Dodge may be a lemon, looking at Ford???

[BNewman]

My 2004. 5 quad may be a lemon soon "cronic 70mph vibe". I may not opt for a replacement vehicle. I love my Dodge but they have some issues with these trucks... like quality I feel. I may be pricing out an 05 F-250 SD PSD if the lemon comes to term.

My question is "aside from the Dodge/Ford rivalry and a few ft. lbs. of torque" why wouldn't you buy a ford? What are their quirks and over all quality like? Remember this is the hypothetical so don't kill me over it, thanks.

 

[jcarey]

If the F-250 came with a Cummins, I might be interested. However, Ford has had a lot of problems with their 6. 0L. That alone would, I think, scare me away.



IMHO,

Jim

 

[rbattelle]

why wouldn't you buy a ford?

'Nuf said.



BTW, I was at a local auto show recently and crawled under a 2005 6. 0 F-250 (literally). It had the bell-housing drip.



-Ryan

 

[DPKetchum]

Well darn read the Ford sites and archives. If your vibration in a Dodge makes it a lemon the Fords are the whole CITRUS crop! Even the 05s are showing up with LOTS of issues. I'd buy a DURAMAX 10 times quicker then a Ford Diesel.

 

[Donn]

Well darn read the Ford sites and archives. If your vibration in a Dodge makes it a lemon the Fords are the whole CITRUS crop! Even the 05s are showing up with LOTS of issues. I'd buy a DURAMAX 10 times quicker then a Ford Diesel.

I would AGREE with that !!

 

[Jeff Clark]

"cronic 70mph vibe"

Have you tried some of the solutions for driveline vibe that other members have found? It seems to do the trick.



Also, I'd buy a DuraMax before I'd buy a 6. 0 Ford, too.

 

[JCleary]

I'd stay the heck away from a Ford. We have two 6. 0's here at the shop, and it's a large part of the reason I have a Dodge. Injector problems, software problems, check engine lights that mean nothing, and even a bad turbo. All ocurring at less than 30k miles.



Really, read the diesel stop. Then make your decision.



I would pick



1. Another Dodge

2. GMC Duramax

3. 2nd gen Dodge

 

[Grizzly]

I advise you to do two things, 1; Drive a Ford, highway speed and with a load if possible. 2; Ask diesel mechanics which engine have more problems. Don't ask anyone who sells Dodge Chevy or Furd because they may be partial to their own brand. :-{}

 

[Dieselnerd]

My son in law has an '05 Ford 4x4 with the 6. 0 Diesel. He is on his second turbo and recently told me it's starting to go too. He drives a lot and has over 60K on the truck but turbos should last a long time. As far as I know, he has not had any transmission problems. His engine has also been reflashed a number of times. It's just as loud at idle as my '96 Cummins. I've driven it and it shifts nice and seems to have a lot of power but doesn't handle nearly as nice as my '05 Dodge.

 

[daytripper63]

Isn't that why they call it a lemon? Cause it's not like all the others? But if you dont want another Dodge I cant say as I would go Ford at the moment they have a few to many problems to be considered just a lemon right now, I believe they are changing motor again in 2007 going to a 6. 7 ltr and if they cant get the 6. 0 right, well. Although I will say my 1996 Ford crew cab was more comfortable in cab than my 98 or 03 Dodge

 

[evldsl]

I looked at the ford also but when I talked to the ford mechanic's they said stay away from their diesels due to the fact the trucks were in the shop all the time. This is a ford mechanic at the ford dealership in Van Nuys, California. This is no bull He told me to buy the gas engined truck not the diesel so this should tell you something. Don't be bull headed go get your driveline ballenced, it will be cheaper in the long run.

 

[DPKetchum]

6. 4 litre. Rummor of twin turbo. One for emmisons and the other cause the 6. 0 has no low end grunt.

 

[jcarey]

BNewman, why not look at an 05? Looking at the posts on the 05's, it seems that the majority of issues have been corrected. Give one a test drive and see what you think.



Or wait and look at the 06's. I'm thinking 06 because I'd like a sunroof ... or maybe a power rear window (I hope, I hope)... or maybe a dvd player (so my wife can drive, while I watch a movie :-laf )



Good luck,

Jim

 

[JL penner]

I just got back from a trip to Bakersfield in my Girlfriends 05 f350 crewcab dually. All I have to say is WOW! Very compfortable truck... more than enough power, tons of space in the cab, I really like her truck. That 5 speed auto makes for a nice trip. It made a funny noise on one of the hills though. A high squealing, kinda like the bearing in the turbo going out. Once she backed off of it, the noise never came back.



On a side note, I don't like the way these trucks sound..... I was really happy to hop back in my truck to hear the familiar sound of the 2nd gen 24 valve. Oo.

 

[KCJackson]

As disappointing as a problematic truck is, don't lose sight of the fact that <B>all</B> the manufacturers make lemons. Just on production volume, one can safely assume that for every Dodge lemon, there are 2 Ford lemons.



I had 2 Fords - 90 and 93. Both had serious issues. If the 93 had been ok, I may very well still be driving blue ovals now. But since the second one was bad as well, I made the switch. My 96 lasted almost 9 years. . the most serious issue was a clogged/leaking AC evap that had to be replaced. For that reason alone, this 05 gets a mulligan if it's a problem child (and so far, it's been flawless). I'll only leave Dodge if I get two really bad Rams in a row.



I'd say give a new Ram a chance before bailing on the brand, especially if you liked the rest of the truck.

 

[BNewman]

Well thanks,

Thanks, I guess that sums it up. Fords aren't all they're cracked up to be. Thanks for all the honest unbiased input. I hope my truck can be fixed I'm not really in to getting it replaced or going through litigation.

 

[Regcabguy]

My neighbor's on his second 03 F350. A kid at work is on his third. All buybacks, enough said!

 

[DPKetchum]

There have been posts on the Fords sites of some having THREE buybacks! One I can understand,two is outa sight and THREE is unbelievable. I feel for any un educated comsumer buying a USED 6. 0.

 

[cowboydoc]

I hate to say it but everything and more is true on the 6. 0's. I have driven Fords since the first 6. 9 back in 83 and have owned about every year since then. Up until this fiasco it had a few problems but this 6. 0 is a nightmare. After all the loyal years of service Ford screwed me for the last time on the 6. 0. It's still sitting in the shop, Ford still won't fix it right. It left me stranded four different times. The 6. 0 is a screamer WHEN it runs. I had an 03 buyback before this 05 6. 0.



I was so disgusted after Ford tryed to deny my warranty I said forget it that's the last Ford I'll ever buy and went out that night and bought a loaded 3500 dually. So far it's been a nice truck. Pulls just as good as the Ford. Only thing I miss is the tow/haul on the Ford. That was REALLY nice for stopping and for going down hills. Other than that this Dodge is ever bit the truck of the Ford. The best part is it runs!!!

 

[WDimig]

my buddy clint has an 05 f350 crew cab king ranch that has about 22,000 on it, and hes done some serious towing in the past, and the truck held up good, but every now and then on the high way, when merging off a ramp to catchup to traffic, he mashed the pedal, and truck acts like it doesent want to do anything, i look at the tach, 3200rpm and its not doin a darn thing it seems like. now i know probably biased on power, cause im used to driving my bombed 12v, but the lack of power at that rpm is just unacceptable. and punching it off the line it has very little pickup, and it sometimes doesent shift into 4th gear, you have to let off the throttle and then the torque slip will shift. its a nice truck dont get me wrong, but i would never own a ford. my advice would to go to a repuatble dealership, test drive an 05, and find one you like, check for vibrations and such, and go with it!



wes