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| I'm in need of a new truck... I need a 3/4 Ton so I've narrowed it down between an Chevy Gas, Dodge Gas or a Dodge Cummins. ( My hubby dont like duramax for some reason)
This will be my daily driver to work and I live in the midwest where it gets super cold. And i dont have a garage. I've never had a diesel for a daily driver so how r the new ones? do they warm up quickly? i have a 20 min drive into town will I have any heat? Anyone have any pro's or cons to any of these? I'm looking at years 2011 - 2015.
Thanks so much!!
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 Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | What year trucks are you looking at? Many diesels will have a heater block that you can plug in. Our duramax gets plugged in when it hits 35 or colder. We also let it warm up in the morning for 10-20 minutes. Depending on what year, durmax's are great pulling trucks. Our dually gets 19mpg and is an 05 model. I'm married to a diesel mechanic so I send a lot of questions to him |
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| I'm looking at 2011's and newer. yea i really dont have a good place to plug it in... so r the new ones required to plug in? Also since your husband is a Diesel Mechanic! What is with these new exhaust burning things? (i dont know the techinal term) but what year did those start getting putting on? |
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 Midget Lover
 
Location: Kentucky | Out of the three options, I would go with a Cummins. Just plug it in at night if it gets super cold, but I know a lot of folks that don't plug in. We have a Powerstroke and it never gets plugged in.
Start it up about 15 minutes before you leave and you will have plenty of heat. |
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Bulls Eye
Posts: 6443
Location: Oklahoma | The DEF (diesel exhaust fluid) is a pain from what he says. Our truck doesn't have it. The EGR's I know can cause some problems too. We deleted ours and put EFI Alive in our truck for the chip. I know hubby has said he wouldn't but 2010 or newer unless it was a brand new truck with a warranty.
As far as brands of trucks, it really is a personal preference. He works on Cummins daily. |
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Location: The Cowboy State | The DEF is a pain. I have a 2014 1 ton Duramax. We also have a 2007 3/4 ton Duramax. Never have plugged either truck in. Even in -25 Wyoming Weather. Both pull like a beast. But to be honest I think the 07 was an animal and the 14 is a pussycat.
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 Banjo and Baby
Posts: 7259
Location: South of Canada and North of Mexico | Mt husbands work truck is a 2015 Dodge 2500 gas, I actually love it and Im a diehard Ford girl!! Very roomy and rides not bad at all. The prices are decent as well. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | Cummins all the way; best pulling machine ever in the 2007 and older models, don't know enough about the newer ones. We plug our diesel(s) in if it is going to be very cold, but we've never had an issue starting one without plugging it in when it is cold (below zero temps) as long as you run blended fuel (so it doesn't gel). |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 600
Location: Oklahoma & Texas | I have a 2012 f250 its the turbo diesel with 6.7 ...anyway i love it..it's my daily driver and all...I've put 75k miles on it already no issues (knock on wood lol ) but i don't plug in unless it's dropping below freezing . ..i don't really need to even then but it's nice having a warm engine on those mornings already and heat is instant then lol...the Def is no big deal...only have to fill it every 8 or 9k miles and I've never been to a gas station that didn't have it...drives like a dream..hauls like dream. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 926
| Cummins for sure. Had a 2011 with DEF, it's really not that bad. I downsized from a 4500 Cummins to a 2500 gas Chevy....yuc, yuc, yuc....can't wait to get back into a Cummins. Can't offer opinion on the plug in, cuz I live in Texas. Good Luck |
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Hungarian Midget Woman
Location: Midwest | BBrewster - 2015-01-29 9:15 PM I have a 2012 f250 its the turbo diesel with 6.7 ...anyway i love it..it's my daily driver and all...I've put 75k miles on it already no issues (knock on wood lol ) but i don't plug in unless it's dropping below freezing . ..i don't really need to even then but it's nice having a warm engine on those mornings already and heat is instant then lol...the Def is no big deal...only have to fill it every 8 or 9k miles and I've never been to a gas station that didn't have it...drives like a dream..hauls like dream.
I have a 2012 F250 gas with 4x4
It hauls awesome and we have not had any issues with it either- and it gets used as a work truck during the week. |
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  Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | 1) I don't the EPA mandated DEF Systems.
2) I can't afford 60k+ for a piece of equipment that depreciates upon delivery.
3) I prefer the Ford Powerstroke 94 1/2 thru 2003 1/2. This is the bestest most powerful reliable generation historically speaking.
4) The Cummins 5.9 12V is the second choice for me, but not the Dodge platform it is packaged in.
My thoughts and preferences only.
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | I pull with a chevy gas (2012)and drive it as a daily vehicle. I get about 16 mpg going back and forth to work. As high as 18 on the eway not hauling. and about 11 hauling my 2 place loaded up. My trainer pulls with the same motor and she hauls through the mountains (4h usually fully loaded) with no struggles at all. I just couldn't justify the extra cost of a diesel with how much I haul. You have initial extra purchase cost. extra interest on that cost if you are financing. extra costs for each oil change. plus diesel itself costs more to run. The extra milage I would of gotten just wasn't going to offset it. But I am not a road warrier either. That might have swayed me into a diesel.
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Good Ole Boys just Fine with Me
Posts: 2869
Location: SE Missouri | Dodge diesel skipping 2012 (terrible mileage - my dad and sister both had one). We drive an 07 diesel Mega cab and I honestly don't know that we will ever buy a new one. I do not mind the BlueTech (6.7) motor. My other 2007 quad cab that we just sold regularly got 19mpg, the mega cab has a front end leveler and we get high 17-mid 18 pmg. My dad has a 2014 3/4ton 4wd and gets 19mpg also.
I drive a Ford F150 daily (v8)and honestly I wouldn't be scared to hook up our 3 hrs gooseneck (no lq) with a horse or two in it. We used to do it all the time with heavy steel trailers. 1-we weren't going far 2- speed limits were lower |
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 Living within my means
Posts: 5128
Location: Randolph, Utah | Cummins! We have 3 of them (2001, 2005, 2007), all start great and warm up quick. If it gets cold we plug them in and they have no trouble starting, we also run blended diesel in the winter.
All 3 pull great and haven't given us any major trouble. The 2001 just rolled over 300K. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| foundation horse - 2015-01-30 8:25 AM 1) I don't the EPA mandated DEF Systems.
2) I can't afford 60k+ for a piece of equipment that depreciates upon delivery.
3) I prefer the Ford Powerstroke 94 1/2 thru 2003 1/2. This is the bestest most powerful reliable generation historically speaking.
4) The Cummins 5.9 12V is the second choice for me, but not the Dodge platform it is packaged in.
My thoughts and preferences only.
We have a 96 and love it. Only has 113000 miles on it. It's a beast!! |
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| Dodge Cummins. My brother is an ASE certified mechanic and he says Dodge Cummins. He says it 's a shame that we can't get a Cummins diesel motor with an Allison transmission, because that would be the best of both worlds.
Sadly the Dodge dealer in my area doesn't have a good service dept which led me to having just bought my very first Duramax with the Allison transmission...would of bought a Dodge with the Aisen transmission but decided against it ONLY because of our local dealer not having a good reputation, per my brother's advice. Drove a new Ford diesel and it liked to beat me to death...the Chevy pulled my trailer great and was a nice smooth ride. |
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 Firecracker Dog Lover
Posts: 3175
| The GM people will like theirs, the Dodge people will like theirs, and the Ford people will like theirs. They each have their pros and cons. Go drive each one to see what YOU like and don't like. If I could package a Cummins with an Allison transmission on Ford chassis with a GM body I'd have my ultimate rig. Straight up pulling power you probably can't beat a Cummins but like another poster said it's packaged in a Dodge or a Ram or whatever they call it now. They ARE $10k cheaper and there is a reason, the ride is not as comfortable and the road noise (especially in the older models) makes it hard to have a conversation going down the road. The new Fords are one nice ride but yeah - the price tag on a new one (actuall on any new one) is ridiculous. I personally drive an '05 GMC with a Duramax. Super nice pulling and a very comfortable ride - and it's my daily commuter. I plug it in when it gets below freezing at night as it does not like to start when it's super cold (below 15 or so) so I plug it in. You won't need to let it run for 10 minutes to warm either if you plug it in when it's cold. If I can help it I'll always drive a diesel pickup - no gas again - the pulling power can't be matched and I kind of like driving it daily. Good luck to you - go try all three and see what you like! :) |
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Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | runs4fun - 2015-01-30 9:24 AM Dodge Cummins. My brother is an ASE certified mechanic and he says Dodge Cummins. He says it 's a shame that we can't get a Cummins diesel motor with an Allison transmission, because that would be the best of both worlds.
Sadly the Dodge dealer in my area doesn't have a good service dept which led me to having just bought my very first Duramax with the Allison transmission...would of bought a Dodge with the Aisen transmission but decided against it ONLY because of our local dealer not having a good reputation, per my brother's advice. Drove a new Ford diesel and it liked to beat me to death...the Chevy pulled my trailer great and was a nice smooth ride.
I couldn't agree more with your brother, I'd love to see an Allison and a Cummins in the same truck...we prefer a manual in our Cummins trucks just because we don't like tranny problems from pulling. |
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Veteran
Posts: 139
Location: Abbotsford B.C. Canada | I just bought a chev silverado 3/4 ton gas because I was told a diesel used for short drives say less than 1/2 hour to and from work or around town just never warms up and then the injectors start to get clogged because the truck never really gets hot enough to run properly. Service costs then get really costly because it is a diesel anyways and it is just more cost over all.
Unless you do some good long distance highway driving most days the gas is better.
The diesel will hav emore torque for towing in mountains and get better gas mileage when used for longer hauls but it may actually be quite costly if you do shorter hauls in between weekend trips.
The diesel engine is also quite a bit heavier so it adds a lot more weight to the front end so there is more wear and tear on the front end of the truck. Maintenance costs again go up. Tire wear up front may increase as well.
It seems the oil companies will keep the price of diesel high as the semi transport guys are stuck and have to pay the price so even though a diesel may get 22 -24 miles per gallon and my gas truck only 15-16 for my 6 liter engine, the fuel is not really much cheaper.
A diesel is not good for short hauls and in fact it hurts them. Maintenance costs and oil changes etc are very high. My friends with later model diesels say they wish they had bought gas unless towing big time longer hauls.
I just went through this and this is how I decided on a gas truck. A judgement call of course . Good luck. PS really horse trade on price as they are anxious to sell trucks now with the downturn in the oil patch etc. Be ruthless!!!!
Cheers,
Coastal Rider |
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Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | coastal rider - 2015-01-30 11:40 AM I just bought a chev silverado 3/4 ton gas because I was told a diesel used for short drives say less than 1/2 hour to and from work or around town just never warms up and then the injectors start to get clogged because the truck never really gets hot enough to run properly. Service costs then get really costly because it is a diesel anyways and it is just more cost over all.
Unless you do some good long distance highway driving most days the gas is better.
The diesel will hav emore torque for towing in mountains and get better gas mileage when used for longer hauls but it may actually be quite costly if you do shorter hauls in between weekend trips.
The diesel engine is also quite a bit heavier so it adds a lot more weight to the front end so there is more wear and tear on the front end of the truck. Maintenance costs again go up. Tire wear up front may increase as well.
It seems the oil companies will keep the price of diesel high as the semi transport guys are stuck and have to pay the price so even though a diesel may get 22 -24 miles per gallon and my gas truck only 15-16 for my 6 liter engine, the fuel is not really much cheaper.
A diesel is not good for short hauls and in fact it hurts them. Maintenance costs and oil changes etc are very high. My friends with later model diesels say they wish they had bought gas unless towing big time longer hauls.
I just went through this and this is how I decided on a gas truck. A judgement call of course . Good luck. PS really horse trade on price as they are anxious to sell trucks now with the downturn in the oil patch etc. Be ruthless!!!!
Cheers,
Coastal Rider
I am currently paying $2.29 (and anticipate lower) per gallon diesel in my area of North Texas. Down from the avg of $3.49-3.59 so I would have to say your highlighted statement is wrong.
Do you understand the idea of basic economics i.e. Supply and demand? Or the concept of competition? i.e. Lower the price for more volume sales?
Edited by foundation horse 2015-01-31 6:38 AM
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Ms. Dr. Phil
Location: My happy place | We bought a 2014 Ram 3500, Laramie a year ago and we are so happy with it, has 35,000 miles my husband drives it daily. We have never plugged it in also never plugged in the 2004 it replaced. I have no problem with DEF, I don't miss trying to get the exhaust off the truck at all. We expected the mileage to be worst than the 04, not true actually better. The ride and the interior is so much better, they have come a long way in 10 years.
As for driving a short while I can't imagine it's great for them but I drove the 04 7 miles daily the first 3 years and it didn't kill it.. When we traded had almost 300,000 miles on it. I don't recall it being that cold or letting it warm it too long. However the heated steering wheel is the bomb and I never knew I would love it like I do. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | We have a 2001 dodge cummins and man...do I LOVE IT!!!
I've always been a chevy girl so I was skeptical when my fiancé wanted to buy this dodge but it's the best pulling truck I've ever driven. It has a lot of power. Can't even tell were pulling my 2 horse bp or my 4 horse gooseneck with living quarters. |
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I'm a Cry Baby
Posts: 3781
Location: n.c. | foundation horse - 2015-01-31 6:37 AM coastal rider - 2015-01-30 11:40 AM I just bought a chev silverado 3/4 ton gas because I was told a diesel used for short drives say less than 1/2 hour to and from work or around town just never warms up and then the injectors start to get clogged because the truck never really gets hot enough to run properly. Service costs then get really costly because it is a diesel anyways and it is just more cost over all.
Unless you do some good long distance highway driving most days the gas is better.
The diesel will hav emore torque for towing in mountains and get better gas mileage when used for longer hauls but it may actually be quite costly if you do shorter hauls in between weekend trips.
The diesel engine is also quite a bit heavier so it adds a lot more weight to the front end so there is more wear and tear on the front end of the truck. Maintenance costs again go up. Tire wear up front may increase as well.
It seems the oil companies will keep the price of diesel high as the semi transport guys are stuck and have to pay the price so even though a diesel may get 22 -24 miles per gallon and my gas truck only 15-16 for my 6 liter engine, the fuel is not really much cheaper.
A diesel is not good for short hauls and in fact it hurts them. Maintenance costs and oil changes etc are very high. My friends with later model diesels say they wish they had bought gas unless towing big time longer hauls.
I just went through this and this is how I decided on a gas truck. A judgement call of course . Good luck. PS really horse trade on price as they are anxious to sell trucks now with the downturn in the oil patch etc. Be ruthless!!!!
Cheers,
Coastal Rider
I am currently paying $2.29 (and anticipate lower) per gallon diesel in my area of North Texas. Down from the avg of $3.49-3.59 so I would have to say your highlighted statement is wrong.
Do you understand the idea of basic economics i.e. Supply and demand? Or the concept of competition? i.e. Lower the price for more volume sales?
I have a 2002 F-250, 7.3L diesel. 245,000 miles. Was my daily driver for 7 years. 20 miles one way to work. Have NEVER
replaced an injector in this. Only routine maintenance and an alternator. And batteries on occasion. Just normal stuff.
I did finally buy a small 4 wheeler to drive only to take some miles off this truck since I intend to keep it until it falls into a million pieces. |
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Semper Fi
Location: North Texas | runningk - 2015-01-31 8:23 PM foundation horse - 2015-01-31 6:37 AM coastal rider - 2015-01-30 11:40 AM I just bought a chev silverado 3/4 ton gas because I was told a diesel used for short drives say less than 1/2 hour to and from work or around town just never warms up and then the injectors start to get clogged because the truck never really gets hot enough to run properly. Service costs then get really costly because it is a diesel anyways and it is just more cost over all.
Unless you do some good long distance highway driving most days the gas is better.
The diesel will hav emore torque for towing in mountains and get better gas mileage when used for longer hauls but it may actually be quite costly if you do shorter hauls in between weekend trips.
The diesel engine is also quite a bit heavier so it adds a lot more weight to the front end so there is more wear and tear on the front end of the truck. Maintenance costs again go up. Tire wear up front may increase as well.
It seems the oil companies will keep the price of diesel high as the semi transport guys are stuck and have to pay the price so even though a diesel may get 22 -24 miles per gallon and my gas truck only 15-16 for my 6 liter engine, the fuel is not really much cheaper.
A diesel is not good for short hauls and in fact it hurts them. Maintenance costs and oil changes etc are very high. My friends with later model diesels say they wish they had bought gas unless towing big time longer hauls.
I just went through this and this is how I decided on a gas truck. A judgement call of course . Good luck. PS really horse trade on price as they are anxious to sell trucks now with the downturn in the oil patch etc. Be ruthless!!!!
Cheers,
Coastal Rider
I am currently paying $2.29 (and anticipate lower) per gallon diesel in my area of North Texas. Down from the avg of $3.49-3.59 so I would have to say your highlighted statement is wrong.
Do you understand the idea of basic economics i.e. Supply and demand? Or the concept of competition? i.e. Lower the price for more volume sales?
replaced an injector in this. Only routine maintenance and an alternator. And batteries on occasion. Just normal stuff.
I did finally buy a small 4 wheeler to drive only to take some miles off this truck since I intend to keep it until it falls into a million pieces.
My current Daily Driver is an 01 Excursion Powerstroke w/ 177 or so k miles. I bought it w/ 89k. I also have a 96 F250 CC Powerstroke w/ 326k. I WILL NOT stop driving Powerstrokes as long as I can get parts for em. And I can! Cause 7.3 Powerstroke is identical to the International IH466 w/ a Powerstoke Cam.
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I'm a Cry Baby
Posts: 3781
Location: n.c. | True that. And since my husband is an International die hard, we will never be without. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 271
Location: Texas | I have a 2015 f-250 diesel 6.7L king ranch Ed. and I absolutely love it! Smooth ride and pulls both my bumper pull and gooseneck easy. |
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Purchasing New Truck - Need Help