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Alright guys I need your opinions. I am thinking about putting my truck up for sale and getting a newer 6.0 crewcab, or a guy at work is selling a crewcab duramax for a great price. My main point to sell is that I need a crewcab. I know a couple of guys that had the duramax and love them, I like the good strong tranny they have behide them, but I know they will have their share of problems too. On the other hand the years of 6.0 I am looking at is 03 to 04 and I know plenty of people have had their share of issues with these motors/trucks. I have heard a lot of problems with the egr valve on the 6.0, is this only a problem when you chip the motor or is it a problem period? I know people will tend to be bias and so am I but I am looking for anybody who has experience with either of these trucks. Thanks
Why not buy a newer 7.3 crew cab? It's a buyer's market, tons of deals to be had. I wouldn't go for an early 6.0 or a D-max... ever. Late 6.0 maybe, but deff. not early.
Aaaaaaaaaaah, YES.
Just my opinion, but if it were me I would find another 7.3 with the lowest miles you can. You are already familiar with your truck and know what to expect. And you can keep your DP and have it reburned.
I dont like chebbies and cant ever see myself owning a 6blow.
When I was looking for a diesel I had a friend, a 25+ year Ford mechanic with TONS of diesel experience tell me that if I bought a 6.0 that he'd hit me up-side the head.... repeatedly... unless it was an '07 or late '06. His co-workers backed that sentiment.
6.0s CAN be good vehicles but are infamous for clogged EGR valves, blown turbos, and heads lifting. Yes, there are fixes for these issues (remove EGR, ARP headstuds) and they are faster than the 7.3.... but I doubt they will ever the moniker "legendary reliability" applied to them like most 7.3s have earned.
As for the Allison, it has it's share of grief too. It's nowhere near the bulletproof tranny the name implies.
Have you considered just selling yours and getting a 7.3 CC?
I would certainly not EVER get a D-Max. But i'm a Ford guy, so I guess i'm baised. Secondly, if I was going to get a 6.0, I would look at a 05-07 truck. That way you get the less troublesome of the 6.0s (although these can still have problems), and you get the better ride and turning radius. I would make sure that I got one that was still under warranty though, or I would look into an extended warranty.
I have thought of getting a newer 7.3 CC but just is hard to find one with low miles. It is a buyers market and thats why i am afraid i am not going to be able to sell my truck, but we will see.
When I was looking for a diesel I had a friend, a 25+ year Ford mechanic with TONS of diesel experience tell me that if I bought a 6.0 that he'd hit me up-side the head.... repeatedly... unless it was an '07 or late '06. His co-workers backed that sentiment.
6.0s CAN be good vehicles but are infamous for clogged EGR valves, blown turbos, and heads lifting. Yes, there are fixes for these issues (remove EGR, ARP headstuds) and they are faster than the 7.3.... but I doubt they will ever the moniker "legendary reliability" applied to them like most 7.3s have earned.
As for the Allison, it has it's share of grief too. It's nowhere near the bulletproof tranny the name implies.
Have you considered just selling yours and getting a 7.3 CC?
My neighbor, who is a 20+ year Ford diesel mechanic at our local stealership told me the exact same thing. I bought my truck with 156k on the ticker and he told me that would last me longer than a 6.0 with a third of that. So far he's been right. I'd avoid a 6.0 unless you've got the cash to throw around to fix the inevitable
The 7.3 crew cab is what you should be looking for. Now that diesel fuel is down, it is a good time to sell your ext. cab. It is probably well taken care of and lots of people would like to have it. Clean it up and put a For sale sign on it and see what happens. In the mean time, start looking for your 7.3 CC......They are the best of the bunch!
i have been told on several occasions that the allison that chevy uses is just the allison casing with GM parts inside. i wouldn't trust it either way since my old boss just blew his allison up that is in his 08 d-max. only had 35,000 miles on it!!! hahaha. anyways, i'm with everyone else. 7.3L CC or '06-07 6.0L with lots of money left for headstuds, egr delete, and turbo upgrade.
Dad now drives a 2006 6.0 F350 DRW 4x4 with Reading service box on it.
It has 24.5k miles on it right now. It's had the computer redone, part of the wiring harness replaced, and a new injector put in already. Fortunately it was all warranty work.
Dad had a 2000 7.3 F350 DRW 4x4 with Reading service box and the only problem it ever had in its 130k miles was the CPS.
So basically they are the same truck. Being treated the same way by the same driver. The 7.3 was much more reliable.
If you go the Duramax route...make sure you get from 2004.5 on up (LLY Engine till sometime in '06). You do not want an LB7 D-Max, they had lots of injector issues. Best choice would be an LBZ which most 2006's had. The Duramax/Allison combo is awesome and makes tons of power in stock form (specially an LBZ)...I know this is a Ford site and I own a Ford and love it but...The D-maxes are very strong and able vehicles too.
Last edited by 4EXTRDR; Mar 5, 2009 at 06:49 PM.
Reason: .
I am biased as well. I wouldnt buy a 6.0 unless it was a 06-07 and i would definitely get an oasis report done on it. As for the chevy i cant ever see myself driving one unless it was a work truck. I have heard stories that the allison isn't all it is talked up to be