Allright guys, I know this is an apples-to-oranges comparison, but I would still like some input.
I got a call yesterday from the Ford dealership (like I said, I've driven all the half-tons in my quest to decide on my next truck). I let him know that I preferred the Titan. Of course, he said "what if we could get you the F-150 for less than the Nissan?" I told him it would have to cheap enough that I could sell it at a profit so I could buy a Titan.

He starts talking about the F-250 with the Powerstroke. Ok, I'll bite. I figure it was being open-minded that brought me into the Nissan dealership in the first place. So, even though I doubt I will like it as much as the Titan, I'm going to test out the F-250. Does anyone have any input on what I should expect when driving the powerstroke? 0-60 times, etc? I really think a 3/4 ton diesel is way overkill for me, but what the heck. Thanks!

Ironically the F250 is the truck that got me interested in a quad cab... a friend has one that we ride with. I rode in the rear seats for a couple hours and thought it was an absolutley wonderful ride.

But, since I'd never buy a ford, the titan got my vote.

The F250 is a hauler, not sure how fast, but it will tow a mountain. Just compare specs online and you'll get a good idea. It's a nice ride, though.

 

The problem is not the purchase price. It is the long term ownership costs. Every Found On Road Dead I purchased was exactly that. My father just purchased one. After 3 months, the engine will not stay out of limp home mode and the engine light is on at least once a drive.

Dealership responses: We cannot get it to happen. Then, It must be something in the computer don't worry about it just ignore the lights.

WTF?

When you compare the problems on the Ford and Dodge pages, to what we complain about here, the difference is astounding. We have a problem with the radio and the bed liner? At least our engines run great and the truck does not leak oil.

Let alone we do not touch the truck until 100,000 miles. Just add/change the consumables.

 

A good friend just bought an F250 Lariat CC last week. 4WD, 6L Powerstroke Diesel. I gotta admit, it's one hell of a truck. He has a horse ranch, he needs and uses an 8-ft bed and he wanted the 3/4 ton diesel power. I can't say that I disagree, his situation warrents a truck that size. The Powerstroke is a STRONG engine. There is NO lack of power. Those of you who are familiar with I-70 westbound out of Denver (6-7% grade), that F250 pulls it with no effort whatsoever.

Of course, so does my Titan.

He paid $44,000 for the Ford and it's like driving a house. You'd better plan ahead when you park that baby because you need LOTS of room to move. It won't fit in his garage, either, but he's got two barns, so no problem there.

I drove it two days ago. The ride is okay, but the steering seemed to be a little flakey to me. Maybe it's because I'm so used to the responsiveness of the Titan. The interior is good, well appointed and, of course, BIG.

Now the good part...he's driven MY truck, too. Just this morning he told me that if Nissan offered a 3/4-ton diesel and an 8-foot bed, he'd have bought one in a heartbeat. This coming from a DEVOTED 63-year-old Ford-a-phile. He really likes the Titan, but he needed a new truck and just didn't want to wait until Nissan comes out with something that would fit his needs.

For me, the Titan is perfect. I like everything about it. But if I hauled hay and horses all over the place, my needs would certainly be different. So, having said all that, I'm really glad I don't have a ranch. That allows me to drive a Titan!

 

f250

My Bro has a F350 with power stroke and it keeps on going....he can smoke the tires if he wants....it hauls a lot, tows a lot and is very fast. I personally started looking at the F250 and 350 when it came time to sell my Chevy 1 ton van...it turns out I liked the idea of downsizing to a 1/2 ton instead....I drove all trucks (dodge 1/2, 3/4, ford 1/2 and 3/4, owned a dodge 3/4 with cummins, test drove toyota tundra (nice) and resisted driving the titan because of the whole "first model year jitters"....Eventually I found myself waiting for a place to open and while waiting, saw a Nissan dealer across the street...decided to walk over and check out the titan they had out front...then what the heck, decided to drive it....WOW, after one test drive, i knew the titan was for me...although its a "full-size" truck it does not feel like one....its fast, comfy, and reasonable...and seems built with almost everything in mind.

 

To spend the extra say, $ 6000.00 for the diesel you better be making some hauls not to mention get a stereo upgrade to make up for Ford diesel noise.

 

"Those of you who are familiar with I-70 westbound out of Denver (6-7% grade), that F250 pulls it with no effort whatsoever."

Very familiar with that road. I recall seeing lots of overheated FORDS with their hoods up there over the years. I also recall lots of diesels going 10 MPH, smoking black, limping up to the Eisenhower Tunnel, and also on Independence Pass. Maybe things have changed, but the thought of a diesel in the mountains makes me cringe.

 

Unless things have changed with diesels over the past few years, I was always told that it is bad for diesels to only be run for short periods of time. For example if you leave the house to go to the corner store...you get there turn it off, turn it back on, etc. Don't necessarily know the reasons behind that theory...just heard it was very hard on them to be turned off and on a lot. Also not all gas stations carry diesel.

 

I thought i would offer an oppinion as i just drove my friends f-250 today. I would first say a titan is like driving a modern car and the 250 is like an old muscle car. It rides very good for a truck that could haul your house, and its comfortable. Its much more heavy duty feeling then the titan, feels like you are driving a really fast tank( i mean really fast). It feels much like the titan in speed and power. The engine is fun in a straight line and the transmission is very nice, also 5 speed auto. Gets about 16 mpg too.
So if you use your truck for major truck things often (towing over 5000lbs or full bed loads) go 250. If you like a sport truck feel and a really nice v8 roar, go titan.
As far as whats better, I love my titan but i have the radio issue, the purge valve sound, some seat rattle and possibly an engine oil pressure issue. I would not say i am satisfied in any way by the problems i am having, but the engine sound and performance keep my passified till things get fixed. I just dont believe the "new model so its okay stuff "(my $33000 were not easy enough to come by to hear excusses). So you understand i bought a 97 f150 4x4 offoad and had no problems, and a 2001 sport trac with no problems.
Also a 2001 frontier with no problems so they were all new models or updated versions. Lastly just buy what you like cause they all got problems (toyota,lexus major 3.0litre sludge problems).
I will tell you that the best truck i ever owned was a 94 hardbody 4x4 se v6.
100 times better then my frontier was. Sorry half this has nothing to do with the f250.

 

If you park a diesel in a small garage by your house some people don't like the diesel smell in the garage and house. My wife said I'd have to park the thing outside if I bought a diesel. Diesels are fast for diesels. But, they are not as quick as a Titan unless they are modded. Once modded they will run fast.

 

Like I said before, I don't see that I would like any current model truck more than the Titan, I just want to be sure. I am aware of things like the reliability records of Nissan vs Ford, the price difference of at least $4k and the "overkill" factor for my needs. I am going to drive it, because really, there's no reason not too. My mind is pretty much made up and right now, it is my belief that driving the F-250 will just further solidify my opinion. I seriously doubt it will blow me away like the Titan did.

 

I drive an F350 Power Stroke all summer for my summer job (I'm one of those teacher types) as a construction worker. I've towed 14,000lbs. with it, and you'd never know the load was even there. The Ford is a great work truck. Indestructable and powerful. My experience with Fords have been mixed. The 2 F350s we have in the company have around 100,000 trouble-free miles on them. My father's '02 King Ranch F-150 has been flawless. His '97 was another matter. Piece of CRAP. Spent most of its life in the shop.

As far as towing is concerned, I'm sure a Titan isn't even in the same league as the Ford - and nor should it be -it's a 1/2 ton!

The Ford rides like it's meant to tow 15,000 pounds - STIFF. I mean, for a truck that can tow that much, and carry 3500lbs. in the bed (we do it ALL the time - palettes of concrete mix) it's pretty darn good. Still, it isn't the supple highway cruiser that the Titan is.

Diesels are loud. Take it on the highway for several hours, and you'll wish you had a gas motor. Also, one more thing - Ford has had some pretty big time problems with the new 6.0 engine. I'm not sure what they are, but I see references to the problems in all the trade mags. I don't know if they've fixed them, or not.

My .02
HS

 

"Does anyone have any input on what I should expect when driving the powerstroke?"

Lots of problems??

http://www.blueovalnews.com/2003/powertrain/6.0powerstroke_injectors.htm

http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=&Board=2003Drivetrain

Posts like "Diesel in Oil" and "New Replacement Truck On Order" doesn't make me want to run out and buy one.

 

My apologies to any of you guys that like Fords; I did not intend for this to be a Ford-bashing thread. I've just decided that I'd give the F-250 the same attention I gave all of the other trucks I drove, to see which one I like best. Of course reliability and price will figure in my final decision, but Monday, I'm going to get a driving impression. I'll report back on it.

 

I definately think this an APPLES to ORANGES comparrison....I do find it interesting that the dealer is trying to push the F250 diesel when he hears that the choice might be a titan. I owned a Dodge Cummins 3/4 ton and loved the towing power but keep in mind...the rest of the truck was not fit for all that torque....body seams started to seperate...giving way to rust...the brakes couldn't handle the weight...i think on a 3/4 ton the down sized the brakes (1/2 ton brakes maybe)...anyway.....I bought my TITAN knowing full well what I would be passing up...I haul dirt bikes, and used to haul show/muscle cars and a 27' toy hauler....9+ hours at a pop and still decided the TITAN would work best (not for the toy-hauler but you can see in my avatar, i downsized the trailer too)....another disadvantage of the Diesel for me is, when I am done riding (dirt bikes) and have left over gas, I can dump it into the truck and not have to travel around with 1/2 full gas cans or have to stop at a gas station on the way home....if you plan on driving mostly local commute...diesel is WAY OVERKILL....Recently, I had a F350 Diesel, lifted with 38" tires and custom exhaust completely cut me off and then he proceeded to give me the finger (he had a sticker on his rear window that had the small boy pi$$ing on the word "import") and I just had to laugh....I used to get mad at ignorant people like this guy, now I just realize this idiot has no idea what he is talking about....In fact the TITAN is probably more US made than his "domestic". I can also fit the TITAN in any parking area, parking garage, or drive thru. If I wasn't hauling the trailer at the time, I would have smoked-him in a drag race. I LOVE TO SEE BIG BELLIED GOOD OL'E BOYS gettin JEALOUS.

 

He started mentioning the F-250 because when I put in in perspective how much better I liked the Titan over the F-150 (I told him the only way I would buy an F-150 over a Titan would be if I was able to buy it cheap enough to make a decent profit in reselling it, and use the money to buy a Titan anyway) he starting asking if I had ever driven the 250 with the 6.0 diesel.

My truck won't be a daily commuter, I work downtown and even if I had a Civic, it's still waaaaaaaayyyyy easier to take the bus. It would mainly be for snowy drives, long trips, and taking my dirtbikes to the mtns. Unfortunately the gas from my dirtbike won't work in any truck I buy.

 

My apologies to any of you guys that like Fords; I did not intend for this to be a Ford-bashing thread. I've just decided that I'd give the F-250 the same attention I gave all of the other trucks I drove, to see which one I like best. Of course reliability and price will figure in my final decision, but Monday, I'm going to get a driving impression. I'll report back on it.

Cool. Meanwhile here is a nice little Ford test drive story:

http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubb...re Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1month&Main=1693439&Search=true#Post1693439

 

2004.5 Dodge Cummins 5.9 600

98% of pickup truck users are better off with the Titan, but the few that really need to haul heavy, i'd recommend the 2004.5 Dodge 3500 4x4 dually with 50-state legal Cummins 5.9 600 diesel that cranks out 325hp and 600fp ... untill Nissan comes up with something like a 350hp 650fp "clean' burning diesel Titan.

i have owned two new Ford-150s...so i'd never own another Ford pickup again unless Ford spends a LOT more resources on improving engineering than they've been spending on thier advertising.

 

F350 Experience

I just have to vent, I have a 1999 F350 with the 7.3L Powerstroke only because I needed a vehicle that can pull our 28' travel trailer. If the Toyota Tundra or Nissan Titan could do it safely I would already be in one. The F350 does that job well when it is running, it right around 100,000 miles on it and I average about $4,000 a year just replacing various broken parts on the truck. My latest problems - The Manual Transmission leaks like a sieve and the battery light flickers like a christmas light( the alternator and batteries are brand new ), it is truly a piece of junk and I never know when it will break down next. I am fortunate that I don't have to depend on this thing for daily transportation, I would be out of a job real quick!

I cannot wait until either Toyota or Nissan do a 3/4 ton truck, I will be the first in line for one, no matter what the price is, and I am very weary of first year bugs, but it has to be imposiible to do worse than this Ford.

 

toyota is showcasing their future tundra 3/4 ton truck at the detroit international auto show. its name is the toyota FTX, it's design is similar to what toyota is going to mass produce, so they say. toyota claims that it is going to be an 06 model due for release late 2005. it doesn't look too good in my opinion. here's one link i found which doesn't give all the details of a magazine article i read today but gives a little info:

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/autoshows/naias2004/toyota/ftx.html

i'll see if i can find another...

 

i apologize if this is old news to some, but here it is:

http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/6128/password//page/1http://www.tundrasolutions.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/6128/password//page/1

being that i almost got a tundra instead of a titan says a lot about how much i like the look of the tundra but looking at this FTX tundra concept makes me say wtf. its ugly in my opinion but huge. did you see the picture of the dude driving it, he's tiny in that FTX. it looks like a big giant blue Dutch wooden clog. :jester:

looks bada$$ from the front though, but that's it, ewwwww!!!

 

Eww...as a 4 time Toyota Truck owner (I always liked the clean lines of my "Toys"), I have to say it looks like some big grape-ape jumped up and down on the cab and shrank it down. Weird proportions.

 

"with 50-state legal Cummins 5.9 600 diesel that cranks out 325hp and 600fp"

Yes, this seems to be the better diesel engine at the moment.

 

toyota is showcasing their future tundra 3/4 ton truck at the detroit international auto show. its name is the toyota FTX, it's design is similar to what toyota is going to mass produce, so they say. toyota claims that it is going to be an 06 model due for release late 2005. it doesn't look too good in my opinion. here's one link i found which doesn't give all the details of a magazine article i read today but gives a little info:

http://www.pickuptruck.com/html/autoshows/naias2004/toyota/ftx.html

i'll see if i can find another...

Did everybody notice that the FTX still doesn't have a long bed? That thing looks like it is even shorter than the Titan. Lots of fifth wheel trailers out there, wake up Nissan.

 

"I average about $4,000 a year just replacing various broken parts on the truck."

That could pay for a nice vacation every year.

 

I love the look of the FTX. At some angles it even looks like a dually. Highly doubtful that interior would make it into a production truck anytime soon though.