Steve,
I read your posts. You did a great job unlike most of the the others over there. I particularly liked the guy who would definitely have a Cat or a Cummins in a boat, but not a truck because it's way too much engine. Well, for that guy and the others like him who complain about the noise from a Cummins, stick with a gasser and don't waste your money on a wanna-be diesel for your truck.
One of the career firefighters who used to be at the station where I volunteer got a '95 Ram with the Cummins 12-valve. I still had my '92 Dakota at the time and was jealous. One night he had it in the engine bay and had just got done with an oil/filter change. He fired it up to do the standard checks and our Captain, who is a die-hard Chevy type, walked out into the engine bay and gave him a hard time (in jest) about how much noise it made. After the Captain left he turned to me, winked, and said, "You know what that sound is Tim? That's the sound of power!" I never forgot that, especially when I got my ISB.
I have people all the time whine or comment on how noisey my Ram is. My reply to them is, "Yes, it may be. But, it sure made you look and take notice as to what was coming. Didn't it?" I hardly ever get a reply. Funny how I never hear that about Fords or Chevys. I've owned GM cars and I liked them. When I got my first truck, it was a Dakota. But when the new style Rams came out and then Cummins upgraded the B to the ISB, I just had to have one. There was no question. My Dad has been a mechanic at a Cummins dealership for almost 40 years, so maybe I'm a bit biased. If you want a good diesel truck that's consistent and willing to work, get a Dodge with a Cummins in it. If you want a diesel truck just to have a diesel upgrade from a gasser, then get a Ford PSD or a Chevy DM. Just my humble opinion.