Personally, I never had that misconception. With 4 GALLONS of oil, 8 GALLONS in the cooling system, and almost 5 GALLONS of fluid pulsing through the transmission I knew that maintenance costs were going to be higher with the same service intervals. The only way you come out ahead is if you factor in operating costs. Even then you'd probably need to be using it regularly for your work/business to even have a chance to break even or come out ahead in the l-o-o-o-o-n-g run.

I'm sure I've spent more on engine parts and fluids than I've saved at the pump compared to a gasser. Looking back on the last 9 years of owning this truck (and 6 years prior to that with a 5.4L F-150) I don't have any regrets switching over to a diesel. I don't have a business or need it for work so if money (maintenance/operating costs) was a concern I would have gotten a car instead of something with the aerodynamics of a brick.

I know that's off-topic from the OP's question. You'll pay more up front for the diesel option and more in maintenance costs along the way too. Operating costs will depend on what you use it for and whether that makes it worth it to you.

I don't know if anyone truly NEEDS a diesel with the power that engines are putting out these days (notwithstanding cruising speed uphill) but it sure is nice to be able to just about pull a house off its foundation at 1600 RPM...

 

"I don't have any regrets switching over to a diesel. I don't have a business or need it for work so if money (maintenance/operating costs) was a concern I would have gotten a car instead of something with the aerodynamics of a brick."

"I know that's off-topic from the OP's question. You'll pay more up front for the diesel option and more in maintenance costs along the way too. Operating costs will depend on what you use it for and whether that makes it worth it to you."

Very well said, couldn't agree more. If you want the diesel and have the financial means of owning one, then get one. If you have any doubt that you can, or want, to afford PROPERLY maintaining a diesel, then stay away from them.

I have always done strict maintenance on every vehicle I've ever owned so I am content with an engine that requires higher operating cost. It's worth it to ME to have the power, sound, and overall pleasing experience of the diesel. Plus I work for Ford, so I get my oil changes, filters, fuel additives, DEF, etc. cheaper than most !

 

Just cost per mile maintenance... I did not factor fuel, def, tires, etc. Just used the price that Ford charges me to get a maintenance package for a customer. Basically my figures represent what Ford actuary folks have determined to be the wear and repair bill out to 125k, not total cost of ownership.

 

Also I would presume many more diesel owners send their oil to Blackstone. Then there is the array of monitors and gauges. Also replacement of dpf and or delete.
Compare price of parts and install for diesel vs gas injectors.

 

Problem is some people follow the happy route even when they cannot afford.......

If I had the money.....2017 F-450 6.7 loaded to the gills

Since I don't have that kind of money I'll need to stick with the 08 V10 I've had for four years. I can't imagine dropping the money some do on their trucks. But then again I could buy 2 SuperDuties with the costs for daycare. One loaded and one work truck. So maybe in 10 years I'll be looking and trucks. 😔

 

Subscribed due to choosing between gasser or diesel.

 

Don't forget to count the cost of the smog inspection for the gas engine. if you live in a state that requires it
It can add up over the years

 

You will NEVER break even on a diesel vs. a gas engine. The mileage difference is generally too small to ever make up for the added cost of the diesel option or the maintenance. Even in parts of the country where diesel fuel is cheaper, you still won't ever make up the cost.

Look at the average annual fuel costs for a gas vehicle vs. the diesel. Then add up the cost of the diesel option and the cost of more expensive oil changes, filter changes etc. You probably won't break even in two decades of ownership. Even if your diesel runs twice as long as a gas engine does without a rebuild, you probably still won't make up the difference. If you think you'll make it up on resale, think again. The difference between gas or diesel trucks on the used market is never as large as the cost of entry.

You buy the diesel because you either want one or because you need one because of its capabilities. It's that simple.

 

You posted very similar response in another thread and it's great and true. I did the same calculations when I purchased my truck and there wasn't any savings to be had.

Now in the used market what I found was my immaculate 24k/mi 2008 V10 price tag would net me a similar 2006 diesel with 100k/mi, rust forming in the typical areas, and sometimes a thrashed interior. What worked in my favor, I think, was when I bought the truck gas was high $ so the price of the truck was dropping fast each month.

 

I get my oil changed at the dealership. Costs me about $90 every 7500 miles or so. I usually go through a tank of DEF in about that time, about $25.

That's pretty much it. Not sure what all the fuss is about. Change your air filter when it needs it, your fuel filters every 25k miles or so, buy new tires for it when the old ones wear out...

 

Actually.... yes you can.

If you tow often and heavy, a diesel will be more economical to own in the long run.

If you run empty more around town or tow lighter weight, a gas engine will be more economical to own in the long run.

Whether or not you break even will always depend on the usage and the length of ownership.


Going off on a tangent here: there's nothing wrong with owning a gas or diesel, so ignore people bashing one motor or the other. They're both great at what they are designed to do. Pick one or the other because of your needs or wants. Everyone knows how they will end up using their truck, so the smart idea is to purchase based on those anticipated needs so that the truck meets the towing/hauling capacity that you'd expect. People are far more disappointed in a truck not because of fuel economy or maintenance, but because it failed to perform up to expectations.

 

What people report in all the gas mileage threads amounts to the gas and diesel trucks only being a couple MPG apart. The price difference between gas and diesel is fairly small in some areas and larger in others with diesel being more expensive than gas for much of the year. You have to make up a 9k price difference, plus the increased price of oil changes, plus the price of more frequent fuel filter changes. That's to say nothing of potential repair costs outside of warranty which always favor the gasoline engines. I understand that usage plus the length of ownership determines the ultimate cost difference but the diesel engines aren't efficient enough to close that gap over several years. You are talking about a couple hundred dollars a year.

Lets try some actual math here:

Using fuelly as a source, taking the largest data point for F-250 Super Duties using the 6.7L diesel and 6.2L flex fuel engines respectively. I took the largest data point for trim levels. That's XLT for both. I did the math on the high side and the low side using Texas gas prices as of yesterday in the Dallas area. For those playing the away game that's $1.94 for regular 87 octane fuel and $2.16 for standard diesel fuel. This is averaged over 15,000 annual miles and doesn't account for maintenance costs at all. These comparisons are combined averages. Obviously towing duty, elevation and local gas prices come into play here but I think there is some validity in choosing Texas as its one of if not the biggest truck markets in the United States.

I will use the cost savings and see how many years it will take to pay for the diesel option which in 2016 is $8,460 as listed on the 6.7L truck window stickers. I will assume the cost of the vehicle is the same otherwise.

13.3 Diesel Low - Annual Fuel Cost = $2,436.09
14.3 Diesel High - Annual Fuel Cost = $2,265.73

11.0 Gas Low - Annual Fuel Cost = $2,645.45
12.4 Gas High - Annual Fuel Cost = $2,346.77

11.0MPG (Gas) vs. 13.3MPG (Diesel) equals an annual cost savings of $209.36 in favor of the diesel. If you take the cost of the diesel option and divide it by the annual fuel savings you arrive at 40.4. At this cost difference it would take 40.4 years to break even on the cost of the diesel option alone. Comparing the high results we get 12.4MPG on the gas engine and 14.3MPG on the diesel. This amounts to a savings of $81.04. At that price it would take 104 years for the cost of the diesel engine to break even with the operating cost of the gasoline engine. Now, lets mix this up a bit. Lets compare the high side of each, to the low side of the other. At the prices I've listed above, the annual savings switch in favor of the gas engine. The 12.4MPG of the gas is cheaper than the 13.3MPG of the diesel due to the diesel fuel being more expensive. At that point the diesel never breaks even. It only costs more. So lets go the other way. The diesel engine at 14.3MPG vs. the gasoline engine's 11.0MPG equals an annual savings of $379.72 in fuel costs. At that point the diesel engine pays for itself in a mere 22.2 years.

Surely someone is going to bring up driving 30,000 miles in a year or more. So lets do that. Lets go best case here. Lets assume an annual mileage of 30,000 and lets compare the worst gas mileage of the 6.2L vs. the best of the 6.7L data point. That means 11.0MPG vs. 14.3MPG. At that point you get an annual cost savings of $759.44. At that mileage it would take only 11.13 years for the diesels efficiency to pay for itself. If you are one of the rare people that keeps your truck for 15-20 years and drive 30k or more miles in a year than I suppose the diesel may be more attractive. All that still goes out the window if you have more major out of warranty repairs than you would on an equivalent gasoline engine based truck.

For fun I did some more. At 50,000 miles the savings in favor of the diesel is $1,265.73. With those types of savings you break even in 6.68 years. It came out to $1,518.88 at 60,000 miles. So that dropped the break even point to 5.56 years. That's probably a reasonable place to really start saying the diesel can pay for itself during the average ownership period of one of these things. This is assuming of course that maintenance costs are minimal or can be minimized. If you are using a vehicle for personal use and get some mileage reimbursement along the way that may become an even more attractive proposition.

This is pretty basic as I'm only using the annual fuel cost savings as the data point to equal the cost of the diesel option. There are additional fuel filter, oil change and DEF fluid costs to consider as well. Oh, last but not least the 6.7L trucks have two batteries. So you get to double up on that as well. You could use the price difference that you might get back in resale value on the diesel side to get a faster break even point but that math would probably still favor the gas engine more often than not.

For fleets things may be different. Failure rates and other logistics come into play which may skew the values the other way. I don't know. For personal use however, diesel is rarely if ever cheaper to operate. All things being equal with the truck's options and price aside from the diesel option anyway. If you buy used you could potentially change the math by enough to go the other way. I don't know. New, hell no. You buy a diesel because you like them or because you need the extra torque to handle certain towing tasks. Its a simple as that. So I stand by my statement that the fuel savings will never (or almost never) equal the cost of the diesel option.

 

Stop being logical. There's no need for that in this thread....

 

The two fuel filters for my wife's ram 3500 are about $120. The oil changes run me about $60 rotella-t regular. And I just put another jug of def in it seems like def is getting cheaper 12 bucks.

But I don't even want to think about how much soot is on the grid heater, map sensor, o2 sensor......

 

You mean let's try a long list of debatable assumptions followed by basic multiplication and addition?

Your fuel prices are backwards as recently as a week ago, you're understating the diesel's fuel economy (or overstating the 6.2 if this is towing MPG), and vastly overstating annual mileage for most people at 30k annually (I drive 80 miles a day commuting and don't hit 30k).

That's why every gas vs diesel thread has a YUGE mpg calc that no one other than the poster cares about because the assumptions made are the real key, and we can screw with those based on everyone's personal situation or opinion (like I just did in the last paragraph) to the point where the "actual math" is a literal joke.