Chrysler has been plagued with transmission problems for decades and the build quality of the body, trim and interior leave something to be desired. It remains to be seen what Fiat does with them, as odd as it sounds I actually like what they’ve done thus far and they do seem committed to building them up and taking them global, but there is a long way to go. Cummins makes a good diesel engine, but the rest of the vehicle could be an issue.
Like many, I see far more Ford diesel pickup trucks on the road, even old ones, so I suspect that’s the way to go if you plan on keeping it for a while and racking up the miles.
Ford sells more trucks than everyone else combined. It’s been that way for at least 20 years. The reason is they sell to all the government agencies and the big companies who buy large numbers. Fords are, generally, built as plain jane work vehicles and get beat to hell. Chevy’s are, generally, built as fancy vehicles for the private owner who likes to pamper his truck. Dodge is built for motorheads. They are a strange breed. They only care about the engine.
The only reason you see more old fords on the road is because there are so many more of them built every year. When the governments and large corporations buy new vehicles, the budget conscious private owner buys up the used fleet fords for low prices.