I'm new to diesels, and I'll be in the market for a daily driver within the next year or so. I have started my research, and my budget will allow me to get a diesel within the years of 03-08, give or take. I'd prefer to get one with low miles (under 150k), and the Cummins has stuck out to me as perhaps the best option. Powerstrokes seem unreliable, Duramaxs are hard to find, and Cummins seems to have the best, most reliable engine out there. All bias aside, please tell me about your experience driving one (especially if you have used it as a DD), and if you think it would be worth the buy. One reason I have stayed away from Fords is because I have seen so many posts saying to put $4k worth of engine mods from the get-go in order to have a reliable engine..I do NOT want to have to dump a bunch of money into an unreliable truck after buying it to make it reliable. Please tell me of your experience and if you think tbe Cummins would be right for me, and tell me how many miles would be a good buy.

 

Welcome to the forum- I got in the diesel scene last October when I bought my 06 5.9. 167xxx I didn't really know jack about diesels and am no expert but have learned a lot. Like any vehicle you buy it's important to find out some history on it. It Was difficult to find a 5.9 down here (tx) with low miles for what seemed reasonable price. Some good things are relatively speaking the best fuel economy being a 6 cylinder. Easy to turn wrenches on if needed. Plenty of power to tow, And with a few inexpensive upgrades you can create higher hp and better fuel economy. 07 is the last year (at least in tx) you don't need to deal with all the emission junk which kills fuel mileage.

Things to beware of- blow by, the 48re transmission needs to be looked after especially if there are any upgrades like tuner- dashes cracked

If you make short trips or drive in city stopping and starting a whole lot I'm not sure a diesel is the animal your after unless you like standing at the pump- being about 7,000lbs the motor can get it rolling no problem but at the expense of burning more fuel than coasting.

Check through the forum here- there's lots of good info as to what to look for and if you do end up getting one where to start with upgrades to reach your performance goals. I'm a hp junkie now and always looking/thinking about down the road upgrades. I will not go back to gas again!

 

I'm in Texas also actually, but I'll be leaving soon to go out of state for college. There's no rush for me to get a diesel, so I have a couple years to save up for one if need be. My college is about 300 miles from where I live, so if I get one it'll be able to stretch its legs a few times per semester, along with some highway driving around the city I'll be in. I have driven an 08 ram 1500 V6 for the past few years, and I'll be willing to bet I could get a diesel for even better mpg than my current truck gets.

 

Your thinking in the right direction. 03-07 Ford will get you a 6.0. Leave em stock it's still real hit / miss. Turn em up, certain doom. D-Max are a bit more durable but can be finicky and although the Allison has a cool shift pattern, it has it's durability issues. Hope you have a real deep wallet if either one of those break. Cummins is as durable as it gets. The 48RE gets a undeserved bad rap. It doesn't have a cool shift pattern, but gets it done w/ some care given to it. Any of the 03 - 07.5 Dodges will have the 5.9. After 07.5, Cummins went to a emission riddled 6.7. As stated prior, with minimal mods (just a good programmer) 20 - 23 mpg hwy, empty 2wd, is reality. Even with all my goodies on a 4x4, driving 5 -10 over posted out west here in the mountains of AZ and UT, I can average (hand calculated) 17.6 - 17.8 mpg. The 2wd 05 I just sold to a good friend w/ 326,000 on it got a annual average of 23 mpg with the prior owner (also a good friend of mine). It's had a Bully Dog Triple Dog on it since day one. As far as miles on a particular truck vs cost, I'm looking for maintenance records and / or maintenance done (shocks, belt, pulley bearings replaced, oil changes, fuel filter changes, brakes, interior in good shape, etc, etc) over just a low mile truck that has seen no mechanical love. Good rule to follow: the more stock the better. Exception to that is ONLY if you can actually meet in person who did the work and have supporting paperwork with it.