Yes - I made the switch over to Chevrolet after many, many years of Ford Loyalty. Several items to ponder about why I made my decision, but the bottom line is...I just never really liked my 6.4. Sure I'd brag about it, talk good about it trying to convince myself I liked it, but at the end of the day I was never satisfied with it...mainly because of the horrible fuel economy compared to my 7.3 psd.

I'm the proud new owner of a 2010 Chevrolet Silverado LT1 4x4, crew cab, Z71 (white) and I love it. Several things brought me to Chevrolet after a LONG period of Ford loyalty. First let me say that I wish I had NEVER sold my 2001 Ford F350 7.3 diesel. That was a heck of a truck and selling it was a mistake. I wish Ford still made the 7.3 PSD. If they did...I might not be a Chevrolet owner today. I also will announce now that I will NEVER (ever) own a black truck again. NO WAY.

I digress...

Can't wait to learn all about these new Silverados. I have always said if I ever stepped out of the diesel truck world back to a half-ton...I'd be going back to Chevrolet. Just never liked Ford half-tons very much. They are okay, but I've always preferred GM 1/2 ton trucks over Ford F150's.

I need to take some pics and post them up, but for now the truck is all stock. I do plan to add a leveling kit, some black wheels (XD Rockstars probably), and 33" tires eventually. But for now I'm just enjoying that new-truck smell for the 1st time in my life. I also have to get used to buying gasoline instead of diesel. That's going to be another nice change.

I was worried about towing my boat (27' flat-deck speed boat) but this weekend I hooked it up and it towed like a champ. Never felt worried, pulled great, stopped great. Very pleased.

Not saying Chevrolet Silverado 1500s are the truck for everyone, and I will still miss my 7.3 PSD...but I'm sure glad I made this change. Hopefully Ford will produce something to compete with the 7.3 one day and I'll come back. For now...I'm in a Z71.

 

Good luck...Those things rattle apart in under 50k miles. My Bro-In-Law has one. You don't have to worry about anybody stealing it...It's too ugly.

That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

P.S. I average 18.6mpg in my 6.4 PSD, and 16 in the city...hand calculated with nothing other than a cetane additive.

 

Just wondering if you would still like your 7.3L if you still had it, really. Could you really like your 7.3L knowing it has less horsepower and less rear wheel torque (stock truck) than even the V10 gas Ford? I'm not trying to get into a gas/diesel debate, but rather I'm speaking about the power wars over the years. Seems like the 7.3L was a GREAT engine at the time, even into the years when the 6.0L came out, but I really wonder if when Chevy, GM, Dodge, Ford were coming out with more and more power in their engines if you would really stick with the 7.3L over the newer offerings? If Ford decided to make a "one-off" 2011 truck with the 7.3L and offer it at the same price as all the other manufacturers offering 2011 trucks, would you really want it over what's available power-wise?

I don't mean this as a "dig" at all. I just know I really liked a couple of the older vehicles I've owned and remember all the positives about them, but deep down, I'm sure there's more to the newer vehicles than all the little quirks I seem to remember fondly about my older vehicles.

Good luck. I've got a friend with a 6.0L Chev 1500HD (sort of a 1500 badged 2500) and he loves his truck. Your truck is much newer, so it's probably a much nicer truck than his.

 

I don't know why some judge a truck or a truck's engine solely on fuel mileage!

 

It's never as black-and-white as 'Ford good, Chevy bad'.

I had to have a crew cab, and wanted a diesel for towing. Having just purchased an '01 F350 7.3 PSD, and living in Colorado, the simple answer for me was 'turbo'. I had a '99 V10 F250 that I felt was gutless and a gas hog (It was the 2v version of the V10). I'm sure the diesel will cost me more in $$/mile, but having some actual throttle response at my elevation is a wonderful thing. I agree that the 7.3 is not particularly quiet, efficient, or powerful, but I didn't like any of Ford's engines after the 7.3, and Dodge didn't make a true crew cab until much later. A Duramax/Chevy would have been quieter, more powerful, and more efficient, but I don't like the low-rider frame and cheesy interior (reeks of cheap rental car, IMO). There were also virtually none for sale used, as apparently no one bought them in my area. There is no perfect truck, for sure, so I accepted the 'old Ford' compromise over the 'huge money for a newer Dodge' compromise. (One GM advantage: with the Chevy I could have sold my plow truck and just use the air dam below the front bumper for snow plowing ;-))

 

wow, you bailed on Ford right when the new 6.7 comes out with WAY better MPG ???


good luk with that chevy, your going to need it.

p.s. you wont get 33"s into a chevy front end without at least a full 4"s lift if not more.. those front ends are designed to run car tire sizes up front. even a 265 is right at the edges of teh fenders when you turn the wheel.

how can you stand the cheap plasticy interior of the new GM trucks ? i cant even wrap my head around how people can see that, and still make a purchase.

oh well, cya when you come back to Ford. i dont think it will be long.

 

Good Luck on your choice

My wife (Texan) loves okra whereas I hate it so to each his own

 

sounds to me like a 1/2 maybe all you need to begin with. They do ride nice. Enjoy and let us know occasionally how it is running.

 

He'll be back, when he "comes to his senses".

 

goodbye, good luck and y'all come back now heah!

 

....Sounds like I used to feel about my ex-wife.

Good luck w/ your new ride. I hope it treats you well.

 

I actually DO plan to come back after a couple years.
I hope the 6.7 proves to be everything I've been hearing about it. I'd like to see Ford put in a diesel engine that is deserving of the reputation the 7.3 psd earned in its long tenure. I'd say neither the 6.0 or 6.4 has been worthy of the PSD badge. Not to say the 7.3 was the most powerful, most refined, or perfect...but I guess that's what I meant by my other comments above - I want Ford to finally produce another "legendary" engine with the advantages of today's technology/refinement. I want to be the next "7.3" (even if it isn't a 7.3 liter exactly)...does that make sense?

Until then...I'll be in my Chevy, and looking fwd to the day when a new "legend" is born from Ford. I'm definitely not trying to hate on Ford. I love PSDs and look forward to buying another one 1 day.

 

Good luck with the Chivvy. I considered going back to a .5 ton and made a nice compromise. The .5 ton engine in a CC F250 is working out great for me. Quiet, no issues and light city driving isn't a problem for it. Can't deny I like the interior of the new Chevy...

 

the silverados are good trucks, i have had 4 before the f250 and all of them combined have not been in the shop as much as my f250 and it only has 50k miles, i still like my f250 better though, i know many people who have the 2000 and up model silverados with several hundred thousand miles on them with little trouble.

 

Two things I have never understood about FTE'rs.

1. Why some are convinced that Ford is the only good truck and why they have to show their *** to any other brand.

2. Why some buy one of the other good trucks and cannot resist coming back here asking for abuse.

Good luck with your new truck. I'm sure you will love some things about it, and hate others.