Well for the future buyer, you have to ask yourself some basic questions:

1. What are you buying your truck for?
The obvious answer would be "towing __insert thing here__," but it's not that simple. Different trucks have different perks, unfortunately, none of them have the market 100% cornered. The stereotypes follow something like: Fords come more "fully loaded" than a Dodge or Chevy. Dodges have the most torque for hauling due to the inline six Cummins, but don't all the fancy features of a similar Ford. Chevy has a good combo of the two with a rock solid transmission. When it comes down to it, the constant drone of the Cummins might drive you crazy while the quiet hum of the Powerstroke or Duramax might be music to your ears. While all the trucks will ultimately get you from A to B with your __insert thing here__ in tow, alot of it comes down to personal preference. Each truck has it's ups and downs, strengths and weaknesses, and above all, which one you want to look at in your driveway.
If you are buying a diesel for the pure and simple joy of owning a diesel just in case you have to move the house next year, great! You might want to read the next question a little more intently.

2. What do you need in your truck?
Do you crave leather, heated seats with power everything, a GPS in dash and voice activated window tinting? Or do cloth seats and non-powered tow mirrors suit you just fine? As previously stated, all the major truck brands will get you from A to B just fine. If you need the style, obviously you will pay more. Obviously power windows and locks are almost always standard on newer models, but you will find with some, actually all auto manufacturers have different amenities with their different respective trim levels. The best thing you can do for an educated decision is do a little homework. Get out and test drive some trucks! You will start to notice trends in the stylings as you swap between the different vehicles. Some are built more for function, others for ease on the eye. Just remember that many gadgets can be added to the truck to make it cool, without the super high price tag.

3. What do you want out of your truck?
POWER!! This is a baited question. Asking it is almost like asking a priest, a rabbi, and a caliph to pick who's got the best religion. You are never gonna get a good answer because virtually everyone is biased. That being said there is the school of thought that the "perfect" truck would be a Ford body, Dodge motor, and Chevy Transmission. Seeing the trend? Each has something that the others don't. Grab a diesel magazine from the super market and you'll see a different truck each month on the cover pulling low teens on the 1/4 mile or towing an Abrams tank. Once again this really comes down to personal preference and opinion.

4. When you were a kid, what kind of truck did you like?
Now that you are grown up, when you are driving down the street now, which truck catches your eye the most? As stated, in the end, all diesels will end up performing almost the same (but that's a secret!). You might as well pick one you want to be seen driving in.

And now the most important question of all...

5. How much are you ready to spend?
This can change EVERYTHING! If you love the look of the new Duramax, but only have $5,000 to your name and no job, it might not be the best choice for you. First choose a truck that you like, then check out classifieds/ebay to see if you can even afford it. Then hop on the forum and ask questions!! As stated each model truck has positives and negatives that go along with them. Fuel pumps die and trannies fry, but you can know all this ahead of time to help you negotiate the final price or rest assured that the seller took care of the gremlins for you. And remember, a stock anything probably won't hold up against the aftermarket version. If you are trying to find that truck with the killer factory stereo, you can probably put one in that will sound a whole lot better. Same goes for off the line performance. Just because the stock truck you are looking at doesnt have the shiny turbo and chrome exhaust tips doenst mean you cant find one for sale at a rock bottom price.



Don't be shy! Ask questions! Everyone was a noobie at one point (yes everyone, whether they admit it or not). There are people that dove in head first and ended up regretting it later. There are limitless possibiliteis with each brand of truck. If there was a "best" truck out there, no one would be driving the other ones. A little patience and research will pay off BIG TIME!



This has not been all inclusive, but will get you going in the right direction. 9 times out of 10 the customer comes into a sale more knowledgeable that the seller of a vehicle, don't be the one who isn't!! This is a big purchase, diesel motors last longer than your typical gasser. You want to get it right the first time around. Happy Shopping!