02 duramax

 

Well said cumminspwwrram59.
They're all good engines or there wouldn't be so many of them around. Each manufacturer has had their share of problems. I do know what you mean about your perfect world. I have two big Cummins at home. Heck of an engine...
Stay safe out there.
Ken

 

ya like one of these guys above said the cummins will most likely last longer. but if your lookin to beef it up then beef up the tranny. same to be said with the dmax. the allison isnt bulletproof either. id go with the cummins just because thats all my family drives. but like they said buy what you can afford. if you cant decide in the long run pick the one with the most diesel in the tank and tread on the tires

 

The only thing you have to watch for in a Dmax is that in the LB7 (01-03) they made the head gaskets a bit to thin and may have a problem with that but you can't always look at the motor for instance in a dodge, they have weak bodies that rust, weak frames and bad transmitions Ecspectially in an auto and over all the quality of dodge just doesn't compare to a chevy my dad said he's had them all , Powerstroke, dodge , and chevy and no matter what your always going to have your problems with no matter what you drive, but in the end Chevys are just in the shop less and are longer lasting.

 

I've driven both Chevy and Dodge diesels on the job, and handled the maintenance on both. They are both capable trucks, but I have a Cummins in my driveway

 

i agree with blacktruck, the best thing to do in my opinion is to find the truck that best suites you. The cummins motor is strong one, and the duramax is right there with it. I have seen both trucks with their own fair share of injector and tranny problems. Alot of that may depend on how the previous owner has treated the 2 trucks. Find the one that you think youll be happy with and stick too it. even if you have to put a little work here and there in either one of 'em thats just part of ownin a diesel. Good luck with the choice and id like too see what you decide to choose so keep us posted.

 

resale will favor the chevy, they are pretty hard to come by depending on the market. everyone here holds on to them so it's kind of a unicorn to find.

both engines are fairly equally specced, and you really can't lose with either. the chevy can be pretty wicked with EFI live and a shift kit, same with the dodge and a tuner. but once you start adding power like that you WILL run into breaking parts.

either you pick I would suggest getting a REALLY good fuel filter and that shuld keep injector issues at bay.