Suppose you HAVE to buy a 3/4 ton...

What would you get (Make/Model/Year/Fuel/Drivetrain)?

And why?

 

Ford/F250/2016 & older/6.7 psd/4x4


Personal preference.

 

I get a Ram with a Cummins.
I do loans for a living for 20 years. Many times I've had clients coming in to replace/repair the engine in their truck.
I can't count how many PowerStrokes I've had to refinance, but its numerous.
I've never seen a Cummins need replaced/repaired.
Another one of my clients owns a pilot car service and her 07 Mega Cab Cummins has about 900k miles on it and other than some front suspension work, nothing has been replaced.

 

I would buy a ford 3/4 ton gasser. No desire for a diesel, i feel ford has the best air conditioning and style

 

I'd go for an older Ford like this:




And then I'd check into this https://www.dieselconversion.com/ with a pre DEF Cummins.

 

1st gen Dodge diesel just always loved the look of the square/flat nose.

 

Their A/C controls suck. None that I owned had a separate recirc control. Not my '94 and neither the '02. You only got it when you used the max A/C setting. Also there is no bi-level setting either. Maybe the newer ones have it. My Tundra has it and both the 93 & 99 Chevy's had one. I don't remember if my 96 Ram had it.

 

My grandpa is 81 and drives a pristine 2001 F350 ext cab short bed no dually with the 7.3L. 170k miles. Immaculate. I’m beggin him to let me take it off his hands when he decides to stop pulling their camper all over. Awesome truck.

 

2020 F-250 Lariat Tremor with the 6.7L in Star White! Give me that 1050 lb-ft!

 

This. 7.3 gas 4x4.

 

My Excursion was bought new by my Dad. It's not immaculate but it only has 105K. It runs and drives great.

 

New F250 diesel platinum and an extended warranty. Because they’re almost as nice as a Ram with fewer hassles.

 

If I could find one in almost new condition, then a 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 with the Duramax/Allison combo.




If I had to buy new, I would also choose a GMC Sierra 2500 with the Duramax/Allison combo. I've driven and been stranded enough by Ram and Fords to never own one again.

 

The Ford death wobble is a big issue with some of their F250s and F350s. Solid front axle woes. I don’t know how common it is though.

 

If I decide to get into a heavy duty, I would either go with a gas 2500 or a diesel 3500 plus either an emissions delete or a beater car to daily since I only live 5 miles from work. (Or move to an acreage since I'm apparently wealthy in this hypothetical scenario.) I wouldn't go diesel three-quarter ton as it's my understanding that they don't necessarily have a lot more payload than a halfton.

Gas 2500:
If GM mates the 10 speed to their new 6.6, that would be a no brainer to me. Ford and GM seem to be similar in terms of reliability but Ford hasn't built many motors that are worth writing home about and I understand GM did a better job with tuning their version of that 10 speed transmission they developed together. FCA wouldn't even be on the table.

Diesel 3500:
Cummins with a manual transmission would be appealing but I wouldn't trust the rest of the truck not to fall apart around it. My uncle is still driving his Land Rover around his farm and ranch because he had another problem with his 2012 Dodge.
Would most likely go with a GM here as well. Duramax/Allison combo is well thought of and I know more truck guys who are GM guys than Ford guys.

This is all predicated on the assumption that I buy a new truck. Guys around here tend to drive their trucks into the ground or try to sell them for what they bought them for after 1 year and 60k miles. If I did buy something used, I'd look for a good 2007-2013 GM (GMT-900).

In actual fact, if I do need more payload, I'll either look at the redesigned Tundra ( here's hoping it's good) or go to a max trailering Sierra 1500, since that should be good for about 700 lbs more payload than I have now.

 

Used:
2007 GMC/Chevy 2500HD Diesel (LBZ motor, 6 speed Allison, no DEF)

New:
2020 GMC 2500HD Diesel (Allison 10 speed transmission)

 

EXACTLY !

 

I would never buy anything new anymore. Way too expensive and too many things to go wrong. Too bad no truck manufacturer offers a 10yr/100K mile warranty like some of the Korean cars did or do.
IMO, the last good domestic trucks were built in the 90's. I had a couple of Chevy's and they were great. Fords not so much and definitely not now. I still have a 94 F150 I bought as a yard truck. It's a POS but still keeps running. I think the only good thing about Ford Super Duty's was the 7.3L Power Stroke. I have one in the Excursion I own. I'll have to see how it holds up. It's basically a Super Duty. t seems to be built like a tank for the most part.
So if I did have the Excursion and needed a 3/4 or 1 ton it would have to be an 88-99 GM extra cab with either a 350 or 454 with the 4 speed automatic.

 

If I wanted a diesel, my first choice would be a Cummins but not in a Dodge. Second would be a 7.3L Power Stroke only because I have no experience with a Duramax. Any of the Power Strokes that came after the 7.3L are junk, especially the 6.0 as well as the later ones based off the 6.0. I belong to a Ford truck forum and there are a lot problems discussed about them. They need a lot of modifications to make them truly dependable.
Then I would chose an Allison transmission with the diesel.
I guess if I would want to spend the money, then I'd probably get an International XT.

 

6.7 Powerstroke if diesel, one of the best diesel motors Ford has ever made. It will definitely have the legendary 7.3 status. Very capabale and reliable. If gas then a 6.2 F250, absolutely bulletproof.

 

AFAIK, Ford didn't make the 7.3L PSD, Navistar did.

 

The smallest HINO made.

 

Hehehe. Interesting answers. Wait. What was the question again? Oh, it was nt a question. It was hypothetical. Well, my Tundra is evrything I will ever need, so I say a 2007 dc sr5 4wd. That s my answer

 

You've probably haven't had a glow break off and grenade the engine yet. You also need to keep your fuel and filters super clean. If not he injection pump and injectors will fail big time. Their turbos get some serious issues too. Yes, it's a much better engine but only if you're comparing it to the 6.0 and 6.4.
There's no comparing them to the 7.3 which is heavier and slower but still the best one of the bunch.

 

Its definitely much more complicated which comes with the territory unfortunately especially in the DEF era of diesel. But for a new diesel imo its the best you can get and is a proven powertrain. The 7.3 is fantastic reliability wise but you can't even compare it to the capability to the 6.7, just a different era.

 

Here's my DD.
2001 Ford Super Duty E350 7.3 liter Diesel Van.

2" Lift Kit w/ 265.70.16 A/T tires, light rack w/ four 7" led flood lights, led headlights, Such a blast to drive, hold a chit load of stuff, can tow more then my Tundra, can go almost anywhere but can park everywhere! Going strong with 337K miles and gets about 20 mpg on the big concrete highway. One day I plan on painting it Toyota Cement Gray. I Think it will look pretty cool that color.



O.S.T.


always loved the stock look tire/rims but painted black.



But I got the original Alcoa Aluminum rims and rattle canned them till I decide to go powder coat.

 

You're right the 6.7 seems like the best you can get now and yes it's much more powerful than the 7.3. I'm lucky my 7.3 only has 105K miles on it now so it's got a long life ahead of it as long as the rest of the truck holds up. The electricals can get a bit troublesome.
I think only a Cummins is better but I can't get around the idea of owning and driving a Dodge.

 

Could you please elaborate on why you think the Powerstroke 6.7 is better than a Duramax 6.6 or Cummins 6.7?

 

I don't think it's better than a Cummins but I think it's still better than any of the later year Duramax. The big problem is the Cummins comes in a Dodge.