Diesel truck shopping.

[jeepkid05]

Let me preface this by saying I’m not going to go buy a truck in this market, just doing some research.

I wanna know what you guys like and why. My father suggested I stay away from the newer stuff because it’s a lot harder to work on and there’s a lot crammed in the engine bay. He also recommended that I find something older that’s super clean frame and body wise.

Here’s my requirements and what I like;

Gotta be crew cab and leather (wife, 2 boys and a dog).

In no particular order, this is what like.
06-07 GM lbz
06-07 mega cab Cummins

Random spoken thoughts...
Don’t really like Ford much but I could be swayed.
I really like the look and size of the crew cab on the 4th gen Cummins.
Love a 3rd gen Cummins, but it would have to be an nv5600 and I feel like the crew cab is just a little bit on the small side.
Not really sure about the newer duramax, my buddy says the L5P is fantastic.
Deletes... EPA cracking down, what’s the deal.
Is Allison the end all be all, or did dodge smarten up and make a stronger automatic?
G56 tranny... my buddy grenaded a few with just a smarty.

As Sean has stated in the past and it resonated with me. Sure my tundra will tow everything I need it to, but... towing with a diesel is just better and far less stressful. Plus if I ever did wanna borrow my buddies cam beast trailer and his dresser bulldozer, I could do it.

Totally disjointed, long day at work. But I know some of you guys have diesel experience.

[nblehm]

I wouldnt own a newer diesel with all the emissions junk on them. That is pretty much all I fix on them and it is expensive. Especially in the off chance you need to tow a bulldozer. Nothing like your truck kicking on a light then you have 30 miles to drive before you start getting speed limited.

[6DoF]

i almost bought a 2020 Ram 3500 with the HO Cummins a few weeks back but it sold before i got there. probably still would for a deal honestly. but it's crazy how many ppl warned me about the BS after treatment junk.

an applications engineer buddy who works for Cummins says he'd never buy a modern diesel truck because of the emissions BS, and hinted that Cummins won't exist past 2023 in the light truck market. i guess they make too much money on emissions equipment and their new battery segment to push back on the physically impossible regulations landing in 2024

[xj_man_646]

Newest diesel I will ever ever own will be a 2007 before DPFs were a thing. Its getting harder and harder to delete them, they're getting more and more complex (outside the emissions controls, just look at the fuel and cooling systems), and the fuel economy and reliability are decreasing.

I am also now a firm believer than V8 diesels are dumb. I love my 7.3 PSD but it is the newest V8 diesel I think I will ever own. My Duramax owning friends largely hate life when it comes time to repair anything on their engines. LBZ injectors have started to show their age after 150k miles and while they are easier to change than LB7, they're more expensive. 49 state LB7s also did not have EGR which is excellent for longevity of the engines.

The Cummins is a great engine but our experience with the 3rd gen was that the rest of the truck started to deteriorate quite rapidly after 200k miles.

My next truck is going to be a 7.3 gasser from Ford.

There really isn't a correct best choice unfortunately. They all have their ups and downs. 7.3 diesel are getting harder to come by, but are probably the most reliable truck + chassis combos out there since 1999. Dodge / Ram has a great engine, but the rest of the truck is...a gamble with the age they're at now.

If I could choose anything for a diesel, it would be a Fummins of some flavor.

[jeepkid05]

Should’ve just kept my 02 2nd Gen. it was cleeeean as hell. Oh well. I wasn’t in the financial position to keep it and the 47re was on its way out. Looking back I would’ve kept it and NV swapped it. Would’ve been a 20k truck today

[Kurt]

There's never a right answer on this. I loved my2002 7.3 F350. Pre-DPF crap and pre-6.0 problems. But, it didnt have enough power for what I feel I needed, even with the tune. The 2012 F350 6.7L was great for power, even when deleted, but I kept having things pop up before or after each towing trip that kept me from having full trust in its reliability.

My new 2020 6.7 with the 10-speed is awesome. Yes, its a new truck with all the DPF and emissions crap, but I got an 8 year bumper to bumper million mile warranty to go along with it, so Im hoping that takes care of any issues that may come up. As far as towing and daily driving it, its WAY better than my other trucks. This truck tows amazing, has endless power, and makes long towing trips enjoyable again.

[nblehm]

In reality there are tons of emissions era trucks running around without problems. If I was to get one it would probably be a 6.7 power stroke. I like how those trucks drive the best over the other 2. I am also getting old and dont like to hear the old diesel rattle

For me it comes down to I would VERY rarely tow something that requires a diesel truck and it just doesn't equal all the extra costs a newer diesel truck comes with. That was set in stone when I pulled my j10 back from moab with a ram 1500 and able to pull all the mountain passes at 60-65 without breaking a sweat.

[jeepkid05]

My old boss had a brand spanking new 2013 6.7 powerstroke. And at the time, when I drove it, completely stock and brand new. That thing pulled like a freight train, felt like it had endless power.

[xj_man_646]

Yeah the torque wars of the recent years have resulted in some serious power coming out of the diesel truck market. No doubt about that.

Hell, the 7.3 gasser makes close to the same torque that the 7.3 diesel did which is quite awesome IMO.

[jeepkid05]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

Yeah the torque wars of the recent years have resulted in some serious power coming out of the diesel truck market. No doubt about that.

Hell, the 7.3 gasser makes close to the same torque that the 7.3 diesel did which is quite awesome IMO.

I have a friend who has a 7.3 Tremor, he’s happy with it. Dirthead Dave got one and loves it. FWIW the 6.2 Ford gas was a pretty bulletproof engine as well. I love to hate Ford but you can’t argue with what they’ve got going on. I just think the 6.0 PSD put a bad taste in a lot of peoples mouths.

[Baby peez]

I have a third gen and the quad cab is tiny. I really wish I had the Mega cab but I need the long bed so thats life.

Keep your eyes on the large gasser wars going on right now that James touched on. If you dont need/want the exhaust brake, they are looking pretty appealing especially with the transmissions they're coming out with. I would avoid the dodge 6.4 though - garbage in my experience.

I'm not sure if the extra expense is worth it with the cost of filters and fluids, plus the cost of either deleting or dealing with emissions issues, but it is nice to leave cruise on going into a big hill and not have to worry about the downshifts putting you into the rev limiter.

[6DoF]

how about a gas version of the cummins 6.7L I6

[jeepkid05]

Gas trucks just sound like they are working so damn hard to tow. My 2nd gen was effortless pretty much no matter what I was pulling.

Maybe it is time to stick with a modern gasser.

Peez- 3rd gen mega cab is my dream. But 06-early07 is a unicorn.

[xj_man_646]

How much do you plan on towing?

A new 7.3 SRW crew cab F350 is rated to tow 15,000# from what I can find.

Similarly, a 2006 mega cab Cummins is rated to tow 15,800# (and that was before the OEMs were held to SAE tow rating standards).

From what I have heard, towing with these new 10 speeds and the gasser is leaps and bounds over where it used to be. It has 3 over drive gears.

[jeepkid05]

The only thing I tow very regularly is my samurai ~2500# and my trailer which I guess is around 1800#. A few times a year I tow my tractor with a brush hog on it 3k# is my guess. So not a lot of weight. Maybe my tundra is just too wimpy/tired.

[Kurt]

First time towing with the new 2020 F350 6.7 was from SW Washington, to Sand Hollow, then over to Moab, and then home. Approx 2,800 miles. The new 10 speed trans is amazing, so much nicer than the 6 speed in my 2012 6.7L. I had the thing in Tow/Haul mode the entire time and set the exhaust brake on Auto. Mountain passes were way too easy for it, both going up and coming down. This is with the truck with the bed loaded, myself, my wife, and our 10 and 6 year old. The trailer weighs about 3K and the Jeep is probably pushing 6K. The adaptive cruise control was nice as well for the long stretches of highway.

The plan is to eventually get a toy hauler or fifth wheel, and I wanted to get as much towing capacity as I could without stepping up to an F450 or Dually. I looked at the 6.7 Tremors, but their suspension package drops their tow ratings down.

[Cobound]

Oh, man, I LOVE my adaptive cruise control. Was one of those things that you didn't know you needed it until you had it

[xj_man_646]

The problem I had with adaptive cruise (when I was able to use it on the regular by way of development vehicles) is that I found myself getting stuck behind slower traffic without realizing it.

With systems that are capable of bringing you to a full stop, it is amazing in stop and go traffic though.

[Kurt]

Originally Posted by xj_man_646

The problem I had with adaptive cruise (when I was able to use it on the regular by way of development vehicles) is that I found myself getting stuck behind slower traffic without realizing it.

With systems that are capable of bringing you to a full stop, it is amazing in stop and go traffic though.

Yeah, that's my one complaint about it. Sometimes it slows so gradually you end up being stuck behind someone going 10 under and not realize it. But, Im still happy I have it. And the automatic hi-beams. Those are awesome too