The Cummins is the quietest of the three Diesels available on the market now. The Powerstroke is actually the loudest.

They go in order like this from quietest to loudest.

Dodge
Duramax
Powerstroke

Buck

I'm gonna give the low down facts on these three trucks. Pros and cons to all of them that are usually brought up.

I drive these trucks EVERY day in my business. I have the opportunity to see how they are built and how they perform the second the come off the lot.

I own an 03 6.0 Powerstroke. Have around 5700 problem free miles on her so far.

If you want the fastest, you'll buy the Powerstroke. Stock vs stock this truck will win EVERY time. The Durmax will come in second by about 2-3 lengths. The Dodge will be another 2-3 lengths behind the Duramax. I will post some links to tests to support this.

If you want the truck for room. Buy the Ford.

If you want the truck for comfort. The GM is gonna be a very plush vehicle. Although the Dodge has come along way.

If you want the most bang for the buck. Buy the Dodge. You can buy this truck cheaper than either of the other two with equal packages. Although resale may reflect that down the road.

The GM and the Ford have better Autos available. These 5 spd trannys with braking are the way to go. This is something that all the testers have knocked the Dodge for. If you tow a heavy load with the Ford and then use the Dodge you will be begging for the new Torqshift.

Reliability. I don't think the long term jury is out on the new Cummins yet. But it does have a VERY good track record.

The HO cummins is a great buy. But can only be had in a manual tranny.

The GM and the Ford are California emissions legal. The HO cummins is not.

I have owned Chevys my entire life. The "F" word was not allowed around me. For me to make this switch took A LOT. My decision was based on everything I had read in the shootouts and my experiences with the trucks in my business.

Here are some links that compare the three head to head. I might ad, these shootouts will make one think that there is some bias involved. But in the 10 or more shootouts I've seen between these trucks, all the comments and results have been the same.

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/2003...ive/page1.html

http://www.truckworld.com/Truck-Test...werstroke.html

I'm quite sure Troutly has read these articles more than once. ;)

Buck

I think that says it all buck !! :D


Personally i would drive a ford or a Chevy powerstroke/torqueshift versus duramax/allison is a close call, it pretty much comes down to personal preference. For me I can get ford's A-Plan and when i bought my 04 powerstroke a few weeks ago with all the incentives it took almost $11,000 off of the sticker price, That pretty much makes it a no brainer. As far as dodge goes I've never liked them personally and they always seem to be a little behind the other two. Now, if they finally came out with a motor to compete with the other two for 2004.5 (what tranny will they use) maybe their worth looking at but if it were me i'd wait a year to make sure the bugs are worked out.

why cant dodge make a REAL crew cab??? who in their right mind who wants a crew would get that x cab with 4 doors?
I was very dissappointed in the versions they offer...I always thought their styling was ahead of everyones...until the superduty

So what's the deal with the older 2500 Dodge tranny's? I'm looking for a an 01 or 02 with either the 360 or the v10 and a crew cab...I only tow twice a year (keep the boat on a hoist), but I'd like to update the tow vehicle.

SWEET..

Buck,

I have to disagree with you here.

I have the 2003 Dodge HD3500 4x4 Dually with the Cummins HO 5.9 Diesel in it that has the 48RE Automatic Trans.

To me, the truck so far has been outstanding.

My brother owns a F250. Constantly Found On Road Dead...


Although my lil' ole Mazda was built by FORD, and it's only problems were keeping the front hubs in one piece.
Other than that, it was a great truck.

I was undecided between Ford & Dodge myself.
But Price and Warranty, Ford couldn't compete. What kept me from getting the Ford also was all the injector problems they were having on their Diesels.

I just had my truck out today hauling boats to the Atlantic City Powerboat Show.

Bone Stock with 3800 miles on her, here is the Avg Mileage I got: 17.0 mpg

.

..

Sharkey,

The Dodge is a GREAT buy for the $$$. Don't get me wrong. I think you have an awesome rig on your hands. I meant no offense.

I do believe that the manual version of the HO has a little more HP though. I need to check that info to be sure.

If Dodge would step up with the Auto and have a 5sp braking tranny I think the playing field would be a little more even. Once you tow with on of these transmissions you won't go back trust me.

I like the fact that the truck market is so competitive myself. All the hype is good for business. :) I hear about the economy and how bad everyone says it is. I just don't see it in the automotive aftermarket myself. The business has done nothing but grow EVERY year for us.

Bottom line....let's keep arguing about our trucks so more people will go out and buy one. :D

Buck