I own a 2005 24v Cummins and I do not regret it at all. It is true that they are the "best hot dog money can buy in a moldy bun." Even more so with the previous generation trucks. BUT before this I owned a 2005 Duramax, before that a 2004 Powerstroke 6.0 6-speed manual, and before that a 2001 Powerstroke 7.3 and comparing stock to stock there is just no comparison in torque. There is a thread here from when I first got this truck and was simply amazed at the torque, I coudl do things with it that were simply impossible with the other trucks. The 7.3 was an auto and I replaced the trans twice in the first 75,000 miles. I think I was the only person in the world not to have issues with the 6.0 and the Duramax was a great truck, too. All of them had better quality body / fit & trim than the Dodge. But none matched in power.
All of the issues I've had with the Dodge have been well documented on the internet, they have all been small minor nuisances and easily repaired on my own, nothing that would have left me stranded somewhere. Never had the first issue with the drive train. I feel like I would have eventually had 6.0 issues. I'd rather be repairing minor interior issues than driveline issues. I stay on top of all my little body / interior issues and my truck still looks practically new inside. If the 7.3 would have had the manual trans I would have kept it to this day. My Dodge has the 6-speed manual NV5600 and as far as I'm concerned its the last truck I'll ever buy.
I've only got 120,000 miles on my Dodge now so its just getting broke in, doesn't qualify for the high mileage nomination. Just wanted to address the build quality portion of your comment.