Looking for a diesel pickup questions?

[Eagle-Mark]

Thinking about a diesel pickup as a daily driver and weekend tow rig!

It'll be used so I'm wondering what to look for and more importantly what to stay away from? Dodge, Chevy, Ford, auto, manual and or what years?

My dad had a CTD auto (94?) and he drove and towed for years without a problem till he sold it with 175,000 but a friend had a 2005 CTD auto and the tranny lasted 5,000 ?

[Rock Ape]

If you are buying used then the chevy will be priced high.Stay away from the fords with the 6.0 especially the 03,nothing but problems.The dodges are probably the best deal,if you can find a 12valve with low miles I would buy it.Trannys,Autos will usually give you the most problems from any of the makes,keep them cool and clean fluid and they should give you a long service life.If you hop up any of the diesels its only a matter of time before they take a crap.I have seen stock ford 7.3 autos last 150-200k (construction trucks).
Just my .02

[4x4not]

I'm talking new(er) here...

Chevy: Decent Engine with good power, OK reliability. Auto trans is king. Dunno about manual
Ford: Stay away. Far, far away from that 6.0L. Auto trans is good. Unknown manual
Dodge. Best engine for low end power AND reliablity. Auto trans is getting better, but not perfect. Manual is great.

[adrianspeeder]

Here we go. It all comes down to personal preference, and has been beatin to death. All have positives and negatives. Go with what you like and can get a better deal on.

Adrianspeeder