Ford and GM diesel power speculation

[FLynes]

I don't really care what the Ford fanatics say about this new Scorpion engine, I6 engines are still way more efficient than V8 engines. Pretty soon this hp/tq peeing contest has to end. I like power, but I want to be able to go a fair distance too.

 

[HBarlow]

In the engine valley... . interesting concept.

Consider this... . if Chrysler and GM fail, that doesn't mean that Cummins and Allison will fail.

So, would we have the perfect truck then? A Ford chassis and body with a Cummins and an Allison.

Harvey, I have to respectfully disagree with you on your comment about the '03-'05's... . my current ride is a '04 F350 King Ranch and, while the engine may not touch the Cummins by any stretch of the imagination, it has been reliable for me AND none of the Dodges I've ever owned could hold a flame, much less a flamethrower, to the King Ranch interior.

It kills me that people are so brand loyal. For a lot of us, it's not the Dodge we like, it's the Cummins Turbo Diesel that sits under the hood of that Dodge. If Ford had gotten the contract with Cummins, instead of Dodge, you'd be sitting on the Diesel Stop website bashing Dodge, Harvey.

You are sadly misinformed and on a Dodge website bragging about your useless Ford. Put a hundred thousand towing miles on that piece of junk with fancy "king ranch" leather seats and come back and tell us how great it is. They are not even in the same class as a cheap Dodge Ram with manual roll up windows and plain fabric upholstery because mechanically, they are far inferior.

I pulled RVs commercially for three different RV transport companies from late January 2005 until the end of October 2007. In that time I put 175,000 essentially trouble-free miles on a 2001 Dodge Ram that had 150,000 miles on it when I started and then put 230,000 miles on an '06 Dodge Ram, also essentially troublefree. I never experienced a breakdown in 300,000 miles. Close to 50% of those miles were towing miles and many of those were towing well beyond factory gross combined weight limits.

During that time I talked to a couple dozen Ford 6. 0 owners and heard of a couple dozen more whose engines suffered catastrophic failures both during the initial warranty period and after on a second or third engine. I talked to many of the Ford owners who were broke, had no money to repair their out of warranty 6. 0 Fords, and had to let the trucks be repossessed and some even had to file bankruptcy. During that period of crisscrossing the nation's highways I saw dozens of Ford 6. 0s sitting on the side of the road and many of them, all shiny and nice with beautiful "king ranch" leather upholstery, riding on the back of roll back wreckers. Many transporters I talked to who were driving Dodges at the time had started transporting with new 2003 or 2004 Ford 6. 0s, many also had king ranch leather. Every Ford 6. 0 that was put into service pulling trailers commercially suffered catastrophic failure.

Leather seats won't make a man any money when his truck is sitting in the back lot of a Ford dealer with a crashed engine and a $16,000 repair estimate facing the owner.

 

['strokeThis_'07]

You are sadly misinformed and on a Dodge website bragging about your useless Ford. Put a hundred thousand towing miles on that piece of junk with fancy "king ranch" leather seats and come back and tell us how great it is. They are not even in the same class as a cheap Dodge Ram with manual roll up windows and plain fabric upholstery because mechanically, they are far inferior.



I pulled RVs commercially for three different RV transport companies from late January 2005 until the end of October 2007. In that time I put 175,000 essentially trouble-free miles on a 2001 Dodge Ram that had 150,000 miles on it when I started and then put 230,000 miles on an '06 Dodge Ram, also essentially troublefree. I never experienced a breakdown in 300,000 miles. Close to 50% of those miles were towing miles and many of those were towing well beyond factory gross combined weight limits.



During that time I talked to a couple dozen Ford 6. 0 owners and heard of a couple dozen more whose engines suffered catastrophic failures both during the initial warranty period and after on a second or third engine. I talked to many of the Ford owners who were broke, had no money to repair their out of warranty 6. 0 Fords, and had to let the trucks be repossessed and some even had to file bankruptcy. During that period of crisscrossing the nation's highways I saw dozens of Ford 6. 0s sitting on the side of the road and many of them, all shiny and nice with beautiful "king ranch" leather upholstery, riding on the back of roll back wreckers. Many transporters I talked to who were driving Dodges at the time had started transporting with new 2003 or 2004 Ford 6. 0s, many also had king ranch leather. Every Ford 6. 0 that was put into service pulling trailers commercially suffered catastrophic failure.



Leather seats won't make a man any money when his truck is sitting in the back lot of a Ford dealer with a crashed engine and a $16,000 repair estimate facing the owner.

Really hard to argue with that. Thats why I bought Dodge. Not just for the engine, but for the truck

 

[FLynes]

You are sadly misinformed and on a Dodge website bragging about your useless Ford. Put a hundred thousand towing miles on that piece of junk with fancy "king ranch" leather seats and come back and tell us how great it is. They are not even in the same class as a cheap Dodge Ram with manual roll up windows and plain fabric upholstery because mechanically, they are far inferior.



I pulled RVs commercially for three different RV transport companies from late January 2005 until the end of October 2007. In that time I put 175,000 essentially trouble-free miles on a 2001 Dodge Ram that had 150,000 miles on it when I started and then put 230,000 miles on an '06 Dodge Ram, also essentially troublefree. I never experienced a breakdown in 300,000 miles. Close to 50% of those miles were towing miles and many of those were towing well beyond factory gross combined weight limits.



During that time I talked to a couple dozen Ford 6. 0 owners and heard of a couple dozen more whose engines suffered catastrophic failures both during the initial warranty period and after on a second or third engine. I talked to many of the Ford owners who were broke, had no money to repair their out of warranty 6. 0 Fords, and had to let the trucks be repossessed and some even had to file bankruptcy. During that period of crisscrossing the nation's highways I saw dozens of Ford 6. 0s sitting on the side of the road and many of them, all shiny and nice with beautiful "king ranch" leather upholstery, riding on the back of roll back wreckers. Many transporters I talked to who were driving Dodges at the time had started transporting with new 2003 or 2004 Ford 6. 0s, many also had king ranch leather. Every Ford 6. 0 that was put into service pulling trailers commercially suffered catastrophic failure.



Leather seats won't make a man any money when his truck is sitting in the back lot of a Ford dealer with a crashed engine and a $16,000 repair estimate facing the owner.

You know, Harvey, that's what I've always liked about you. You are a sad sad bitter little man who isn't happy, unless he's complaining about something and trying to put other people down.



Look in my post and tell me where I'm bragging about my F350. Since you're illiterate, I'll reiterate it for you in small words, so you can understand; I'd use crayon, but I'd be insulting 5 year olds then, so here goes:



Cummins best engine... . I like a lot.



Powerstroke worst engine... . I no like.



Dodge interior suck..... dash crack, seat hurt back.



Ford interior good... . seat good and heat good for back.



Now, read that with a caveman accent, like on the late night cheesy movies you watch by yourself in the dark and try to understand that.



Next I suppose you're going to tell me that the 48RE is a superior transmission to the TorqShift 5R110 or the Allison 1000 . Better yet, tell me that the 47RE/RH transmissions were reliable and never had problems. :-laf



Truth is, I miss the hell out of my '05 2500, but the seats killed my back on long trips... . I was in Special Forces and have done three combat tours; I think I have the right to want a comfortable interior and, no, at the time I didn't have the money to buy a truck with the Laramie package or put in aftermarket seats.



And not every Ford with a 6. 0 that pulled commercially suffered catastrophic failure. I'm waving a giant BS flag on that one. I don't like the 6. 0 engine at all, Harvey, but don't make stupid blanket statements like that. There are plenty of guys who are still pulling commercially with no problems, because they've taken the time to make sure they don't suffer catastrophic failure. Towing well beyond your GCWR? There's a stroke of genius. I'm glad you never got into a situation that could have resulted in someone's death.



You're the epitome of a grumpy old man, but you make me laugh, Harvey.



Now, look at my sig... . I've highlighted a portion of it, so you don't have to put on your trifocals.

 

[HBarlow]

That's a real nice speech and some really cute insults but it doesn't change the facts. I'm not interested in your choice of seats although, as retired military myself, I do commend you for your Army service.

The 6. 0 Navistar engine used in the Ford application was and is a piece of junk. I've read the engine cost Ford something like $50 million dollars in excess warrany claims and created serious legal issues and litigation between Ford and Navistar that is probably the reason Ford is now rumored to be designing and building their own diesel engine. Ford had to buy back thousands of 2003 and 2004 light trucks with 6. 0 engines. If you bought a used one there is a good chance that the one you bought was a buyback. For a couple of years in 2005 and 2006 the used truck markets were flooded with Ford buy backs and trade-ins. Many of the times owners had major problems with their 6. 0 junkboxes and were threatening lemon law buybacks or lawsuits Ford informally traded the owner out of the truck to avoid formally buying it back.

I wrote about the very poor 6. 0 Ford engines and you, apparently very sensitive about your king ranch with leather seats, like most ford owners, brought my name into your posts. If you don't like reading the facts about 6. 0 Fords, don't browse on the Dodge website. Stick to the mutual admiration society for Fords over on the ford site.

I couldn't care less what you choose to drive or, for that matter, what any other adult chooses to drive. Your choice, your problem. I reported a widely known fact. Ford 6. 0 engines were and are junk. I consider information useful to individuals who my be contemplating owning a used 6. 0 ford.

And yes, as a matter of fact, the MOPAR 48RE transmission is much, much stronger than a lousy Ferd 5 speed automatic. The Ford slush box wouldn't last 50,000 towing miles behind a Dodge Cummins. The difference in engines, the awesome low end torque of the Cummins inline 6 cylinder diesel would destroy the ferd slush box. I drove a new six speed manual Ferd 6. 0 in 2003 when they first came on the market. The engine produces about as much torque as a Briggs and Stratton below 2000 rpm. That is the reason why the weak Ford automatic transmission with lots of small fragile looking components and stamped steel parts will last a while behind the sick ohh.

Stop whining and be proud of your leather seats.

 

[FLynes]

That's a real nice speech and some really cute insults but it doesn't change the facts. I'm not interested in your choice of seats although, as retired military myself, I do commend you for your Army service.



The 6. 0 Navistar engine used in the Ford application was and is a piece of junk. I've read the engine cost Ford something like $50 million dollars in excess warrany claims and created serious legal issues and litigation between Ford and Navistar that is probably the reason Ford is now rumored to be designing and building their own diesel engine. Ford had to buy back thousands of 2003 and 2004 light trucks with 6. 0 engines. If you bought a used one there is a good chance that the one you bought was a buyback. For a couple of years in 2005 and 2006 the used truck markets were flooded with Ford buy backs and trade-ins. Many of the times owners had major problems with their 6. 0 junkboxes and were threatening lemon law buybacks or lawsuits Ford informally traded the owner out of the truck to avoid formally buying it back.



I wrote about the very poor 6. 0 Ford engines and you, apparently very sensitive about your king ranch with leather seats, like most ford owners, brought my name into your posts. If you don't like reading the facts about 6. 0 Fords, don't browse on the Dodge website. Stick to the mutual admiration society for Fords over on the ford site.



I couldn't care less what you choose to drive or, for that matter, what any other adult chooses to drive. Your choice, your problem. I reported a widely known fact. Ford 6. 0 engines were and are junk. I consider information useful to individuals who my be contemplating owning a used 6. 0 ford.



And yes, as a matter of fact, the MOPAR 48RE transmission is much, much stronger than a lousy Ferd 5 speed automatic. The Ford slush box wouldn't last 50,000 towing miles behind a Dodge Cummins. The difference in engines, the awesome low end torque of the Cummins inline 6 cylinder diesel would destroy the ferd slush box. I drove a new six speed manual Ferd 6. 0 in 2003 when they first came on the market. The engine produces about as much torque as a Briggs and Stratton below 2000 rpm. That is the reason why the weak Ford automatic transmission with lots of small fragile looking components and stamped steel parts will last a while behind the sick ohh.



Stop whining and be proud of your leather seats.

Dang, you are one funny little fat man, Harv.



At least we can agree that the 6. 0 is a crappy engine, but mine (knock on wood) has been reliable and hopefully will be, until it gets its transplant.



As for the 48RE being more stout than a 5R110, you, cur, are smoking some seriously powerful stuff. But you didn't answer the other part of my question which was, "Is the 48RE more powerful than the Allison 1000?" What was that? I couldn't hear your silence.



Come on, lemme hear some more drivel from you, because you are freakin' hilarious. Tell me how the Dodge dashes aren't prone to cracking... I've only owned three Dodge Rams, which, according to you, means I apparently don't know spit about them, compared to your vast plethora of knowledge.



You drive one Ford that's six years old and that makes you an expert. Leno should book you; you'd make a fortune.



So, I'll type slower and maybe you'll get it.



I a m n o t b r a n d l o y a l . . . . I l i k e t h e C u m m i n s e n g i n e . . . . I d o n o t l i k e t h e N a v i s t a r 6 . 0 . . . . I m i s s m y 2 0 0 5 2 5 0 0 C T D a n d s h o u l d n o t h a v e s o l d i t , b u t t h e s e a t s h u r t m y b a c k s o I d i d b e c a u s e I d i d n ' t h a v e t h e m o n e y t o p u t i n a f t e r m a r k e t s e a t s.



Was that slow enough for you? Did I whine? Did I say my truck was superior to yours? Do you understand that I am a Cummins fan and not an International fan? Or am I being too obtuse for you?

 

[HBarlow]

I'm glad we agree about the superior Cummins engine. Your opening comment defending your Ford 6. 0 sure didn't sound like you considered it inferior to a Cummins.

Awfully sensitive about your Ford, huhhh? You seem to become a little angry when you read criticism of your choice.

You think and write much like the Ford owners over on the Ford site defending their choice of truck. Like them, the only solid claim you seem to make is that your ford has comfortable king ranch leather seats. I don't dispute that so I guess we agree also that fords have nice seats.

 

[FLynes]

I'm glad we agree about the superior Cummins engine. Your opening comment defending your Ford 6. 0 sure didn't sound like you considered it inferior to a Cummins.



Awfully sensitive about your Ford, huhhh? You seem to become a little angry when you read criticism of your choice.



You think and write much like the Ford owners over on the Ford site defending their choice of truck. Like them, the only solid claim you seem to make is that your ford has comfortable king ranch leather seats. I don't dispute that so I guess we agree also that fords have nice seats.

Good, Harvey, I'm so glad that we finally agree then.



The ONLY reason I bought this truck is because the Dodge dealer I bought it from didn't have a 3500 DRW on the lot. I bought the truck for $23,000 and got $12,000 in trade for my '01... $11,000 for a loaded truck isn't bad, even if it is a Ferd.



My '01 was a great truck, but the back seats were getting way too small for the kids, and shifting was starting to hurt my knee and back bad. Being in a Special Forces unit is cool, when you're young, but I'm feeling the repercussions of it now.



I'm going to have a nice, bulletproof truck, once it gets the CTD transplant. The PowerJoke emblems will come off and the Cummins badges will go on. Hell, I might even Dremel the F350 part off of the King Ranch badge and put the 3500 numbers on the door, to throw people off.



As for the TorqShift not being able to handle the low-end torque, I guess we'll have to see. If I have enough cash, I would like to put the Allison 1000 in it; there would be no question about reliability then.



When it comes to being sensitive, you couldn't be further from reality.



Truth is, Harvey, you and I like pushing each other's buttons, and you know it as well as I do.



Go ahead, grin. I am.



BTW, thank you for your service too.

 

[HBarlow]

Okay, I'm grinning.

 

[msperos]

Well, now this thread is going down hill... ... ... ... ... ... . :-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf

 

[Grizzly]

I've had two Dodge 3500 DRW, Laramie, with a 5. 9 Cummins and 6 speed standard transmission. . The first one was a 95, which I drove for 10, total trouble free, years. Although it was the Laramie, it had the most comfortable cloth seats I've ever had on any vehicle. I towed my first 5th wheel to Alaska and back and I hauled my 11' 3" Lance camper for 7. 5 years. Never a problem and no crack dash. So far my 05 Laramie with leather seats has been just as good and it also has been to Alaska with the Lance camper. It's a great awesome powerful truck.



Prior the the 95 I had a Furd F250 gasser. Talk about a piece of crap. I went through three engines in 10 years. When the third engine went south, I gave the worthless furd away.



I totally agree with Harvey on Dodge reliability and the great I-6 Cummins over a worthless Furds, even if it has the King Ranch.



I too have served two terms in Armed Forces for our country.

 

[HBarlow]

Well, now this thread is going down hill... ... ... ... ... ... . :-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf:-laf

Yeah, you're right. It gets dull and boring here when it's all love and kisses.

I think Grizzly may have stirred it up again above when he reported his dashes have never cracked. My dashes have never cracked either.

As many of us TDR members have reported, I bought a 2001 Cummins HO engine wrapped in a Dodge dually platform. I had never owned or cared to own a Dodge before. I had also never before put as many miles on any vehicle as I have now on two Dodge Rams. Now I am as loyal to the Dodge platform as I am to the Cummins engine.

My first Dodge, now with 350k miles on the odometer, has had a VP-44 injection pump replaced due to a misdiagnosed problem, two transfer pump replacements, one Jacobs exhaust brake replaced at around 180,000 miles, one head gasket replacement at around 210,000 miles, and the NVG-5600 six speed was rebuilt at 302k miles. The truck still has all the original front end parts except the front sealed hub assemblies which were replaced at around 215k miles. The front brake pads were replaced once. The rear pads are original. No u joints have ever been replaced. Nothing in the interior such as gauges, switches, or electric door locks or electric window lifts have every been replaced. The entire interior is original and in excellent shape. The driver's seat has a frayed place on the outside edge from sliding in and out too many times. I sold the truck to my daughter and son-in-law in early 2006 at 325k miles and they only use it occasionally as a backup and for towing an occasional trailer. I still drive it occasionally and it runs great.

IMO you can't beat the reliability and cost of ownership of a Dodge-Cummins when used as a work truck. Any pickup can provide transportation but heavy hauling or heavy towing separates the trucks from the cars with big wheels. Ferd 6. 0s never even came close to competing and I think Ford Motor Company probably knows that a 6. 4 Ford/Navistar is little better otherwise they wouldn't be spending a $billion to develop a new engine . . . which won't compete well against a Cummins either.

 

[FLynes]

Yeah, you're right. It gets dull and boring here when it's all love and kisses.



I think Grizzly may have stirred it up again above when he reported his dashes have never cracked. My dashes have never cracked either.



As many of us TDR members have reported, I bought a 2001 Cummins HO engine wrapped in a Dodge dually platform. I had never owned or cared to own a Dodge before. I had also never before put as many miles on any vehicle as I have now on two Dodge Rams. Now I am as loyal to the Dodge platform as I am to the Cummins engine.



My first Dodge, now with 350k miles on the odometer, has had a VP-44 injection pump replaced due to a misdiagnosed problem, two transfer pump replacements, one Jacobs exhaust brake replaced at around 180,000 miles, one head gasket replacement at around 210,000 miles, and the NVG-5600 six speed was rebuilt at 302k miles. The truck still has all the original front end parts except the front sealed hub assemblies which were replaced at around 215k miles. The front brake pads were replaced once. The rear pads are original. No u joints have ever been replaced. Nothing in the interior such as gauges, switches, or electric door locks or electric window lifts have every been replaced. The entire interior is original and in excellent shape. The driver's seat has a frayed place on the outside edge from sliding in and out too many times. I sold the truck to my daughter and son-in-law in early 2006 at 325k miles and they only use it occasionally as a backup and for towing an occasional trailer. I still drive it occasionally and it runs great.



IMO you can't beat the reliability and cost of ownership of a Dodge-Cummins when used as a work truck. Any pickup can provide transportation but heavy hauling or heavy towing separates the trucks from the cars with big wheels. Ferd 6. 0s never even came close to competing and I think Ford Motor Company probably knows that a 6. 4 Ford/Navistar is little better otherwise they wouldn't be spending a $billion to develop a new engine . . . which won't compete well against a Cummins either.

Well, ain't nuthin' you can say about the King Ranch interior that's gonna bother me, cause... ...



I MADE THE SFC LIST YESTERDAY!!!!!



Okay, now on to the cracked dash thing.



I found a, what appeared to be gorgeous in pictures, 2004 Deep Molten Pearl 4x4 with everything I wanted on it... . Quad Cab, gooseneck, 4x4, leather interior and the heated seat option. I was in heaven, but the catch was that the truck was at a Dodge dealership in Houston... if you know where San Angelo is, this is a bit of a hike..... this is when I still had the '01.



I get on the phone and talk to the Dodge salesman in Houston, whom we'll call Doctor Doom, and asked him a few simple questions:



1) How is the exterior? Doctor Doom's Response: There is one dent, at the front bottom part of the passenger fender, where it meets the door. From the dent, there is a scratch that goes all the way back to the rear quarter panel, but it's light... . okay, I can deal with that, it's a truck not a Vette.



2) How is the interior, was it a smoker's truck? Doctor Doom's Response: The interior is in perfect condition, with slight wear on the driver's side seat. It has never been smoked in (SAY IT WITH ME)... . as far as I can tell.



3) How does the truck run? Doctor Doom: Like a champ, no problems whatsoever.



So Brooke and I decide to make the 7 hour trip to Houston and get this truck. When we got there (2PM), we were told that Doctor Doom was gone for the day, but that another gentleman, we'll call him Flag Smasher, was more than willing to help us... . red flag #1.



I look around for the truck, but I don't see it. Flag Smasher says it's still in the detail shop, getting the final touches done for us. I asked to go back and see the truck and, after some hemming and hawwing, Flag Smasher hesitantly agrees to take me... . red flag #2.



When we get to the detail shop, there's the truck (I'm looking at her from the front) and it looks beautiful (Deep Molten Pearl is gorgeous, when detailed). Then I walk down the steps and look at the passenger side, where the dent is... ... the dent is there, just like in the pictures, but what catches my eye is the scratch that goes all the way back to the tailgate, and it ain't no scratch, it's a gouge and it's deep... . red flag #3.



Okay, so I can get the scratch/gouge fixed... I'm still psyched about getting a 3500 DRW 4x4 and my repentance will be complete for getting rid of the '05 2500. I ask Flag Smasher if I can take the truck for a test drive. Flag Smasher responds, "Uh, I thought you were just going to buy it, not test drive it"... . red flag #4, and now I'm getting ticked off.



I insist that I want to test drive the truck now, so Flag Smasher gets in the truck and starts it..... jesus, I've never heard a Cummins with a straight pipe... I don't know how you guys deal with it, because the drone was horrible.



Flag Smasher backs the truck up outside and puts it in park. I get my first peek at the interior... cigarette burns all over the carpet..... f'ing great, Doctor Doom bamboozled me, and this is when I remember "AS FAR AS I CAN TELL". I popped the hood and, of course, the whole engine compartment is covered in their detail goo. Flag Smasher says, "She's got more power than your '01", to which I respond, "My '05 had more power than this one too", so now Flag Smasher looks worried, because he thought I didn't know squat about the new trucks.



As I'm looking over the engine, I notice that there used to be an EGT probe in the exaust manifold... now there's a bolt with orange Perma-Flex gooped on it... . same thing with the intake..... red flag #5, but I'm thinking, okay I have an excuse to get a 3-piece manifold and a nice intake... . I'm still in denial.



Brooke, the kids and I get in the truck to take it for our test drive. First thing I notice, when I get in is the dash (OKAY, THIS IS THE POINT OF MY POST, RESPONDING TO THE CRACKED DASH PART)... . it is cracked from the driver's side to the passenger side, in four places. Now, I've heard of the 2nd Gen's having problems... personally, my '01 had never cracked either, but this thing looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it in anger... it was uuuuuuugly, as Ron White would say.



We take the truck around the block several times, and the exhaust drone is starting to give me a headache, along with the cigarette smell that has permeated every crevace of this truck. On the third pass around the block, I decided that I could not, in good conscience, buy this truck for my family at the price they were asking for it ($21,900)... . but I'm still in denial.



I get back to the dealership, which is conveniently located next to IKEA (Brooke wanted to get some shopping done anyway) and Flag Smasher is nowhere to be found, so I hunt him down. He's on the phone with someone talking about when their tee-off time is. He gets off the phone and asks me with a smile, "So she drives great, huh?" I tell Flag Smasher that the truck has several problems, one of which is the dash that's cracked all over and the second is that the once-leather steering wheel had obviously been worn and some moron decided to use liquid leather and paint over it, making a huge mess, added to the horrible cigarette smell, which Doctor Doom had told me "NOT THAT I CAN TELL". I tell Flag Smasher that there's no way I can pay what they're asking, given the price of a new dash and steering wheel. I am now bargaining.



Flag Smasher tells me that he doesn't have the authority to drop the price (of course), and that he needs to talk to his manager, we'll call him Darth Vader. Flag Smasher comes out, after his obligatory hiatus with Darth Vader, and tells me that they can only drop the price of the truck $500. I tell Flag Smasher, in front of his other evil henchmen, that I drove 7 hours to buy a truck that was mis-represented, that smelled like the inside of George Burns' rotting corpse and that he, Doctor Doom and the rest of his dealership can go to hell. I am now in anger.



Brooke, in her infinite wisdom and the wonderful wife she is, tells me that we should go to IKEA, so that the day isn't lost. I agree and am now in acceptance that the 2004 Deep Molten Pearl 4x4 CTD Quad Cab I so wanted just wasn't the one for me.



By the way, notice I kept the name of the dealership out of this, but for those of you intimately familiar with Houston, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the name, given there's only one IKEA in town.

 

[Grizzly]

Well, ain't nuthin' you can say about the King Ranch interior that's gonna bother me, cause... ...

Okay, now on to the cracked dash thing.



I found a, what appeared to be gorgeous in pictures, 2004 Deep Molten Pearl 4x4 with everything I wanted on it... . Quad Cab, gooseneck, 4x4, leather interior and the heated seat option. I was in heaven, but the catch was that the truck was at a Dodge dealership in Houston... if you know where San Angelo is, this is a bit of a hike..... this is when I still had the '01.











Why put up with someone else's problems and smoke, buy it new. You can't beat the great incentives right now.

 

[FLynes]

Well, ain't nuthin' you can say about the King Ranch interior that's gonna bother me, cause... ...

Okay, now on to the cracked dash thing.



I found a, what appeared to be gorgeous in pictures, 2004 Deep Molten Pearl 4x4 with everything I wanted on it... . Quad Cab, gooseneck, 4x4, leather interior and the heated seat option. I was in heaven, but the catch was that the truck was at a Dodge dealership in Houston... if you know where San Angelo is, this is a bit of a hike..... this is when I still had the '01.











Why put up with someone else's problems and smoke, buy it new. You can't beat the great incentives right now.

I wish I could, Grizzly, but I'm still trying to close on this house, and buying a new truck would put a hit on my credit report I don't need. Plus, Brooke really likes the hauler on our truck, which is why I want to go the transplant route. Here's a pic of the truck.



on edit: The other thing too is that I don't like emissions equipment on diesels... Ford screwed the pooch on the 6. 0 and 6. 4 and Mopar followed suit with the 6. 7... I keep hearing about problems with the DPF, on both the Ford and Dodge... haven't heard anything about the Duracrap. If I were to get another Dodge, it would have to be a 2003-2005 5. 9L.

 

[FFeiller]

nice looking ford rig.



my dodge 08 5500 slt has all the refinements my dog and i need. take cloth over leather any day.



i know the drive from huston to menard very well and SA is even further.

 

[HBarlow]

Congratulations, FLynne, on being selected for promotion to Sergeant First Class.

Yeah, owning a home is a lot more important that a new Ram. Keep your credit report clean, at least until after you close on your mortgage.

If you get ready for a new Ram eventually I can give you names and numbers of a very honest, straight up Dodge dealership that will treat you with honesty and respect. No tricks, no games, they will do exactly as they agree to do. I have bought three Dodge Rams from them, over the phone, ordered exactly as I specified, for $100 over invoice and I received a copy of the invoice just to keep my suspicios little mind satisfied.

That tow bed would look real nice if it was attached to a real truck!

 

[AKaiser]

Dodge interior suck..... dash crack, seat hurt back.

... .

Truth is, I miss the hell out of my '05 2500, but the seats killed my back on long trips... . I was in Special Forces and have done three combat tours; I think I have the right to want a comfortable interior and, no, at the time I didn't have the money to buy a truck with the Laramie package or put in aftermarket seats.

Amen on that. I don't have that problem in my Challenger on long trips. Gotta love heated seats. Hats of to you SSG. Otherwise, I love my truck, and am dreading having to possibly (hopefully not) sell her. Long term plan is to put an Ally 1000 and better seats in her.

 

['strokeThis_'07]

it would have to be a 2003-2005 5. 9L.

Why not 06/07s? Just curious

 

[FLynes]

I like the exterior look of the '03-'05 better. Plus, I'm not really crazy about the seats on the '06.