I like my duramax but realistically I'm looking soon at dropping $1000 for tires, $1000 for new brake rotors and pads, and it would be a wise $4000 for the remaining 7 injectors... So far ball joints are okay but further down the line that will need to be done too and I can't stomach all those costs in my current state. My rent went way the hell up in winter. I was splitting a house with a friend and the landlord increased rent and we couldn't find a third guy to move in. The only cheap places I found were in cramped houses with 3 other people, so I stayed... This sent me broke after a few months until we finally found another guy to move in. I was starting to recover and pay off my bills and then my truck decided it was too good for its injectors, an axle seal went out and then it took a wheel bearing and hub with it. I need to get rid of it ASAP just to recover and get myself settled again. I make decent money but this city is retardedly expensive. That's pretty much it in a nutshell. Hindsight is 20/20 and I feel stupid for not having the foresight to see that this would be a likely outcome, but I definitely learned my lesson. I'm just trying to cut my losses now and move on. The sad thing is that now there actually are cheap places for rent right now, hundreds of them. All winter there was nothing.

 

Sorry to hear of your misfortune brother. Grab yourself a nice 12v cummins (did I just say that) or a nice NBS powerstroke and call it a day. I miss the hell outta my powerstroke.

 

Thanks man. I have also been checking out some 12V's as well haha. I'm just going to take my time though. A half ton gasser really isn't looking to bad right now either. So much cheaper!

 

Ya half ton gassers are cheap...

but they are also weak.. suck gas... suck gas (not diesel), and aren't any fun hehe.

Plus you cant pull sh*t with them.

12v cummins are great. EXCELLENT mileage, terribly easy to work on, they last forever, and make power as easy as it is for you to hop in the shower.

I've never been a dodge guy.. but I sure the hell am a cummins guy.

 

Hate to see you going through tough times but unless the trucks you are looking at don't have tires and brakes or ball joints, those will probably need them too at some point. If money is tight I wouldn't be trading for a used truck unless it was just way cheaper somehow and then I would prepare for those same expenses as they are all wear items found on EVERY make of truck. Tighten up and do what you gotta do and get through it. If it means trading down, then so be it and move on. Not trying to be arguementative or anything here, just telling you from my experiences.
Stay safe out there.
Ken

 

While I love the body style and even the old 7.3 Powerstroke, you will not escape costly injector issues with that setup. Injectors are a LOT of money and are even somewhat difficult to get in the proper configuration without emptying the wallet for the mid 90s powerstroke trucks. Additionally, they have an issue with a crimped turbo down pipe that robs hp (takes some effort to switch) and are well known for having problems with the wiring harness under the valve covers, which short out injectors and cause misses.

My kiddo just bought one (quad cab short bed) and he is looking to dump $1800+ into just the injector/wiring to get it running right, and that is with us doing the work. 8 injectors at close to $200 a pop, plus wires adds up fast! Right now, it is only hitting on 5 cylinders.

We figured it was worth it, as the rest of the truck is CLEAN and the price was right.



At the end of the day, the Cummins is probably the engine to have, but the Dodge bodies have their issues. I have one because of the engine (which I LOVE) and have been fighting bugs since I bought it. The truck only has 55,000 original miles though, so it is gonna be good for a long time. A plus is that I am almost doubling the miles per gallon of the Ford on side-by-side pulls. We'll see how it is after he gets everything fixed on the Powerstroke, but I'm adding hp and torque at the same time. Right now, leave him in the dust and only fill up once to his 3 times, but time will tell... It is fun building the two side-by-side and comparing what is good/bad between the two platforms.