Thinking of selling ford and getting dodge

[rancherman84]

you have to compare apples to apples,and the 7.3 IDI and 5.9 CUMMINS are not the same.
1.V8 compared to I6
2.the IH7.3 IDI and GM6.5 IDI where designed from the start to be light duty truck engines(aka throw away engines)
where the cummins was designed to be a heavy duty industrial/agriculture engine.
all are good engines when you use them for what they were designed.
V8's have never had a good reputation as a heavy duty engine.the I6 design is a very good for lots of power,its built into the design.less moving parts and so on.
dont get me wrong,i love my IDI and my ford,has been a very good truck.
buy what you want,take care of it,hope the PO has taken care of it and enjoy.
oh yeah dont buy a used dodge with a cummins from a guy named travis

 

[Turbo Tim 1]

Not brand bashing, I think that everyone will agree that the cummins is probably the best small truck diesel out there

Unfortunately, the package that that baby comes in is lacking in several areas. I have owned two 3/4 ton Dodge vans, I have 5 friends that have Dodge trucks. Auto trans:three replaced, rear ends: two replaced, lots of fuel pumps, fuel gauges, trim items, shift levers, brake components, you name it, it seems there is always somebody that has an issue going on at any one time.

A friend of mine owns a junk yard a he said they literally have a waiting list for Dodge truck parts. Dodges always bring high prices at the auctions because of high demand.

One more thing, if you didn't know about the world famous Dodge trannys you should definitly do some research before buying. Just call up some local junkyards and see what parts they have and what they don't, or at least what they sell more of. I am definitely a whatever good deal comes along brand doesn't make a difference kind of guy so I am trying to remain objective. Well, good luck

Wow, you've got all the facts! As far as transmissions, we had a 2000 F-350 Ford at work with a V-10 in it, by the time it had 8,000 miles on it it was on it's third transmission. My truck has 138,625 miles as of tonight and it has the original injection pump, original (manual) transmission, I did replace the clutch but that was at 120,000 miles and a couple of pulls at the fair in the 10,000 lb dually class. My truck has been modified since it had 50,000 miles on it, it has never left me stranded and still has the original u-joints in it. My 93 Dodge had 180,000 miles on it when I got the new one and it had never left me stranded and had an auto that had never been touched. As for the junk yard parts, they are in high demand because people want them to put into their Fords, just look on e-bay and see what kind of prices people are getting for the old Dodges with a Cummins and the associated parts.

Dodges have thier issues but so do all of the others, yes the front end in my truck sucks, but I've bought non factory parts to fix that. On my truck I've had the mirror glass fall out of a mirror, I've replaced one lift pump, a track bar, ball joints while under the 3/36, and I just did brake pads two days ago. Not bad for almost 140,000 miles, I know my buddies with the Fords have done more than that. If you want a Dodge buy a Dodge, if you want a Ford buy a Ford, they are all good and they are all bad, anyway you look at it they are the worse investment you'll ever make

 

[Hotmopr]

The 12 valve cummins will probably go in the history books as the most reliable motor ever put in a light duty truck.. The only weak link if you hop up your truck a bit is the auto tranny. The manual trucks are almost idestructable. As for you ford guys. Here's smoke in your eye!!
Also when I started bombin the truck I was getting 17 mpg stock. I now get between 21-24 depending on foot location..

 

[argve]

Knock on wood 300,000 and not one engine problem on my IDI 7.3L. Just glow plugs etc.

Damn that's pretty impressive - heck I killed my IDI's dang near everytime I turned around... Man more power to ya brother.

 

[rubberfish]

I currently have a 1990 F-250 with a 7.3 idi. I am considering getting a dodge and selling my truck and wanted to get some advice.

Buy or build what ever suits your needs,
and hope you made the right decision when the smoke clears.

 

[RKOCH]

Nothing at all wrong with the cummins the problems we had were with the dodge chasis. I would put a cummins in a ford in a blink of an eye.

 

[jdw7.3]

I would put a cummins in a ford in a blink of an eye.

I am going to consider this also.

How much will a dually effect my fuel mileage??

 

[RKOCH]

If you are running a diesel truck whow cares about fuel millage?

 

[rip van sparky]

As for the junk yard parts, they are in high demand because people want them to put into their Fords,

The only Dodge part people want in their trucks is the Cummins.

 

[The Warden]

If you are running a diesel truck whow cares about fuel millage?

Maybe you don't, but there are others who do...frankly, I'm one of them. I spent a good chunk of $$ that I don't really have to convert my truck from a T-19 to a ZF5, with fuel economy as my primary goal. And, I succeeded...have gone up from 13 mpg to 17 to 18 (broke 20 once). That may not seem like a big jump, but it means getting 100 to 200 extra miles per fueling, and that makes a big difference in the long run. Due to rising fuel costs, I really only drive the truck when I need to move something that the car won't move, and I try and save $$ wherever I can (the trans swap is a long-term investment; that and the fuel economy improvement were the only reasons I was able to justify the job). It sounds to me that there are other people with a similar mind-set, and IMHO it's not right to be ragging on them for having a different set of priorities than you do. Heck, there are some people who opted to buy a diesel truck BECAUSE of the fuel economy, since they generally do better on fuel than g@$$er trucks do...

Just my $.02 on the matter...

 

[RKOCH]

To each his own. Around here most folks did not buy a diesel for fuel milage they are looking for power. If you are not burning fuel your not making power period! I just can't see how someone could drive a truck that weighs 8000+ LBS and is worried about fuel milage. Mine scaled at 10,200 unloaded.

 

[holtzer1]

well...in that case buy a mitsubishi evo...they have more power than you can shake a stick at..and they get great mpg...people buy diesels for longevity(outlast any gasser), power(more torque and nowadays, more hp) economy(get better mpg than gassers of equally equipped trucks)
and to say, its a truck..who cares about mileage is retarded... ....when your hauling a 10k lb trailer 250 miles...you want power..AND mileage. at least i do. at 2.69gal for diesel around here...a 3/4 ton ram..4x4 360vb gets around 4-5 mpg pulling like that...lets see, thats 50 gallons...at 2.10gal=105.00 , now..the diesel..i got 17mpg pulling my trailer with that much weight..so..heres this,@17mpg..thats 17 gallons used..doing the math..come out to 38.73$..you tell me which one is a better deal!!!!!
if youd rather spend 105.00 to 38.00, thats on you, but i think alot of people worry about economy.

 

[RKOCH]

I pull a 53 ft enclosed trailer with 2 pull trucks and everything that goes along with it. I scaled at 46,500 last time out. I put fuel in it and hold my foot to ther floor and when it is empty I fill it back up. Hell I do not even have a working fuel gauge. For that matter I have never even bothered to see what kind of milage I get. If you want milage buy a VW diesel if you want a truck then buy a big diesel and forget milage. You can not have your cake and eat it too, I don't care what anyone says. I do make my own BioDiesel now and that is all I burn so that helps my decision to not worry about milage.

 

[rip van sparky]

I care about mileage. That is the reason I bought a diesel, if I just wanted power I would have bought a 460. I am a contractor so I don't really have a choice about driving habits or whatever. I too just fill it up and have not figured out my mileage but I do know that I get better than any gasser that I have owned. It just boils down to me making more money in the long run. If I really wanted massive power I wouldn't have bought an IDI. Power and fuel economy, diesels can't be beat.

 

[haz-mat19]

Back to the thread , you can put in a good valvebody and it will hold good power for a good long while. I have owned a ford diesel, it was an '85 F350 with a 6.9. it was a dog and ate glow plugs, but it did me well for a long time sold it with 180k. Buy what you are comfortable with, I love my truck, and like they said all trucks have their problems. If the tranny is your only worry it can be fixed . Good luck, see ya