I dont know what to do..i love my ford and the powerstroke but i hate the fuel mileage,cps issues that always hit me in the worst times, the maintance cost of the newer engines are though the roof. I do like the looks of my ford and the newer ones and I know the rolling chassis in great but i also love the cummins sound and fuel eco. the maintance is cheaper and we all know the cummins is a great engine. my tranny is making me nervous and its starting to take longer and longer to engauge into gear. Not to mention that the newer fords are so friggin expensive! i know if i make the choice to get a dodge everytime i see a ford i will look in envy and wish i was back but from looking from this side over to their side it just seems to make more financial sense. I pull heavy and i know i could get a new dodge dually for under 40k and have the trim levels that i desire and have the exhaust brake to boot. know i know i can get one for mine aftermarket but I dont like to monkey with them. Stock trucks do just fine for me.
When i go to the ford dealers to preice out a new truck it never fails, i can never get the trim level that i want without getting something else that i hate and i know dodge can fullfill that for me. Not to mention that they tend to have alot more 6 speed trannys that ford available. But then again I just can't seem to part from my ford i just hate the small issues that come with the psd. What should i do?

 

My thoughts are it depends on how bad you NEED a new truck. Chrysler is up for sale and could get better, worse or stay the same. Ford and Navistar can't get along and there's talk about a new Ford engine. Everyone is dealing with new EPA regulations. My wife’s friend switched to Dodge 2 years ago and loves the truck, but it sure has been back to the dealer for warranty repairs a lot. I'm not happy with all of Fords interior options but I plan on waiting until the 2009 model year and upgrading before the 2010 emissions cause a new round of problems.

 

the sad thing is that i have 188k on mine right now and i use it everyday for work and a daily driver. so i am a bit worried about the mileage and potential problems from all that wear and tear. I had a 12v before i got my psd and i really enjoyed driving my diesel then. I just loved the sound and feel of the cummins and a manual tranny. I sure dont have that feel with my truck. Its just a workhorse. Man i dont know which way to turn

 

Don't feel bad. I've got 217,000 on my 02. It's been good to be so far and been in the shop less than our friends Dodge. If everything suddenly goes south with my truck then I'll get a new one then, but I don't count on being able to wait for a couple of years after the 2010 changes. I'm just not sure if I will end up with an 09 in 2009 or 2008. Have you been checking any Dodge forums to see how they are dealing with the new motors? That's something I haven't gotten around to yet.

 

sounds like you like the cummins! maybe youll fill better if you go ahead and buy that dodge! or check this site: fordcummins.com good luck!

 

After seeing that 6.4L shoot flames out I can say this, I WILL NEVER BUY A NEW FORD. I when I hit 150K-200K I will be looking for whatever has proven itself best after a couple of years and find a used model with low mileage. DODGE, CHEVY, maybe FORD, or even who know toyota might have a decent diesel. All I can tell you is I love my 7.3L. But I will buy whatever is best when it is best for the best price. Most of us aren't made of money, I know being in the military low pay and long hours, so I look for value/longevity/durability, don't even care if it's a KIA diesel truck(Hell will freeze over) if it is what is best for me.

 

I like the cummins too. It's the rest of the truck I'm worried about. With Ford's lack of faith in Zerk fittings it's a little too late to be thinking swap. But I have been suprised my no grease suspension has not worn out yet.

 

Can we get a moderator into this forum. It seems there's alot of profanity being used. Words like Dodge, Toyota, Cummins, etc. What on earth is this forum coming to ?!

 

If i had ever gone through a situation like ClamGulch has on "the other site", i would look at www.destroked.com for a conversion of a 24v commonrail monster.

 

I have never liked ford and its all i've owned, but always LOVED the powerstroke. The zerk thing is something that has bugged me on all the cars and trucks.

Hell though, they sell replacement u-joints at autozone that are "greased for life." Just keep asking for problems.

Cummins=great ; dodge=

The body is so poorly built it's pathetic.

 

You can buy one of Brian's trannys and an exhaust brake for a hell of a lot less than a $40k CTD......and no one will be saying to you, "Sure it's got a Cummins, but it's *STILL* a Dodge!"...

 

I just had the opportunity (cough!cough!) this weekend to ride 7 hours in a '05 Dodge CrewCab gasserthrough the hilly central Tennessee region, half of which was spent pulling a racing boat (less than 1500 lbs, boat, motor, and trailer total). The truck had trouble maintaining speed on moderately long hills, had a back seat that has barely more than half the room in my F250 CrewCab, and you couldn't believe the amount of wind noise we had to put up with when you went above 70 mph. Even the front seating area was not quite as roomy as in my F250.

Don't know how that Dodge 1500 compares with a 2500 in terms of room and "fit". I hear great things about the Cummins engine, but I couldn't put up with the cereal box of a structure around it, regardless of what was under the hood.

 

what i need is a ford chassis and a cummins powerplant. but i lose the warranty and who would i take the truck to if i had issues?
I have been lurking over a cumminsforum.com and some are having isues with the 06 but not to many. seems to be the general status that if you mod most anything its going to fail you soner or later. their is one guy over their that is having clutch issues with his new aisin and 6.7. He does say that it runs like a raped ape.

 

That would be nice. Here in Washington state if you are not going up hill, then you are going down the other side with the next one in view. And they can get pretty long and steep, some of them. The low end grunt of a Cummins would be nice.
And they sound like an adolescent semi-truck.

 

i know you don't like the cps and small issues with the 7.3, but all in all its about as solid a motor as i have ever driven. i have one and my wife has one in her excursion. i figure when these motors go (in another 200K-250K miles or so) i would rather buy a new motor from international (7.3) thna get a new truck. i keep everything else up to tip top shape, interior, suspension, etc... why not just get a new motor?