to replace the injectors, you have to lift the cab off the frame to access them. Seems pretty dumb to me. We bought a new f 250 in 2004 and had nothing but trouble with it. Traded it back in a year latter just to get rid of the problems the dealer couldnt seem to get rid of. (coolant in the oil). I dont think overall one is better than the other but most of the contractors I know like the Cummins diesel which unfortunately only comes in the Dodge.
 
We're in the same boat....looking at getting a new truck at the end of this year.  I want a Ford body and interior with a Cummins diesel and an Allison transmission.  What are the odds??  :D

From an aesthetic and engine standpoint, I really want a Dodge.....until I started Googling (from a hint on here)  "Dodge Death Wobble".  Plenty of articles and vids on YouTube.  I think it's pretty much scared me away from a Mopar.  The thought of that happening with my TT behind me coming down from Cloudcroft is terrifying.  Maybe it's fixed by now....but I don't want to find out $42K later that it isn't.

I have a buddy that sells Chevys for years now  trying to talk me into a Duramax....but they're quite proud of them price wise....I can beat it with a Ford or Dodge by a good margin shopping online.

My understanding with the Ford is that if the diesel engine has to come out, the cab has to come off.  I don't know if this is true or not.....but I don't want to find out it is once the warranty expires.

Dear OP....really sorry....I wasn't much help, was I???  :-[


 
As far as I can determine, the "death wobble" is a 1994 to 2008 thing on the dodge. On the Gen 4 trucks it has been addressed.

But to the OP, look at towing weights and the seat that makes your butt smile and go with that one!

Steve
 
captsteve said:
As far as I can determine, the "death wobble" is a 1994 to 2008 thing on the dodge. On the Gen 4 trucks it has been addressed.

But to the OP, look at towing weights and the seat that makes your butt smile and go with that one!

Steve
Click to expand...

Steve....glad to hear that.  It may put the Dodge back into contention for me.  And good advice to the original poster....buy the truck that will do what you need it to do with some spare capacity and that makes you grin.  Vehicle ownership should be a visceral experience as well as a practical one.  :)
 
Here we go.  Nobody can really make the decision for you.  You have to go drive all three.  All three have very good engines these days.  The Allison tranny in the Chevy used to be a big advantage, but the new Ford tranny will easily give it a run for its money.  The Cummins is a tried and true warrior, but even it has had its problems.  So as you can see, you just need to get out there and try them all and make the decision yourself.  I am admittedly biased towards the Ford, but having driven a Chevy, I will pick the Ford over Chevy and Dodge.  Especially the new 6.7L diesel.  I (and most folks) really think Ford got it right with this one.  It is nothing like the old Navistar built diesels.  I'm not saying it has not had issues (mine has not had any problems so far), but so far, it seems to be the best of the Ford so far.

If you have a specific question about a particular truck, you may get a better response than the general "mine is better than yours".

Good luck, and happy hunting!
 
I bought a Ford  diesel in the summer of 2003 and traded it off  (long story) in November of 2003 to get into anything other than another Ford.  Wound up in a Chevy Duramax.  Ford only had 4500 miles on it.  The Chevy I traded for now has 145,000 on it with about a third of those miles with my 5er in tow.
 
I understand the question but there is no way anybody can say which one is best! Come on now think about it, if one was really better then there would only be one truck out there. They are all pretty good but the difference is in the eye of the beholder. Some like Blonds, some would only be with a Red head and so fourth. Buy the one you like the creature features best and the one you can make the deal you can live with, thats the best one for you!
 
Drive them all and pick the one YOU feel rides, handles best and is the quietest to your mind.  All have good points and bad points.
 
Besides driving,  go to the library and check them all out in Consumer Reports.  I don't necessarily always agree with them, they do give a good review and make you aware of the good and bad points of each vehicle.

Just be sure to get whichever one you by has enough payload to do what it needs to do for you.  A little margin is always good.


 
Well here's my 2 cents. I have a 07 3/4 ton Chevy that handled my 34ft 5er up 6% grades with no problems. The best part about the Duramax Chevy is how quit the engine is in comparison to the Dodge or the Ford. They may cost a little more at purchase but they seem to hold their resale value very well.
 
The best one is the one I drive. :D Seriously, you won't go wrong with any of the big three. Pick the one you like from a dealer you feel you can trust. After sales service is more important than brand. FWIW, we have a Ram diesel and are absolutely pleased with it. Have no experience with the new GM or Ford.
 
We live at 7500ft in the Rocky Mts and see lots of Dodge and many Ford diesels, not many Chevys... FWIW.
 
I also had a Tundra (2011). It was a great truck and did a great job pulling the TT I had but, like you, I wanted to move to a 5th/W and the Tundra just didn't have the carrying capacity to handle the pin weight.

I ended up going to a 2012 Chevy Duramax. So far I only have a little over 8000 miles on the truck but about 6 of those are with a trailer in tow. I have to say that so far it has been a great truck. It drives better than any other truck I have ever owned, even the Tundra if you can believe that.

I really can't compare it with a Ford because I have never had or driven one but I did go through 4 different Dodge PUs in one year trying to find one that I could keep in MY garage instead of the dealers garage getting something fixed. I would never buy a Dodge again. The motor was good but the rest of the truck was junk.
 
Ford owns Cummins so some day you might see them in the Fords.
Click to expand...

Just to avoid any misconceptions: Ford doesn't own Cummins, though they did own a substantial amount (but never a majority) of Cummins stock at one time. Cummins later bought it back. Cummins is a publicly traded company and about 86% of the shares are owned by financial institutions and mutual funds.
 
Thank you Gary... He's right on the money.

Personally I'm not a big fan of the newer diesel because of the common rail fuel systems. Injectors on common rail system are more expensive than previous model injection pump trucks. Like currently the 6.7L Dodge is about $4000 for a set of injectors where as my older 2002 is $970 for a injection pump. There is several differences between the newer on older models. Like the newer common rail engine will typical fail at about 200-300K miles where the older 24V engine will clear 1 million or more miles.  MPG wise the older engine are known for mid 20's for the 12V and low 20's on the 24V but the newer common rails mid teens...

If you got questions on the Cummins diesel I'm more than willing to answer them...
 
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