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| If you could have a '96 Ford diesel with 73,000 mi. or a 2000 Chevy diesel with 93,000 mi. to pull a two horse steel gooseneck trailer with dressing room (9000lbs.) which would you choose? I've never had a truck so it is hard to know. How about the V-10 gas engines? How much can they haul? Confused about trucks...thanks for any advice. |
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Posts: 256
Location: rocky mount nc | Do the 1996 Ford 7.3, leave the 2000 Chevrolet 6.5 alone, the truck is OK but the 6.5 diesel is only rated at 195hp and has it's share of fuel pump issues. The V10 gas is mighty thirsty but may do the job for you. What do the bodies of these trucks look like, showroom or do they look like they have been hauling ammonium nitrate?
Edited by retento 2007-01-23 6:12 AM
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Posts: 1681
Location: PA | I'd have a good mechanic look at both before I'd make my decision. Plus, what were he trucks used for? |
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Posts: 398
Location: Moody, Alabama | The Chevy will ride better than the Ford. I find Fords to be very uncomfortable. I've owned 2 Duramax Diesels, and LOVE THEM!! |
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Posts: 256
Location: rocky mount nc | N2ridin: The 2000 Chevrolet doesn't have the Duramax, it has the old 6.5 turbo that was derived from the 6.2 na. The Duramax 6.6 didn't come out until the GM800 series trucks went onto the market in 2001. Someone may try to trick them into the 2000 GM and have them thinking they were getting the D-Max. |
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Posts: 634
Location: Tipton, IN | There is no comparison. The 7.3L Powerstroke will out perform the 6.5L Chevy any day of the week. It's also easier to work on. Now if it were Duramax vs. Powerstroke I might have to hold back, but the 6.5 is a low horse power, low torque dinosaur that was long overdue for replacement by 2000. |
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Posts: 7
| Thanks for the responses. Both trucks are in great shape, single owners, crew cabs, etc. That's why I couldn't decide. The ford is 4 years older, but I have heard the 7.3 engine is great. The Chevy just had a new fuel injector pump put in so I won't have to deal with that for a while. If I am towing about 10,000 and the price of gas is so low now, do I need a diesel. Is the diesel technology complicated (gelling fuel in cold temps, expensive oil changes, harder to find mechanics, watching guages for exhaust temp etc. etc.) I am not a high maintenance person. Is diesel for me? That's why I wondered about the Ford V-10 gas truck....how bad is the mileage and what about the pulling capability? I am so grateful for your knowledgeable responses!!! Still deciding.... |
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Posts: 7
| Both trucks are in excellent condition and single owners. Neither of them towed much, but the Ford did plow the owner's driveways. I pull about 10,000 lbs. I don't drive fast and I don't use it more than about 10,000 miles a year if that. I just want reliability. The Chevy got a new fuel pump under warranty at 90,000 mi so I should be ok for a while there. The Ford is four years older and we have salt/sand winter roads. I wonder about metal fatigue etc. when the truck is more than 10 years old...any comments are really appreciated! |
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Posts: 2621
| The Ford is about ready to drop it's transmission, if it hasn't already.
The Chev is 4 years younger, 4 years counts more than 20,000 miles.
Personally I'd rather have a truck that HAS been driven than one that has sat around as a driveway ornament and perhaps used only on week-ends.
Your profile doesn't show a location, according to how salted your roads are body rot rate could make that 4 years even more significant.
I don't remember the 7.3's rated HP, but it probably isn't much more than 10 or 15% over the 6.5.
Then there is the personal preference (bias, prejudice, etc.) thang.
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Posts: 1681
Location: PA | Well, plowing is hard on a truck but the Ford is lowe in mileage. I wouldn't say that it is ready to drop a tranny just because of the miles. I knew one guy who hauled cars that had 200,000 miles on his 7.3 with only minor stuff and maintenance. I'd still have a good mechanic check them both out. As for diesel over gasser, it wasn't that many years ago that diesel was cheaper than gas. Gassers have a lower mpg than diesels do. Yes, it costs more to change the oil but they are relatively simple engines. BTW, they put additives in diesel to prevent jelling and you can plug them in to warm the block if you live in the artic regions. |
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Posts: 1
| Originally written by efaubert1 on 2007-01-23 10:39 AM
There is no comparison. The 7.3L Powerstroke will out perform the 6.5L Chevy any day of the week. It's also easier to work on. Now if it were Duramax vs. Powerstroke I might have to hold back, but the 6.5 is a low horse power, low torque dinosaur that was long overdue for replacement by 2000. I agree, in this situation, I would buy the Ford. If the Chevy had the Duramax, then I would say get the Chevy. The 7.3 has proven to be a good reliable engine. Whatever you are looking at to buy, I would suggest having it looked at by a mechanic before buying it. Also if you live somewhere where they salt the roads, be sure the mechanic looks closely at the oil pan of the 7.3. If the pan is rusting through, the only way to replace the oil pan is to pull the engine, so it's pretty expensive. |
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Posts: 200
Location: Dickinson, TX | In my experience, the Ford is the better truck. I have owned all 3 makes, including trucks of the vintage you are considering or thereabouts. We owned a '00 Chevrolet 1500 and the thing was terribly plasticky. The mirror inserts fell out of the driver and passenger side mirrors. The tailgate latch trimpiece fell out in my hand after shutting the tailgate. The carpet was terribly faded after just 6 years. Persistent turn signal relay problems--we'd be driving down the road with no signal on, but the relay would be clicking away. Coolant in oil. Burning oil at 90,000 miles. I finally traded the truck at 120,000 miles before it cost us an arm and a leg to repair. I owned a '91 F-150 and a '91 F-350 before buying the Dodge Ram I drive now. Ford makes a solid truck... you'll appreciate the older iron over GM's current plasticky offerings. Even if the Ford drops its transmission, I guarantee that you'll appreciate the truck more after rebuilding and getting a "known quantity" in your rebuilt transmission. Frankly, I'd go with a 5 speed manual transmission in either truck. But I tend to take the unpopular view that a diesel and an automatic transmission don't go together. The GM diesel is nowhere near the engine that the Ford has. It will do the job, but the Ford will serve you better. If the comparison were between a '98 Chevy 454 and a '96 Ford, then I'd probably recommend the GM product for occasional towing... but the GM diesels weren't great until the Duramax came into play. Sorry, folks, I just call 'em like I see 'em based on my own experience. Also had a transmission fail on an '01 Impala LS at 39,000 miles, car was bought new. GM wouldn't step up and help cover replacement cost. We're done with GM in my household. Mike
Edited by racesarabhorses 2007-01-23 6:42 PM
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Location: Southwest OK |
Edited by huntseat 2007-01-23 11:20 PM
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Posts: 1212
Location: Southwest OK | Prior to the Duramax, Chevy diesels were rarely found at horse shows and jokes when they did show up. Just because it has a new part doesn't mean it is free from major problems. Have you asked for the full part replacement history on both...if not I'd ask. I'd pick the Ford betting that you'll find out the hard way why there weren't many 6.5L CHevy diesels sold....prior to the Duramax you had two reliable diesel choices, the Ford or Dodge with a Cummins. |
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| At some reasonable replacement period, say 4 years from now, the chevvy will only be as old as the ford already is. Whatever one's brand name loyalties it is then a 15 year old vs an 11 year old truck, in a high salt area body rot will get the older truck first. Mileage is not an issue for either engine, either one should be good for several hundred thousand miles.
It isn't ABOUT engines (-:
It may be only anecdotal, but in THIS forum alone the transmission history on fords has been significant.
Edited by Reg 2007-01-24 10:22 AM
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Posts: 200
Location: Dickinson, TX | No brand loyalty involved. Don't make a mistake buying a GM diesel. A new transmission in a Ford will run you about $1800. A rebuilt engine costs more than that, and just because the other truck is a GM is no guarantee the transmission won't fail... |
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Posts: 197
Location: Vermont | Originally written by Prevost on 2007-01-23 1:57 AM
If you could have a '96 Ford diesel with 73,000 mi. or a 2000 Chevy diesel with 93,000 mi. to pull a two horse steel gooseneck trailer with dressing room (9000lbs.) which would you choose? I've never had a truck so it is hard to know. How about the V-10 gas engines? How much can they haul? Confused about trucks...thanks for any advice. Is there a reason you can't go new??? Having replaced a tranny in a Dodge 3500...still own and it tows... Having rebuilt a F350 engine...still own, but now it has a dump body and it also tows And currently have 2500 Chevy that has had its exhast gaskets replaced...and it tows I would recommend buying a new...take your pick F, C or D... |
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Ford vs.Chevy truck decision
