7.3l vs 6.5l vs 5.9l unbiased opinion

[redneckaggie]

If I had my choice I would have a ext cab 4x4 5 speed first gen 12 valve I have driven all three and the power AND milage combination of the 12 valve was amazing. The dodge I speak of outran a stock mustang gt and a 5.4 half ton with a mild programmer. pulled loads harder and faster than my idi or a buddys powerstroke. and got 19 mpg driving it completely obscenely. all we had invested in that truck was a 18 cm housing for the h1c($300) and about 2 hours in tweaking on the pump. the only thing I could fault about the dodges are the interior likes to fall apart and the 2wd front ends are horrible.

 

[92F350CC]

I agree with the Warden. We each have various different experiences.

For every person that says they've pulled several broken down Fords with their chevy, you'll probably find a ford owner that says they've pulled several broken down chevys and vise versa. Just as Chevycmnslvr68 has rescued Ford trucks, I've used my Ford to rescue chevy and dodge pickups. I've had both my 92 K1500 and my 90 GMC V3500 diesel hauled home before, with the diesel engine being rebuilt 2 times and the transmission going out on the K1500.

 

[Silver Burner]

Well I am a chevy lover .. and the main reason that i am so keen on them is because I grew up constantly dragging my brothers fords home with my chevy's .. ... But like jhnlennon I was trying to give an unbiased opinion about the IFS and the most economical diesels ... and having been a Diesel mechanic for over twenty years I know from experience that you cannot beat the cummins engine in a P/U application ... now if you want to go with a 466 or something like that you can come close but for the weight and size difference the cummins still wins ... no matter who the maker the in-line six cylinder configuration will out perform and out live any V-8 in the same class as far as Ford, Dodge, or GM, It just comes down to each persons personal preference ... they all have advantages and disadvantages ... And where does this site say FORDS ONLY ... I was under the impression that this was an OIL BURNERS site not a FORD site ... if you want an all ford site there are plenty of them out there to choose from ....

I wasn't trying to say go to a different forum. I was saying go to the Chevy page on this forum. And I was dikin with ya, new guy. Sheesh.... You didn't bother to comment on any of the negative I said about Fords or the positive I said about Chev's. IMO, I was giving a pretty darned good unbiased opinion about the Big 3, highlighting what I think to be their pros and cons.

 

[Optikalillushun]

Three 88-98 Chevy picks ups, one 99-07 (i dont remember the years exactly) all gassers all 2500s 4wds. While they ran strong and helded up fairly well the three older ones had plows on em and the steering just couldnt keep up and the 4wd would randomly quit for no reason or not enguage. Body rot wasnt to bad but two of the three developed frame issues towards the end of thier career. Interiors on all the older were Ok, nothing to wirte home about. The newer one was just a basic work truck so it never seen hard use but it was really quick. I do have to say though, out off all the work trucks we had the Chevies really didnt ask for much outside of the steering and 4wd.

95 Dodge 2500 4wd gasser with plow. 4wd worked when it wanted, had 4 transmissions installed in 130,000 miles, body rotted more than the chevies but dam would it push snow and work like a mule. Interior fell apart and shaked rattled n rolled. Also the front end would wonder around like a 5 yr old lost in Wal-Mart even after all new steering n allignment. This was our personal shop truck so i had a lot more wheel time with this and i abused the hell out of it (plowing, pulling buses out of snow, hauling parts, etc).

I wont give any review of Fords, because obviously i own to many and am a bit brand biased towards em. I will admit but that wont keep me from giving an unbiased review of other brands either.But any brand has its good n bad points, and a lot depends on how it was taken care of.

Just a quick assesment of an unbiased review when i worked for my Countys maintance garage. *note* we only had three diesels and they were for the 911 department.

 

[FordGuy100]

Get whatever tickles your fancy. It's as simple as that.

An OBS 4 door 4wd with a cummins or dt360, either a ZF-5 or something from a medium duty, and you essentially have the best of all worlds.

We have all seen Chevys, Fords, and Dodges get abused and pampered. We have all seen the abused ones last forever, and the babied ones die an early death. It all comes down to maintaince, and our friend Murphy. Anything mechanical will fail, no if's ands or buts. It's just when it will happen. To argue you don't like something cause you see them break down is kinda dumb, they are all risks, no one platform has any really large advantage over the other.

Pick what you like, go through and fix the weaknesses, and enjoy.

Just remember, it's always nice to have a backup rig just in case.