Powerstroke or Cummings or Duramax???

[Pemerling]

well im finally gettin close to buying my new truck. ive got the money together but i cant deciede what i want.. Im choosing between a gmc 2500 with a duramax diesel, f250 with 6.0 powerstroke nad a dodge 5.9 cummings HO.. anywone have any opions or info about each...? also what kinda gas mileage will i get out of each.? thanx

 

[Heath]

Well, if you're looking to buy soon I'd take the ford off the options list... I'm not a fan of buying anything the first year that its out. Wait until its been out for at least a year for them to work out the majority of the bugs...

 

[GaSouthern1]

I would go with a dodge, the new Ford motor is awesome but like Heath said it probably needs a little time to work out the kinks. Does the 1997 SOHC ring any bells? I have seen some awesome things done with the dodges and they are just so freakin strong, you cant beat them right now...unless the ford turns out to be dependable and all.

 

[CoryL]

I didn't know Dodge moved to using a Cummings motor?

I was certain they were still using Cummins.

If it is a new vehicle, go with the Dodge. If it is a used in the last few years, go with the Ford.

 

[Pemerling]

anyone heard anything good about the duramax.. i really like the gmc truck line, seem to be a step above the chevrolet... im going to the dealerships today to get more pricing done.. i have about 5 different trucks to choose from and i cant decide what i want.. so im doing a cost analysis but i cant do that untill the dealer gives me a more realistic price

 

[FourXFred]

the duramax is the quietest diesel out of the three. besides that i havent heard much either good or bad about them. the thing to remember about the chevy is that it has IFS, and in my opinion, all trucks over the 1500 category should have a big, solid front axle. if you can stand the way the new dodges look id go for one of those. otherwise go with a ford.

 

[Iowa Hick]

We run Cummins cause they last forever, a place in Fort Madison had one with 500,000 on it, the sold it to another guy and hes got it up to 800,000 now,

Personally the most we ever put on one was 300,000 on a 95, but it ran like a top and had more power than the 98 we bought when we sold it

The only problem dodge has is after a few years the electronics start going bad: radio, fuel gauge, headlight switch, etc. Not a big deal if you got a salvage yard close by, sometimes kinda pricey if you go with new

We've never had a duramax but i have talked to some people that do, so far the only guy i have heard complain said sometimes all of the sudden his get so you couldn't run over 1800 rpm, he said it usually didn't last long but it was a hassle, he also said it burned up injectors pretty quick, i think the reason he was having so much trouble is that he put a chip in the truck to get it to turn (according to him) 90 more horse than factory, which is a hell of a lot to turn an engine up, he said the last truck he had was a cummins, and he put a chip in it and kept turning the center out of the clutch

As far as the powerstroke, i know the 7.3 model was expensive as hell to work on ($3000 for injectors) and according to the diesel mechanic we go to they were his best customers, haven't heard much about the 6.0

for gas mileage our cummins (not the 24 valve so i don't know how valuable this will be) gets around 15 without a trailer and about 12 or a little less with one (i can't remember for sure) but it is very low geared

another note a guy we know that also does custom trucking has a 7.3 powerstroke and he is on his 3rd or 4th transmission, he has also tore the rear end out of it a time or two, dodge did have some transmission trouble around 97 but i think they have it all worked out now

 

[Pemerling]

my cousin has the 7.3 and he absolutely loves it.. he works it day in and day out and he highly recommends the 6.0. the major factor in all of this is gas mileage.. this will be the make or break for the diesel.. I have had some reports of 18 to 21 out of the 6.0 and the new dodge. If this si the case then the diesel is definetely the one i want. also i will be living in wyoming next year.. how much of a pain in the ass will it be for me to start it in cold weather.. I have much experience with diesel engines with glow plugs so i know what its like. but these engines are different

 

[Pemerling]

also anyone have a clue where i can find gas/diesel prices around the country. I will be moving to wyoming in 6 months and i know gas is extreemely expensive out ther but diesel is cheap? anyone know of a particular statistic website?

 

[VairKing]

Make sure the truck you get has a block heater, our Cummins Dodge at work has one, and as long as its pluged in, it will start in any weather.

 

[Magicfan25]

First a bad chip will screw up all kinds of stuff, including the injectors if the chip is over working them. Injectors will not run at maximum capacity for very long before wearing out.

If you look on www.blueovalnews.com theyve reported a few glitches in the new 6.0 powerstroke, but it seems most of its been taken care of. Some of the problems were related to cold weather though. I drove a new F250 with the 6.0 powerstroke and damn it was a nice truck. Diesel will get on down the road. Not as quiet as I thought though.

So far the only bad thing Ive heard about the new Duramax is that the new powerstroke has more power.

 

[CoryL]

I have a 2000 7.3L F250 4x4 with the 4R100 automatic and 3.73s. I put 30,000 miles on it the first year I had it.

When I first got it, I had the rear pinion seal go bad, but it was covered under warranty. The other problem I had was with the cam position sensor. I guess from time to time at random they die on you. I put a new one in and haven't had a problem since.

I have friends with the late 90s era Dodges and they have had electronics problems, as was mentioned above. The motors are still kicking ass though.

I have heard about quite a few problems from Duramax owners. The two biggest problems seem to be injectors and the allison transmission. I also do not like the fact that they have IFS.

Check out http://www.thedieselstop.com and read as much as you can.

 

[Iowa Hick]

We have forgot to plug in our cummins before, it might clang and bang and smoke but it has started everytime so far no matter how cold it was

I will admit the new dodges are pretty ugly, you might try to find an '02 that didn't get sold yet

 

[RFR2212]

One of my good buddies has a Duramax 2500HD and it's a nice truck... pulls well, hasn't had any problems to my knowledge so far. Can't go wrong with the Dodges... Cummins motor has been around for a long time, where as the duramax and new powerstroke haven't been out nearly as long... I was reading around awhile back of problems comming up on the new PSD... 7.3 PSD's have been around a long time and are a good motor

 

[james t]

the only experience i have had with Cummins/Powerstroke was with heavy towing. IMHO, the Powerstroke will beat the Cummins unloaded, but loaded down the Cummins starts to shine. both are manuals. i know several with the Duramax and so far the Allison tranny seems to have alot of issues. i think the jury is still out on the longevity of the Dmax. personally, i would pic the Cummins with a manual tranny.

 

[Pemerling]

thanks for all the information soo far.. keep it coming.. i still havent heard much in the way of gas mileage.. anyone have any ideas im just trying to get a good ballpark.. i will not be using this truck for too much towing but i drive a hell of a lot

 

[GaSouthern1]

A guy i know here at school has a 7.3PS with a 60hp chip and exhaust and a few other things and driving conservatively he gets about 20-23 mpg (by his account) so that is pretty awesome.

 

[Pemerling]

well guys sorry about all this.. i finally ran the numbers and the diesel is just out of my reach. and by looking at my cost analysis it seems that the diesel wont be worth it afterall.. im going to test drive the two more trucks before i make the decison but it looks like the gmc 2500hd is the winner.

byu the way the ford dealer tried screwing me yesterday on my trade in and stuff so i pulled out my financial calculator and proceeded to embarass him and the manager untill they finally brought the price down to an acceptable level.. howver i dont like the way the f250 rides so its in second place

 

[prIapIsm]

I have a '03 Dodge Cummins (QuadCab, Laramie, 4x4), and love it! Ugly? I guess there are some people who think its ugly, but most people like the new look. Also, I have the block heater, but it starts just fine even in -10 degree weather, as I found out. It has all kinds of sophisticated electronics to help out there, to make sure the fuel system doesn't ice up and the intake is electrically heated.

Also, on a recent 1000 mile trip, I averaged 12.3 mpg towing my modified grand cherokee on a trailer, and 20.1 mpg without the trailer.

 

[Hokie]

We had an engineering conference here recenty and Cummins was one of the companies that I got to talk to and see their demonstrations and stats and what not... I would say that the Cummins motor would be the best motor out of the group, too bad its stuck in a Dodge. I'd say the best truck would be the Ford but i'm also gun shy of a brand new Powerstroke... too bad Ford can't pick up Cummins or Banks...