I agree with Spawnout

Ditto

HBP,

First your an idiot, because I already said I am biased towards Fords. And it is well documented that the Chevy's have problems with the aluminum heads. You can check the Chevy discussion boards yourself.

Even though I'm biased I still mentioned that there have been some problems with the Ford tranny. However, there are 4 strokers in my family with zero maintenance problems. I have 3 different friends with strokers and zero maintenance problems.

I also have a friend with a 2003 Duromax and one with a 2002 Dodge. Both have had significant problems both with engine and the dodge with transimission and rear end problems. I tend to believe that part of the problem is the way they drive.

Whoever was talking about the Toyota diesel is laughable. Those old toyota's that are so tough usually sound like a box of marbles going down the road, and generally have been driven like a car. If they have been taken off road regular they are usually saved for parts at a wrecking yard somewhere.

I got into an accident with a Toyota Tacoma. It was the other guys fault and that super tough Tacoma was totalled. My Ford was out of the shop in 5 days. I can't imagine if that Tacoma would have been a diesel.

HbP I've written plenty hear for you to repeat genius...biased, biased, biased, biased.

bullshooter, how is the new dodge tranny going to compair with the allison ?, i have heard that they are going to send them out to a tranny shop and have them beefed up, is that true ?, and also, i have heard that the oil change interval is going up to 15.000 miles, is that true ? thanks.

Political threads are starting to look good again

i believe most of those blown trannies are autos. dodge(and i believe chevy) have the one of the best manual transmissions out there. not sure what ford uses.

Dave,

I am pretty happy with my 01 cummins. But I only have 50K on it. If you buy any Dodge, gas or diesel, watch for steering problems and make damn sure the dealer doesn't give you any grief if it won't stay on the road. Make them take it back. Check ou these links:

http://dodgeram.org/support_pgs/tech_index.htm

http://www.dodgetrucksteeringproblems.com/

Good Luck

boater- i am not sure how the new trans will hold up. have notseen any fail yet and they have been out for about a year now. its basically the same old trans but the engineers have gone through and made the weak points stronger. i still think the allison will be the best trans around for an auto. i would personally pick the six speed with 4:10 gears. the ratio between gears is very close. around town you only need 3rd and 5th. dodge and i believe chevy both use the new venture(new process) 6-speed trannies in their heavy duty applications. and i believe ford uses somthing of their own design or a japanese trans in their 6-speed applications. someone correct me if i am wrong there. they are the only manual trans i have ever seer with an external oil cooler and a pump similar to an automatic trans.

i also read that the oil change interval went way up but still dont recommend it. they added a PCV system to them and i believe that is the reason. if the truck is being used hard i would still go 3-5k between. if you drive it like a car on wide open highway you could probably get away with 15k.

as far as the steering issues go, in 03 they seem to have fixed that. they drive like a dream!!! 4x2 trucks have rack and pinion steering and the 4x4 trucks have a new gear that is nothing short of magic. it has lots of assist at slow speeds even with big tires, only about 2 1/2 turns lock to lock opposed to almost 4 on the old trucks. and very tight and responsive on the highway. i am gonna figure out a way to retrofit one of them on my old 96 diesel. the gears that came out on 99-02 4x4 3/4 and 1ton trucks were pure sh!t!!!!

given all that i think i would still go for the best deal

DAVE:

Go to the link below for your best bet for truck advise.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/08/images/20020809-1_ranch8-515h.html

Grandpa: That's a fine looking truck. As soon as I know what make it is I can eliminte it form my list. Who was the monkey driving it?

Thought I'd get a good laugh while I watch the SeaChokes.....I think the Truck is a Ford.

To all who posted and gave their advise a big thank you. Of all the advice I got I think I learned that we all have a favorite car/truck. I know it’s not rational but I had a Chevy many years ago that was an absolute piece of junk, so I'm not buying another one. Yeah, I know they have changed a bit since 1978 but I have a long memory. I do think I will take the advise on guy gave me and buy the one at the best price I can get.

Thanks so much!

P.S. Grandpa: I appreciate your sense of humor. I may have to eliminate the Fords now.

They are advertizing either Dodge H.O cummings 4 door or Ford 6.0 diesels for 30, 267 over here in Idaho.. thats pretty good for over here.