yardhippie 0 #26 February 14, 2004 QuoteQuoteThe powerstroke is a pretty good diesel engine but its super expensive to mod. Yes and no. Banks has some noice upgrades that aren't too expesive. If you're willing to spend a few grand, Banks has some upgrades that will blow just about everything off the road. A Ford 3/4 ton diesel w/ a full Banks upgrade will blow a Mustang 5.0 off the line and keep going! All in all, just about no matter which diesel you drive, Banks makes an upgrade for it, which will blow your mind fucking away! and thats where I come in. W/ my four door, four cylinder import.... and SPANK your ass! . plus a Cummins is an inlie 6 vs. both ford and chevy being v8. the design of a inline 6 produces more tourqe naturally than a v8. Torque is gooood.Goddam dirty hippies piss me off! ~GFD "What do I get for closing your rig?" ~ me "Anything you want." ~ female skydiver Mohoso Rodriguez #865 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Breezejunky 0 #27 February 14, 2004 Hey All, Thanks for your input. The discussion was slow to get going so I hadn't checked for a while and have pretty much made my mind up. In general, mush of what was posted supports my decision. Here's how things turned out: Though I love Ford and my 88 Ranger was the best vehicle I ever owned, Ford is not the way to go with Diesel. The engine is fine but the front end has issues and is expensive to fix. I almost went GM as there was a smokin deal out there on a fully loaded one. All-in-all I hear the GM is a decent truck and I would like to have given it a try as I've not owned one before. I still think they aren't as tough as I would like though. (I do plan on doing the odd off-road venture) I'm going with a 2002 ext. cab 4x4 Dodge ram 2500 sport w/ off road & towing pkg. There is a definite consensus that the Cummins is an excellent engine. And as luck would have it it's red! (colour: it's a girl thing) 2002 is the year they fixed up their tranny problems. It's fully loaded and in mint condition with only 78,000 km and it still has the dealer warranty. I talked the guy down further by having him remove the topper and running boards (running boards are for sissy's!) Ok, I've been having a lot of fun with that comment among all the truck owning suppliers and customers I have. What the hell is the point of those sissy-looking running boards anyway? (Except that my 68 yr old mother would certainly appreciate them whenever she has to get in and out of my truck) Later, Rhonda Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jumpinfarmer 0 #28 February 14, 2004 Running bords help old dogs get in and also protect side of truck some from stone and mud dammage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #29 February 14, 2004 Did you follow the link I gave you for Ranch Hand? You really should, really, really should. Slap a Front End Replacement on it, a Headache Rack and a Rear Bumper and then see what people do in traffic! The front end replacements and the rearbumpers are tough as nails. I've got friends that had them on their truck in the hill country (part of Texas) and have had deer literally explode off the front of their truck with no damage to the bumper or the truck.--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amazon 7 #30 February 15, 2004 Quoteit's red! (colour: it's a girl thing) BWAHAHAHAHA Welcome top the BIG RED DODGE TRUCK ranks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nbblood 0 #31 February 15, 2004 Ok, I'm a self-proclaimed Chevy man, but I'll try to give you an objective opinion. First, I think all of the big three are making great trucks and you can't go wrong with any of them. Chevy definitely is the best ride hands down. Ford and Dodge are making their suspensions too heavy duty, making for a rough ride. They're durable, but rough. I spend many hours in the mountains, and I once actually got out of a Dodge and walked because I couldn't stand the ride any longer. That said, I think the Cummins diesel is the most reliable in the long run. It will pull anything you want to pull and will probably outlast the Duramax and the Powerstroke. On the other hand, the power ratings are Duramax, Powerstroke, then Cummins, in that order. But again, the Cummins is more than enough for anything you'll ever need. On the positive for Ford, they're still bolting everything as opposed to welding components, as far as I know. Stronger, easier for replacement parts, etc. Again, you can't go wrong, just my .02. Blues, NathanBlues, Nathan If you wait 'til the last minute, it'll only take a minute. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
3ringheathen 0 #32 February 16, 2004 Personally, I'd be wary of making such a big deci$ion based upon what you read here. There are going to be people that are happy and very unhappy with each. Drop a couple bucks on a Consumer Reports membership, and see what they have to say about them all. They are an unbiased source of info on all major manufacturers, and typically have comparison charts, relative reliability ratings, estimated costs of ownership and so on. Not to mention very good advice on purchasing/negotiating once you decide on a make and model. FWIW, I'm really happy with my F150 5.4 gas truck. I've hauled some *extremely* heavy loads, but haven't towed anything yet. Oh, one last thing: I don't know about the others, but my Ford is programmed to shift smoothly. That is, it feels more like a car, which is probably what most people want, since they aren't usually hauling or towing. I've been told that if you're going to really put your truck to work, you'd be better off with tighter shifting parameters, which can be programmed with an aftermarket chip. Take that with a grain of salt, though. This is my first truck and I haven't looked into it yet. -Josh If you have time to panic, you have time to do something more productive. -Me* *Ron has accused me of plagiarizing this quote. He attributes it to Douglas Adams. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
