Cummins or ecoboost

[UT_Grandpa]

My 1999 truck has 165,000 miles on it and other than tires, batteries, a serpentine belt, muffler, and a rebuild on the vacuum pump it has been great.

The next project is to repaint the bottom third of the truck. The salted roads here have taken their toll over the past 18 years.

Keep the current truck. My Dad told me that as long as the repairs are less than a new car payment, keep fixing and keep driving.

[Summit1]

Originally Posted by FrankG

GO test drive a new 2500 Laramie with the Cummins 6.7...let us know what you think. My DW did this to me and we never looked back. First Ram we ever owned, we had a string of 6 Fords including 2 powerstroke's before the Ram. Could not be happier with the Laramie. If you are considering a larger fifth wheel a 3500 may be in order. The 2500 4x4 Laramie with passengers, dogs and hitch will scale about 9000 lbs.

Similar experience here... we traded one of the Jeeps for a new and loaded Laramie 2500 w/ Cummins 6.7 Diesel. The truck rides and handles really well and pulls like it is not even working hard. Actual cost (think price vs. cost) of operation is not really bad at all. DEF is not a problem... ~1-2% (or less) of fuel usage, and it is easy and cheap to obtain and fill up.

We did the unthinkable and bought the truck first; a couple of months later, we bought the V-Lite. The tech who did the walk through and test drive commented that the truck handled towing at least as well as any he had ever driven.

Is it overkill? Maybe, but it will pay off over the next several years.

[Cypressloser]

You will never get the same fuel mileage with an eco boost - towing or not.
You will always miss the power of a Cummins when towing.
You will never have the low cost of maintenance on a new eco boost.
The Cummins will not depreciate significantly, the Ford will so fast it will make your head spin.
Your wife will continue to dislike the stick if you keep the Dodge.
Your old Dodge will never have the creature comforts a new Ford has to offer, however things can be done to take that Dodge to the next level for far less than the annual payments on a new truck.
If you do decide to get an eco boost don't trade the dodge in, sure the market for these kind of trucks is relatively small but they tend to sell quick and at a good premium.

[dmac1951]

That truck aint even broke in good. Keep the maintenance up on it and it will last years longer.
Love the sound of the 5.9!!

[Iwannacamp]

I had to read quickly to get to a stopping place... with even decent care your truck will go 300K plus..fact Over 350K and you will put an engine in it eventually...rebuild job ~$5K

1st. If you sell your truck at a premium(which you can) then you can pay for most of half of a new one
2nd. I have an 05 with 175K and they are reasonably trouble free. I had to put a fuel pressure switch at ?65-70K..warranty. I put a transfer pump on it. $200 that's it. I have the 6spd German trans... you have the NV5600 New Process(there are a few issues with those, but not major).
3rd If you look on Turbo Diesel Register you will see some for sale and see many reasons to keep.



One other thing... over 200K affects the value substantially
Good luck with your decision.

BTW DO NOT TRADE IT IN...THEY WILL ROOK YOU!!

[Iwannacamp]

If your truck is nice... and 4X4 and 4 dr... you can get $25K plus out of it...

Yes. The freaks are out there... that might tell you something.

Disclosure... If I had the money I would have a new one, but mine has 176K and I know I only got another 150K before a rebuild plus the devaluation at 200K...

[Jim34RL]

I have one of the dreaded 2008 Emission controlled Dodge 6.7 L Cummins Mega Cab. Would I part with the truck for a Ford pick-up truck; NO Never! I have been offered $30K for my truck from a private party and I have the local Chrysler dealing sending me E-mails every week saying they have a buyer for this truck, would I sell. NO.

I would think you could sell this truck between $20,000 and $25,000 easily since the 5.9L manual transmission trucks are in demand. No emission equipment to worry about.
You can than purchase a 2013.5 or a 2014 Ram on the use truck market for under $40,000 with the latest 6.7L Cummins that uses DFE and you can get the 68RFE auto or the AISIN in the 3500 SRW.

I know this is possible since my younger son purchased a 2013.5, 2500 Big Horn 6.7L Cummins with the 68RFE auto and 4X4, last year for under $38K.

[Iwannacamp]

One other thing...you can tell I am passionate about the Dodge/Ram deals.

People here will have varied views on this.... A lot of used trucks are "modified" to non OEM emissions stuff. I just assumed you were speaking of a new truck...not used. I would only pay half value for a de-horned(emissions raped) truck. These guys strip off stuff and then play roulette with future(or current) emissions standards. Other people think diesel trucks are race trucks... some people think they are mud buggies.

Just be careful if buying used...

[Hersbird]

I have a 2004.5 Cummins 6 speed and my brother has a 2015 Ecoboost. I would take his truck over mine in a heartbeat. Then again his cost $42,000 new and mine was $12,000 used. Presonally i would perfer the 6.7 to the 5.9 they were an improvement. Sure the 5.9 may go 350,000 miles, heck it might go a million, but it won't do it without multiple sets of injectors at over $3500 for just the parts no labor. The 6.7 injectors were improved and the pre-common rail 5.9 was good but the 2003-2008 have the Achilles heal in the injectors. The 6.7 is just as solid as the 5.9 And the emissions can be deleted. I would have never bought my truck had I known the injector issues those years, thank goodness I got it for a good price. I also want the 2010 up cab as we put people in the back seat which is a joke. My brother's back seat is like a limo, bigger than the front.

Oh and the 6.7 gets an automatic you can trust with enough gears that they can reduce the final gear ratio and lower your highway rpm quite a bit.

[ronheater70]

I'm on my first Ram, (although not a diesel) and I traded and EcoBoost for it..
In MHO, Ram just sucks horribly in quality and especially dealer support after the fact. Yours is already bought and paid for and you wont be having any warranty work done so, I say keep it.. However I am currently of the opinion that Ram just sucks.. and that's with only 6300 miles on the truck. I like the looks of the truck, but if the dealer / manufacturer cant honor warranty work, then its down the road.. BTW, at what point is a loud whine from a trucks rear diff considered normal? Because According to Ram its very normal and they all do it.

[Restcure]

We own an EcoBoost and love it. It's like a small diesel in that it makes its peak torque of 420 lb-ft at just 2500 RPM. The truck was built for towing; unfortunately, the 1566 lb payload is the limiting factor and with all the stuff we bring plus a 6570-lb GVWR trailer we're at our limits.

[77rednecktruck]

I think you get the truck that fits your needs. If it is towing heavy loads that a diesel is required, then you get the diesel and deal with the harsh ride and noise. If you drive the truck as a daily driver, the 1500/150 series trucks are much better to deal with on a day to day basis. That is assuming you are under the limits for weight when towing.

Then at the end of the day, get the truck that fits in your budget and talk crap on all the other trucks on the internet.

[glsimms]

Originally Posted by 77rednecktruck

I think you get the truck that fits your needs. If it is towing heavy loads that a diesel is required, then you get the diesel and deal with the harsh ride and noise. If you drive the truck as a daily driver, the 1500/150 series trucks are much better to deal with on a day to day basis. That is assuming you are under the limits for weight when towing.

Then at the end of the day, get the truck that fits in your budget and talk crap on all the other trucks on the internet.

Love that last sentence......

[mopwr4me2003]

This is my thought on this. Either new truck is going to cost you $$$$$$ to buy new. Most likely your 03 is paid for and with such low miles even with a mechanical break down with no warranty it's still going to be less than a payment or two. Your talking a motor that is just starting to get broke in. If it's a stick the clutch would be my only concern at this point other than minor maintenance to it. You won't get squat for trade on it towards a new one just cause of its age. I don't think it will make up a considerable difference in trade value.

Just think of it this way. A new truck will cost you $45,000+ which a monthly payment for 5 years Willis be around $600-700+ per month or more depending on what you get. I wish you the best there really is no wrong choice here just a matter of how much money you want to spend.

Good luck
Tim

[ronheater70]

I kust re read the OP initial comment.
at 50,000 miles, the ENGINE will have many years of life left in it, however all the other Chassis related stuff could be an issue down the road. a truck with that low of miles over that many years can sometimes be as bad as one with 300K on it.. things just don't get moving and get the ,motion and lubrication they need.
The ecoboost especially a new one is only down about 50 lbs of torques, but up about 130 hp more..

[M109Rrider]

I've grown fond of the new gas Super Duty. Won't get the mileage of the EB when not towing but has a much better tow capability.

[m2kamp]

Nobody likes to talk about it (especially ecoboost owners) but engine braking is very minimal. Sure, it'll scream up the mountain but you're working with 3.5L of displacement on the downhill side with a big trailer in tow...

If I were towing in the mountains, Cummins hands down. If I were on flat land or smallish hills and knew I would never upgrade trailer size I might consider an ecoboost, but having a 3/4 ton now I don't think I could ever go back to a lighter truck.

[moose074]

Originally Posted by M109Rrider

I've grown fond of the new gas Super Duty. Won't get the mileage of the EB when not towing but has a much better tow capability.

I have owed both the 3.5 and Cummins and currently own a power stroke. Never had problems with any of them. The down fall to the 150 with eco boost was suspension with out weight distribution it sagged a lot needed timbrens or sumos on it and always over payload when towing. Cummins was nice had 6.7 but didn’t require def but enjoying the power stroke especially when towing handles the 5er great would like to see ford or anybody else put a larger turbo gas engine in 3/4 or bigger truck he’ll I loved the power of the 5.7 on my Tundra but buy what will make you safe and happy

[Jack Larson]

Worked at Ford dealerships as a heavy line mechanic for 36.5 years. The power they get out of the eco boost engines is amazing. But not very much fun to work on. The new diesels are not pleasant to work on either. I don't miss it at all. If your old truck is paid for, has low mileage, and gets the job done, keep it for sure. The cost of a newer truck is crazy, but if you have the $$ for one, why not? There are many, many people out there that would love to buy your old truck. It's not how you get there, it's what you do when you get there. I own a 2017 TT and pull it with a 1997 F-350 with the 7.3L diesel that I got used from the original owner. I love it, and after working on all the new stuff, I would take a well maintained old ride over a new one. New is nice, but there is so much more things to go wrong. New is great as long as it is under warranty, and a lot of people trade them in before they are out of warranty. My best advise to people is to buy what you like, maintain it, and deal with things as they happen. I tell people that I have the past pulling the present. Whatever you decide, may you enjoy it and may it serve you well. Enjoyed what everyone had to chime in with.

[BGKirkham]

Originally Posted by moose074

he’ll I loved the power of the 5.7 on my Tundra

My old 2011 Tundra with the 5.7 was a beast, I’d put it up against the F-150 Ecoboost any day.