New Family truckster

[mporter]

Looking to buy a new full-size, crew cab, short wheel base, diesel 4x4 heavy duty pickup truck, with which to carry a slide-in pop-up camper, ie Northstar, Hallmark, etc. for use as on- and off-road family camper for me, my wife, and my two children, with the possibility of a dog or two coming into the picture later.

Amongst the Big Three domestic trucks, which would you buy, and why?

1. Dodge with Cummins
2. Ford with Powerstroke
3. GMC/Chevy with Duramax/Allison

Not looking to start a brand war, but wouldn't mind some real-world reasoning and pro/con discussion as to why one might better suit my application.

Thanks for any and all advice!

 

[chasespeed]

Depends on your budget.

If you're on a budget, do with a early super duty, you can snag those with a crew and short bed..... and it has a solid axle.

If you DONT have a budget, a crew cab ram w/ a cummins....

Chase

 

[Regcabguy]

I'm obviously biased,but my vote would be for an '03-'07 2500-3500 5.9 Dodge. The all-cast iron I-6 is unbeatable and heaps of aftermarket parts are out there to upgrade the weak links which all vehicles have. If you happened upon a 7.3 Superduty in the appropriate body configuration,that's a good choice also. Make sure to look at the service records and if possible have a mechanic thoroughly check the rig out,as diesels are pricey to repair

 

[mporter]

Thanks for advice

Thanks for your input, I forgot to add in my criteria that I am looking to buy new, so that limits me to 2010 and 2011 model. I love the look and Cummings in the Ram, but the new Ford looks(IMHO) not as cool, but has some neat features (rear e-locker, great mpg, GVWR) and I feel completely ignorant towards the Chevy/GMC product, so am scrambling to learn as much as possible before I make such a large purchase. Thanks guys.

 

[shortbus4x4]

The Dodge Cummins mega cab is pretty nice, especially for the back seat passengers. The Ford and Dodge both come with solid front axles which seem to handle the heavy weight of the diesels better wear wise. If you plan on keeping it past warranty and having work done on it the cummins is the best choice. I work on all three brands on a daily basis and the cummins is the easiest by far. Haven't seen the brand new scoripon motor yet from Ford except in pictures but if it's like the 6.4/6.0 it will be labor intensive=$$$$. The D-max is the same way, I hope I never have to do heads on one of those again. The Ford motor is supposed to be brand new, I wouldn't buy it until it's been out for a couple of years so they can work kinks out.

 

[IdaSHO]

Crew cab AND short wheel base?

Good luck with that one!


Even a CC with a 6ft bed is longer than my extended cab long bed.


And how do you expect to haul a camper big enough for 2 adults, kids, and dogs with a 6' bed?

 

[redthies]

I ran an 05 Dodge cummins crew shortbox 3500 to southern Mexico and back with an 8.5 foot pop-up slide in camper. Great way to travel. My wife, two big dogs and a truck load of fun! If I had the cash, a late 07 Dodge with a 5.9 Cummins and a Hallmark Ute XL or Cuchara would be THE rig for us. If you ar going new, I agree the new Ford engine looks good on paper, but, as stated before, Cummins simplicity and reliability rules every time. If you are looking at kids and dogs I would think you might want to think seriously about a long box truck to carry the bigger Hallmark Cuchara. I used to be a shortbox fan, but my last trip in a longbox crew has me convinced that the extra 18"s is not that big a deal when driving or parking, but is a huge deal I'm what you can carry. We met one couple in Mexico this winter heading to panama and beyond who had only been traveling a week in their brand new ultra $$$$ crew shorty with slide in and both said that buying the shortbox to carry a camper was the dumbest thing they had ever done. Let us know what you decide on!

 

[Rovertrader]

not trying to solicit, but a very good solution sans diesel- unavailable with PW option. The key is the swb(138") and flippac: http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=45560

 

[jeepdreamer]

Just a passing thought...

Sorry if this comes across as being rude or nosey...I don't mean to. But why buy new? You do realize this is like throwing 1/4 of your money in the toilet right? And for an "Expo" truck....
Why not search out a really nice vehicle that is 2-4 years old and has already had someone else take that financial assault? For something that may or may not get scratched or muddy or dented, even accidentally, on a trail or fireroad...new just seems like a big wast of money. And it seems to me that when dealing with diesels, one that has been very well maintained the first few years is only starting to come into its own? And that huge mark up dealers put on them to sell the "new" model...ack. Let someone else buy it to be flashy and cool looking...
End rant...
In case it isn't obvious, not a lot of support for the Duramax...ahem. Great auto tranny...not so great everything else.
Ford makes a good product too...just have it inspected prior to purchase by a diesel guy that knows his stuff. (that really applies to all diesel buying)
I prefer Cummins as well so that is of course the direction I lean. For pulling power nothing beats an in-line motor. Ever seen a diesel locomotive or large ship? They use inline (mostly) to power their generators which makes them move...
There really are not any bad choices in the Dodge realm...though they too have their flaws just the same as the rest. Hard to make everyone happy all the time.
But if you buy a slightly used truck you can have it inspected by a pro AND maybe pay for a good chunk of that camper just in the savings alone...:wings:

 

[shortbus4x4]

The newer the diesel the more emissions stuff it will have and the less the mpg will be. If I was in the market for a new to me truck it would be a low mileage 05-06 Dodge megacab with a 5.9 cummins with an automatic trans and a manual shift transfercase. A manual trans is actually simpler but automatic is nice for the long freeway trips. Then I would spend the extra money I had on a Dynatrac free spin conversion and HD balljoints, a rear selectable locker, aux trans cooler, Carli suspension, good tires, and some expo specific equipment.
When you go truck shopping pop the hoods on all three makes and look at the engine bay. The cummins is the only one where you can actually see the engine block and head. The other two are covered up by extras which means it will be harder to access for repairs. If you plan on getting a new truck again when yours is not too long out of waranty its not a big deal but if you plan on keeping it for a while then simpler is better.
All the newer diesel trucks have a particulate filter which uses diesel fuel to burn the ash out so it drops your MPG, even cummins. It also gets extremely hot when it does it so no tall grass right after a re-generation cycle.

 

[96discoXD]

I would stay away from the duramax, it's a good drivetrain, but from what I hear they tend to go through injectors with some degree of regularity and it's not a cheap job to replace them.

I love the 7.3 powerstrokes, but I'm not really too up to speed on the newer ford diesels, so I don't have much to add there.

I would second what many others have said here, if I were buying a diesel truck today it would have to be a Dodge with the cummins. I'm not a big fan of Dodge products in general having had some less than stellar experiences with some in the past, but the cummins would allow me to overlook that without hesitation.

 

[mporter]

good advice

Thanks for all your thoughts on my quest for a family camping truck. As for the new vs used question, I plan to go with new as I will need to finance and would like a warranty. I know the long bed would give me more room and longer wheelbase, but I've measured my space in the driveway and it will be tight with the short-bed! My family is quit small a 3 year old and 6 month old and no dog yet. Really the whole family will only be using it for light expo trips of a week or so. I guess I feel that space is relative, I spent the bulk of my travels on a motorcycle, like a trip to the tip of Baja, up to Alaska, Arctic circle, touched the four corners of the US, camping off the bike for a month or more at a time. Sometimes 2up. I will never forget the year after I rode to Alaska, I did it again in a YJ and I felt like I could bring the kitchen sink. I too prefer the Dodge with the Cummins but am having a hard time finding one or a dealer that whats to sell one for less then a mark-up on the MSRP! While Ford has lots of trucks and start their haggling at the invoice price. Sorry for the long post, and thanks again for your advice

 

[chasespeed]

I too would steer away from ANY NEW diesel. Go back a few years... your wallet will thank you for it....

We have a pretty large fleet of service trucks... and all the active ones are diesel... from 1st year D-maxes to some 2007-2010 Dmaxes, a few cummins, and several 7.3 and 3 6.0 Powerstrokes....

The 7.3s almost never go in for anything more than routine maintnence. all 4wd
the Cummins are all 4wd as well.

The 6.0s, the ones we have, have had all their "issues" worked out of them, mine is the newest, w/105k on the ticker...

The older Dmaxes seem to do pretty great as well the mechs love'em. These are 2wd service bodies.....

The few new ones that were just built.... seem to spend more time doing recalls, and CELs, fuel pump issues.... Emissions system issues, etc...

NOW, I am not slamming anything... I OWN a Cummins.. and drive a 6.0 P/S. Had 2 7.3 P/Ss, and one 7.3 IDI. Never owned a dmax. Something about that diesel, and IFS scares the snot outta me.

Anyway, Since you are looking new, and can afford it... find a 5.9 MegaCab, early... 03-05 I think?(not really up to snuff on the Common Rails other than they haul butt)........

Just an observation... nothing more....

Chase

 

[bobcat charlie]

Check out Dave Smith Motors in Kellog, ID. He always has great prices...makes it worth while to buy from him and fly in to pick up. I used Dave Smith pricing to negotiate the price of my '03 Dodge Cummins when I bought it from the Lithia dealer in Billings 6 years ago. BTW, 150K and no major issues...best vehicle I've ever owned, and I've owned a lot!

 

[redthies]

I totally respect your quest for financing and warranty, but do bear in mind that you can purchase extended warranty on a used truck right up to the last mile/km (I assume T.O. is Toronto) of original factory warranty directly from Dodge. They will also finance used if they are less than 5 years old. Food for thought... Bon apetit!