Truck hunting!

[SnowmanCO]

Thanks for all the responses to my previous question about the Ford 6.0 diesel.

I'm still shopping for a tow vehicle. I'm now comparing a 99 F450 dually with the V-10 to a 2005 Silverado 3500 with the Duramax.

Both are in very nice shape, crew cab dually, similar miles (130-150K) and similar prices, both under $15k. Both are automatics and 2wd.

Which one would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance!

[007matman]

Unless you like playing "guess which injector is bad this week" I'd go with the gasser.

[SnowmanCO]

Originally Posted by 007matman

Unless you like playing "guess which injector is bad this week" I'd go with the gasser.

Is that a problem that is specific to the Duramax or is that generic to all diesels?

[NMWildcat]

Originally Posted by 007matman

Unless you like playing "guess which injector is bad this week" I'd go with the gasser.

You must have your engines mixed up. 2001-2004 LB7 had injector problems. 2004.5-2005 is the LLY that had improved injectors and moved them for easy replacement. 2006-2007.5 LBZ Duramax is still my favorite, which is why I own one.
The one improvement I would make to any Duramax is the addition of a lift pump, so the OP should see if that upgrade was made.
As far as which one he should chose, only he can make that decision. I have no idea why a sane person would ask a forum that type of question!!

[Igave]

If you base your purchase only on the opinions you get on the forum you might as well forget about any purchase, period. Everyone has their own experience, good and bad with something and just because one (thing) had issues doesn’t mean they all do. To me, if the units you are looking at have maintenance records to compare; those comparisons would carry a lot of weight. Any purchase has an element of uncertainty.

[Jim34RL]

I agree with NMWildcat on the need for a lift pump on any older Duramax diesel engine. Say from 2001 to about 2010. I would look at something like an AIRDOG lift pump system. My son has installed them on many of the Duramax diesel in the area to prevent the Bosch engine mounted fuel pump from failing.

[SnowmanCO]

Thanks to all who have responded. I appreciate the time that you take to help share your knowledge with someone who is trying to learn about the pros and cons of a particular subject.

To the people who deride others for using the forums to ask questions, I have to ask another one. For what other purpose does the forum exist? I understand that one can't make a decision on a major purchase from one post and one response.

But when there are MANY respondents saying essentially the same thing, that is valuable feedback. And I'm not ONLY utilizing this forum. I'm also exploring other forums and Facebook groups in order to become an INFORMED consumer.

If I don't ask questions on the forum, where am I supposed to go? To a company website that is trying to sell me something? Should I just go hang around a garage and ask the mechanic to chat for $100 / hour?

If you don't want to answer my questions, then don't. But don't make snarky comments towards someone because they are trying to become an informed consumer.

For the rest of you who have been so helpful with your time and experience, thank you.

Rant over. Thanks!

[lbrjet]

I don't see any snarky comments.

[stephndudb]

Some of the V10s had a problem with spark plugs blowing out of the heads. Happened to a friend of ours. "The TSB actually covers the V8 as well as the V10, for model years 1999-2004. For vehicles under warranty, Ford replaced the heads. If out of warranty, they recommended an insert. The Ford recommended insert is an aluminum type called Lock-N-Stitch." If that's been addressed on the truck you're looking at, the V10 is a great engine. We had one in a full size van we used to tow a travel trailer cross country.

[007matman]

This type of questions comes up pretty frequently and its always the same. A big brewhaha over Duramax vs Powerstroke vs Cummins.

I'll re-state what I said earlier in the other thread. All Diesels from this era struggled with one thing or another. There all had issues. Between the federal government forcing emissions compliance to the battle for more horsepower and fuel economy it was a difficult time for all manufacturers.

Everyone in this forum chose the vehicle that they're passionate about for one reason or another. Some may have had issues in the past and moved on to something else and didn't have issues. Some have more money than brains and go out and buy a new vehicle every other year because they heard there may be this or that issue a year from now. Some have friends or family members that have made decisions they later regretted.

The best you can do is look for advice and take all of it with a grain of salt. Just because someone is the loudest and there are a bunch of folks cheering them on doesn't mean that they're right.

The V10 has mostly been a good engine. As someone else mentioned there was issues with the Aluminum heads stripping and blowing plugs out. Ford manufactured that motor for probably 20 years though and put it in everything from HD trucks to large campers. There are literally millions of those on the road today. With that said, the trans was not bad but not great either.

I would advise you to find what you like the best, buy it and then do what you can to address (or just be aware of) the issues you may encounter. Technically, the only thing that has gone wrong with my '07 6.0 is the oil cooler failed. That could be more related to the crappy gold coolant Ford used as it was a design flaw with the cooler itself. The rest of the work I did was "while you're at it preventative maintenance".

I started my journey looking for a V10 but about all I could find was a stripped base model or one that had the crap beaten out of it. I looked at Dmax's but had an uncle that had owned several and was very passionate about it being a horrible engine. The Cummins I drove were all POS's and beat to heck. Now. That doesn't mean that all of them are that way.. it was just what I found at the time I was looking.

For me, the F350 worked best due to the large cab and the ability to swap the center console for a jump seat. I needed to haul 6 people as I was going to use the truck to go on long trips with the family (we have 4 kids). So far it's been a great truck and I really like it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[67L48]

Originally Posted by NMWildcat

[...] As far as which one he should chose, only he can make that decision. I have no idea why a sane person would ask a forum that type of question!!

Originally Posted by SnowmanCO

[...] If I don't ask questions on the forum, where am I supposed to go? [...] If you don't want to answer my questions, then don't. But don't make snarky comments towards someone because they are trying to become an informed consumer. [...]

Originally Posted by lbrjet

I don't see any snarky comments.

I’m guessing he read NMWildcat’s post as calling him out for asking a stupid question ... or at least one that only an insane person would ask.

My understanding of NMW’s response is more nuanced.

Words matter. If you’re not interested in sorting through colorful responses, then be more literal in the questions you ask. If you want to know more about a given truck or any red flags about options, then ask those questions. If you ask people what they’d buy or what you should buy, you’ll tend to get more off-topic responses with tongue-in-cheek statements ... which is how I read this thread.

For example, I’d answer your actual question with, “Neither. I’d never buy a 2WD truck.” But, that could be seen as a sort of smart-ass response.

[SnowmanCO]

Originally Posted by 007matman

This type of questions comes up pretty frequently and its always the same. A big brewhaha over Duramax vs Powerstroke vs Cummins.

I'll re-state what I said earlier in the other thread. All Diesels from this era struggled with one thing or another. There all had issues. Between the federal government forcing emissions compliance to the battle for more horsepower and fuel economy it was a difficult time for all manufacturers.

Everyone in this forum chose the vehicle that they're passionate about for one reason or another. Some may have had issues in the past and moved on to something else and didn't have issues. Some have more money than brains and go out and buy a new vehicle every other year because they heard there may be this or that issue a year from now. Some have friends or family members that have made decisions they later regretted.

The best you can do is look for advice and take all of it with a grain of salt. Just because someone is the loudest and there are a bunch of folks cheering them on doesn't mean that they're right.

The V10 has mostly been a good engine. As someone else mentioned there was issues with the Aluminum heads stripping and blowing plugs out. Ford manufactured that motor for probably 20 years though and put it in everything from HD trucks to large campers. There are literally millions of those on the road today. With that said, the trans was not bad but not great either.

I would advise you to find what you like the best, buy it and then do what you can to address (or just be aware of) the issues you may encounter. Technically, the only thing that has gone wrong with my '07 6.0 is the oil cooler failed. That could be more related to the crappy gold coolant Ford used as it was a design flaw with the cooler itself. The rest of the work I did was "while you're at it preventative maintenance".

I started my journey looking for a V10 but about all I could find was a stripped base model or one that had the crap beaten out of it. I looked at Dmax's but had an uncle that had owned several and was very passionate about it being a horrible engine. The Cummins I drove were all POS's and beat to heck. Now. That doesn't mean that all of them are that way.. it was just what I found at the time I was looking.

For me, the F350 worked best due to the large cab and the ability to swap the center console for a jump seat. I needed to haul 6 people as I was going to use the truck to go on long trips with the family (we have 4 kids). So far it's been a great truck and I really like it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Your answers are informative, descriptive, and appreciated. Unfortunately, it seems that in my price range, the task I have is to attempt to ascertain which choice is the lesser of three evils. With the help of all the folks of the forum, I am in a position to make a better choice than I could have yesterday.

Thank you.