Those that upgraded from 2nd gen

[Joseph Donnelly]

My experience has been very positive. No wind noise; no pulling to the right (I have a 2500 qc long bed 4x4); no vibration and noise at 2000 rpm; seats are fine for me, as good or better than my 97; same mpg as the 97 got new. I did notice that there is no hood insulation but with the quiet engine, it's not so important. I do wish they had put the rear wheel well liners in at the factory.

 

[SMorneau]

For me buying a new truck is too much like buying a used truck. You may be buying problems. Even though problems may be covered under warranty the odds of achieving long term satisfaction from DC are just too low! Much of the aftermarket is a testament to this fact.



Joe, they will sell you the rear liners. How nice of them

 

[HEYBOSS]

Originally posted by SMorneau

It seems, the 24 valve guys are not looking back but the 12 valve guys either wish they had kept them or still have them



I never figured I would sell my truck and now its not worth getting rid of. I'll just have to tough it out with my old clunker and maybe look forward to a 4th Gen

Hey... ... ... . I'm with you. Just wait another year and you can get the new 600. Then they're all be upgrading again

 

[BillGotthelf]

I kept my 99, it's my daily driver Hot Rod. Its on the lift awaiting a twin turbo (ksbib/b2) combo from Mark Kendrick, 5" exhaust and some Mach 5 or 6's.

I love my 2003 dualie 2wd x cab. I DON'T like the leather seats, I have been told that the stock fabric seats are 2" longer-that would help. Also the seat base in the 2nd Gen moved up and down and pivoted back and forth. You could raise the back of the seat so the lumbar support really worked. The 2003 seat is fixed at the seat back so my lumbar support is to high on my back.

I have a slight vibration at 1900 to 2100 but I can live with it. I tow alot and do not notice the wind noise reported before. The engine is very quiet and I get better mileage towing than with my 12v 96 dualie 4x4 x cab. The fender liners came with my truck, I love the 6 speed-using only 2,4,6 around town. Better brakes than my 99-be interesting to see how the pad life compares with my other trucks.

What would I change-SEATS.

 

[HEYBOSS]

WTF Batman... ... ... wait, wait man... ... ..... Did you drive a Duramax? Won't you take one for a ride and you'll be impressed. Heck they can go 2 or 300k on their motor too and no vibration issues, noises, ball joints etc. They have real four doors, real transmission, sit nice and low (means easy to wash and access to bed) and much better looking than the Dodge.



PS. don't worry about trying to get 400k out of the motor, you don't keep'm that long.



Good luck.

 

[Reb.B]

we bought an 03 a while back and wasn't very impressed with it. I still feal that the 98 12v is the best truck ever built. i buy them up when ever i get a chance.

 

[DPelletier]

Heyboss,

I drove a couple of duramaxes. There is nothing about the chevy that is better than the 3rd Gen. Go hang out at the chevy site and you'll see that they have thier own problems. The frame is ridiculous and the new chevys look like smashed ass. I'll give them points for thier Allison, but since I drive a six-speed, the point is moot (except I'd much rather have an NV5600 than a ZF).

You're not really serious about the looks are you? Do you like the Avalanche? Aztec?



ps. after two dead chevy diesels with less than 120,000 mi. , I'd rather have a 1st gen dodge. Plastic valve keepers, give me a break!



Brian,

You definitely got a lemon. Mine (like most) has: no wind noise, no pulling to the right, no vibration and I'm getting better than 20mpg mixed city/highway. I don't get the negative comments about the seats? Do you guys all have leather or? My new SLT with premium cloth interior has comfy seats and they compare favorably to my '01's cloth seats. Just got back from a 13hr drive and my rear is .

I understand the frustration of those that really want a crew cab, but I don't. The new cab is FAR superior to any other extended cab truck built, Ford, Chevy or any Dodge to come before it.



my $1. 05

Dave



ps. Just so you don't think I'm blinded by new truck lust, I think the headlights aren't bright enough and the A-pillar is too large. Funny, same complaints I had going from my '96 F-250 to my 2nd Gen.

 

[HEYBOSS]

Dave,

I'm just busting Batman's A**, I personally know him and he couldn't stand the Dmax. I agree I'm not impressed with Dmax looks, but look how many here were complaining about the 3g looks when they came out? Criticize GM for their quiet diesel engine? Now they're all upgrading, I guess it all grows on us.



All seriously if I were to buy a new truck today, I would definitely look at the competition, the Dmax is not that far behind and everyone has their problems. Most likely I would end up with a Dodge again.



The new Dodge cab is superior to competition but we still lack of the real four door crew cab. How many guys with Fords and Dmax will never switch over to Dodge and Vice-versa? I guess we're all diehards and like what we like for whatever reason, to each it's own.



Could you imagine if everyone only liked blue? It would be a tough world

 

[Batman]

Heyboss, just started looking into it. (and thanks for busting my cookies ). I should have bought a truck with a MT in the first place. . the DTT transmission is nice, but... ... ... ... I'd rather be shifting. Also, I'd rather have four doors than have to open mine all the time... ... . not enough room in the back seat? I'm not sitting there so it's fine from my seat



Thanks for all the input. Gives me so items to look at... now, if I can only find someone to buy mine

 

[DPelletier]

Heyboss, Sorry

I sorta lost it when I read the new chevy looked better! I can't believe that anyone likes the look of those things, there should be an automotive design engineer looking for a new job as far as I'm concerned!! I will also admit that I was sort of ambivalent about the 3rd gens styling, but now I prefer it to the 2nd Gen (sorry y-knot!). I still think the 2nd gens are a beautiful design and recognize that they have steered truck design since thier introduction.



I did look at all the brands (again) prior to purchasing my new ride and it wasn't even close for me. Then again I just dont like things like torsion bars, aluminum front end carriers, or aluminum headed V-8 light duty diesels. I have had way too many problems with the chevies in my fleet. I generally preach tolerance for peoples personal choice and you're right, we can't all be the same or it would be VERY boring!



You're also right about the crew cab thing and the new quad cab is not as big as a real crew cab (getting close, though). Sometimes people lose sight of the fact that compared to the competition's extended cabs, the new QC is pretty sweet. For those of us that wouldn't be looking at a CC Ford or Chev, the Quad cab is a step up, not a step down. It would be nice if DC would make a CC for those that want it, unfortunately now the QC is so big, I doubt it will ever happen.



Cheers

Dave

 

[DPelletier]

Oh, I just realized that the 20mpg that I said I was getting mixed city/highway driving was Imp. galls and not US galls, sorry for the confusion. On my trip yesterday (440 miles) I averaged 19. 7 mpg (US). This is from the trip computor, but I did check it last tankful and it was accurate. I was in 4x4 for 100 miles or so.

This is 2-3 mpg better than my '01 ETC auto.



Dave

 

[JRMora]

I've been reading with interest and some (a lot) of the comments just made me say: Here's MY 2¢ worth.



I have an '04 4x4 dually. I don't have the dreaded drone, my truck doesn't pull right (except on VERY crowned roads), the cabin is much quieter than my '97, and yes, I get 17. 5 mpg driving 78 mph. I have about 5500 miles now.



My '97 was a good truck, but I had to rebuild the front brakes every 18,000 miles or so, the front end got a complete rebuild at 30,000 miles, the seats were less comfortable than my '04 (I'm 6'3 210#), and it had no doors in back (not a quad cab). with a 3. 54, I was getting 18-18. 5 mpg.



I would never go back. I love my new truck. the build quality is much better than my '97, and the power is great. I know my mileage will improve a little as time goes on, but I am not at all disappointed with what I'm getting (this IS a 7300# truck).



I had a Ford 7. 3 PS and with the 4R100 transmission I was getting 16-17 mpg and the transmission was almost shot by 40,000 miles.



I plan on keeping this one for a while. If I can ever get a little extra cash (my kids seem to have most of it spoken for), I'll do a little to fixer' up. In the meantime, you'll see me smilin' down I-25.



Cheers!



Juan