So, I'm in the market for a diesel truck. I see ALL the dodge eco diesels for sale= scares me. The Cummins are great but ridiculously priced in Texas. Not big Ford fan but willing to look. Hardly ever see any duramax for sale. What a bout the new 2020 3.0 inline 6 form chevy? Just want to hear everyone's thoughts

As with most machines, there are the pros and then there are the cons. The Ford 7.3 powerstroke diesel truck is known for reliability. Of course there is the legendary Cummins diesel Dodge, however I'm told the engine does not have removable cylinder sleeves allowing the engine to be easily rebuilt.

Then the famous Chevrolet Duramax diesel truck. A friend of mine owned about six different pickup trucks (toyota, duramax, eco-diesel and a GMC gasser). Of all of these trucks, the duramax was the most reliable and trouble free.

I suggest you test drive each of these trucks before making a purchase. I test drove a duramax once and there were three items that stood out.

1. The salesman popped the hood then placed a quarter on edge on the air cleaner while the engine was idling. The quarter did not fall over! Smoooooooth!

2. The duramax accelerated like a corvette on steroids. Unbelievable acceleration for a truck!

3. The Allison transmission isn't bad either, Allison has been making transmissions for a long time.

Duramax owners tell me they get great fuel mileage, something to consider. All this said, there have been some lawsuits against GM over the duramax so I suggest doing some research into which years of manufacture were possible problem children.

I've known several people that owned a Ford powerstroke 7.3 diesel. Super super reliable truck just be sure and check for any rust on the body and frame though......

I've owned a 7.3 Powerstroke turbodiesel 18 years now.100K miles. Several engine breakdowns. Isuzu I6 NA diesel, no breakdowns in 100K.

Ordering what you want, is the best way these days to get one.

As the current owner of 2 OM617 Mercedes (I've had more, and others, but the 617s stuck) And 2 Cummins trucks, along with having friends that have owned just about every diesel truck and car known to man, here are my 2 cents (Maybe 1 cent is more accurate):

The OM617 is a baby 12 Valve cummins. If you can work on a 617, you will feel right at home on a 12V, The very first time I looked under the hood of the truck I was about to purchase I thought "oh that's like a 617 but double the size". Injector pump is in the same place, there is plenty of space to get to any component you need to repair, very minimal electronics, etc.

The 24v is more like a 96+ om606, a lot more electronics, more emissions equipment, more stuff to go wrong IMO, but smoother and more powerful in stock form.

I've got an employee who has a 7.3L powerstroke in an excursion that he has done extensive upgrades and mods to, and I wouldn't hesitate for a minute to buy a 7.3. Stock to Stock a 7.3 is very similar to a 12v cummins. not enough power to hurt anything. It is much cheaper and easier to make more power out of a cummins, which leads to transmissions getting destroyed as the 12v's do not have a very smart transmission controller, so there is no defueling for shifts like every other brand has, which makes the trans a bit "weaker"

The 6.0 powerstrokes are incredibly weak in stock form. not power wise, durability wise. once you take care of the weak points (EGR, head gaskets, head bolts, etc) you have a very nice truck that makes way more power than the predecessors.

The 6.4 powerstroke should be avoided like the plague.

The 6.7 powerstroke seems ok as of now, but I haven't seen enough of them to know longevity yet.

I've heard the duramaxes all make impressive power, but everyone I know of who has one spends more every year on repair bills than I spent on both of my trucks. To be fair, I hear the weak points are better in the newer ones, but the early generations were not great.

I've only ever driven one duramax, and I thought it was broken with how much it defuels for shifts, honestly it could have be broken, idk. It felt as if I had let off the throttle for a solid 5 seconds and then it shifted and the rpms began to come back up. A far cry from my trucks that bang through gears making all the torque. I suspect this is why people say the allison transmissions are so strong, because the engine management protects the transmission at all costs, including drivability.

I obviously have some bias, and not a huge amount of experience past my two trucks with 260k and 280k that have run basically flawlessly since I've owned them aside from some minor issues like getting bad diesel, or needing a transmission rebuilt after 250k miles towing its entire life in TN hills, which I did myself and built it stronger than stock so it should last much longer this time around.

To be fair, it all depends on what you're looking for. I love my old tractor engines (cummins and mercedes alike), and wouldn't upgrade to a newer truck even if it was free.

Not looking to spark debate, just sharing my experiences.

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1982 300D (w123, "Grey Car")
1982 300D (w123, "Blue Car")
2001 Ford F150 "Clifford" (The Big Red Truck)
1997 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
1996 Dodge Ram 2500 12V Cummins
Previous Vehicles:
1995 E300D, 1980 300SD, 1992 Buick Century, 2005 Saturn Ion

I own a 2006 Chevy 2500HD with the Duramax diesel and 6 speed Allison transmission. The truck currently has around 75K miles without a single problem. I change the fuel filter every 25,000 miles and the oil & filter every 7500 miles. The brakes are all original. The transmission has a “Jake brake” feature which is very useful in slowing down my 16,000 lb 5th wheel trailer. I get 14 MPG towing. The Duramax Diesel engine is manufactured by Izusu. I highly recommend it.

I get 16mpg with my 24V Cummins. They used to have trouble with injection pumps but I'm approaching 100,000 on a remanned IP. The problems appear to have been worked out. Most of these trucks are high mileage by not and a crappy, neglected Dodge comes wrapped around that beautiful Cummins.

Tat said, the only thing I have to repair is a slow power steering leak and slight seeping from the transfer case. Both are easy fixes and I'm building a shop with lift so will wait.

Friends have newer Dodges and aren't complaining figuring anything that goes wrong comes under the heading of maintenance. Newer trucks have more power as delivered from the factory than my old 24V.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I like my 90 Dodge with the Cummins 12v. 400,000 miles on it now. I just cannot justify the expense of buying a new one.

The Ford 7.3 is an International engine, hence the reliability.

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RRGrassi


70's Southern Pacific #5608 Fairmont A-4 MOW car

13 VW JSW 2.0 TDI 193K, Tuned with DPF and EGR Delete.

91 W124 300D Turbo replaced, Pressure W/G actuator installed. 210K

90 Dodge D250 5.9 Cummins/5 speed. 400K