Hi everyone,

My wife and I are looking for not only our first diesel, but for our first truck.

Budget = Under 35k
Wants:
Reliable
Ability to tow a no more then 12-13k lbs.
4x4 not required
4 doors - with the biggest interior room possible.

We will be towing a Arctic Fox 25Y trailer rated at 10k lbs.

We are located in Houston and plan on doing most of our driving within 500 miles of here. Although we will visit the West and East coast from time to time.

Thank you all for your suggestions.

 

Where do you live? What type of terrain are you driving on? Auto or manual? Really though it's all a matter of personal preference In my book. Chevys have good transmissions but expensive to work on and repair,dodge great motor not so great auto trans. With the power, ford I believe their all around good trucks some years to watch out for powered metal Rods in the 6.0. I have. Late 1999 f250 4x4 automatic ext. Cab power everything and love it. I'm a ford guy tough that's a very basic over view I don't know muc about Chevys simply because I don't like them and dot care for them, I know a little about dodges not as much as ford. All truck models will have their pro's and con's some are worse than others. Go test drive one of the three single rear wheel and dual see which you prefer, if your just hauling with it and that's it I'd get a 2wd probably dually. 99-03 ford diesels with the 7.3 are hard to beat.
Good Luck and welcome to diesel bombers!

Adam


Strokin' Away

 

I would suggest a Cummins 06-07 5.9 Mega Cab dually. The only problem with a mega cab dually is the short box on it. They do have specialized hitches to keep the trailer nose away from the cab.


Something like this:

 

What about the newer dodges? Why specifically the 06-07 5.9?

 

the newer dodges are good if they are deleted. the auto in them seem the best dodge built stock. i have a 08 mega with 110k on it. i have towed a bunch with it.

 

One thing to consider is the power train warranty. Chevrolet has the longest, being 5 years/100k. Ford and dodge expire before that. You should plan on looking for a while before purchasing in order to get the best deal. I looked for a couple months and settled for a 2009 Silverado 4X4, extended cab, with 36K miles on in. Final price was $32.5K. I was seeing 2005's - 2007's Quad-cabs for the same price. I had to travel 16 hours to actually buy the truck. Without the 4X4 you should save some money, but I didn't want to take the chance of not having it and wishing I did.

I did notice that the Rams seem to be a little cheaper and with the saved money, you could get an extended warranty. I chose the Silverado because I like the interior and I find it rides better. Others may disagree with me. Also, I had to have the dual climate control to save my marriage.

I can not verify this, but I have been told by many people to stay away from the 2003-2008 Ford Diesel (I believe it is the 6.0L). A half dozen people I have talked to (from mechanics to car dealers to previous owners) have said that that model of Ford has a terrible engine reputation. Just something to keep in mind.

Also this was my first truck as well. I am going to pulling 32-36ft 10Klbs. Hopefully I wont have any regrets.

 

ford 03 to 07 is the 6.0l... but the 6.4 seems to be a alot better then the 6.0 and has a great interior

 

5.9 mega or a 6.4 powerstroke

 

Not all 6.0 are bad, contrary to everyones belief 6.0 can be good motors it's just 50/50 you'll get a bad apple. By now though most of the 6.0 have probably been fixes of their problems, my Uncles 04 has almost 100k it's a plow truck and pulls trailers religiously he owns a landscaping company no problems ever just maintenance.


Strokin' Away

 

my early 2003 6.0 has 170,000 on it and other than one injector and a ficm it has been problem free! i HATE when someone who hasnt owned a 6.0 says they're **** because their "brothers friend" owned one and it gave them problems. if the truck has been PROPERLY maintained and a few precautionary steps have been taken they are VARY RELIABLE trucks