Truck advice - thinking about getting an IDI

[tbrumm]

I don't recommend diesels anymore, as I think they are only worth it if super heavy loads are hooked to your truck or if you run it for a living. You telling me 'occasional' hauling, these gassers will suffice. Diesels newer then 07, I would throw them ALL away. Its to nuts. I also am not a fan of how much they cost in new trucks. Why would I add $10,000 to my sticker price for something that will cost me MORE to run and maintain?

I would certainly agree with the above. Unless you are hauling a lot and working the truck hard every day, these days the 3/4 ton/1 ton gassers just make more sense for someone who needs the heavy truck capability sporadically. They will still haul/tow when needed and cost less to maintain and cost less to repair. Let's face it, with the anti smog stuff on the modern diesels now, the fuel mileage isn't much better than a gasser, and may be worse. When my IDI finally gets to the point where I have to find another truck (hopefully not for a long time yet), I will probably look for a clean Superduty gasser. I really am not a fan of any truck that requires a "cab lifting fixture" to be used in order to do be able to access the engine compartment to do work.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

Would you guys promise not to shoot me if I admitted,that if I had to go modern,I would strongly consider Chevy?

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I know,I can't believe I would ever say that either but they are,I think,the best looking of the modern trucks.

 

[0 Xero 0]

I still like dodge the best as long as they're not in the horrible Laramie trim. GM is second though and they have an actual cold air intake too. I hate IFS though...


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[Danielle]

Hey, everyone,

This thread is about an internal debate I've been having about whether or not I should sell my current truck and get something a little bigger. I currently have a 1998 dodge 2500 with a 12 valve and an NV4500. I love this truck and it has been as reliable as they come save a couple issues from the knuclehead who owned it before me... It's an extended cab and is fine for my family at the moment. It's just my fiancée and I and our two dogs; however, I worry about it being too small down the road as our family grows. I use it for occasional towing and hauling things around, but I want something dependable enough to be a daily driver like mine has been.

I would like a crew cab and I have some experience with IDIs. I've been on several forums and have read a lot about them. It seems like it's hard to find a clean crew cab though, especially IDIs. There seem to be more powerstrokes and gasser fords in better shape around here. I'm not too much of a brand loyalist, so I'm asking if any of you can give somewhat unbiased opinions as to what you would do in my shoes.


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If you're going to plan to have kids and put a lot of time and money and more money and maybe more time into the truck, I'd recommend really trying to find a crew cab. I have two babies (well now they're toddlers!) in big bulky car seats that I bring around a lot in my truck. The car seats may fit in the extended cab (they do fine in my dad's 2011 extended cab) BUT if you're not going to have a clean truck bed with some kind of topper you need somewhere to put strollers, diaper bags, toys, a cooler (haha). I struggle fitting a stroller into the CC but I can't imagine trying to jam a stroller into the floor of an extended cab!

Also trying to put in car seats right after a C section (or regular birth probably) would have been impossible to do.

I actually like driving the huge old stinky CC than my minivan, especially when I baby sat and needed to put a third big car seat into the rear bench no problem!

But this opinion coming from a stay at home mom who drives her kids everywhere every day. But your wife may end up stealing the truck after she realized how much more fun and spacious it is than a soccer mom black midsized unibody "SUV"

 

[SebastIDIan]

Ford NEVER owned Cummins.
But International/Navistar did cast some Cummins blocks.

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Funny the IH made cummins blocks are considered superior lol

 

[SirRea63l]

Would you guys promise not to shoot me if I admitted,that if I had to go modern,I would strongly consider Chevy?

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I know,I can't believe I would ever say that either but they are,I think,the best looking of the modern trucks.

I won't disagree, and the quality level is good as well. Son in law has a 2007 F150 4x4, it is literally falling apart. It rattles immensely, the entire exhaust is wasted, it has electrical issues, the interior is coming apart and it generally isn't worth what little he owes on it. It wouldn't pull a wet ****** out of a bucket of grease. This is a Texas truck with mainly highway miles on it. No excuse for it's condition. He is an offshore diver and takes good care of it.

The wife has a 2015 Silverado 1500 4x4 with the new 4.3 V6 and it is a pleasure to drive, pulls our 18' trailer as easily as son in laws F150, the interior is superb and it gets better mpg. My 03 2500 HD 4x4 is rocking 311,000 miles and out pulls all of our trucks. The thing is a beast and I have beat the crap out of it.

I love both of my Fords but I wouldn't want a newer one.

 

[0 Xero 0]

I drove a 2011 F250 with a 6.7 as my work truck for over a year and it was mainly driven off road at a refinery. It didn't see nice roads too often. That being said, at only 80000 miles, the doors all creaked and that frame acted like it was made of beer cans. I didn't tow too much with it, but I'm glad. That frame was way too loose for lots of hauling in my opinion. The 2007 Chevy we also had saw similar use with 130000 on the clock. It felt much better towing... Although it had to have the most of front end replaced recently. That's IFS for ya!


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[tbirdfiend281]

Would you guys promise not to shoot me if I admitted,that if I had to go modern,I would strongly consider Chevy?

You must be registered for see images

I know,I can't believe I would ever say that either but they are,I think,the best looking of the modern trucks.

ya if your into weird trapezoid fenders, UGLY in my opinion. I have sat in a few in car shows, and in the Chevy/GMC trucks, there is something under the floor right where you would expect a dead pedal for your foot. That alone has me excluding the new Chevy's. If you like the looks then I guess power to you. I would buy a dodge, because dodge is discounting there trucks A LOT. I built a brand new dodge the way I would want it, it was 34k, then I built the ford, it was like 39k. Big difference in price.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

I still like dodge the best as long as they're not in the horrible Laramie trim. GM is second though and they have an actual cold air intake too. I hate IFS though...


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you would choose your truck because it has a 'cold' air intake? The majority of the modern intake ducting on new vehicles does a solid job of inputting 'cold' air.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

I drove a 2011 F250 with a 6.7 as my work truck for over a year and it was mainly driven off road at a refinery. It didn't see nice roads too often. That being said, at only 80000 miles, the doors all creaked and that frame acted like it was made of beer cans. I didn't tow too much with it, but I'm glad. That frame was way too loose for lots of hauling in my opinion. The 2007 Chevy we also had saw similar use with 130000 on the clock. It felt much better towing... Although it had to have the most of front end replaced recently. That's IFS for ya!


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Ya the IFS is lovely. I have 4 loaner 06 Chevy single cab duallie plow trucks, all of them ride on the bump stops when the plow is put on. They also rot out completely where the torsion bar key goes. We have had a couple get deadlined and sold because of that so I hear.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

If you're going to plan to have kids and put a lot of time and money and more money and maybe more time into the truck, I'd recommend really trying to find a crew cab. I have two babies (well now they're toddlers!) in big bulky car seats that I bring around a lot in my truck. The car seats may fit in the extended cab (they do fine in my dad's 2011 extended cab) BUT if you're not going to have a clean truck bed with some kind of topper you need somewhere to put strollers, diaper bags, toys, a cooler (haha). I struggle fitting a stroller into the CC but I can't imagine trying to jam a stroller into the floor of an extended cab!

Also trying to put in car seats right after a C section (or regular birth probably) would have been impossible to do.

I actually like driving the huge old stinky CC than my minivan, especially when I baby sat and needed to put a third big car seat into the rear bench no problem!

But this opinion coming from a stay at home mom who drives her kids everywhere every day. But your wife may end up stealing the truck after she realized how much more fun and spacious it is than a soccer mom black midsized unibody "SUV"

There is nothing wrong with Unibody. It depends on the application. Some of the unibody suv's are relatively legit, think Land Rovers, Grand Cherokees. My BMW is quite car like, but the X5 M guys do tow a lot of stuff they probably shouldnt. I dont know how much I would tow with it. Maybe my Thunderbird, but nothing bigger then that. So 4,000 lbs vehicles and lighter.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

ya if your into weird trapezoid fenders, UGLY in my opinion.

I wont disagree modern Chevy trucks are ugly.I don't like the appearance of anything modern.Between Dodge,Chevy and Ford,the Chevy is by far the best looking of the 3 to me.
That said,I'll likely be one of the current IDI owners long after most current IDI owners we know here have long since moved on to newer trucks.As long as I can still source parts,I'll run the 9th gen trucks.Right into retirement if I can lol.Chip truck to be replaced with an F-Super Duty/F450 w/ 12' dump eventually.More modern (04'ish? range? The DANA Super 60 front/matching rear from same yr f450/550 that is) type of setup..........When the time comes.I'll run my current 250 for all she's worth first.

 

[tbirdfiend281]

Yes I understand what you mean. I am probably one of the rare folks to have been in an IDI in the mid 2000s, blew it up, couldnt afford to fix it while I was in college, few years later got a newer style truck, hot roded it out, got annoyed at the cost of maintenance and repair, sold, and now, back in an IDI. I see most IDI folks using IDI's as stepping stones into modern diesels. I believe they are gaining value right now as people tend to appreciate the way they run, they kind of just go. A buddy of mine used one as a plow truck a few years ago, his comment was "Ya suprisngly it runs pretty good, just kind of goes" this is after so many years in newer trucks, and running hot rod fummins OBS trucks.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I, too, will stick with an IDI for a long time. I've done a lot to these engines and I think I know them fairly well. I know sone about the 7.3psd, but any newer than that and I'm lost (and really don't care)!

 

[tbirdfiend281]

I have done quite a bit with 6.0. That is about as new of a modern diesel as I would get, 2006 or older. I do know a lot about 6.4, 7.3, Cummins B motor, and only started scratching the surface of duramax. Its not the knowing or not knowing for me, its that most newish trucks I would buy would be gassers, hence the advise to be in a gasser.