markwemple wrote:Huckleberry wrote:Duramax is just not reliable and parts can be $$$$$. At least all my research indicated this. And I was looking at this stuff before going the Ford 7.3 route.markwemple wrote: This is why I have a diesel. 25 mpg from Baltimore to Harrisburg in a 2003 F250 CC 4x4 7.3. Not kidding. Now, from Harrisburg north through the hills, well 20 max. But that beats 12. Don't get me wrong, I'll definitely take a 6.0 over a duramax in a Chevy.Why? Is there some problem with them I'm unaware of? My duramax chevy got 22-23 all day long on the highway, as much as 12-16 towing 9000lb enclosed trailer thru the mountains and 18 in the city all while making tons more hp/tq than the Fords of the same vintage. It was less trouble than any truck I've ever owned and I towed 75k miles of the 150k or so it had when I moved it along. I have regretted selling it for the last three months I've been without a truck because the damn things hold value so well I can't get buy another for what I let it go for... which is the only reason I'm shopping gas versions at all. I can buy a lot of tankfuls of 87 with the $7k diff in price and I don't need the massive towing capacity any more.
The Duramax isn't any less reliable than the non-7.3L Fords that were built since the Duramax came out in '01. The newest ones (LMM, LML) are more reliable than the older ones (LB7, LLY, LBZ).
Parts prices are no different than any newer diesel either. I did extensive research before I bought my truck and when it comes to Diesel parts, they are expensive across the board unless you are buying parts for older engines like the 7.3L, 6.5L, or 5.9L, then they can be somewhat cheap. Dodge still has the most expensive parts.
If you want to talk about not reliable, just google 6.0L Powerstroke and see the nightmare that engine was. I was looking at them until I realized that no one could tell me if the trucks had been bulletproofed or not.
The other thing a lot of people don't realize about diesels are the amount of wear items on the motor alone, especially with modern Common Rail Diesels.
