[gryffinwings]

Ok, so I'm basically window shopping right now for a diesel truck, I'm looking for something that is relatively affordable. I'm not sure what prices I should be looking at for one, I don't mind buying older diesels like a 2001, but what mileage should I be looking at or be wary about, I personally don't want to get screwed on having expensive repairs on a truck that I just bought. Is there anything I should be looking at to make sure the truck is running really good? What should I stay away from, from what I know, I should definitely stay away from 2003-2004 Powerstroke 6.0L. What else is there?

I personally don't like dodge all that much. Any tips will be very appreciated.

 

[ZombieSoldier]

you dont have stay away from them but just put aside the money for the biggest flaw they have with them. otherwise they are a great motor.

cant go wrong with any of the big 3... powerstroke, duramax, or cummins. find some in your budget, drive them and let yourself decide what is best for you. i cant tell you how many miles is optimal because each motor is different but i really wouldnt sweat 200-250,000 miles. shit mine has 268,000 albeit it has a new motor, but it is still a good truck, and I love my 7.3 powerstroke. love it love it love it!

 

[In2Trux]

you dont have stay away from them but just put aside the money for the biggest flaw they have with them. otherwise they are a great motor.!

Good point

Another thing to look for.
Some guys will tell you to stay away from trucks that have been tuned.
Trucks that have had a tuner added to it or that has had mods then removed when they were put up for sale.

If it sounds alrite on start up and sounds good during your test drive. I think your good to go
If you know or you can tell this truck was in competition? Maybe I would walk away from that truck.
I knew my 07 LMM Duramax was tuned when I bought it. But the saleman couldn't give me any info on it's history.
I noticed my stock exhaust was brand new. = Custom exhaust was removed and stock put back on and breather box was cleaner then the rest of the engine.
My point is, don't dismiss trucks that have been tuned. Some have been done by professionals and the truck has not suffered a bit.

My truck as NOT given me a bit of trouble since I've owned it.
I love my LMM Duramax. I love it I love it I love it :smileup:

 

[Rattlesnake18]

Don't be afraid of an 03-04 6.0L, just be cautious of what you get yourself into. Those years can be hit or miss. I have an 04 with over 113,000 miles on it and have had no major issues with it. The plus side of owning a 6.0L is that the after market industry has stepped up and produced products to address the major issues 6.0Ls can have. With the proper maintenance and mods, a 6.0L is one bad motor that can haul quite a bit, and run like a raped ape down a drag strip.

 

[gryffinwings]

Well so far I've tried a 2001 chevy Silverado 2500HD double cab and a 2005 Ford F250 Crew cab. All I can say is that I liked the Chevy far more than the ford.

Problems with Ford that I drove were. Turbo Lag. Loud engine. Not as comfortable. Turbo was loud. Soft brakes. More pedal effort required.

 

[Rattlesnake18]

Yes, a 6.0 does have some turbo lag, but with custom tunes, you can take care of that. In my personal opinion, a Power Stroke is a little bit louder than a Duramax in a good way. Power Strokes sound much beefier and stronger. As far as comfort, that is a matter of personal preference, I like my trucks to feel like a truck, not a car. For me personally, the Duramax just feels too light for a truck.

As far as the brake issue goes, that could just be a mechanical issue with that particular truck.

 

[Fla crkr 1 ton]

These fellas are the right ones to give you info on your choices they own them they would not give bad advice. I personally like dodge/cummins but i beleve that all of the big three are equil in some areas and better in others. I would rather buy a tuned truck due to the fact that's less money i would have to spend [provided it was not beat to hell] later modding it.

 

[ZombieSoldier]

well if you like the quiet engine just go with the duramax. they are quietest.

 

[In2Trux]

Where are you shopping? Dealerships?
I think you will have better luck finding a "already tuned truck" if you shop the private listings.

 

[Rattlesnake18]

If I was the OP, no matter which of the big 3, I would not look for an "already tuned" truck, unless you know the person you are buying it from. You never know how the previous owner handled the truck with a tuner on it.

But, that's just me.

 

[In2Trux]

That IS risky... With tuners comes more horsepower.
With more horsepower comes the motivation to put your foot in it.

With driving it hard and competing with your truck.
With this hard aggressive tuner driving and competing come more wear and tear.

Know who your buying this tuned truck from.

I got lucky on my truck. It was tuned but I didn't learn that until after I bought it.
My truck still turned out to be a reliable truck

 

[gryffinwings]

So far just dealerships used lots. I'm not planning on doing any tuning except maybe the economy tune, after that, maybe a turbo back exhaust as far as engine based mods go, I'm going for most reliability for the truck I get. So far, I really like the Chevy 2500HD, it was comfortable, easy to drive, better brakes, no noticeable turbo lag, it just felt good driving that truck.

 

[In2Trux]

Let us know how your truck search goes.

 

[gryffinwings]

So I went ahead and tried another F250, a 2004 model, only 2WD, but it drove significantly better than the previous one, I was really surprised. None of the bad traits that the old one had appeared at all, no turbo lag, the brakes were better, gas pedal felt better, definitely over all a better truck.

At the moment, I'm not sure what to get, right now it's looking like this:

6.0 vs. 7.3 vs. Duramax

Not sure which way to go, a guy at work that has a 2003 doesn't think I should even go after a Chevy, so at this point I'm not sure, I need more information.

 

[In2Trux]

I'm not sure, I need more information.

Don't buy a truck based on pier pressure. but I'm sure you already knew that.
Keep doing your research. Your doing an awesome job at how your doing it.
Doing your online research and going on test drives.

 

[gryffinwings]

Thanks, I'm not basing it on peer pressure or anything, but what I've seen and it seems to make a bit of sense, such as what I'm finding online, on the trucks I could most likely afford:

Duramax

RPO LB7 (engine code "1") was first introduced in 2001 and continued until mid 2004. It is a 32-valve design with high-pressure common-rail direct injection and a experimental composite design cylinder head. The most problematic issue with the LB7 is injector failure. Fuel leaked and entered the crankcase, causing oil dilution. Early on customers came forward complaining of severe overheating, and also in some situations blown head gaskets. Initially GM denied it was a problem, but after being sued by a consumer group, GM relented and included overheating and blown head gaskets as a warranted item. GM issued a warranty for this after the fact for injectors, which now have 7 year/200,000 mile coverage. The following trucks use the LB7


Ford 6.0 powerstroke

The early 6.0 L Power Stroke engines have proven to be unreliable,[1] and speculated to have cost Ford hundreds of millions of dollars in warranty repairs. They led to many recalls and the repurchase of at least 500 trucks. The initial quality challenges had mostly been rectified by Ford and Navistar by model year 2006 with most of the changes coming in 2005. The reliability of the later 6.0 L engines has been excellent. The 2006 model year 6.0L engines had the lowest rate of warranty claims across the board for Ford Motor Company when compared to all of Ford's gas and diesel engines. This is mostly due to both design changes made to the engine itself and the better training of dealership technicians. Some of the problems encountered, was the possibility of the variable geometry turbo charger to stick due to carbon deposits and/or rust buildup. This could potentially cause over boost and under boost conditions, which could lead to headgasket failure. Other problems include sticking EGR valves, restricted oil coolers, which lead to leaking EGR coolers. Numerous PCM (Powetrain Control Module) recalibrations, fuel injector stiction along with several other driveability and QC issues. The major problem with the 6.0L was the torque-to-yield head bolts, and poor head gasket design, both leading to a blown head gasket, and eventually a cracked cylinder head. The EGR valve carbon deposit issue in the 6.0 L has proved common enough to merit some special attention. When the valve clogs, it requires replacement, which has often been done under the powertrain warranty. However, it has been discovered that extended idle times are the cause of the carbon buildup, as diesel engines have low combustion efficiency at idle speeds. Ford has since resolved the issue via updated programming for the powertrain control module.

Mainly I don't want to deal with something that would be incredibly problematic, pretty sure most people don't. And honestly I have no idea how common the problems are on the duramax or the 6.0 powerstroke. It seems like the Duramax would be more problematic than the powerstroke, as long as the powerstroke didn't have the bad traits.

 

[Rattlesnake18]

it just felt good driving that truck.

That is the most important thing right there. If YOU like it, then that is what you should get.

So I went ahead and tried another F250, a 2004 model, only 2WD, but it drove significantly better than the previous one, I was really surprised. None of the bad traits that the old one had appeared at all, no turbo lag, the brakes were better, gas pedal felt better, definitely over all a better truck.

At the moment, I'm not sure what to get, right now it's looking like this:

6.0 vs. 7.3 vs. Duramax

Not sure which way to go, a guy at work that has a 2003 doesn't think I should even go after a Chevy, so at this point I'm not sure, I need more information.

The previous PSD you drove must have been driven harder by the PO for sure then.

Me being a Ford guy, it's obvious that my personal opinion would be to get a 6.0 or a 7.3 over a Duramax. There is enough back and forth between the 6.0 guys and 7.3 guys as to who's truck and motor is better, throwing a Duramax in the equation makes the decision easy..... PSD!!!

Things for me that make me love my PSD is, the fact that I have a solid front axle, heavier stronger truck, more spacious comfortable cab, a meaner look, my 6.0L tuned motor, 5R100 transmission, and let me think.... oh yeah, it's a FORD.

 

[gryffinwings]

So I've been doing my research, even though the Chevy was nice, I don't think I want to deal with some of the problems they present, I haven't been able to find any fixes for the early models from 2001-2004. Which brings me back to Fords, which I liked after I found one that ran properly, I think that is the trick with the F250s, find one that works good and your fine. So right now I'm looking at the F250s, and I want to get no less than a Lariat model. As far as I'm concerned the Fords issues can be prevented by changing oil and coolant at regular intervals as well as getting a few supporting mods that prevent them from happening anyways. Not sure you can fix injector failures in the Duramax that I've been hearing about, not to mention weird overheating that I've heard some of the earlier engines had.

If anyone can set the record straight, I would appreciate it.

 

[ZombieSoldier]

if you setback some money ahead of time have the problem corrected before it becomes a problem with the 6.0, and never have to worry about it again... ever

http://www.mkmcustoms.com/60powerstrokesolution.aspx

 

[In2Trux]

Not sure you can fix injector failures in the Duramax that I've been hearing about, not to mention weird overheating that I've heard some of the earlier engines had.

If anyone can set the record straight, I would appreciate it.

The LB7 Injector failure and Over Heating issue was covered in a warranty repair. The injectors were failing from housing cracks and failing seals. The replacements where a factory upgrade. If you were to buy a used 2001 to 2004. Chances are it has had the injectors fixed already, and if it hasn't fail yet, it won't do to the above reasons. This warranty covered the LB7 for 7 years or 200,000 mile, regardless of the owner.

If you do a dealership VIN run it will tell if the upgrades have been done to the LB7 Duramax