Feeling somewhat torn about a decicion I'm making.

[y-knot]

Rossco,

Your a little old to have someone hold you by the hand and lead you to the Dodge or Chevy dealer. It your truck so just go buy the dammm thing and get on with your life. Your posting on a 99% Dodge site isn't going to tell you anything you don't already know, since you had 5 Dodge trucks already. If you like the Chevy then good, go buy the thing and let everyone know how it goes. All the big three diesel dealers have there pluses and minuses. Dodge has a ****ty auto, rear-end problems and don't forget the stupid lift-pump and engine management problems the new trucks are having. Chevrolet has a better auto, but it is not all that strong. There diesels are lack-luster compared two the other two. The trucks ride very smooth, and their 4x4's look like 2WD. The interior of the Chevy is very plush, some like that, I don't. The Ford in my opinion is hands down the best automatic and even engine at this point. The new front suspension works much better then last years model. Their 4x4's look the part and do very well. Interior on the Ford is generic looking, and I do not like the way the diesels sound. If I was in the market for a new truck, I would most likely get a Ford. My dad is going to buy a new truck here in the next couple of weeks, maybe I will get him into one?? Me I'm none with Trucks, I have two and plan on keeping them for a long time, no payments . I recently bought myself a new CAR, the first car i had ever bought for just me, and I love it.

 

[EEdmondson]

If the seat bothers you, have an upholstery shop add some padding... a cheap mod compared to what most people spend on their trucks. BTW, my girlfriend's 04 Silverado 1500 Z71 with power cloth seats puts my butt to sleep in about 1 1/2 hours of driving.

 

[joaker]

Wow!! Interesting... . I have worked in the oilpatch for quite a while now, and we have had a lot of GM's for company rigs, I have found that on long trips, the GM seems to have an ugly seating setup, too plush, and they only recline a tiny bit, which sucks for the passenger who may be trying to sleep or something, as well I am unsure of the price difference out there, but here, the GM is substantially more money to buy. As quoted somewhere above, the IFS system in the GM is more on the "car" side of the spectrum, smooth ride with poor durability. The cab size is about to change hands with the coming the the monster sized cab for '06, I think it's a bit different appearance wise, but if you are looking for cubic feet, it is likely a good option. The engine is hands-down better in the Dodge, there is a thread on here about how many miles people have on their 3rd gens, there are people out there with over 200k on them!! How can you argue that? I am curious, if you are only keeping a rig for less than 100k, why even buy a diesel? Must be towing. I think BHolm hit the nail on the head, get the Ford with the V-10, nice big cab, solid truck, and a fair price less than any diesel, good luck anyway you go.

 

[Rosco]

Y-Knot, I never realized you were the warm sensitive type :-laf .



Anyway, I just got back from the Chevy dealer where the truck was all cleaned up and the paperwork was sitting on the desk waiting to be signed. However, I had informed the salesman before I drove up there (dealer is 60 miles away) that I wanted to drive the truck one more time to make damn sure I was 100% satisfied before I inked the deal. During this second test drive I really focused on the entire truck and didn't let that new car smell cloud my judgement. When the test drive was over I got out of the truck and told the salesman that this was not the truck for me. You should have seen his face .



I will try to give you my opinion as to why I walked.



1. The Duramax makes way more racket under way than the Cummins does. It sounded like all the injectors needed replacement at 22 miles. I'm sure it was actually running fine but it was too loud for my liking.



2. The frame is no where near as stiff as my Dodge. It feels like a pogo stick when going over bumps in the road.



3. Every time I stopped or accelerated from a stop I felt a driveline clunk.



4. While cruising around 10 mph and 1000 rpm's the engine surges, definitely some bad engine programming.



5. As others have stated it does not feel "heavy duty".



6. On the drivers side floor the carpet felt wet and from all the reading I've been doing over on the DieselPage it seems GM has a problematic leak that is most likely coming from around the windshield.



7. The GM tow mirrors don't hold a candle to the Dodge mirrors.



However, I will tip my cap to GM on there seat comfort (biggest reason for almost making this blunder) and the sound quality of the radio.



The bottom line is that this truck was going to cost me an additional $22,000 over what I owe on my Dodge and no seat or radio is worth 22G's.



My truck may have a few irritating quirks but as I drove away from the Chevy dealer I turned up my lousy radio, smiled, and felt relieved I didn't make a costly mistake. Now I just have to go and reinstall my toolbox and brake controller Oo. .

 

[joaker]

Excellent choice IMHO.

 

[EEdmondson]

Rosco,



Now go get some padding added to that seat.

 

[MMiller]

Rosco,



Now go get some padding added to that seat.

And find a stereo shop to fix the tunes!



Glad to hear you stayed here. You must make a whole bunch more money then me to trade vehicles like you do. But I guess you don't own 3 red dodges like me



Michael

 

[j.m.mcfly]

only real trucks have solid front axles cars have independant

 

[BILLUA]

I have recently driven all 3 3500, DRW QC diesel automatics



You are wasting your money on the GM. The ride is horrible, The engine doesn't inspire power, the steering and brakes blew. The only thing cool was the Allison. the rest of the truck is JUNK! The GM is so far behind the Dodge and Ford it is not even funny. The thing I think when I see someone in a Chevy D-max is that they could not have possibly driven a Ford or Dodge.



That is a brutally honest opinion from someone who has driven all 3 within 24 hours. .



Don't want a Cummins??? Then absolutely buy a new Ford, you will be impressed!



Cheers, Bill

 

[Dean Upson]

Rosco,



Now go get some padding added to that seat.

Rosco,



I am camping with Fireman and Casey in Tennessee and I did not know of any of this until Fireman told me. When I get back in about 3 weeks, I will give you a call and we will go to the Track Nine and try to get some meat on your a**!



Dean

 

[abdiver]

I realize that the seating thing is an individual issue. My wife has a bad back and often used a TEENS unit for pain when we traveled. So before our purchse we tried and looked at all three brands throughly. She decided the Dodge was by far the most comfortable and after 25,000 and two cross country trips it has proved to be. She no longer uses the TEENS unit when we travel and I find the seat as comfortable as any I have used.



I guess our body shapes (or mis-shapes) just happen to match the Dodge and we are happy.



Have had no warranty issues as yet.



j ripley

Sorry to hear about you wifes back pain, my wife also uses a TEENS unit. She drives a Honda accord to her Kaiser Pain Clinic every Thursday if she feels good enough. The HONDA and MY NEW 3500 Quad have heated seats my wife finds the heat helpful. It was difficult for me to find a 6spd with heated seats.



I find the honda seats not that comfortable but wife loves them maybe it's just the leather she likes.

 

[Tim]

only real trucks have solid front axles cars have independant

#ad




You better tell this guy that.

 

[jwduke]

IFS does work in that case.....

 

[livetodrive]

Test Drive Chevy/GM Before Committing

Any diesel fan considering a DumbaMix 6-speed should be sure to test drive one before committing to a purchase. I had a real hard time finding one on a dealer's lot - they only stocked slush pots - but finally found one that the substitute dealer-to-dealer trade guy traded for by mistake. The low-end torque was nothing like the Cummins - stalled on about one in three launches - drives more like a gasser, but for $5K more. This was in 2002, right before the third-gen Dodge was announced at the Chicago auto show, but given GM's target audience I have no reason to believe they have fixed their engine. (Once I saw that announcement, I waited a year to get my '03 Cummins/Dodge and have been very happy with it. )



I do like some of the creature comforts offered on the GM products, but the Cummins is the only diesel pickup offering for me (seriously considered an F-650 to get a Caterpillar or Cummins crew cab before the 3G Dodge came out). A friend of mine has a loaded Chevy Suburban with fancy leather seats - I've never been so uncomfortable in a full-size vehicle!



Bottom line - try before you buy.



Happy shopping.



Alan.

 

[Matt400]

FWIW- A Chevy HD2500 came in the shop yesterday, its an 8100 gas with Allison and the trans is toast at 84K with no towing or heavy loads. We have not seen a 48re yet but did see a 47re little over a year ago that they tow backhoes with. The Allison is only 5100. 00 installed, not as bad as I thought but still a choker for the customer.

 

[jwduke]

I dunno, a buddy of mine tried to sell me a Duramax, and I thaught the seat was quite stiff, plus the suspension seemed to have no give on rough railroad tracks.



Plus, my Dodge was $4,000 less than a Chebby. Chebby dealers around here WILL NOT deal! It's list price or, C-ya.



Good luck, but I think you will miss your Dodge.

 

[Ol'TrailDog]

Just in case you have second thoughts, I'll add my . 02.



We have three Duramaxes here, two six speed and an auto. Actually, we hoped if we order a six speed diesel we would end up with CTDs - didn't work out . Five out of five families have Dodges, with four of those CTDs. Two people just transferred and both had Dodges with one of those being a CTD. There are also two older Chevy gassers personal rigs here. Plus we have two company Super Duty V10 autos. One of the CTD owners considered getting a Chev gasser last month when he traded his 03 in (cooked the turbo bearing towing (yes it had a box ). But for the cost of the Chev gasser he could be driving another CTD - do the math . Bottomline, plenty of opportunity for comparisons



Anyway, the opinion on the duramaxes six speeds is they are not very good at all for pull off the line with a loaded horse trailer. Plus, the shifting seems harder to locate than even the NV5600. Once you get the trailer up to speed and hauling down the highway the Duramaxes do okay. The allison was into the shop twice with less than 10K. Under the hood these trucks are nightmares compared to the CTD if you plan on doing any preventive maintenance yourself.



The Ford SD V10 autos seem to work quite nice. However, imho the seats are far worse than my Dodge. The interior is spartan at best. Neither the Chev or Ford brakes can match the Dodge. In addition, I'm glad that I do not have to pay the fuel bill on the V10s. Personally, I'd take a Ford over the Chev but not a 6. 0L. Therefore, I'll stick to the CTD.



I have to admit I also checked out a Duramax a couple of years ago. In retrospect, after hearing about and driving the Duramaxes here, I'm glad I stuck with the CTD. All three of my trucks have been trouble free except for a few small items like a fusable link recall, the door strip TSB, a plastic doodaw broke, a speaker needed warranty replacement. The BIG parts, i. e. engine and drive train, have been excellent. Plus, according to the last issue of TDR, all complaining and flaming aside, so far the Gen3 have a much better reliability record than the "fabled" 94-98 Gen2s. Even if it is a drive-by-wire e-ngine and probably is going to implode sometime in the next few minutes.



My . 02, keep the truck, put the $22K into quality seats if necessary. There are some threads on some top quality aftermarket seats folks have installed. Or keep the truck for truck duties and get a comfy car for cruising. Or if you have second thoughts and get brand X keep us posted on your experience.



Edit: Opps, I forgot there is one toyota tacoma on site also.

 

[jsimpson]

My brother has a 2000 Duramax Allison and has had excellent trouble-free service out of it. He hates his seats but I love them. I like his transmission better than mine, but we both like my engine better than his. of course, his IS stock! We both agree my Cummins one ton rides MUCH better than his Duramax three quarter ton though. I had to make the same decision and it was a tough one. I'm ashamed to say my decision finally hinged on style. I can't stand th look of the Chevy and love the look of the Dodge. I tow a good bit, including a 38 foot Wells Cargo reverse fifth wheel, and he doesn't tow at all. There you have it.

 

[Elite1]

I have one buddy with a dura-max, nice truck but he has had injector probs... have one buddy with the 6. 0 ford, he has had injector and puter probs, been in the shop alot.

We all got our trucks about the same time, mine has had the least problems, my only prob was the lift pump which quit at about 50k, this may be due to my 100 HP box.

One question for you about the rear main seal weeping, what kind of oil are you running?

 

[jwduke]

A guy I work with has a Ferd PS, he really belived it was the greatest thing on the road. He drove my 04. 5 last week, and... ..... well as "Paul Harvey" says And now you know the rest of the story! well he ordered a new truck Thursday, and it wasn't a Ferd or a Chebby.