Merry Christmas to all.

Any thoughts on the recent histories of reliability, cost and availability of maintenance parts (filters, etc), shop repair times, and differences in mileage or performance?

Is there any real or perceived differences between the three?

I have 2015 Ram bought in July
Crew Cab Longhorn edition 1500.
Very nice truck. I don't care for the Longhorn badging but finish interior an exterior is outstanding. Leather is as nice as any vehicle I have owned. No squeaks or rattles, quiet and gets excellent mileage. At 70-75 it gets 19-20 mpg. Gasoline Engine have more than enough power. I have 10,000 miles on it and absolutely trouble free. It has more technology than the space shuttle which concerned me, but so far no issues. Pretty nice to be able to get a weather map and check for gasoline prices close to you.
sound system is outstanding. My bother has a 2014 Diesel 2500 that is amazingly quiet and has given him outstanding service.He pulls a large goose neck trailer. He has run diesel s in Ford, Chevy and Dodge and swears by the Cummins.

My Dodge is a 2011 and stock the fuel mileage sucked so I installed a H&S black max programmer and 5" exhaust and the fuel mileage increased with break-in to about 23 mpg at 75 mph with little head wind. Ran into a failed head gasket during a 4000 mile road trip pulling 32ft. fifth wheel camper. Had ARP head studs installed and no more problems. My friend bought a 2014 Duramax and it makes nearly as much fuel mileage stock as mine does tuned and it seems to offer better creature comfort than my Dodge. I have heard that nothing pulls grades as well as the Cummins when hauling a heavy trailer and I pass Power Strokes with fifth wheel trailers in the mountains like they are standing still. I would recommend either the Duramax or the Cummins. The one and only feature of the Ford that I like is the design of their injectors doesn't require lubricant in the fuel, although the GM and Dodge will run without lubricant it increases the longevity of the injectors. (darn low sulfur fuel!)

I don't think the Fiat-Dodge uses the Cummings anymore. I believe all diesel PU require the Urea additive now. My Duramax has 300,000 miles now and is due injectors. It has been the most trouble free vehicle that I have ever owned.

Your experience may vary.

On a recent road trip in the lower 48 we had two separate parties offer us cash for our second generation Dodge cummins. Apparently the older 12 valve models are quite sought after.

It's a 1996, bone stock, but I plan on some upgrades this year as it is a little anemic with the overload of our camper.

I've had a Duramax since 2008 which now has a little over 100,000 miles with zero problems. Friends have had similar experiences with their Dodge's. My son in law is a diehard Ford guy but it seems something always needs fixing with his truck. I also don't care for Fords cheap interior. To me it looks like it was designed like a plastic transformer toy. Half the gauges on the dash I can't see when driving it.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
I don't think the Fiat-Dodge uses the Cummings anymore. I believe all diesel PU require the Urea additive now. My Duramax has 300,000 miles now and is due injectors. It has been the most trouble free vehicle that I have ever owned.

Your experience may vary.

My 2015 Dodge has a Cummins.

The half-ton (1500 series) Dodge uses a Fiat 4 Liter V-6 that gets about 30 mpg. It is rated the highest mileage fullsize pickup truck sold in America. Even the puny Ford 4-cylinder can't match it.

All 2016 Dodge 2500 and 3500 series ( 3/4 ton and 1 ton) trucks have the Cummins. NO other truck has had the same basic engine half as long as Dodge.

The Ford V-8 has dual turbos, and 40% more parts than the Dodge and is rated less Max Load. Ford seems to come out with a totally new turbo engine about every three years.

Go to your dealers and compare the maximum towing and gross load ratings.

I am very happy my 1999 Ford 7.3l Diesel. Any problems it has had; I caused them!

I can pull my 28 foot travel trailer and get about 16 MPG on average. I have gotten as high as 19 pulling a loaded four place atv trailer with all the hunting gear on it.

If I was to get another one the Dodge 2500 Cummins would interest me or the new Ford.

The 1500 Dodge would be a good light duty towing truck, but the max payload is to low for my needs, or potential needs.

If I had to do a 1/2 ton it would be the Ford for the higher towing rating.

I think I will just keep the old 7.3l at least I won't have to add pee to it to operate it.

I drive a 1993 Dodge with Cummins that I bought new. It has about 273,000 miles on it, might be half worn-out. The rest of the truck is not aging as well as the engine, but I might not need another truck in my lifetime. People ask about buying it once or twice a year.

quote:

Originally posted by TomP:
I drive a 1993 Dodge with Cummins that I bought new. It has about 273,000 miles on it, might be half worn-out. The rest of the truck is not aging as well as the engine, but I might not need another truck in my lifetime. People ask about buying it once or twice a year .

Same with my '96 12 valve.

I also have the 1993 Dodge Cummins with 352,000 miles with the same issues. The first generation are a little loud but they are a beast.

I have a 2006 Ford F-250 Super Duty with the Powerstroke engine and I tow a 37 Ft 5th wheel with it. That truck could yank the axles off that trailer if I wanted it to. I have had no issues at all it.

I can't offer much insight into the new ones other than to say that my brother, who changes trucks frequently, had a '13 Dodge that was nearly a lemon (it was bought back before it went that far). It was replaced with a '14 that was trouble free while he had it. His job requirements changed again and he now drives a '14 Ford 1/2 ton gasser and likes it.

As far as older models go, I'm experienced mostly with Dodges with Cummins. There are three in our family, all 4-door 4x4s.

I drive an unmodified '06 with 98k miles on its 5.9 liter Cummins. No issues to date and I absolutely love it. I wouldn't trade it for a new one on a bet. I also routinely get asked to sell it or trade it in, as the pre-DPF/DEF models are in high demand. At lower highway speeds (below 65), I get good fuel mileage (20ish), but bump it up to 70+ and it drops to around 16-17. On my most recent elk hunting trip, I drove it over 500 miles. For most of that it towed our new 26' travel trailer that weighs about 7500 pounds through the mountains. For the rest, it spent most of the time slogging through mud in 4wd. It averaged about 13 mpg on that trip.

My other brother drives a highly modified '08 with the 6.7 liter Cummins and about 50k miles. It's a badass, but not really an indicator of what a stock truck can/should do. It'll tow anything and like it. Even lifted with 35s he gets quite reasonable fuel mileage.

My dad drives an '11 with about 30k miles on the Cummins. He's had a few issues with the emissions control (the DPF doesn't really work right), and his fuel mileage is what I consider pathetic - low teens when empty and about 10 when pulling his fifth wheel.

Both of my brothers work in the oilfields of northern NM and are exposed to a lot of different trucks put to harsh uses harsh uses. Both chose Dodges with Cummins as their personal vehicles when their needs dictated such. Of course, they're a very small cross-section.

My father-in-law swears by his '04 GMC DuraMax with well over 100k miles and wouldn't take my Dodge in trade. That makes us even, 'cuz I have no intention of driving a GM product.

This is what most owners of vehicles say about the other brands.
Quote: 'cuz I have no intention of driving a GM product. Smiler

We all buy and drive what we want.

True Butch, very true. But we're here to help Will figure out what he wants. And there's no fun in that if we can't take a poke at a truck we don't like or a father-in-law we do.

Mopar or no car!!

This discussion is like a bunch of guys standing outside a brothel debating which ho has the least bad diseases.

I've owned all this crap and would rather walk than buy a domestic or jap vehicle. IMO - the living executive management of the big three should be breaking rocks in a Siberian gulag.

Thanks for listening.

Oh! You must be walking.

quote:

Originally posted by butchlambert:
Oh! You must be walking.

Yeah, walking to my MBZ.