Diesel Truck Opinion

[J P]

Not in the same class but I have one of the few 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD 4x4s. Bought it with 6 miles on it. Average is 25 mpg. The only upgrades are complete aftermarket skid plates front to rear and went up a size on the tires. No- It is not for everyone. Not recommended for town driving. But on the open road and interstate driving it is great. I have taken it down a muddy clay road or two and not that I am a "4 wheeler" or anything but it does bring a smile to my face...

And yes- I have found a local (12 miles from the house) well recommended diesel mechanic who is familiar with the Liberty CRD. I can not work on them and you just cant keep going back to the stealership.

JP

 

[roundhouse]

I'm havering a struggle finding a V W Tdi guru. To work on mrs roundhouse's 99 beetle
Had a guy in Stockbridge and he retired from the biz


The DOT. FMSCA thing is a nightmare

The company i work for sends pickups all over the country for extended periods of time , as in two or three years . And GA will not accept an emission test done in any other state even if the standards are the same and it passes

So they bought 3/4 tons to be exempt from that. But now the 3/4 tons hit the DOT regs if you tow any type of trailer and have a company name or logo on the pickup or trailer

And they do a lot of work at hartsfield which requires the company name permanently affixed on the door

Last company I worked for didn't have to worry about the emission test since they didn't send trucks out for years at a time
And they bought tundras in random colors and didn't put any logo on the door to dodge the DOT regs.


There no way id buy a diesel newer than about 1995 with computers on it
That's the problem with our beetle. Some computer crap
I owned seven 18 wheelers and the ones with computers on em broke down far more often than the older mechanical injected ones

Sure they got a tiny more MPG but they spent a lot more time broke down because of some sensor

And stay far FAR away from any ford 6.0 diesel. They have a very high failure rate and I'd avoid any automatic Trans behind a diesel except the Allison

An automatic will not last behind a diesel and it's a very expensive repair

 

[Cruisers460]

1997 ford 7.3 dually 153000 miles. I bought it because the F250 with a 460 couldn't pull my boat down to the coast and back. The most enjoyable part of owning it is that I've never met a situation that it didn't handle well. Can't say the same about other trucks I've owned. I do get the urge for a newer one occasionally....but this one seems to keep going just fine.

 

[nduffey]

I just bought, after a lot of research, a 2015 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 crew. 3:55 gear, gets 23 on the highway if i set the cruise at 70 or below. In town mileage sucks. Sucks bad. I average for all my driving just under 19mpg, but I'm on the highway a lot and I stay real close to speed limits and stay out of the boost, for the most part, on acceleration. NO mods done, bone stock. Love the truck. The F150 I had before it only got about 15 combined on a tank (5.0l 4x4 scab). I bought the diesel in hopes of buying our first camper this year and wanted to get the truck first. Looking at a 32ft fifth wheel around 8k pounds and wanted a diesel that would have power to spare in the mountains pulling the camper loaded. The selling point for me was the overhaul time frames. A buddy of mine gave me a shop manual they used with overhaul ranges and the Cummins exceeded other engines by nearly 100K miles before needing an overhaul. As expensive as the truck is and the fact that I put about 2k miles per month on one, I wanted one that would last longer between major overhauls. I have owned the Dmax in a 2006 model. I had bought it from a dealership used and noted the marks where a lift kit once was on the frame. I wished I had never bought that truck. The DMax was fast and the allison solid, but it was one problem after another, and mostly based on the fact that somebody used it for a toy prior to me and didn't take care of it. It cost me dearly to keep it up and running. Thats why when i bought this one I bought new. I have 16000 miles on it now, which i know is not really broke in yet, and know how it has been maintained. The fords and the chevys tow more, but given the size of my intended trailer, 17200 is more than enough to accomplish the mission. That and I love the looks and ride of the Ram 2500.

 

[CliffB]

I just bought, after a lot of research, a 2015 Ram 2500 Cummins 4x4 crew. 3:55 gear, gets 23 on the highway if i set the cruise at 70 or below. In town mileage sucks. Sucks bad. I average for all my driving just under 19mpg, but I'm on the highway a lot and I stay real close to speed limits and stay out of the boost, for the most part, on acceleration. NO mods done, bone stock. Love the truck. The F150 I had before it only got about 15 combined on a tank (5.0l 4x4 scab). I bought the diesel in hopes of buying our first camper this year and wanted to get the truck first. Looking at a 32ft fifth wheel around 8k pounds and wanted a diesel that would have power to spare in the mountains pulling the camper loaded. The selling point for me was the overhaul time frames. A buddy of mine gave me a shop manual they used with overhaul ranges and the Cummins exceeded other engines by nearly 100K miles before needing an overhaul. As expensive as the truck is and the fact that I put about 2k miles per month on one, I wanted one that would last longer between major overhauls. I have owned the Dmax in a 2006 model. I had bought it from a dealership used and noted the marks where a lift kit once was on the frame. I wished I had never bought that truck. The DMax was fast and the allison solid, but it was one problem after another, and mostly based on the fact that somebody used it for a toy prior to me and didn't take care of it. It cost me dearly to keep it up and running. Thats why when i bought this one I bought new. I have 16000 miles on it now, which i know is not really broke in yet, and know how it has been maintained. The fords and the chevys tow more, but given the size of my intended trailer, 17200 is more than enough to accomplish the mission. That and I love the looks and ride of the Ram 2500.

The Ram has always stuck out in my mind as THE go to truck for towing. My family owns a delivering company and i have logged many miles from Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, and everywhere in between. No matter where i am there is always a Dodge Ram 3500 pulling a 3-9 car hauler. They always look like hell but they are everywhere and always running hard.

 

[VindexInjuriae]

Thanks for all the comments y'all, nice to see a positive discussion instead of a brand war....

The DOT regs are definitely a nightmare for us. I have a lawn/landscaping company and a lot of my business is generated off of walk ups in neighborhoods where were working, simply from seeing the truck and its logos. It's beyond irritating that I have to have DOT numbers, med cards, and all of the associated paperwork and red tape for a simple pickup and 16' trailer and Grandma can run all over the U.S. in a 40' fifth wheel and F350 with a generic license grossing 3+ times the weight I do. I'd have a lot easier time making a living if Big Brother would stop burying me in new regulations and paperwork and let me work in peace....

 

[roundhouse]

Thanks for all the comments y'all, nice to see a positive discussion instead of a brand war....

The DOT regs are definitely a nightmare for us. I have a lawn/landscaping company and a lot of my business is generated off of walk ups in neighborhoods where were working, simply from seeing the truck and its logos. It's beyond irritating that I have to have DOT numbers, med cards, and all of the associated paperwork and red tape for a simple pickup and 16' trailer and Grandma can run all over the U.S. in a 40' fifth wheel and F350 with a generic license grossing 3+ times the weight I do. I'd have a lot easier time making a living if Big Brother would stop burying me in new regulations and paperwork and let me work in peace....

Is there a way to dodge it ?

1/2 ton 3/4 ton ?

No logo on the truck or trailer ?

 

[J P]

Thanks for all the comments y'all, nice to see a positive discussion instead of a brand war....

The DOT regs are definitely a nightmare for us. I have a lawn/landscaping company and a lot of my business is generated off of walk ups in neighborhoods where were working, simply from seeing the truck and its logos. It's beyond irritating that I have to have DOT numbers, med cards, and all of the associated paperwork and red tape for a simple pickup and 16' trailer and Grandma can run all over the U.S. in a 40' fifth wheel and F350 with a generic license grossing 3+ times the weight I do. I'd have a lot easier time making a living if Big Brother would stop burying me in new regulations and paperwork and let me work in peace....

Big Brother regulations is what shut down the Jeep Liberty CRD according to what I have read. It was only produced from 2005-2006. From what I understand, the cost to get it in reg space was just not worth it. The diesel Grand Cherokee came out in 07 I believe and was able to be changed to conform. EPA anyone?

 

[JDG.]

Big Brother regulations is what shut down the Jeep Liberty CRD according to what I have read. It was only produced from 2005-2006. From what I understand, the cost to get it in reg space was just not worth it. The diesel Grand Cherokee came out in 07 I believe and was able to be changed to conform. EPA anyone?

The jeep grand Cherokee and the ram1500 are available in diesel with a 3.0l option. The ram was out in 14 not sure the Cherokee but I think it was roughly the same time frame

 

[redfish414]

NEVER EVER FORD again...Had their wonderful 6.0 Diesel on 2 of my trucks ...They are total JUNK and FORD would never admit or stand behind their bad issues .....Never a Ford again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!