Hey all,
I'm a newbie, not just here on this forum, but to the world of diesel in general.
My intro thread - https://www.dieselbombers.com/diesel...a-fl-area.html

I'm in the process of working through what direction I should go in as far as what truck to get.

I currently drive a 2003 F150 Lariat Supercrew.

I've had the truck for less than a year, I just don't "love it"

When I bought it, I was torn between getting a F150, or F250, but since I didn't really know anything about diesel, and since I hadn't ever personally owned a truck (I'm only 24 years old, was able to use my dad's older gmc when I needed it), I talked myself out of the F250.

I own my own landscaping company so between that, and the truck being my daily driver, it is going to see a lot of miles. A pretty good split of city driving and highway driving. I'd say I'd have 1-2 days a week with a trailer behind me, the rest is either daily driving type stuff, or a bed full of tools.

Really looking for the full 4 door cab since I do end up with a couple of other guys with me rather often.
Don't need a crazy long bed, the 6 ft bed on my F150 has been ample. If I'm moving anything too big for that, I do have trailers to use.

MPG is pretty high on the priority list.
Right now, I'm averaging 14 ish in my f150. From what I've been seeing, it seems like most of the diesels get better than that.

I am decently mechanically inclined. Experience with a wrench comes with driving older cars. Especially older sports cars. But. that is all gas engines, and I know diesels are a bit of a different animal.

Currently, I am leaning towards the F250, but honestly, that is based mostly on looks. When I think "truck" I think an F250. 2000-04 isn't bad, but really liking the 2005-2007.
From what I've gathered, the 7.3 is a total workhorse, but they are getting old, lots of miles, becoming leaking, fuel eating machines. Don't expect great MPG nor much speed out of it. The 6.0 is newer, but has had its list of problems, which has actually driven the prices down to equal or less than the 7.3. Seems to be a grab bag if you are going to get a good 6.0 or not. While I'm all about modifications and performance enhancements and all of that, I'm not a huge fan of constantly having to throw money at a vehicle just to keep it on the road. Which has me concerned about the 6.0.
Like I said, I've been favoring the Fords because I don't necessarily like the way the Dodges or the Chevy's look. Dodges make me think old, beat up work truck. Which wouldn't be a problem if this was just a work truck, but I drive my truck everywhere. Chevy's just seem so "forgettable" to me. That and I wasn't impressed with the interior of my dad's old Sierra, but, I've not really looked at the diesel chevy's.

I'm more or less, just starting out my research, so any info, any advice, any direction to look in, would be awesome.

thanks!

 

i love my 6.0, but it has had its FAIR share of problems. some people have no problems at all out of them, some have tons...

i think for the position you are in, you could use a diesel and get the better gas mileage and longevity out of it.

with the 6.0's you really should do deletes and things of that nature to get it to become more reliable, but if it were up to me, i would go with a dodge simply because they seem to have very good reliability with their engines.

all 3 companies have their ups and downs. i have a 6.0 powerstroke, my dad had a 6.6 duramax, my stepdad had a 5.9 cummins, and my uncle has a 7.3 powerstroke. all makes and models have had their ups and downs..

the 6.0 tows really good and gets pretty good gas mileage, but the engine has had its problems. the bed is rusted to the point where im afraid to stand in it, but the transmission is doing good at 188,000 miles so far

the 6.6 my dad had was the worst of the bunch as far as towing.. we only put about 60,000 miles on it. it felt like a gasoline engine towing and didnt seem to have the power of any of the others ones, and the front tires turned outwards once when we had too big of a load.. we had a 36 ft gooseneck trailer with 350 bales of hay on it, but the dodge and fords both pulled this exact load every 2-3 months without problems.. the chevy did ride smoother than them all though, but it wasnt bought for that purpose. we live on a farm so had to sell it because it was useless to us.

the 5.9 cummins had 435,000 miles on it when we sold it. the body was completely rusted away almost and the front end parts had to be replaced probably 15 times throughout its life.. it shook itself apart, but it was my favorite out of them all.

the 7.3 has 287,000 miles and still going, and has been very reliable and the only problem we have had with it is the rust issue on the bed. holes big enough to fall through in it, and the body rattles like hell and pops and cracks under the front end, but never had any problems and its done it its whole life. by far the most problem-free diesel we have had on the farm as far as repairs. lets see if it beats 435k miles, though!

sorry to be so lengthy!! good luck choosing!

 

your reports of the 7.3 are exactly what I've been hearing from other places.

If it was solely a work truck, I think I would go that route, but since it is a daily driver, and all of that, my truck does need to be a little more "refined"
As it is now, I have a set of set covers for work that I take out when I get home, and I give the truck at least a quick bath when I get home so my old lady doesn't have to ride around in a dirty work truck just to do to dinner.
That is why I'm more drawn to the newer 6.0 trucks. The trucks themselves seem to be a little bit better fit.

the duramax trucks seem to be real hot or miss on if people like them. Some people praise the duramax as the end all be all of diesel trucks, and other people like you basically say they are useless.
I'm trying to find one that I can take a test drive in. People do say they make better daily drivers. It might be worth considering since I will be in it everyday, and I won't have huge loads to haul, like your big goose neck trailer. I'm thinking I'll top out at 5,000 pounds once or twice a month. I doubt any of my service trailers will ever be more than that. And assuming the price is comparable, I'd be in a position to build up the suspension some if I needed to. We'll see after the test drive.
I'm kind of in the same position when it comes to the cummins too. I've never been a big fan of dodge trucks. When I think dodge truck, I think rusty, beat up, runs like hell, construction site truck. But then again, I've never had any experience with the diesels.
Tracking down one of those in my area, for sale, or even that I could test drive, is proving to be even more difficult.
I guess at this point, I'm using the 6.0 as the benchmark. the 2005-2007 trucks. and going to compare the other options back to it, to see where I end up.
I know I like the looks of the 2005 6.0 f250. The other trucks seem more forgettable, but looks are a bit further down on the list of priorities.