3/4 Ton question- DIESEL 7.3l?6.4?6.7?Duramax?Cummins? for family rid and DD
- Thread starter dsal_86yota
- Start date
snowaddict91
Adventurer
Lots of good, relevant stuff here so far. I would say location is another factor in owning a diesel. Living somewhere like CO like the OP, the power and torque of a turbo diesel is real nice climbing grades at altitude, loaded or empty. A gasser can do it no problem, but the diesel will do without breaking a sweat. On the flip side, dealing with a diesel as a daily driver somewhere as cold as CO isn't always fun, especially with a 7.3.
dsal_86yota
Observer
Yea Im in south central CO, close to CO Springs, we do dip down into the negatives. Have been using my FILs 2000 F350 7.3L extra cab long bed for last few weeks. My in laws didn't want me driving my 2wd F150 in the snow with our foster daughter. So from one extreme to another lol It was chilly one morning and I forgot to plug it in the night before, was a cold bastard to get it started but it did start.
underdrive
jackwagon
Well like I said a 7.3 Superduty won't ride as nice as the newer ones in factory form, so you got some wrenching to do there. Extremely reliable trucks tho, especially with the ZF6 stick-shift. GMs all ride nice since they went IFS in the late 80s, not sure how I'd go about a 2" lift on those tho, cause it's small enough to be achievable by just cranking the torsion bar keys but that also tends to put more wear on the ball joints and CV shafts. Dodges, great engines with some not so great transmissions (pre-Aisin at least) behind them (so do your research there), and the pre'-2009 models always seemed to be somewhat lacking in usable space in the rear seat area... Kind of a pick your poison type of affair, they all have many good points and some so-so points, would be helpful to know how old are you (or your wife) willing to put up with?
Nicaragüense
Observer
I have 422k miles on my QCLB 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 with the 5.9 24v Cummins in it. No emissions systems on it, no def required and no particulate filter issues. Not super powerful like the newer diesels, but very reliable. You can buy tuners to get more power but I would rather have the longevity. Other than fixing the A/C system this summer and putting new tires on it last summer I have not spent anything on repairs in the last 4 years. This truck is capable of doing anything I will need for the rest of my life if I choose to keep it forever. It rides rough whenever you are empty, being a 2500, but it seats 6 and has a long bed. Trucks like mine, in the shape mine is (beat up and looks like it has 400k on it, but no rust) can be had for fair prices. Does fine as a DD for a 15 yr old truck. Im happy with it.
dsal_86yota
Observer
Im 31 wife will be 30 in a few months. Ive never been a fan of IFS GM trucks. Love the Cummins but like you said trannys. I need a crew cab. If I go with a dodge it has to be a mega cab, which is scares here. The Ford crew is nice and big. Buddy had one it was nice. He fit both car seats in it. He now has 2 car seats and booster in back of his 15 Cummins. Gassers are decent prices for even a couple years old and low miles. Its making me think
underdrive
jackwagon
Actually I meant how old of a vehicle are you two willing to put up with. Our friend that I mentioned was looking for a CCSB truck for example couldn't care any less how old his new truck would be as long as it's stone-cold reliable, his wife on the other hand is highly unlikely to tolerate anything pre-Superduty, and generally speaking the newer the better so long as there's no montly payment attached to it.
IFS GMs rule the pavement IMH, even the coil-sprung Superduties don't ride quite as nice or handle quite as good. But the IFS can only do so much on rought terrains that require lots of suspension travel, that's more or less SFA territory by default. One has to pick their battles I suppose.
IFS GMs rule the pavement IMH, even the coil-sprung Superduties don't ride quite as nice or handle quite as good. But the IFS can only do so much on rought terrains that require lots of suspension travel, that's more or less SFA territory by default. One has to pick their battles I suppose.
jeep-N-montero
Expedition Leader
I left the suspension stock on my 95 Chevy, just upgraded the shocks and run the Cooper AT3 in 235/85 on newer style Duramax wheels, personally I will never understand the allure of lifting an IFS full size rig when they are too big to take on any real trails in the first place. We bought it to tow with and does it well, adding a lift and bigger tires reduces the margin of safety in a world that is already full of idiots who love to cut you off. While I do agree that some solid axle tow rigs are better suited to tow heavy they also tend to ride like a brick, my wife usually falls asleep within 10-15 minutes after hitting the road when riding in the truck and always compliments how nice the ride is.
underdrive
jackwagon
I'd imagine the reason folks lift GM's fullsize IFS is they like the lifted look but can't afford a proper SAS (a Ford D60 alone can hit $1k in some areas of the country, and you still gotta either buy the $500-600 brackets kit or do quite a bit of fab work). Of our trucks the only one that's actually lifted also happens to be the one with brake rotors about the size of some people's wheels 
And it was actually the front axle itself that mandated the increase of altitude, for having the diff housing and the oil pan trying to occupy the same space at the same time seem like something that's best avoided if at all possible.
And it was actually the front axle itself that mandated the increase of altitude, for having the diff housing and the oil pan trying to occupy the same space at the same time seem like something that's best avoided if at all possible.
Clutch
<---Pass
A lot of my moto buds with diesels all they do is ********** and moan about them. Many are going back to 1/2 tons and smaller camp trailers, because cost of ownership is lower....and/or buy a efficient car for a daily driver, and the truck stays parked for the most part.
dsal_86yota
Observer
Age doesn't matter to me much, Have been considering a Ram 2500 hemi or F250 6.2L V8. I like the cab size on the F250, the mega cab on the Rams are nice but hard to find for sale
dsal_86yota
Observer
GMs are nice, Ive just never been a GM guy. I do like there older trucks, 80s and older. Love the 60s. Im leaning towards 2011 and newer F250. I like the body style and the crew cabs are nice and big. with us and foster daughters car seat and my 2 dogs(lab and healer) Want to be able to load them all up. Plus I like that the bed is 6 3/4' long on the short bed.
Clutch
<---Pass
The coil sprung Suder Dutys ride like a Cadillac, shockingly smooth at least to me.
I grew up in trucks from the 60's & 70's with bench seats though.
Those Megacabs could be turned into a camper for the kids...when the seat is folded down the area is HUGE!
I grew up in trucks from the 60's & 70's with bench seats though.
Those Megacabs could be turned into a camper for the kids...when the seat is folded down the area is HUGE!
ZMagic97
Explorer
The coil sprung Suder Dutys ride like a Cadillac, shockingly smooth at least to me.
I grew up in trucks from the 60's & 70's with bench seats though.
Those Megacabs could be turned into a camper for the kids...when the seat is folded down the area is HUGE!
Wow that's impressive!