# Bad trucks purchased



## Don & Sherlene (Mar 14, 2004)

Fellow truck owners,
I am a die hard GM truck owner. I purchased by first Duramax with the Allison
automatic transmission in 2002 and am saddened to say that after the typical 40k miles on this truck, the transmission went out and GM could not repair it because the parts were on national backorder. So I dumped it, and bought a 2003 Ford
F250 with the 6 liter power stroke diesel engine which was supposed to be the best on the road. Well, I'm sorry to say, that at 10k miles the engine on the top side was rebuilt 3 times due to a fuel injection problem engineered by Ford. :angry: But now I'm very glad to say that Ford purchased it back under the Lemon Law here in Alabama, and I went on to purchase a 2003 2500 Dodge Ram Quadcab with the new Cummins 325 hp diesel engine and have been more than satisfied since I purchased this truck!! I have not had one minutes trouble with the Dodge and I am inclined to say as Dodge says "THE RULES HAVE CHANGED". I say to you, out with Ford and GM and in with the Dodge Cummins.

Thank you!
A satisfied Dodge man!
Don


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

It's funny you should say that now...

2 years ago I went looking for a new truck. It had to be a fullsize crewcab of at least a 3/4 ton variety. At the time that left Nisson, Toyota and Dodge out of the picture (Dodge only had an extended cab in the 3/4 and larger trucks, and since my 3 kids had outgrown the extended cab I had at the time I wasn't about to get anything other then a crewcab). That left only Ford and GM.

The Ford had a very large interior, but it seemed cheap and plasticy (is that a word?). The price was pretty good, but the truck just seemed to scream out "farm appliance". I wasn't overly impressed. The Chevy, on the other hadn't, seemed far more refined and comfortable. The interior wasn't quite as big, but it certainly fit the bill. And it didn't seem cheesy, like the Fords did. The ride was better too, and the base motor -- GM's 6.0 vs the Fords 5.4 -- made the GM a stronger platform. So, I bought the Chevy.

Well, that turned out to be a mistake, because both the truck and the dealer are complete garbage.







I have had more trouble in the first 6 months owning this thing then I did in the first 6 years of my previous truck, a Toyota T100 (1/2 ton, extended cab, short bed). The whole experience has been very frustrating and unrewarding and it reminded me, in short order, precisely why I stopped buying American vehicles 25 years ago. Sad to say, I won't forget my lesson this time.

That being said... 2 weeks ago my brother bought an 04 2500 RAM "crew cab", which realistically is only a cab an 3/4's. It has the hemi motor. I had taken it out on the test drive with him and spent a little time behind the wheel. A few days ago I got to spend even more time in it and I can say that it's a lot better then my truck. I too think Dodge has taken a step in the right direction, and if his truck turns out to be reliable I may just check out those next time around. That is, unless Toyota puts a real motor in their "HD" truck.


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

Good to hear. Food for thought. I've come to the conclusion that no matter what I drive...it develops some kind of illness...and breaks! So far...only minor breaks on my Chevy.

NDJollyMon <~~~knocking on wood!


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Jim,

My last two Chevy's have been great, but I firmly believe that the right dealer can make all the difference. As long as the dealer works to keep me happy, I'm satisfied. I'd be interested to know what kind of problems you have been having with the Chevy. My truck is a 2002, with 14500 miles on it, and nothing major has surfaced yet.

Don,

I was also surprised to hear of the problems with the Allison Tranny. I have a friend who has the Duramax/Allison combo, and hasn't had any problems (knock on wood). I was considering an upgrade to a truck with this drivetrain, but if there are inherent problems, I might hold off.

Tim


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## CamperDC (Oct 30, 2003)

Jim, I have searched several on-line sites and am getting no hits for plasticy, but I know what you mean.

I am on my first Dodge and am reay happy with it.


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

Plasticy, plastiky, plastic like, plasticky, plasticized, plasticity, polymerlike?

Have had Fords at work, just sold a 92 with 150K on it. The only problem was the brakes always seemed to need work. The van is a 97 with 80k and is doing pretty well.

The GMC my wife has has been good so far, bought it used with 32k on it and now it has 48k. The only persistent problem has been the window regulators keep going, had to replace 3 so far.

I like the dodge trucks, I hope they hold up well. I hear more and more good things about them. The plymouth breeze I have is pretty junky though, but it is a 99.


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> I'd be interested to know what kind of problems you have been having with the Chevy.


Sure, got about an hour or so to spare?


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

That bad?


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## JimWilson (Feb 24, 2004)

Well, to be honest, some of my ire is because of the dealer who, among many other transgressions of professionalism, has damaged my truck on two separate occasions (door ding and ripped interior upholstery). But, GM sure didn't deliver me a truck that they'd be proud of. At least I *hope* they wouldn't be proud of this one.


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

I am sorry to hear about your problems. The only major thing I've had with the Avalanche is a problem with the rear windshield. This window is designed to be removable. The day after I took delivery I found a defect in the plastic rim that surounds this piece of glass.

It took me 2 months, and several phone calls to the dealer, Chevrolet, and General Motors before I was able to get a replacement. But after that, everything has been fine. Had I done a better inspection at the delivery, none of this would have happened.

Needless to say, I learned my lesson, and when my wife got a new car last June, I went through it with a fine tooth comb, and will be doing the same with the 26RS when we take delivery.


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