2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Would you or wouldn't you?

[SRath]

Part 1> If these Dodge trucks were NOT available with a Cummins diesel engine, would you or would you not still buy one?



Reasons?



Part 2> If the Cummins was instead available in a Ford or Chevy, would you buy one of them instead of a Dodge?

 

[SRath]

I'll start by saying I have absolutely no love or loyalty to any 'modern' offering by any of the formerly-Big 3. I would not own a Dodge without the Cummins. I own and drive a Cummins that happens to have a Dodge wrapped around it. The challenge is to keep the Dodge from falling off the Cummins before the Cummins wears out beyond repair.



I am old-school and dislike gadgets and unecessary junk that invariably goes haywire and adds needless thousands to a truck's intial price and maintenence costs. I like proven, tried and true things like real Dana 60's and simple and solid leaf spring suspension and really despise "outsourced foreign-made parts". In retrospect, if it weren't for the lack of the P-pump, Getrag vs. NV4500/5600, and rear seat interior design, I would be happier with a 1st gen Cummins Dodge. More my kind of truck.



Chevy abandoned me back in 1988-92 (depending on body style) when they went IFS. Fords have my grudging respect for offering much more heavy-duty and reliable suspensions though they, too, have gone the wrong way with balljoints instead of kingpins.



If the Cummins were not available in the Dodge, I would find a P-pump 12-valve and NV5600 and NP205 and fit it all into my old crewcab Chevy K30/V30. So, no, I would not own a Dodge without the Cummins. If I could not own a Cummins at all, I would still own an old-school Chevy.

 

[NIsaacs]

Lotsa "what if's" but if Dodge did not have a Cummins, I probably would not have one. In all fairness, the two I do have don't owe me ten cents and would not trade them for anything else. I would probably have a Ford if they had the Cummins.



A good friend of mine bought a new '90 W250 in late '89. I was so impressed with the power I bought a new in the crate 180 hp/457 tq. 5. 9 with factory after-cooler and #16 turbin housing and installed it in my "74 Ford. At the time I still disliked Dodge. That Ford in it's day (I turned it up right away) would out pull anything on the road, bar none. Now the power level is only so so with the power now days.



In late 1990 I hauled most of my logging equipment to Colorado for a job near South Fork. The first trip up I run with my '83 Pete (Glidder Kit) with a 40 ton Lowboy and TD15 IHC crawler and a 500 gal. tank of diesel fuel, 77,000 lbs gross so it was underloaded a little. I was hauling my Mountain Logger ML-130 rubber tired skidder at 32,000 lbs gross so I was overloaded. I pulled away from my Pete on every hill including Wolf Creek. It had the stock small cam 855 400hp Cummins. I was a believer in the 5. 9 after that and would not give them up for anything.



Nick

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

From 98-06, I managed a fleet of trucks, which included ~50+ 2500-5500 style diesel trucks, 90% Fords.



During that time, I came >this< close to buying a 96 F250 PSD. Then I came even closer to buying a 97 C2500 6. 5TD. Now I have a 96 Ram 2500 CTD.



Unlike SRath, I prefer the GM IFS to any other 4x4 front axle for the use I'd put it to. Obviously, that's not much use, since all the trucks I've owned, and almost every truck I've considered buying, were 2wd.



I prefer the GM interiors. Not only for their less crack-prone dashes, but because the 80s-90s GM truck bucket seats are the most comfortable I've experienced.



I also prefer a genuine 4-dr cab, which is a point against Dodge.



Bottom line: If the Cummins were in another brand, I'd own that brand. If I were shopping for a gas-engine truck, I wouldn't look at a Dodge. If I did a major truck build tomorrow, it'd be a GM with a 12V Cummins. Or a 4-dr conversion on my Dodge... .



All that said, I love my Dodge. But at least part of that is because I bought a good one, IMHO. I bought it from a friend, but part of buying a good one is just luck.



later

kevin

 

[AWeiman]

kinda of a tough call to make. i owned a '97 dodge with a v-10 before purchasing my '01. i have always thought dodge made a solid platform around there motors. however our family is cummins to the bone. they make some of the most reliable diesel motors in the industry and have for years. honestly it would be hard for me to own a cummins not in a dodge or a dodge without a cummins. i know not every feels the same but we have had good luck with our dodges holding up. i guess its a good thing our trucks are built to out last me.

 

[CCiatteo]

I upgraded from an 1996 F-150 4x4 with the 4. 9L inline 6, 5spd, that I had bought new and worked pretty hard for the entire 185,000 I put on that truck. And when I sold it I was second guessing that decision. It was the last of a breed and a very durable package. When shopping for my next truck I knew I wanted a diesel and an extended cab 4x4, manual transmission if possible.



I only considered two trucks, the F-250 with the 7. 3 PSD or the Dodge with the Cummins. I stumbled across my current Dodge first, the 7. 3L Fords seemed to command premium money compared to the Dodges at the time.



Without the Cummins I wouldn't own my current Dodge. It I had to stay with a gasser I would've just kept my Ford with the near indestructible 4. 9L.

 

[HBarlow]

If Dodge and Cummins severed their relationship it would sadden me but not change my life in any measurable way. I would simply keep the one I have now. Even if it had 300k miles on it and Cummins engines were no longer offered in a Dodge platform I would simply continue to own and use the one I own now.

I have said it many times and will say it again, NO FURDS or GMS for me!

 

[MartinT]

I upgraded from a ford ranger with a 4. 0. Good little pick up. It just couldnt do the job i needed. Bought my 01 2500 with 5. 9 ctd. I needed a truck that i could load and pull with. I must say the cummins was a huge factor. I never look at a ford or chevy, and i have never looked back. The truck has served me well, I constantly maintain er. H name is "ramona" and she is part of our family,



CUMMINS IS THE KEY

 

[ETavernier]

If no Cummins, I would not buy a Dodge. I would buy a Ford.

If the Cummins were in a Ford... no brainer.

If the Cummins were in a GM... . I'd drive a Ford.

 

[rMetzger]

When the Dodge falls off it, I'll probably transplant it into an OBS F-250 or '350 crew cab. Gotta be one with a proper Dana60 under the front

 

[Bob Cochran]

Simple would have bought what ever had the Cummin's engine.

 

[Riverboy]

I never thought I would own a Dodge. . until I learned of this Cummins!

That would be a big NO for me. Put it in a full size Tundra and we will talk.

 

[Road Dog]

I like the look of the 2nd gen Dodge truck (inside & out) and my '98 gasser served me well for 10 years. The Cummins is nice too so it's a case of two great ideas that go great together.

 

[Grizzly]

I'm like Harvey, No Furd or GM for me. Cummins is the only engine I want and Dodge is the only truck I want. I had a miserable experience with an F250 gasser and I have never cared for a tinny GM.



george

 

[Tractorat]

My truck is an early 02. Its only got about 87k on it. But the dodge part is actually in pretty good shape. Im not wild about the trans. But, I don't abuse it. And so far its been fine. I did have to replace an LP and a VP. But, thats really all.



The body on this truck is every bit as good as any car Ive ever owned. Although its not hard to rub the paint off if you're not careful, it hasn't peeled or bubbled like I've seen on many other cars and trucks of different makes.



I have had a rattle that I havent been able to figure out for about 5 years. But, I think I may have finally zeroed in on that. Other than that, no other rattles.



Oh, I do have one complaint. I used to have to do an a/c service every couple of years. Now I have to do in the beginning of summer, and toward the middle/end of summer if I want to stay cool in early/mid fall.



I would like the steering to be a little tighter. But, its not bad at all. At some point I'll take a good hard look at the steering shaft.



All in all, I would buy the dodge (well, my 02) over a chev or ford with a cummins.

 

[SRath]

The "D" in "TDR" does not stand for "Dodge"

So my curiosity here is to determine whether one's primary loyalty is to the Cummins or to the Dodge. Do we own Cummins Dodges because of the Dodge or because of the Cummins?



If no Dodge, past or present, ever came factory with the Cummins, is any model-year Dodge a worthy enough truck to make you still buy the Dodge without a Cummins, or would you buy the brand of truck that did offer the Cummins?



For example, if Dodge offered the Powerstroke (or Duramax) and Ford (or Chevy) offered the Cummins for all these years. Is the Cummins superior enough to compel you to own a Ford (or Chevy), any year past or present, if that is all it was available in? This is not an unreasonable stretch of imagination since none of the 3 actually makes the diesel engine they use.



Or is the Dodge platform (any year) a superior enough pickup in its own right to make owning one with a Powerstroke, Duramax, or corporate gas motor in it a more attractive option than a Ford or Chevy (any year) with a Cummins?



It is my personal belief that more of us would be willing to accept, or even prefer, the pros and cons of a different brand pickup than we would be to accept the pros and cons of a different brand engine. But I'm asking since I could be wrong.

 

[Mikey-KE7LBB]

Simple would have bought what ever had the Cummin's engine.

I agree... That being said, you wouldn't know I'm NOT really a Dodge fan, but I currently have 5 of them

 

[Tractorat]

When I bought my 02 in sept of 01, I only looked at the engine. I really wasnt smart enough to consider the trans (I naively thought the trans was engineered for the truck, and it was the last model year. I got lucky I think)



I really dont like the looks of the 02 ford or chev But I do like the looks of the 02 dodge. (Im a sucker for a pretty face)



I just took a look at the chev and dodge at autos. msn.com. And the dodge has a higer recommendation than the chev

 

[Grizzly]

So my curiosity here is to determine whether one's primary loyalty is to the Cummins or to the Dodge. Do we own Cummins Dodges because of the Dodge or because of the Cummins?



If no Dodge, past or present, ever came factory with the Cummins, is any model-year Dodge a worthy enough truck to make you still buy the Dodge without a Cummins, or would you buy the brand of truck that did offer the Cummins?



For example, if Dodge offered the Powerstroke (or Duramax) and Ford (or Chevy) offered the Cummins for all these years. Is the Cummins superior enough to compel you to own a Ford (or Chevy), any year past or present, if that is all it was available in? This is not an unreasonable stretch of imagination since none of the 3 actually makes the diesel engine they use.



Or is the Dodge platform (any year) a superior enough pickup in its own right to make owning one with a Powerstroke, Duramax, or corporate gas motor in it a more attractive option than a Ford or Chevy (any year) with a Cummins?



It is my personal belief that more of us would be willing to accept, or even prefer, the pros and cons of a different brand pickup than we would be to accept the pros and cons of a different brand engine. But I'm asking since I could be wrong.

That's a very loaded question. The obvious thing is that Cummins is the best part about Dodge. Take away the engine, I believe that Dodge is still a better and more reliable truck than the other two. Toyota Trunda may be a better truck than Dodge, Furd and GM, but they don't have a Cummins and they don't make a one ton dually, so that leaves them out.



You're trying to compare apples to oranges. It just doesn't work that way. A Dodge is not a Furd or GM and a Cummins is not a Powerjoke or a Dumbmax. Dodge and Cummins are the best of both worlds.



george

 

[LVJUNIOR]

I have owned a 2006 ford, 2003 dodge , 2007. 5 gmc and 98 dodge

I sold my 2003 dodge because after owning the ford I was just never happy with the way it towed. I loved every thing about the GMC but the payment and will own anotherone someday if I ever hit it big. I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars on my 98 trying to get it to tow and get the fuel mileage of my gmc to no avail only to watch the dodge part of the truck crumble around me.



If dodge didn't have a cummins in it I would not even consider it.