I am currently looking to buy my first diesel truck. I have always owned gassers and am getting tired of having my trips through the mountains from Ohio to SC as a sequence of flying down grade and to keep pace with traffic on my way upgrade with my truck screaming for mercy. I have always owned and played with Chevys and have my mind open to any of the big three. I'm gonna buy used and would appreciate some honest advice as there are pros and cons to all of them. Can't afford the new line of diesels, wish I could, but am not going to buy another new gasser and have the same feeling on my trips. I am leaning towards the Cummins as of now and have been doin alot of research both online and in person with owners of all makes.

 

Get either a first gen or second gen 12 valve. They can last forever, they are cheap to upgrade, get amazing mpg and can haul some *** if tuned the right way and ive seen them beat the new diesels at every game. They are fun to drive, easy to work on and wont quit you if you take care of the thing. thats just my 2 cents though

 

Dodge: I like the ISB 5.9l 24v Cummins built from mid 1998-2003 the common rail ISB is another excellent choice, mid 2003 but the 2004 was the start it had a 600 ftlbs of torque it produced till mid 2007. Some of the first gen guys will disagree because their trucks are easy to work on and modify. The first gens are good for a beginner.

Ford: Any of the 7.3l are good solid trucks, 1994-97 OBS 1999-2003, 2003 7.3l are rare.

GM: Any truck from 2001- 2005 good solid trucks, just expensive to work on. Real finicky with some modifications, but it tunes rather well. all-around good power and fuel economy rig.

 

RUSTIN gave you some good information, the GM DURAMAX LB7 have injector problems, FORD POWERSTROKE 1999-2003 do have CPS that go bad{I sold my 1999 & NEVER changed the CPS} DODGE CUMMINS have the VP 44 injection pump that go bad. BOTTOM LINE all three will have a weak spot

 

any of the three would be a good truck. of course im gonna be more "biased" toward a cummins since i own one but they are all good trucks. even the 6.0 powerstrokes are good as long as you delete the egr and add head studs they are reliable. my advice is go drive them all and see which one you like the best. the 98 1/2- 02 Cummins with the VP44 injection pumps are good as long as you keep the injection pump well lubed with an aftermarket lift pump like an airdog or Fass system. the duramaxes are also a tough engine but like was said above they have some injector problems but once they are addressed they are good also. go drive em all and see which one fits. thats my .02 cents

 

Do u haul people/kids around? I love my truck, tons of room to work under the hood, pretty easy and cheap to get stuff. But my main regret is the dang tiny back seat. It sucks. To me there is something about the later 6.0's that just look awesome and the room is amazing. But the mega cab is a totally different beast. So if u got some friends to lug around try the megacab.

 

I'm currently looking at a 08 Dodge mega cab 4x4. I usually make my trips on the weekends and have my lab and girl with me. You see who came first. Lol. Seriously though, it's hard to tell myself " don't jump into anything" , even though everything I've looked at I have already started making modification plans to it. Lol. Can't have a truck like somebody else has, it has to be mine and like all my past gasser trucks, the new owner usually gets "heh, wasn't that Mikes truck?". Feels good doin all the work yourself right!!! You guys are right, weakness's in all of em. The tranny in the Dodge is what's holding me back right now. Love the power in it and the ride is comparable to my Hd. It's bone stock and has 65k. Decisions decisions. Thanks for the responses.

 

I would go with the Dodge but I would stay away from the automatic transmission, Go 5 or 6 speed. P pumped 12v or 24v. In my opinion the cummins is the best to pull with. But ya know what they say about opinions

 

Thanks I was gonna point the exact same things out

For a Cummins I would go with an 03-07 5.9, they are pretty reliable, get good mileage, and make good power. For a Dmax go with an 06+ LBZ or LMM. The LBZ was the first line of Dmax's that didnt have widespread problems. They can make lots of power with just a tune.

 

I am a GM Master Tech I agree with gunman41mag for Gods sake stay away from the LB7. The LLY isn't that bad of an angine. I would stay away from the the 07 and on to avoid the headache of the DPF. The 6.0 Stroker is a good running engine when it is, most I have encountered had problems with trubos and EGR, If ya run em hot and crank the fuel that isnt too much of an issue. I had a 6.4 in my service truck, It ran like a striped *** ape, but was always broke down. The Cummins with the VP 44 arent too bad, have one my self, but if you run an aftermarket fuel pump such as FASS or AirDog you wont have too much problems with the injector pump.
But yeah they all have their pros and cons. Best of luck with whichever ya choose
Going from a gasser to any diesel you wont go back