So a few weeks ago I was hit while sitting at a stoplight. A semi and two other cars tangled behind me and I ended up getting hit and pushed out into the intersection... My "daily driver" was a 2004 Dodge 3500 series Cummins diesel 4X4. It was over 11,000 and I loved driving the big behemouth... it probably saved my life, due to the size of it... It also got an average of about 18mpg...




So shopping for a replacement was a bit of a b*tch... The big three have scaled back on their heavy truck production over the last 5 years. I need a truck this size to pull my enclosed trailer with, and having a truck around my place has been handy, living out in the country.

After much searching, I ended up buying the very first truck we looked at...





Those are iphone pics, so sorry for the quality. I'll eventually get it cleaned up and some real pics taken... It's an 06 3500 4X4 megacab and it runs great... 610# ft. of torque from the factory... We wanted a newer chevy, but I just couldn't find a clean shortbed durmax/Allison that wasn't a stripped down work truck model...

Mike

 

So Mike if you ever need to pull a house off it foundation you now have the perfect vehicle for it. Hehe. Todd

 

I like the background of your second photo...

 

Good looking truck, I like the color.

 

Nice truck. Every time I look at my underpowered Toyota Sequoia I wish I had a truck like this to pull my flatbed car hauler.

 

nice truck but im guessing thats what your using to trailer your porsche, i mean not trying to be rude or mean but i thought this was all about 996tt and GT2, maybe im confused though, im pretty new to this whole forum thing, but i guess i will try and get pictures of my other vehicles and my wifes car toolol

 

ok here is one of themlol

 

Sweet new truck, I think it should haul very you put behind it very nicely.

 

well, since we are on personal trucks, here is mine. It is for my household full of women. I put them in the back and I rock out to disturbed in the front

 

Here is my daily, duramax turbo diesel.

 

Congrats on the truck. It looks great. Since you've done some research, would you mind sharing your thoughts on the PowerStroke and Tundra? PM me if you prefer.

Thanks,
Chris

 

We test drove in this order on the same lot:

2006 Ford KindRanch Edition F350
2007 Ford KingRanch Edition F350 (we thought there was something wrong with the first, but there wasn't)
2006 Dodge 2500 Shortbed quad cab
2006 Chevy 2500 Duromax Diesel WORK truck (roll up windows and manual door locks, along with vinyl seats).

All three truck models were bone stock autos. No mods to them. So in the test it was top of the line ford, mid line dodge, bottom of the line chevy. This particular lot deal strictly in used diesel trucks, with a few others that they take on trade in and then get rid of on the auction circuit.

My wife and I drove all the above on the same route and in the same conditions, all within 1.5 hours time.

The Ford was GUTLESS and rode like a 1970s F100 era truck. Low on power, and verymuch a buckboard ride. The KingRanch interior was hidious.

The dodge rode just like my 3500 that was totalled, so no surprises. You get what you get with the interior layout and the power of the Cummins was simply hands down the better truck.

The Chevy was hands down the best driving, best riding truck of the three, and the Allison Transmission is the best in the industry for 3/4 -1 ton trucks. What's more, the chevy drove like a car. You simply didn't think you were driving a truck. It made the best power, shifted the smoothest, and even though it was the bottom of the barrel interior, it wasn't bad...

The toyota, I did not drive at first. My towing capacity is 10,000 as that's what my trailer is capable of hauling. The Toyota would be marginal at best for that weight, regardless what the commercials say. I drove one, and it was a typical gas truck. I also saw how one fared in a collision with a deer and the $6800 price tag for all the damage to the front facia made me think twice about it... Pretty truck, but I need something with real gutts that will tow a box trailer...

Which brings me to why I like diesels... The truck I bought is knocking down 17.8 mpg mixed highway and city. My last dodge knocked down 18.8-19.2mpg. And I drive my trucks most days trhu out the winter, as the Porsche doesn't get driven when it's snowing, sometimes in the rain before a planned detail and never if I'm going into areas with questionable parking. So I drive my truck a LOT. Gas trucks don't have the same amount of power, torque or pulling capability as Diesel trucks. At 610#ft. of torque, I step on the pedal and this thing GOES! That's what I wanted to make sure I kept. The harder it was to find a clean, unmolested diesel, the more I started looking at Gas trucks and the Toyota was at the top of that list... For an trailer with a total weight package of 7500#, the Toyota would be fine. But again, the fuel mileage plays into the mix. Most gasoline trucks get horrid MPG towing. When we drove to Watkins Glen NY last year we averaged 13.2 in my dodge, pulling my 24ft. Haulmark enclosed trailer. And that was also averaging about 62mph with all the crawling thru all the towns in Pa.

We didn't look at new trucks for two reason:

1. I didn't want a car payment so keeping it at $32K or less would allow me to stroke a check without dipping into savings or financing the difference.
2. There is simply no way I can justify paying $50K plus for a PICKUP truck. I still can't get my head around that price point for new trucks.

The big three made so few of these this year that NONE OF THEM are giving huge breakes on their 3/4 ton or 1 ton diesel trucks. I figured Chevy and Dodge, just filing bankruptcy would be willing to deal, but no such luck.

Hope this explains some...

Mike

 

Nice, congrats!

 

Congrats Mike!!! My old company vehicle was an F350 regualar cab power stroke. I flashed it with 60K on it and gave it back after 7years with 340K on it. I used it for EVERYTHING, towing 2 different trailers, plowing etc...

Now I had to buy my own truck. So I picked up a 02 GMC Sierra 2500D extra cab Duramax. SOOOOO happy. Like you said, drives like a car, but tows like a bear, (of course I flashed it too). I had to put a shift kit in the Allison, but now it's good for whatever I need to do with it. A good work truck is a must... Congrats again and glad your story had a happy ending.

 

TTBoost, which setup did you go with on the flash? I'm thinking about going with either the banks or the Edge right now...

Mike