I've been bugging guys on this forum, as well as the Ford forum, for years. Gathering information about HD trucks and thinking about what I want to buy with plans to keep it forever. Well, I *finally* made a decision and brought a truck home. It's a 2019 Ford F-250 Super Duty Supercrew 4x4 6.7 Power Stroke with 81,000 miles on the clock. XLT trim, body in above average condition, interior was dirty but otherwise in above average condition. Got a 48k extended warranty through Ford thrown into the deal for $45k. So far I really like the truck and I think it will do any job I ask of it for the rest of my life....or at least a long time if I live to be an old man.
Just for kicks and giggles, here's what I experienced in my search for a crew cab HD 4x4 pickup truck inside 5 years old and under $50,000:
GM - Never been a fan of GM. Been stranded multiple times by GM vehicles over the last few decades. From what I've seen of them, they are poorly engineered and poorly assembled garbage. They're ugly, uncomfortable, unreliable, miserable piles of trash. BUT, wanting to be as unbiased as I could be I opened myself up to them. I drove 2020+ trucks with the Duramax and the new 6.6 gas engine. The D-max seems to have issues. Oil leaks, CELs, wiring issues, etc...some of which I even experienced myself on test drives. The new 6.6 gas trucks are killed by the fact that they were hooked up to the old 6L90 which has tall ratios AND the only axle ratio GM would sell is the 3.73. So the pulling power just isn't there. The '24 has the 10-speed which surely will help but I'm not buying new. My '22 Ram 1500 felt stronger and on paper has deeper gearing from 0 to 70 MPH. So...I passed on GM again. Probably for the better considering my previous thoughts toward them.
Ram - Been a Ram guy for the last 20 years. I drove some Cummins trucks. 2500s and 3500s. 70k miles to 170k miles. The engines don't seem to care how many miles are on them. They all felt exactly the same. Great torque but I could tell the power was down compared to the Ford and GM. Both the Dmax and PSD feel a lot more powerful. But...I love the Cummins dependability and relative ease of repair compared to the V8 designs. The steering on the Rams is better than the Ford by a mile. Not even close. However, the brakes on the Rams are not as good. I felt like I had to really apply a lot more force to slow down and stop in all the Ram trucks I tested vs. the Fords and GMs. The ride quality in the Ram is also better than Ford. Not as harsh and jarring. The bodies on the Rams seem to be more prone to rust as the miles rack up, and the paint doesn't hold up as long. Rams are also very hard to find around here in decent condition. Seems that farmers and construction crews buy them and beat them up quickly. Real hard to find nice ones, and if you do find a nice one you'll pay dearly for it. Rams (where I live) are priced much higher. Overall I would be totally happy with a Ram Cummins truck. But the prices and lack of faith in the body holding up over time pushed me away.
Ford - More power, better brakes, body is aluminum so zero rust issues ever (the one I bought actually has minor damage where a car pulling into a parking spot hit the bedside and the metal at the damaged area is still silver colored with no corrosion or rust all this time later. That would never happen on a steel truck), pricing is better, and the chassis/platform is arguably a little more durable. My complaint with the Super Duty is the interior options are nonexistant unless you go up to above the Lariat trim, and the steering is HORRIBLE. It's like driving a school bus. The steering gear ratio is very slow. Takes a lot of turn on the wheel to make the truck react. Also, the turn radius is terrible. Going to Walmart or Lowe's is a miserable experience. Other than those two gripes, I love the rest of the truck. The 6R140 trans even has a drain bolt on the pan and a real dipstick so I can service it easily at home. It's the little things. The F-250 diesel also has more payload than the Ram 2500 diesel due to the aluminum body which is nice. I also like that the Ford has a 6'10' bed so slightly more cargo volume. Driving the Ford just feels more solid, like it would do anything and never complain. It's just a beast. And the pricing on them is better around here. It's also easier to find one in good condition for some reason.
At the end of the day I guess I'll get used to the steering on the Ford over time, and once I do hopefully it'll be a great truck for many many years. I do hope to see Ram update their HDs soon. They really need to do a heavy refresh on them with a new body, new gas engine or at least update the 6.4, and a few other options. I will always love Ram trucks, even while driving the Ford.
Just for kicks and giggles, here's what I experienced in my search for a crew cab HD 4x4 pickup truck inside 5 years old and under $50,000:
GM - Never been a fan of GM. Been stranded multiple times by GM vehicles over the last few decades. From what I've seen of them, they are poorly engineered and poorly assembled garbage. They're ugly, uncomfortable, unreliable, miserable piles of trash. BUT, wanting to be as unbiased as I could be I opened myself up to them. I drove 2020+ trucks with the Duramax and the new 6.6 gas engine. The D-max seems to have issues. Oil leaks, CELs, wiring issues, etc...some of which I even experienced myself on test drives. The new 6.6 gas trucks are killed by the fact that they were hooked up to the old 6L90 which has tall ratios AND the only axle ratio GM would sell is the 3.73. So the pulling power just isn't there. The '24 has the 10-speed which surely will help but I'm not buying new. My '22 Ram 1500 felt stronger and on paper has deeper gearing from 0 to 70 MPH. So...I passed on GM again. Probably for the better considering my previous thoughts toward them.
Ram - Been a Ram guy for the last 20 years. I drove some Cummins trucks. 2500s and 3500s. 70k miles to 170k miles. The engines don't seem to care how many miles are on them. They all felt exactly the same. Great torque but I could tell the power was down compared to the Ford and GM. Both the Dmax and PSD feel a lot more powerful. But...I love the Cummins dependability and relative ease of repair compared to the V8 designs. The steering on the Rams is better than the Ford by a mile. Not even close. However, the brakes on the Rams are not as good. I felt like I had to really apply a lot more force to slow down and stop in all the Ram trucks I tested vs. the Fords and GMs. The ride quality in the Ram is also better than Ford. Not as harsh and jarring. The bodies on the Rams seem to be more prone to rust as the miles rack up, and the paint doesn't hold up as long. Rams are also very hard to find around here in decent condition. Seems that farmers and construction crews buy them and beat them up quickly. Real hard to find nice ones, and if you do find a nice one you'll pay dearly for it. Rams (where I live) are priced much higher. Overall I would be totally happy with a Ram Cummins truck. But the prices and lack of faith in the body holding up over time pushed me away.
Ford - More power, better brakes, body is aluminum so zero rust issues ever (the one I bought actually has minor damage where a car pulling into a parking spot hit the bedside and the metal at the damaged area is still silver colored with no corrosion or rust all this time later. That would never happen on a steel truck), pricing is better, and the chassis/platform is arguably a little more durable. My complaint with the Super Duty is the interior options are nonexistant unless you go up to above the Lariat trim, and the steering is HORRIBLE. It's like driving a school bus. The steering gear ratio is very slow. Takes a lot of turn on the wheel to make the truck react. Also, the turn radius is terrible. Going to Walmart or Lowe's is a miserable experience. Other than those two gripes, I love the rest of the truck. The 6R140 trans even has a drain bolt on the pan and a real dipstick so I can service it easily at home. It's the little things. The F-250 diesel also has more payload than the Ram 2500 diesel due to the aluminum body which is nice. I also like that the Ford has a 6'10' bed so slightly more cargo volume. Driving the Ford just feels more solid, like it would do anything and never complain. It's just a beast. And the pricing on them is better around here. It's also easier to find one in good condition for some reason.
At the end of the day I guess I'll get used to the steering on the Ford over time, and once I do hopefully it'll be a great truck for many many years. I do hope to see Ram update their HDs soon. They really need to do a heavy refresh on them with a new body, new gas engine or at least update the 6.4, and a few other options. I will always love Ram trucks, even while driving the Ford.
