Hey everyone, i am absolutley new with diesels and i have some questions. i am going to purchase a late 90s F-350 diesel when i turn 18 (thats the plan at least).

at the moment i own a 96 f150 I-6. I do basic stuff to my truck and it doesn't cost me a lot of money, (oil change every 3k, brakes, wipers, etc.). i mabey spend at most 150-200 a year on routine maintanence.

-how much does a diesel cost to own, mechanics wise.
-on average what do you spend on an oil chang/oil filter/air filter.
-I heard that diesels are more expensive to maintain
-also is it more expensive if something major breaks on a diesel than gas? stuff like an altornator, etc.

I know that I'll be spending more on diesel than gas (with the prices) but i should be getting slightly better gas milage (or so people say) than my I-6 at 12-13mpg.


I really do not care how much it costs to own i just want to be prepared when the time comes.


Thanks for all the help,
Eagle282

 

The maintenance on a diesel does cost more. Where you have been using five quarts of oil in your F150 every 3k miles, the diesel will be 14 quarts and every 5k miles, you will need to change the fuel filter ($50)every 10k miles. The tires will also cost more because you will have a F350, the tires should be ten ply. They are fun to drive, especially when you use a chip, if you drive sensibly the chip will increase fuel economy, if you hot rod it the fuel economy will drop off a bunch.
Good Luck

 

The diesel is more expensive to own over a gas vehicle until you use the truck to tow most of the time. For a daily driver stick with a gas vehicle.

 

jeez i didnt know they were 14 quarts, but every 5k miles is about every 6 months for me, how much is deisel motor oil about, i tried a search online but couldnt get anything significant. tire price wont bother me too much.

 

Diesel oil at Wal Mart is anywhere from $10.00 to $17.00 a gal., a good oil filter is around the same price. Fuel filters are less than $50.00 IF you buy them on line and not from the dealer. Check out the sponsors on the left side of this page and you should be able to find almost anything you need. When you start looking for a truck try to get a 'one owner' turbo diesel if possible.
Good luck,
Hal

 

We have a place here called Tractor Supply. You can buy Rotella for $8 a gallon and Wal-Mart sells the motorcraft oil filters.

 

thanks for the help guys, i really appreciate it. I cant get anything until march but ill be test driving them to see what i want until then, hopefully i can snag a 95-97 f-350 (diesel) for about $10k.

ill proably be asking more questions in the near future,

thanks again!