Three high-mileage diesel pickups costing roughly a tenth of a new truck quickly turn an 800-mile reliability test into a contest of overheating, improvised repairs and increasingly questionable decisions. The lineup gives the challenge immediate personality: a 410,000-mile 2006 Ram 2500 Mega Cab with a 5.9-liter Cummins, a 490,000-mile 2019 Chevrolet Duramax that stretches the stated $10,000 budget to $12,000, and a modified six-liter Power Stroke whose cooling problems begin before the real competition has properly started. That contrast makes the premise work because each truck enters with obvious strengths and vulnerabilities rather than feeling interchangeable.
The Power Stroke supplies most of the mechanical drama, repeatedly overheating as the group discovers a damaged radiator hose and later describes a leaking head gasket. Its troubles become a running joke, but they also give the road trip genuine uncertainty: a blown tire, missing wheel-lock key and repeated coolant stops could easily have ended its journey. The chance encounter with Caesar in Kansas, who happens to have both useful equipment and a compatible wheel-lock key, is one of the episode's best unscripted stretches. It temporarily shifts the focus away from competitive banter and toward the practical problem-solving that makes inexpensive-vehicle challenges entertaining.
The organized tests are deliberately ridiculous rather than scientific. The Ram unexpectedly wins the drag race, while the camper rally produces a spectacular failure when its trailer rolls and its steering is damaged; the Ford then wins that challenge despite overheating again. A fuel-economy test is introduced with a reasonable fill-drive-refill method, but the episode never delivers a clear result before moving on. That unfinished scoring illustrates the central weakness of the competition format: points and tests create structure, yet the production is much more interested in mishaps and jokes than consistently determining which truck actually performs best.
That looseness becomes even more pronounced during the journey to Colorado. Wrong turns, an attempted shortcut blocked by cleanup from a recent fire, roadside conversations and a police stop all extend what was supposed to be a straightforward endurance run. Some diversions are genuinely worthwhile, especially the scenic mountain route, but the episode can feel sprawling because it repeatedly abandons one objective for another. The promotional opening and mid-video sponsorship also add substantial commercial material before and during an already lengthy adventure.
Once the trucks reach the mountain trail, however, the challenge finds its strongest sustained section. Transmission temperatures rise during the steep climbs, the trucks struggle with tight turns and rough obstacles, and the group has to consider both mechanical limits and fading daylight. The stock-height Duramax performs particularly well over terrain its driver initially expected to favor the lifted trucks, while the battered Ram keeps climbing despite earlier steering damage and increasingly worrying transmission behavior. Even the chronically troubled Ford reaches the top, giving the finale a satisfying payoff after its repeated failures on the highway.
The presentation works because the mechanical problems are explained just enough to give the chaos stakes without turning the episode into a technical tutorial. Coolant loss, transmission heat, wheel size, suspension height and altitude all become part of the conversation, but many conclusions about particular engines and trucks are personal judgments rather than rigorously demonstrated comparisons. The final vote also avoids producing a clear winner, so the promised determination of which manufacturer makes the best truck never receives a definitive resolution. As an automotive adventure, though, the combination of high-mileage machinery, friendly rivalry, roadside improvisation and a difficult Colorado climb delivers considerably more entertainment than the competition's inconsistent scoring suggests.
Pros
- The three trucks have distinct mechanical characteristics and personalities that make their successes and failures easy to follow.
- The Ford's repeated cooling problems and tire failure create genuine roadside challenges rather than relying entirely on manufactured competitions.
- Caesar's unexpected assistance with the wheel-lock problem provides a memorable unscripted moment and keeps the journey moving.
- The final mountain climb gives the road trip a strong visual and mechanical payoff, with all three inexpensive, high-mileage trucks reaching the summit.
- Mechanical concerns such as coolant loss, transmission temperatures and steering damage give the challenge meaningful stakes.
Cons
- Several competitive tests are loosely controlled, and the promised fuel-economy comparison never receives a clear result.
- The scoring gradually becomes secondary to the road-trip comedy, leaving the central question of which truck actually wins unresolved.
- Repeated overheating jokes and coolant stops eventually become repetitive despite the Ford's problems being central to the journey.
- Wrong turns, detours and extended side sequences make the episode more sprawling than the core challenge requires.
- The lengthy giveaway promotion and additional sponsorship interrupt an already long adventure.
What begins as a cheap-truck comparison ultimately works better as an endurance road trip, with breakdowns and improvisation providing more memorable material than the formal competitions. The loose scoring and unresolved winner weaken the test itself, but getting three heavily used trucks through hundreds of miles and up a demanding Colorado trail gives the journey a rewarding finish.
