Hey everyone, im new here and I would like to say hello!
I would like everyones thoughts on possibly switching from a diesel to a gasser....Heres what I got....I have a 2005 2500 5.9 cummins Big Horn with 156,XXX on the clock. The truck runs great, for now....so far I have replaced the tranny, hubs, upper and lower ball joins, tie rods and a couple brake calipers the truck has some hail damage and was keyed down the drivers side from the front fender to the bed and I have a few little rust spots starting to show up. I don't tow much, maybe 5,000lbs during hunting season and that's about it. I love the motor but ive been considering whether or not to keep it and drop some money into it to have someone do a once over to it to see if there is anything else that needs to be replaced on it, fix the hail damage and get a new paint job on it to make it a little less of an eye sore....OR do I take that money, trade my truck in and get a gasser, which ive been looking more of a newer F150 ecoboost....everything ive read, they have the most interior room and have plenty of power for what I need and decent economy for a truck.....I guess whats holding me back from just doing it is that I have one of the best, if not arguably the best diesel motor out there and I don't have any emissions to deal with and ive had the truck for 6 years now so I have a lot of memories with it......if you were in my shoes, what would you do and why?

 

What would I do? W
Either keep the dodge (ugh it's a dodge) but put no money into it because you won't get it back. Or get the ecoboost. The Eco is faster and will tow your 5k lb trailer as well or even better than the cummins. And yes the ford has way more room in the cab of the screw.

So if I were you, it depends. Can you get away with driving an old truck with damage or do you live in a neighborhood where people will roll their eyes at you. It's always nice driving a truck that you don't care about getting a scratch on it. Also nice driving a nice street ride....

 

Get the EB dude. I went from a 2003 Dodge CTD to a 2012 5.0l and got a 2014 EB. I wish I skipped the the 5.0, it ran plenty good and even pulled ok but the power out the boost will seem more like a diesel. It's lower rpm power. The addition room is amazing. I will tell,you this though, I went to 325,000 on the Dodge and didn't do too much more work on mine than that. I had a wheel bearing go out and I was a ways from home and took a long wrecker ride to get back. That's what pushed me to go new and I am loving it.

 

No, I don't live in a neighborhood where people might judge me for the way it looks, from a little distance you cant notice any issues with it, I guess its just my own pride kickin in....ive done a lot of research on interior/exterior dimensions and capabilities of the 2 and the biggest difference between the 2 with the cab is the rear leg room, which I do have kids, they might appreciate that other than that, the cabs aren't too much different size wise, as for the truck capabilities, the dodge wins even though Im pretty dang impressed with what the ecoboost can do, its not too far behind considering, granted I think its comparing apples and oranges....and one thing that concerns me is how dependable will that ecoboost be in say 5-10 years? will that V6 be worn out? will the turbo be worn out? I know my 5.9 cummins will last for a very very long time and the biggest weak link with it, the tranny has been replaced already about 20K ago and its supposed to be able to hold 450 horse...which I hope is true. I don't have a programmer, just cold air and exhaust, so im hoping to get some life with it if I decide to keep the truck...oh and one more big point, my truck is paid off, I haven't had a vehicle payment in a couple years which has been nice....I don't know, I guess I see something nice and flashy, and impressive and it turned my head and got me thinking that I want one....I don't know, ive always been a ford guy, I just bought the cummins because of the motor and I got a great deal on it, prior to it I searched and searched for a 7.3 and just never found what I was looking for. I don't NEED a diesel, but I have one and its a good truck, I just wonder if I would improve my needs by getting a new ford EB....

 

It's a tough call for you. I went thru the same thing before I sold my 6.0, I had a great one too. In the end, I decided I wanted a new truck, and it was gonna happen sooner or later. I don't miss the diesel, but twice in the past year I did need more payload to haul something.


I regards to towing, the Eco is awesome. It's a very comfortable truck to tow with, and it amazes me how well it actually pulls a load behind it. There are plenty of times I find myself going faster than I want to be.

 

I think at just 5k lbs, the Eco could pull up to speed faster and up a hill faster. Of course as weight increases, that will swing the other way pretty fast. Point here is it seems you don't really need a diesel...

 

I traded in my 06 ram megacab Cummins for my f150. I love my ecoboost, but the only reason I have it is because I couldn't swing a new diesel this time around. My next one will be a diesel ram as I'll be done paying child support by then

 

Dodge mega cabs are cool, but if you have a dodge with a cummins, expect to fix front end parts on the regular.

 

I bought my ram at 30k miles. It had a howl in the front end that was fixed under warranty at around 33k. Not even sure what they replaced but I think it was internal in the differential. I drove it to 110k and the only problem I ever had with it was the grid heater solenoid went out and the exhaust rotted out but I blame that more on Illinois road salt than Dodge. Stock tires went 100k and 7 years. Batteries went to 95k and 6 years. Overall it was a great truck and I kind of miss it but it needed around $4500 in body work. One thing I hated was the 4 speed auto. Towing at 65 or 70 and it would downshift and absolutely scream. If I had it to do over I would have ordered one with a 6 speed stick

 

It sounds like the EB would more than meet your needs. Plenty of power to tow 5k, lots of interior room, etc.

Truth is, no one knows for sure how the EBs will hold up in 10 years, 'cuz there aren't any that are 10 yrs old. So there is no real answer to your question re: longevity. I can tell you that I'm not worried about it, partly because the truck seems solid (I'm on my 3rd turbo charged vehicle, the prior 2 having gone well over 100k w/o turbo, head, or other issues) and partly because I'll have another truck by then!