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Thread: Ford Or Chevy???

  1. #1
    707-CREW
    I am selling off my 99 suburban 2500 to get a pick up. I am going with a diesel for sure. Mabe a f-250 4door long bed. I have heard good and bad on these. I am looking for a used one, lifted with wheels and low milage. What is the best out there??? Is the 6 liter ford better than the 7.3? Is the chevy with the duramax crap?? I have always had gas CHEVY t rucks. My work truck is a 2006 f-250 with the 6.0 and it rips....Any input would be great.......THANKS

  2. #2
    pw_Tony
    One word...... Cummins

  3. #3
    riverbound
    One word...... Cummins
    I agree...but given the 2 choices and the current problems in the Ford lineup. I would have to say Chevy.

  4. #4
    Magic34
    I say 06 Chevy dually and quit messing around with the 3/4 ton stuff.

  5. #5
    707-CREW
    I know the cummins is the way to go but I can't own a dodge....What ford diesel is the better one??

  6. #6
    uLtRADeNniS
    One word...... Cummins
    The Cummins is such a Fagot motor for many reasons IMO.
    I would say the 7.3 is the best thing Ford made and should not have got rid of it. If you could pick one up it wouldn't be a bad route. The 6.0 are alot better than what they used to be. But with the 6.0, your really limited to what upgrades you can make. A simple call to Banks will prove back up that statement.
    With the Duramax you can do alot more to them and they are a faster than the Ford hands down. They have less turbo lag up time than the Powerstroke or Cummins.
    Now the new Duramax...Thumbs up to that!!..The new Ford??..Bend over and get ready to take it hard!

  7. #7
    curtis73
    Having dealt with hundreds (literally) of all of the above diesels in our fleet, and having worked as an engineer for GM and Ford, I feel confident speaking about this
    The 7.3 is a wonderful engine. It has a couple tiny issues, like the glow plug relay likes to die frequently, but its a $60 part that lives on top of the engine. Its so simple to change that you could do it with your teeth in a pinch. The overall design of the motor is a dream. The fuel filter is located on top in front of the engine. Its a complete screw-on filter that is easy to replace, mess-free, and cheap. It has a nice drain valve to periodically drain water out without changing a thing. From 94-97 they were non-intercooled. 99 and later were intercooled and had a bit more potential, but any of them are darn near bulletproof.
    The 6.0 we on the inside at Ford called the "powerchoke." There is still ongoing litigation between Ford and Navistar concerning the crappy nature of the 6.0 and all the warranty bias that Ford had to cover. Its really not horrible, but compared to the other offerings out there its just not really a competitive player. The new 6.4L stroke has yet to really prove itself. I like to believe that the 6.0 was a hiccup. Given the incredible engines that Navistar/International has produced for nearly 90 years, one bad design doesn't deter me from thinking that the 6.4 can't be great... but its not proven yet.
    The Cummins is a truly wonderful engine. It is truly brought down from medium duty trucks. Its a full-on industrial ISB commercial cummins that is installed in Dodge trucks. Up to 1998.5 it was a mechanical injection 12 valve wonder. It can be easily hopped up, its dead-nuts reliable while being incredibly simple, and they run forever. I personally sat in on a 12v Dyno run that put 2131 lb-ft to the wheels on a daily driver truck. 1998.5 and later engines are 24 valve electronically controlled motors. Still wonderful but many feel that the electronic part pulled them down a notch, but in my opinion it just pulled them down to "slightly superior" instead of "way superior." As you have pointed out, however, they unfortunately come installed in Dodge trucks. I'm just not a fan. Kits are available to install a Cummins in a Ford
    The older 6.5TD GMs are just not really a player either. The Duramax is shaping up nicely, though. They've been on the market long enough to really prove themselves. Its one of the most car-like in its power delivery, its strong and reliable, and is exceeding most folks' expectations. Its no Cummins, but its a good workhorse that will treat you well. Having owned a few Chevys in my life (about 13 now) I will say that the rest of the truck is both impressive and disappointing. I love the comfort and ride of the chevy, but I think they missed the target on a few things. The seats are polarizing; some don't mind them while others are now on a first-name basis with their chiropractor. There are some electrical issues as well. Most of the truck's systems are integrated; stereo, dash, climate control, etc. For instance in my mother's trailblazer, the radio jumps to CD every time she turns on the AC. In my Dad's Dmax truck, the radio defaults to CD every time he turns the truck on. Just little nitpicky things that bug me.
    A word about transmissions. For the most part newer trucks have solved most of the issues. The problem was that all of the big three used beefed-up versions of their normal auto trannys behind torquey diesels and they didn't like it. Chevy used the beefy 4L80E which (behind the wimpy 6.5) was fine. Ford used the 4R100 which did have some issues, most of which were solved. Dodge kept progressively changing variants of the 47RE and most of those issues have been solved as well. Chevy went with the Allison 1000 behind the Dmax which is one of the finest light-commercial trannys every built, but like most things, the bean counters at GM softened it up so that the old-folks wouldn't complain about hard shifts and it revealed some weaknesses. If you plan on towing heavy with an Allison its really the best for the job, but it won't take heavy abuse. The aftermarket has super easy solutions to return it to its commercial glory, but I suggest against random towing over 10k without some help. If you're going to tow 10k every once in a while recreationally, don't worry a second about it, but if you're planning on really towing a lot, consider some upgrades.
    If I were buying a diesel right now, I would get a 99-2003 Ford 7.3 with a manual. That gets me a rock-solid engine with a bulletproof NV5600 tranny. If I had more money than I do, I would get a 99-03 Ford and put a 12v Cummins in it. If I had even more money, I'd get an LBZ duramax and upgrade the Allison... and swap out the seats I like my chiropractor, but not that much.

  8. #8
    LOWRIVER2
    You did'nt state if you wanted 4wd or not. If 4wd and price are the top reasons:
    1. 99-02 Ford 7.3
    2. 02-03 Chevy LB7
    3. 04-06 Chevy LLY
    If price not main factor/4wd use is light:
    1. 06-newer Chevy LBZ
    2. 7.3 Fords-all other Dmax chevys
    I had an 04 6.0 Powerstroke before my 06 LBZ Dmax, not even close in power, transmission strength and reliability. Ford completely lost it on the 6.0, hopefully they made the new 6.4 better.
    7.3's are fine, but as a longtime chevy owner, if you like chevy's, then you'll like the newer ones. Longtime Ford folks probably like newer Fords.
    List your priorities and go from there.

  9. #9

  10. #10
    riverbound
    The Cummins is such a Fagot motor for many reasons IMO.
    I would love to hear your reasons....as Im sure you have plenty of experience.

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