looking at these...

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?dealer_id=81854&car_id=235047373

http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/dda/detail.jsp?dealer_id=81854&car_id=233911091

whats better in terms of bang for the buck, engine longevity, common problems, tranny life, maintenance.

id like a diesel, but dont feel comfortable paying 10k for 200k miles truck.

p.s. this black f350 has the smaller V8 - 5.4, as oppose to optional 6.8.

[Edited on December 1, 2007 at 4:30 PM. Reason : f]

12/1/2007 4:29:26 PM

the ford is a 1 ton and the dodge is a half ton, those are pretty different vehicles

12/1/2007 5:34:59 PM

I've got a 05 1500 Ram. It's been alright. Don't get one with those gay ground effects. But yea pretty big difference between the two.

12/1/2007 6:09:29 PM

yeah, that's two very different trucks. i would also personally never buy a 1 ton with a gas v8.

12/1/2007 7:42:52 PM

I'd still take a 200k diesel over any 100k gas truck

12/1/2007 8:11:40 PM

agreed^

12/1/2007 8:22:28 PM

thirded ^^

12/1/2007 8:51:31 PM

Buy BBR's truck.

12/1/2007 9:43:42 PM

look... all this half ton, 4 ton 11 ton doesn't matter to me. most ill tow is my 230lb ass. i could care less what running boards it has and all that. i just care whether engine and tranny are ok on these trucks that i posted. im sure cummins is better, but it is also way more expensive. id love to have it but i cant afford it.

i need a winter truck since i moved to Connecticut. it needs to be 4x4, dependable. i may use it for moving later on and thats about it. v6 full size trucks seem to get similar mileage as v8 full size trucks, so i figured why not v8.

12/1/2007 10:39:59 PM

Why get a truck at all then?

12/1/2007 10:41:34 PM

can you answer questions from my first post?

12/1/2007 10:49:29 PM

bojan, skip both of those and find a '03-up ram with the 20 in wheels and painted bumpers

12/1/2007 11:11:18 PM

^^Like I said, I've got an 05 4wd 5.7 quad cab ram with 20" rims. It has been reliable, all it needs to run is gas. But it gets 12mpg. To me, using one for a daily driver is stupid when almost any other vehicle in the world will do. 230lbs is a lot of weight to hall on a small frame, so I'll give you the benefit of a doubt as to you being short.

[Edited on December 1, 2007 at 11:21 PM. Reason : .]

12/1/2007 11:20:23 PM

they're nice joel, but i cant afford it. the ones i can afford look like zxappeal's model years. i cant be replacing radiators and oil leaks in this cold without a garage. it'll be 14 F tonight here, and it will feel like freaking 6 F.

lowered M3 with winter tires is a joke winter vehicle.


^i work 1.9 miles from work. i dont care about gas mileage that much.

[Edited on December 1, 2007 at 11:27 PM. Reason : f]

12/1/2007 11:26:33 PM

dude where did you move to????

[Edited on December 1, 2007 at 11:41 PM. Reason : alaska?]

12/1/2007 11:40:51 PM

connecticut. new job.

12/2/2007 10:45:41 AM

it would be rather dumb to buy either of those just for a "winter car." the roads in CT in the winter are not bad at all and do not require 4 wheel drive. if you really think you need it, buy a cheap subaru.

12/2/2007 11:11:20 AM

^ yeah, subie GL 4x4 wagon FTW

12/2/2007 11:19:28 AM

4x4 is great and all, but without weight over the rear axle, is that really the ideal commuter car? especially with the gas efficiency of such a beast

12/2/2007 11:58:14 AM

i want a fucking truck. i know pros and cons and thats not what im asking.

read the original post and stop questioning my motives.

12/2/2007 1:13:30 PM

^ neither, both are shitty trucks...

12/2/2007 1:48:59 PM

do you KNOW the difference b/t half ton and a 1 ton truck?? It is more than just a badge on the side, or even the engine. I bet a 1 ton 5.4 gets <12 mpg

12/2/2007 3:40:56 PM

yeah, a big 4x4 is stupid unless you need to tow or haul something big, or want to go offroading with it.

for driving on snowy roads, an AWD car is definitely preferable.

12/2/2007 3:56:18 PM

whats better in terms of bang for the buck, engine longevity, common problems, tranny life, maintenance.

12/2/2007 6:08:33 PM

Quote :

"look... all this half ton, 4 ton 11 ton doesn't matter to me. most ill tow is my 230lb ass. i could care less what running boards it has and all that. i just care whether engine and tranny are ok on these trucks that i posted."

dodge's have shitty transmissions and rear-ends. the ford is a surprisingly tough truck. if you're dead set on these two trucks, i'd go for the ford. just make sure the cruise control recall has been taken care of. this problem is affecting a lot of fords. if you want a gasoline powered truck, why not look at a gm? personally i'd look for a diesel. stay away from the 6.0 PSD. i am averaging 18mpg (hand calculated) in the city.




[Edited on December 2, 2007 at 6:50 PM. Reason : -]

12/2/2007 6:44:10 PM

Thank you

12/2/2007 6:50:35 PM

b/w those 2- i'd go with the ford

12/2/2007 6:56:09 PM

Quote :

"dodge's have shitty transmissions and rear-ends."

huh? they had a bad stretch of transmission in the mid 90's, but other than that they're no worse than any of the other big three. the rear ends are FAR from crap, they're better than any other the others in half tons and are at least equal or better in other models.

to the op: you don't need a one ton. stick to a half ton or smaller. personally, i would look for a toyota tacoma or something since you don't really have a need for towing/hauling.

12/2/2007 8:18:17 PM

Quote :

"dodge's have shitty transmissions and rear-ends. the ford is a surprisingly tough truck. if you're dead set on these two trucks, i'd go for the ford. just make sure the cruise control recall has been taken care of. this problem is affecting a lot of fords. if you want a gasoline powered truck, why not look at a gm? personally i'd look for a diesel. stay away from the 6.0 PSD. i am averaging 18mpg (hand calculated) in the city. "

There's nothing wrong with the new body style Dodge's transmissions. I have a Hemi with the 545RE and I have had no trouble whatsover at 70,000 miles. I also haven't seen any issues in Dodge Truck forums. If there were issues I think they would show up there. The same transmission is also in newer Grand Cherokees.

The old body style Ram is a different story though.

I wouldn't get the F-350 for the simple fact that it's a 1 ton truck. Most one ton trucks are bought to be used what they were built for, working. I would imagine that half ton dodge has lived an easier life than the Ford, but who knows.

[Edited on December 2, 2007 at 8:21 PM. Reason : ^beat me to it]

12/2/2007 8:21:10 PM

good info. thats what im looking for. i dont have time to sift through every dodge/ford/gmc forum to look for common problems of particular model years.

i have looked at tacomas, but like any toyota they hold their value to the point where it is financially better to buy a new tacoma, rather than a used one with 100k on it which still retains 60% of its value. domestic trucks (aside cummins) is an another story. being on a limited budget and keeping the M3, i cant afford something nicer.

12/2/2007 10:51:23 PM

Quote :

"There's nothing wrong with the new body style Dodge's transmissions. I have a Hemi with the 545RE and I have had no trouble whatsover at 70,000 miles. I also haven't seen any issues in Dodge Truck forums. If there were issues I think they would show up there. The same transmission is also in newer Grand Cherokees."

I'd be interested in knowing more about the Chrysler trannies as of late...because the majority of the transmission problems that have traditionally manifested themselves in the Mopar trannies usually occur after 60k-70k miles. I sincerely think, though, that if the fluid and filter had been changed religiously every 30k miles, a lot of the issues would not show up. Perhaps I'm wrong; I'm not the best auto tranny guy in the world (the two I've rebuilt were not really what I would call success stories).

12/2/2007 11:01:09 PM

Quote :

"huh? they had a bad stretch of transmission in the mid 90's, but other than that they're no worse than any of the other big three. the rear ends are FAR from crap, they're better than any other the others in half tons and are at least equal or better in other models. to the op: you don't need a one ton. stick to a half ton or smaller. personally, i would look for a toyota tacoma or something since you don't really have a need for towing/hauling. "

agreed. if u are gettin an old body style ram.. go manual!

12/2/2007 11:02:32 PM

my old f150 5.4 got like 13/15 mpg, i'd hate to imagine it in a f250/350.

And not all F350's are used for work. Consider all the rich kids who got daddy to buy them a big truck or the old farm owners who get a diesel pickup and baby the hell out of it. The condition of a f350 is going to vary case-case. You could get one that will last you 400k miles or you could get one that will require repair every month. Then again the same could be said about every car.

12/3/2007 1:04:41 AM

Quote :

"I sincerely think, though, that if the fluid and filter had been changed religiously every 30k miles, a lot of the issues would not show up."

you would be correct. a large majority of 94-01 dodge truck transmission failures are a result of poor maintinance OR using dexron fluid. they like a religious schedule. they are also very sensitive to heat, more so than most autos. hell, the things were based on the 727... and there's no arguing its strength and reliability.

it's one of those things that's gotten a bad rep. for no concrete reason. kinda like the toyota 3.0 being junk, pintos catching on fire, etc...

12/3/2007 5:18:14 AM

doesnt sound like you even need a full size truck, the 5.4 is an shitty engine in a 1/2 ton, much less a 1 ton truck, and the dodge sucks at life on gas mileage, not to mention all the electrical gremlins in the new ones, theres a reason some vehicles hold their value better, its called longevity, get a fuckin taco and be done with it

12/3/2007 8:29:27 AM

What electrical gremlins? I know Ford has had a lot lately, but not Dodge. Ze German engineering.

12/3/2007 11:33:21 AM

^ newsflash daimler dropped them, i would be talking about all the ecm connectors corroding, not to mention shitty electronics, anyone who has had to track down a wiring problem on one just out of warranty and finds a wad of 40 wires melted together knows what i'm talkin about, actaully anyone that knows shit about vehicles, unlike you faghat

12/3/2007 11:35:39 AM

Newsflash, these vehicles were designed and built before the split.

12/3/2007 11:42:57 AM

is your hemi's transmission the completely sealed one... that just doesn't seam like the best idea to me.

12/3/2007 11:43:31 AM

What do you mean sealed? I've never heard anything about that.

12/3/2007 11:45:23 AM

Quote :

"Newsflash, these vehicles were designed and built before the split."

why the fuck do you think they split, and why the fuck do you think they changed anything when they merged, still shitty american chrysler engineering dumbass

12/3/2007 11:46:52 AM

They split because Germans are good at building German cars and thats about it. Cars designed for the autobahn and where gas is twice as expensive. They split because Chrysler's infrastructure is a sinking ship, like most other American car companies.

12/3/2007 11:50:14 AM

in summary, chrysler is shit, always has been, always will be, dumbass

[Edited on December 3, 2007 at 11:52 AM. Reason : dumbass]

12/3/2007 11:52:39 AM

Anyway back to the topic. As far as newer Dodge trucks go, mine has been reliable. I had to get some stuff worked on in the rack and pinion, but I didn't really care because it was under warranty. The pump was on its way out after two days in a soupy soybean field and a marsh. It was covered under warranty. I also had an 01 Z71, like 69's, and I had way more trouble with it. It's probably because I ask too much of my vehicles. But I wouldn't be closed minded and say "DODGE IS FUCKING SHIT DIGGY DING DANG."

12/3/2007 12:08:57 PM