Duramax Update....

mtofell · 12-23-2007, 03:52 AM

Well, it's been a few months since I traded in the beloved Titan and I promised I'd give a progress report...

Overall, no big surprises. The diesel is great for towing and hauling (bought it and upgraded to a big 5th wheel). As for using it as a daily driver it's not a lot different than the Titan. It's a bit quiter inside and the visibility is better (for me anyway, I'm tall and the tint strip and rake of the Titan windshield always bugged me). All the ammenities inside are about the same. The controls are layed out pretty poorly and the defroster sucks compared to the Nissan. The stereo is close but I think the Fosgate in the Titan is a hair better. The seats are about the same for comfort. The rear seat is quite a bit smaller but I don't sit back there so I don't really care. The main difference is I have to put my groceries in the pickup bed rather than floor of back seat.

The main thing I miss about the Titan is the sportscar drive. I had a console shift and now have a column shifter. The Titan is much peppier off the line and really is just easier to get at the power. The Duramax of course has tons of torque and power but it's not so readily accessible like the Nissan. The best part of the Titan was that 40 to 60 passing ability... just throw it down into 3rd and punch it... it's pretty much instantaneous.

Overall, I just drive the new truck slower... it have much more of a 'big truck' feel. Sometimes it's what I'm after other times I really miss my Titan.

EVO8 · 12-23-2007, 04:16 AM

So why don't you get EFI Live?

Titan4mde · 12-23-2007, 08:12 AM

Thanks for the update, I'm glad your new ride has not been disappointing. May you continue to have good luck with it. Did you compare a cummins dodge with the duramax before purchase? If so, what led you to gm's? Just curious as I believe it is inevitable for me to have a diesel 3/4. My Titan pulls my camper ok, but the milage sucks(of course), and our next upgrade will probably be a 5'er.

dawgs77 · 12-23-2007, 08:41 AM

I've got a buddy in Wyoming and he's had pretty much all the HD's.

He had a old Power Stroke for quite a long time and loved that truck. He then moved to a Cummins and he hated the fuel economy and transmission on that Dodge. He only kept it for about a year and traded it in for a Duramax/Allison. He seems to love this truck and states his towing is great and fuel economy is pretty decent compared to his cummins.

mtofell · 12-23-2007, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EVO8

So why don't you get EFI Live?

I don't recognize right off what that is but I'll guess it's a chip of some sort. I'm staying totally stock for now. Mainly, I don't want to void my warranty... but also I don't really have any extra money I want to put into the truck right now... especially if the chip caused a problem (which, after hanging out on a diesel board, they often do - or at least a lot more than stock). Once I get a few years down the road and a bit closer to the warranty expiring I may change my mind...

As for the Dodge/Ford/Chevy decision, I did A LOT of research....

I ruled out Ford early on because of reliability issues with the 6.0 motor and the 6.4 was too new to tell. Also, the Fords are really expensive and the body styles are just too big.

I looked quite a bit at Dodge and was pleased by the price.... I was mainly put off by the body styles. Their standard crew-cab is a joke... it's really just a king cab with the doors flipped the other way (non-suicide style). So, the megacab is really nice but for some reason (that nobody could seem to tell me why) Dodge tells you not to tow a 5th wheel with a megacab. I just couldn't justify spending that much money on a truck and using it outside of the manf. recommendations. Of course, there were plenty of people telling me they did it all the time but it just didn't make me feel good. And from hanging around a few other boards I found a few more reliability issues with Dodge, something the Dodge owners will ferociously defend.... but, to the unbiased observer, it sure seems to be the case.

So, I ended up with the Duramax.... also, I went with an 06 to save a few bucks and to stay away from the new DPF emmision... it may not be a problem but, given the choice, I'd rather not mess with it. I picked it up with about 24K miles for around 35K... I had to look for a few months to find the exact one I wanted at the price I wanted but it came along eventually. Also, the ones have bed rails that are 2" higher which is causing quite a stir amongst 5th wheelers.... and I can't quite get used to the new body style yet.