Talk me out of a Dodge Diesel

takethebounce · August 3, 2013

I believe the updated cam and timing came in 2010. Could be wrong. And yes the 6l90 is a nice tranny. Know several guys who haul the same junk as me and they are always chasing power in the mountains as well. I am not going to spend $28-30k on a classic LBZ as that is what they get for low mile 06-07's around here. I might as well hold out for a NBS duramax at that price point. Still trying to get a better price on the 09 gaser. $5000 difference now between the Dodge and Chevy. Plus Chevy is at a dealer so must pay sales tax. Dodge is private. Where so some people get their pricing on replacement parts? A 5.9 reman block is the same price as a gas these days. Full rebuilt dodge autos are not much more than the last 4l80 i priced. I am leaning more towards the Chev. It's newer and loaded. No sunroof :angry: but everything else. As far as people who don't care for the looks of the megacab, that's fine, I don't mind it. sent from a top secret location

You will still have to pay sales tax when you transfer the title from a private seller.

My mistake in words. We do not have sales tax here. Just government service tax. No tax on private sales.

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sareljr · August 5, 2013

It's a Dodge, plain and simple what more convincing can one need lol.

takethebounce · August 6, 2013

It's a Dodge, plain and simple what more convincing can one need lol.

Haha true true, I wouldn't be able to poke fun at my Dodge driving buddies anymore...Heck one guy even has a bowtie tattoo and now drives a Dodge. Bettter than his exs name I suppose.

Anyways, I am pretty sure I have decided to stay with the gasser. Looking at two 09's now. One LTZ with really low miles and a SLT with about 140k (86000 miles). The LTZ is $6000 more which getting a truck with 40,000 miles may or may not be worth the extra $6000. Otherwise trucks are near equally equipped.

The other trouble with the SLT is it has 3.73's. I have done some searching and trying to determine if that is a deal breaker.

Again, I am not towing anything heavy, trailer trailer is 3000 pounds max, but the sled deck with sleds is why I run the HD, I need the payload. Two sleds and deck and everything else can be 2000 pounds on the deck easily. This is all mountain driving so would I lose a lot of torque to the rear wheels?

Anyone with more recent experience with the 6 spd and the 3.73's?

MORSNO · August 6, 2013

Anyone with more recent experience with the 6 spd and the 3.73's?

I ordered my 2012 6.0 6 speed with 3.73's for the mileage advantage and I only tow ATV's and Snowmobiles on an open 16' aluminum trailer. I just purchaded an 8.5' 2,348lb truck camper. On my current tank of gas I was averaging 13.5mpg and saw it drop to 12.5 on the 50 mile drive home with the new camper. The transmission stayed in 5th gear with the camper and dropped to 4th on a few climbs, I never saw the transmission temp over 160. Personally I would only get 4.10's if you haul and tow heavy loads all the time. For me with the new 6 speed transmission with 3.73's work great.

takethebounce · August 6, 2013

Thanks, was that in any areas you would call mountains?

The gas mileage is not a concern for me. My current 02 6.0 sucks it back and I expect more of the same when loaded with a newer 6.0.

The diesel was a draw for its torque and possible range on a tank but I already know what to expect with the gasser.

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Prokopchuk_9 · August 6, 2013

The gasser will be a dog in the mountains all loaded up. Especially with 3:73's.

takethebounce · August 6, 2013

A newer gasser with 4:10 can't be any more of a dog than my current 6.0. Been driving it for almost 7 years.

Payload could be an issue with the megacab too.

Newer duramax is the way to go but I am not spending $30k plus on a classic LBZ let alone $35k for a NBS duramax.

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KMGZ400 · August 6, 2013

A newer gasser with 4:10 can't be any more of a dog than my current 6.0. Been driving it for almost 7 years. Payload could be an issue with the megacab too. Newer duramax is the way to go but I am not spending $30k plus on a classic LBZ let alone $35k for a NBS duramax. sent from a top secret location

it wont be.. i know many people who have GMT900 2500 6.0's with 3.73 and 4.10 and they haul 6k+ lb loads fine. obviously nothing will tow as well as any diesel but there are pros and cons of both

MORSNO · August 7, 2013

The gasser will be a dog in the mountains all loaded up. Especially with 3:73's.

That would depend on elevation, in Alaska our mountains start at sea level where we make max HP. I live on the side of a mountain...no problems what so ever...this dog can run! Take the turbo off a diesel and see what happens. A turbo or supercharger is key at high elevations, even on a gasser. Nobody will ever claim their 6.0 gasser will out pull a turbo diesel, but it isn't necessary for all of us.

Prokopchuk_9 · August 7, 2013

That would depend on elevation, in Alaska our mountains start at sea level where we make max HP. I live on the side of a mountain...no problems what so ever...this dog can run! Take the turbo off a diesel and see what happens. A turbo or supercharger is key at high elevations, even on a gasser. Nobody will ever claim their 6.0 gasser will out pull a turbo diesel, but it isn't necessary for all of us.

constant butthurt on this forum lately. if you read the whole topic you would see that he is comparing gas truck to a diesel truck. and im sorry, but the gasser will be a dog in the mountains compared to the diesel. i too live only couple hours away from really high elevation in alberta and ive owned a 6 litre, it would do it sure ya. but it really felt it after 4000 feet with a trailer or a few sleds.

....take the turbo off....

MORSNO · August 8, 2013

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constant butthurt on this forum lately. if you read the whole topic you would see that he is comparing gas truck to a diesel truck. and im sorry, but the gasser will be a dog in the mountains compared to the diesel. i too live only couple hours away from really high elevation in alberta and ive owned a 6 litre, it would do it sure ya. but it really felt it after 4000 feet with a trailer or a few sleds.

....take the turbo off....

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Don't ever question a pretty grocery getter diesel.....who's butthurt????? I'm a grown man, no feelings hurt.

Prokopchuk_9 · August 8, 2013

Don't ever question a pretty grocery getter diesel.....who's butthurt????? I'm a grown man, no feelings hurt.

...actually i have a trailer, boat, bikes....i got another vehicle for gettin groceries bud , wasnt aware i was under scrutiny for owning a "pretty grocery getter diesel" LOLOL

mossbum · August 8, 2013

simmer down now, y'all

Wintersun · August 13, 2013

Diesels cost more at the pumps with the price of diesel fuel, more with oil changes with nearly double the size crankcase, more if you need injector or other repairs. Don't know about the Cummins but a fuel injector repair job is $5,000 for a GM Duramax or about the cost of a complete engine rebuild for a gas V-8.

Diesels also are terrible for shor trips as they need longer to warm up and start to burn fuel efficiently than a gas engine. There is an extra 800 lbs. of weight that the truck has to carry around and this reduces the overall passenger and truck payload. People often seem to pay way too much for a new truck so they owe more on their bank loan when they decide to sell their truck so the used prices are much higher than they should be. When I was looking for a used diesel truck with less than 50K miles on the odometer in 2011 the used trucks (Ford, GM, and Ram) were selling for over $35,000. After looking for a couple months I gave up and bought a new GM 2011 Duramax and paid $41,700.

Diesels provide nearly double the ft lbs of torque and this is great when pulling or hauling a very heavy load up a grade or accelerating onto a freeway or for the engine braking when coming down a steep grade. Pulling a trailer weighing more than 10,000 lbs. it is worth the extra costs involved. For less than 10,000 lbs. I would opt for a gas engine and a 4.10 rear end.

If you want a mega cab find one that has a gas engine under the hood. I would check the Consumer Reports and other sources for information on common repairs by make and model year. Often one year has a lot more problems with the AC, electrics, cooling system, transmission, or other non-engine repair and they are still expensive to fix. This applies to both diesel and gas powered trucks though overall the gas engines are more reliable in the Chevy trucks than the diesel engines.

That is why GM has produced the LB7 Duramax engine that was replaced by the LLY model in late 2004 that was replaced with the LBZ engine in 2006 which was replaced by the LMM engine in 2008 which was replaced by the LML engine in 2011. With the LML engine GM seems to have eliminated the flaws in the designs of the earlier engines but introduced a failure prone DEF injection and monitoring system. Ford diesel owners have faired even worse during this timeframe.