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What advice would you give to a young version of yourself, if you were buying your first HD Diesel?

omin

omin

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Hello all. What the title says. I'm waiting on wheelchair modifications to get sorted out before I order a 3500 SRW HO Cummins. My dad is a pretty accomplished amateur mechanic (muscle cars in the 70s and 80s) and taught me a lot about how to take care of a car, but we've never had a pickup truck in the family or a diesel engine. What general advice about care/maintenance/driving habits would you give to a young you if it was your first truck?

I appreciate the wisdom and experience.
 
The advice for myself would be to really think if I "NEED" a diesel truck. For 80% of us (including me), the answer is no. I absolutely love my truck but I could definitely get by with a gasser. I am fortunate I work from home so my truck rarely gets driven and when it does its mainly on the highway or pulling our small enclosed trailer. If you plan on doing lots of highway driving or pulling trailers then you will be fine. These trucks need to be worked, while you can daily drive them and use them for short trips you are at risk for having emissions system issues.
 
Same advice I used when I purchased my truck.

Do you need one or want one?
That's your first question... if the latter, then the former doesn't matter.

Otherwise, run the numbers to see if you really need a diesel.
There is not an insignificant upfront cost (IDGAF about 'resale'... I run vehicles until they die), maintenance is slightly more expensive... fuel tends to be more expensive and 'mpgs' aren't really offset by the price difference, diesel would have to be much cheaper for me to even consider one.

In the event there is a breakdown, I can either work on the truck myself or easily find a mechanic... finding diesel techs is a bit harder, the subsequent cost/wait is higher.

I'm sure the 6.7 folks will chime in with their own spin.. ;)
 
I would say (and you did) don't bother with the 3/4 ton trucks if you are getting a diesel as the payload isn't a lot better than some half ton trucks. The cost to get a 3500 isn't much more and it greatly increases payload.
 
My advice would remain Don’t buy the diesel if the gas truck will do the job.

Just look in this forum to see which truck has more problems and it ain’t even close
 
If you have towing and hauling needs that require capabilities and capacities of a 3/4 or 1 ton truck then diesel all the way. I wasted decades with a gas truck on parts, gas, and the occasional "oh crap" moment thinking it was "fine" at the limits. There is no question that any apples to apples comparison on gas versus diesel when hauling/towing, diesel is superior and worth the premium.

If you just WANT a big diesel, yes, get one. Modern diesels are perfectly capable as a daily driver.
 
Save money and go for a well-maintained, used version thats older with a manual transmission. Love my G56 and the extra money in the bank. And fulfill your want if a diesel is a want, you'll never be satisfied with the gasser unless you want the gasser.
 
Before the purchase I would say check out the reputation and service quality of you local dealer or dealers. If you don't factor that in near the top of your decision, you may experience some severe frustration later even, if like me, you love the truck. In hindsight, I could have compromised some on which brand I decided on and ended up with much, much better after the sale support and service.
 
Will_T said:
Before the purchase I would say check out the reputation and service quality of you local dealer or dealers. If you don't factor that in near the top of your decision, you may experience some severe frustration later even, if like me, you love the truck. In hindsight, I could have compromised some on which brand I decided on and ended up with much, much better after the sale support and service.
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Not to discredit your opinion but I don’t understand the dealer thing. I found the truck i wanted and drove to the dealer that had it. I was at the dealer for an hour or two and I have never seen them again.

Maybe that’s because I bought a gas truck and those don’t need frequent dealer visits?
 
I've got a 21 Laramie 6.4, 8' bed, 4x4 with 4.10's. I tow 12k. I pull the high mountain passes of Colorado at or near the speed limit. Will the diesel pull it easier? Yes. Is it worth the extra 10k, higher maintenance costs, higher fuel costs, and loss of payload? Not to me. Is the towing fuel mileage, 9 vs 12, worth it? Not to me.
It's all what a person wants and needs.
 
Rockcrawlindude said:
Not to discredit your opinion but I don’t understand the dealer thing. I found the truck i wanted and drove to the dealer that had it. I was at the dealer for an hour or two and I have never seen them again.

Maybe that’s because I bought a gas truck and those don’t need frequent dealer visits?
Click to expand...
I bought exactly the same way but not at my local dealer because they did not have anything to sell. You can probably find one of my other posts so I won't rehash here. But the "dealer thing" is now that I have a truck and it has several recalls on it, I can't get my local dealer to do anything. So far, knock on wood, I have not had any warranty issues beyond a shock which the dealer took 3-1/2 months to get replaced. But I fear if I do as I have talked to several people about their experience at this dealer and it is 100% horror stories. I have a friend who has a GMC and I really do not like that truck as much as the RAM. And he has had some warranty issues, including one significant emission code. But the local GMC dealer, who he also did not buy from, gets him back on the road in a few days regardless of the issue. And the GMC service dept. treats their customers like they appreciate them whereas our local RAM dealer service treats us like the worst thing that has happened to them all day is that we came in with recall or warranty work. Even still, I do not think I should have purchased a GMC as I like everything about the Ram itself more. But still, sometimes I 2nd guess myself when trying to work with this Ram service department. I think the main thing is that they are understaffed front to back and so prioritize paying customers, not warranty or recall stuff. And yes, I think it is partly a gas vs diesel thing. I had a V-10 Ford for 20 years and that thing did not see the dealer once. But towing with a Cummins engine and an engine brake is something I wish I had known about long ago!
 
sanda said:
I've got a 21 Laramie 6.4, 8' bed, 4x4 with 4.10's. I tow 12k. I pull the high mountain passes of Colorado at or near the speed limit. Will the diesel pull it easier? Yes. Is it worth the extra 10k, higher maintenance costs, higher fuel costs, and loss of payload? Not to me. Is the towing fuel mileage, 9 vs 12, worth it? Not to me.
It's all what a person wants and needs.
Click to expand...
I think the new gas trucks are much better at this than the old ones. My 2001 Ford V-10 was at crazy RPMs pulling up any kind of a long hill and even then maxing out at 40-45 mph at best. Any mountain pass and I was in the far right lane at 30-35 mph with very high rpms and the big cooler fan roaring like a 747. I also had to add an extra transmission cooler to keep the temps reasonable on those kinds of tows. And coming down the mountain passes it was sometimes white knuckle time with the TT pushing us.
 
Will_T said:
I think the new gas trucks are much better at this than the old ones. My 2001 Ford V-10 was at crazy RPMs pulling up any kind of a long hill and even then maxing out at 40-45 mph at best. Any mountain pass and I was in the far right lane at 30-35 mph with very high rpms and the big cooler fan roaring like a 747. I also had to add an extra transmission cooler to keep the temps reasonable on those kinds of tows. And coming down the mountain passes it was sometimes white knuckle time with the TT pushing us.
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I do wish they would put an engine brake on the gas motors.
 
I'd say skip the 2500 and go to a 3500, and that Thuren suspension is worth it. Diesels are awesome, sure a gasser can usually do the job but it's not the same experience. You either want a diesel or not. Upkeep etc on a diesel isn't bad at all and they can last a really long time while working hard.
 
Rockcrawlindude said:
Maybe that’s because I bought a gas truck and those don’t need frequent dealer visits?
Click to expand...
What frequent dealer visits? I've had 2 Ram HD's with Cummins. No drivetrain issues with either one. A few recalls on the '22, but I'm okay with them fixing potential issues that way.

I've had gas and diesel HD's over the years, all of the big 3 brands. Gas will get the job done, especially in flatter country. But the diesel is the pulling experience I enjoy, especially living in the Ozark Mts.
 
I pull 10,000 pounds, and my 2019 6.4 with 4.10 gears and 8 speed got the job done. Just before the insane ramp up in truck pricing, my dealer decided he really wanted my 6.4, so he traded me out into my current 2021 Cummins dually. I knew it was the deal of a lifetime, so I jumped.

My synopsis of the 2 trucks:
The 6.4 did the job, and I liked the truck very much. Now, it did the job at high rpm's, and it never passed a gas station. When in hill country, it did maintain speed while climbing, but boy howdy, it would be at 5500 rpm's! Even though it got the job done, it was fatiguing.

Now the Cummins is a dually, so the stability is absolutely amazing! There is absolutely no comparison. In hill country, it never comes out of lockup, and pulls like a mule. It does it all at such low and relaxing rpm's, that I'm never fatigued when I arrive after a day of towing.

Fuel economy towing in the 6.4 was 7
Fuel economy towing in the Cummins is 11

Same trailer, same weight same roads.

If I hardly towed, the 6.4 is amazing! However, I tow a lot, and the relaxing way a Cummins pulls is just fantastic!
 
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