A CPS is $35, one 10mm wrench and 3 minuts. A VP-44 is $1100 and a whole lot harder to change. Not even close to a comparison. I have a 99 F-350 with 120K on it and the original CPS, and I have a 2000 Excursion with 58K on it and one CPS change.
Ford doors close with no rattle, there is no road noise, you can straight pipe the exhaust and put the windows up and not know if the truck is loud or not.... my Dodge is like a resonance box on wheels. I like the idea of the cheap and easy power that a 5.9 can deliver.... I like the look of the truck... but the feel of it is nothing like my older Fords... let alone a 05+ Ford. Chevy trucks.... old man trucks. They just look so weak, and with the asian looking front end, they look like a Toyota on roids. At least the dodge looked like a tough American truck up until 06..... I am still trying to find my fondness for them. I cant get over those big slanted headlights.... reminds me of the 02+ GM trucks. Hey, the one cool thing about the Chevy trucks is that you dont need a plow on the front to go and push snow.... just use the front bumper that is dragging on the ground on those hidious looking trucks!
Dodge has the lamest tranny on the market. Its a 1972 Torquflight with an OD tailsection added on. The Ford 4R100 and E4OD had issues, but could be easily be reprogrammed in the valve body to work fine if you knew a competant tranny guy.... and there does not seen too be a whole bunch of those out there! If there were, ATS and D diesel, and Goerend would never exist. Anyone can recreate thier combinations in thier back yard.... just order the right kits and parts and make it so. Do you think these guys build clutches? Valve body parts? How about Alto and Trans-Go? Yea... thats who makes them.
Anyways, each of these big 3 have thier issues, the 7.3 will never win the race without having 4 times the money and time put into it... and even then the Cummins and Duramax can continue to be built into a world of power that the 7.3 and 6.0 just wont go to. But when the race trucks of the world fall over broken and damaged... a 7.3 will rumble on over (nice and slow like) with a trailer on its back side and tow your broke *ss home! Thats what mine do all the time!