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new truck choices?????

M

mtnbound

Well-known member
OK this new truck shopping is getting serious. I am looking at 3 choices right now. All crew cab and 6' box, and 6pass seating

2008 chev 2500hd 6.6 duramax (LLM) allison,3.73 gears, LT1 trim(cloth) 48,000 miles $32,950

2008 Ford 250sd 6.4L, Auto 3.73 gears, Lariet trim (leather) 60,000 miles $33,950

2012 Ford 150 3.5L ecoboost, auto, 3.55 gears, XLT trim (cloth) 10 miles $32,550

I typically tow @6500lbs 18 times a year and my surburban is getting tired. other than that it will be a daily driver, no lift, no big tires.

please dont start bashing one brand or another. If you have had a personal problem with one let me know.

sorry all of you dodge lovers. I dont want one, end of discussion.

thank you for your time!
 
i just got a 2010 6.4l f250. in my research i wouldnt get an 08, mid year 09 and 10 only.

while i love my truck there are several times i wish i had got the ecoboost. main reason is driving around town the f150's are so smooth and car-like compared to the super duty's.

i did pull 8000-9000lbs 150 miles the other day where the powerstroke was nice to have though.

tough call ...
 
I would probably go with the ecoboost if its going to be your daily driver most of the time. Like what meathooker said its going to be more comfortable and you will save a fair amount of $ on gas instead of diesel. Also you might want to consider how long of trips you are going to make while towing. I personally would rather tow with a diesel on longer trips even if its not that big of a load.
 
OK this new truck shopping is getting serious. I am looking at 3 choices right now. All crew cab and 6' box, and 6pass seating

2008 chev 2500hd 6.6 duramax (LLM) allison,3.73 gears, LT1 trim(cloth) 48,000 miles $32,950

2008 Ford 250sd 6.4L, Auto 3.73 gears, Lariet trim (leather) 60,000 miles $33,950

2012 Ford 150 3.5L ecoboost, auto, 3.55 gears, XLT trim (cloth) 10 miles $32,550

I typically tow @6500lbs 18 times a year and my surburban is getting tired. other than that it will be a daily driver, no lift, no big tires.

please dont start bashing one brand or another. If you have had a personal problem with one let me know.

sorry all of you dodge lovers. I dont want one, end of discussion.

thank you for your time!

Ecoboost. Diesel would be overkill and cost you more in the long run. Plus, you get warranty with the Ecoboost.

Honestly .... I just bought a 2012 Dodge, and quite frankly I wish I'd had bought a 2012 Ecoboost.
 
I would go with the Duramax or Ecoboost. The 6.4 Powerstroke is too problematic for my taste.

I have a 2011 Ecoboost and I have been really happy with it. Mine is an FX4 Supercrew with 3.73s. Tows fantastic. Rarely has to downshift. I have about 1500 miles on it towing between 5000 and 7000 lbs (3 or 4 place steel enclosed trailers). Honestly, I can say the Ecoboost pulls a 4 place enclosed better then my 04 GMC 5.3 w/3.73s pulled a two place open.

I had two Cummins(which I loved) before the Ecoboost but no dissapointments with the Ford.

I would and did consider a Duramax, but for a new truck the initial buy in was lot more. A cloth Duramax was around $45-47k if I remember right.

I might consider a Duramax or another Cummins or even newer 6.7 Powerstroke in the future, but diesel fuel will have to go down. The prices of diesel the last few years has not made it cost effective to have a diesel truck unless you are towing 9k+ consistently.
 
Ecoboost if you don't need a diesel for pulling heavy loads. Much more comfortable, and much easier on the pocket book both in fuel and maintenance. My wife has a '12 ecoboost and i like driving it better then my 12 6.7 PSD!!
 
Duramax. If not for anything else the fact that I'm in love with that motor.

The Ecoboost is flat impressive. But the fuel mileage isn't better than the diesel from real world reports that I've seen. Plus, Ford requires premium fuel from what I'm told. Ford's interior looks awesome but I'm not a big fan of the F150 exterior. I think the Ecoboost will tow better than most half tons, but that's where you will be extremely happy with the Duramax. The Ford will be a better daily runner.
 
I've been pondering the same thing for a while.

Consider total miles driven annually and break down those miles into towing and normal to figure out fuel mileage/cost estimates.

You should probably also consider at what speeds you need to tow and the hilliness (is that a word?) of the terrain because towing faster and/or in hills the diesel would be my choice. You might note - ST rated trailer tires are rated for 65mph so the eco would have no problem maintaining that speed.

From what I've read, the Duramax will obtain 1-2mpg better while towing. 10-12. The eco is 8-10.

The eco would have warranty. Good.
The eco will depreciate more. Bad.

The eco is only a half ton. Bad if you ever want to do a sled deck.

The eco has more rear legroom, at least it seems that way to me.

The cost of repairs to diesels can be high. I've seen too many ads selling Duramaxes, newer than 2004's with 125,000 - 150,000 miles, and they tout it as having new injectors. I've heard injectors can cost $2500 on the newer ones and even more on the pre 2004's. I've also heard the post 2004 models can run 200,000 plus without injector problems.
 
Coldfinger summed it up well

A set of D-Max injectors from the stealership can be over 5k installed.

The F150 Supercrew is quite a bit bigger then Chevy. Closer to the mega cab IMO but not as big as the mega.

The Ecoboost does NOT require premium. Mine runs just fine on regular.

The Ecoboost does tow way, way better then any stock gas motor period, by far!

I've been around several 8.1 Chevys, V10 Fords, 6.2 and 6.0 Chevys and the Ecoboost makes them look silly towing a trailer.

I am way impressed with the towing power. The partial throttle low RPM torque that it provides is very impressive. VERY diesel like. I would say my Ecoboost would match or outperform my 01 Cummins (stock) towing a trailer. Without revving over 3k.

I run airbags on mine though, because it does sag pretty good towing a big enclosed.

I may go back to another Cummins or Duramax next go around, but it depends on what diesel is priced at and if any one else steps up to compete with the Ecoboost. I would really like small diesel in a half ton or small twin turbo'd V8 gas in a half ton.

Also, I would say my Cummins would get 1-2 MPG better towing and about the same empty. Ecoboost does better around town and short trips though.

Same 4 place enclosed with my 03 Cummins would be about 13 MPG and the Ecoboost was in the 11-12 range often. However diesel was like $1 more a gallon all winter, so I don't think the diesel is going to save you much of anything.
 
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The eco is only a half ton. Bad if you ever want to do a sled deck.

The GVWR on the newer Ecoboost F150s is 7,400-lbs I believe .... Most "half-ton" trucks sold today have a GVWR that is 1,000-1,200-lbs more than they were 10 years ago.

It really doesn't make any sense to call trucks "1/2-ton, 3/4-ton, 1-ton" anymore.

There is basically medium, large, and extra-large these days ..... a "250" or "2500" truck would have passed off as a "1 ton" truck 10 years ago .... the only difference these days between a "3/4-ton" and a "1-ton" truck with single-rear wheels in this day and age is springs. Everything else on them is identical .... brakes, drive trains, everything. You get bigger brakes and axles if you go with a DRW 3500, but thats it ...

Its pretty much like saying a "150/1500 1/2 ton" is a medium sized truck, a (250/2500/350/3500 is basically a 3/4/1 ton and a "3500 DRW" is more like a 2-ton since I think almost all of them have payload capacities over 4,000-lb.

With all that said:

Put a set of air bags on the F150 Ecoboost and have the best of all worlds.

I'm sort of kicking myself in the *** for buying the 3500 truck over the 2500 truck no heavier than my trailer is. 2500 with bags would have been the way to go .... or F150 eco with bags ;)
 
What is the cost to service a diesel (filters, oil, etc)?

I put a lot of miles on my F150's and I can't justify a diesel. It would tow better, but the new 5.0 V8 in my Supercrew seems to work pretty well so far. I can only imagine what the Eco would do towing.
 
I'm sort of kicking myself in the *** for buying the 3500 truck over the 2500 truck no heavier than my trailer is. 2500 with bags would have been the way to go .... or F150 eco with bags ;)

A gmc has no ride difference between a 3500 and a 2500.

The 3500 has an extra set of floating leaf springs and slightly differently valved shocks. So honestly there is no point in buying a 2500 because it will ride better.


Also the ecoboost requires premium, you might be able to not buy premium but ford recommends it.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Correct, all factory turbo engines recommend premium. Yes, they will run on regular but with noticable decreased performance.
LB7's were the only problematic engines with injectors, Bosch made a bad design. The new duramax don't have any injector problem, as long as you don't use dirty fuel, change your filter, and properly drain water. Always good to run an injector cleaner. The Duramax 2500hd are by far the best riding three quarter ton trucks on the market. After going from having a gas half ton to a diesel three quarter ton, I'll never go back. My diesel starts every time, just plug it in. Glow plugs do exactly as they're designed. The extra power makes towing uphill a breeze. My father towed home a hopper bottom grain bin with his Half ton 5.3l, and then I let him borrow my Duramax for the other. Now he's on the market for a Duramax as well. I have an 06, sometimes when I'm going down the highway 60mph I see 32mpg on the dash. Tire size is correct, ground was completely flat, and has a slight breeze at my back. But still. I could get even better mileage if I went with a smaller tire as well. 34.5's with 3.73 gears, got plenty to spin them at 20 mph down the road. My truck may not be stock, but once you get playing with a diesel it's addicting just like your sled.

Basically I would go with the diesel. I like cloth interior as well, leather just isn't appealing, stick to it during summer, and you slide around like your on ice in winter. Although leather is easy to clean.
 
The GVWR on the newer Ecoboost F150s is 7,400-lbs I believe .... Most "half-ton" trucks sold today have a GVWR that is 1,000-1,200-lbs more than they were 10 years ago.

It really doesn't make any sense to call trucks "1/2-ton, 3/4-ton, 1-ton" anymore.

There is basically medium, large, and extra-large these days ..... a "250" or "2500" truck would have passed off as a "1 ton" truck 10 years ago .... the only difference these days between a "3/4-ton" and a "1-ton" truck with single-rear wheels in this day and age is springs. Everything else on them is identical .... brakes, drive trains, everything. You get bigger brakes and axles if you go with a DRW 3500, but thats it ...

Its pretty much like saying a "150/1500 1/2 ton" is a medium sized truck, a (250/2500/350/3500 is basically a 3/4/1 ton and a "3500 DRW" is more like a 2-ton since I think almost all of them have payload capacities over 4,000-lb.

With all that said:

Put a set of air bags on the F150 Ecoboost and have the best of all worlds.

I'm sort of kicking myself in the *** for buying the 3500 truck over the 2500 truck no heavier than my trailer is. 2500 with bags would have been the way to go .... or F150 eco with bags ;)

They have a HD Payload package that brings the GVWR up to 8200lbs available on certain configurations. One of the configurations has a 3120lb payload capacity (2x4, 5.0L, reg cab, long bed, XL trim). Seems crazy, and yea they aren't "half tons" anymore.
 
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What is the cost to service a diesel (filters, oil, etc)?

I put a lot of miles on my F150's and I can't justify a diesel. It would tow better, but the new 5.0 V8 in my Supercrew seems to work pretty well so far. I can only imagine what the Eco would do towing.

Hard to answer, it depends if you are taking the truck to the dealer and what you are having done. Not to mention what oil.

I do my own service for oil, transmission, gear oil, filters. I just did my 2011 Duramax engine oil at 10,000 miles for the first time. I did an oil test so we will see. I changed my 2006 Duramax engine oil at 20,000 miles and the AmsOil tests came back showing near perfect engine wear and lubrication. AmsOil claims 25k on most of their oil changes. My last truck had 58k so I don't spend a lot of money on engine oil.
 
The Ecoboost does tow way, way better then any stock gas motor period, by far!

I've been around several 8.1 Chevys, V10 Fords, 6.2 and 6.0 Chevys and the Ecoboost makes them look silly towing a trailer.


I sure havent seen this...seeing as the ecoboost is only factory rated at 365hp and 420 torque,(both ford and gms 6.2's have better numbers) I dont think so(I have followed one up thru turnagain pass here locally..he sure didnt pull away from my 6.2 at all, and I doubt it would come close to my old suburban with the 8.1...)the v-10's were a joke for pulling especially when you added in there fuel economy....now the eco boost is a good setup..but it sure isnt the baddest gas tow motor out on the streets...of the picks the OP has listed..duramax or eco boost..depending on how often/far you are towing...
 
The naturally aspirated V8s will do just dandy compared to the ecoboost....down low. Take that naturally aspirated motor to 10k and she loses some grunt while the ecoboost stuffs the air in. Just a thought, though I've driven none of these vehicles.
 
I think it was Motortrend that did a comparison between the Ecoboost and 5.0 and the 5.0 got nearly identical mileage both empty and towing. If I bought a new half ton I'd get a Ford or Chevy with the 6.2. In not buying a truck with 6 cylinders, don't care how many turbos it has. Trucks were meant to have V-8's.
 
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