I am in a bit of a situation here. I am in need of a new vehicle due to my Jeep catching on fire a couple weeks ago (long story). I have always loved the Powerstroke and driving my soon to be uncle's DMAX today didn't help me stay away from diesels any. Now some background about me and my driving.

In reality I really do not need a diesel, it really boils down to me being fascinated with them and wanting one more so than I need one. I really don't tow any heavy loads where the diesel would be a better truck over a gas truck. The heaviest trailer I've towed recently would be a two place steel snowmobile trailer with two sleds on it. With fuel rising in the past few weeks it would seem that that would only deter me even more from getting a diesel. Lately I have been crunching a lot of numbers and from the fuel mileage figures I have found online for the trucks I was interested in the diesel is near the front of the pack in terms of mileage. Just FYI the trucks I have been looking at were as follows:

99-01 Powerstroke
01-03 Chevy/GM 2500 w/6.0 gas
03 Ram 1500 w/HEMI
01-03 Chevy/GM 1500 w/5.3 (least favorite)

All of these trucks would be 4X4, either extended cab or quad cab, and short bed if I can.

Now I have excluded all of the other trucks out there due to my personal preferences. Some are out of my price range and others just feel underpowered to me, etc.... Not that they are bad trucks they just don't appeal to me, and since I am looking for a truck that I will likely own at least 5+ years I want to be happy with it.

I also need to add that I currently live in Michigan, but come June of 2008 I will be moving to the Denver area. This has led me to getting at least a 3/4 ton truck so if I wanted to I could throw a plow on it and make some extra money, but after doing some research on plowing recently I'm still up in the air about it.

Some my main question is this and this is where I would appreciate all of the opinions I can get. Am I just plain nuts to get a diesel for what I would be using it for? I know a gas motor would do what I need just fine, but I would love to have a diesel. I'm sure by now your thinking that it sounds like I have already made up my mind, but I really haven't. Would maintenence on a diesel kill me? I know that the oil, trans, and cooling systems are more costly to maintain, but what about some of the diesel specific parts? Fuel pump, injectors, HPOP, etc...? What do these parts run? What are the odds of having to replace any of these more expensive parts right after aquiring a truck? Now I must also say that I do 95% of the work on my vehicles so labor isn't to much of a problem for me, depending how advanced my mechanical knowledge must be to work of a diesel.

Thanks for any insight anyone can provide me and sorry for being so long winded.

Mike

 

well, if you want a diesel just to have one, no reason past that is needed.

that in mind, diesel fuel cost more than gas, but i once thought it would come down to normal again, but i am starting to think it is not. plus the diesel is more expensive up front than a gas engine.

but hey, you want one to want one, so who cares!

maintenance cost more but its not like it costs WAY more, if you can afford the truck, you can most likely afford the maintenance, especially if you do it your self.

 

Even when diesel prices were significantly lower than gasoline prices, you couldn't recoup your investment in any less than 5-6 years.

Don't buy the diesel on economics. Buy it because you want it or because you need it.

-blaine

 

And after that 5-6 years you'll still have some value left to it compared to the gasser(I just had to thrown that in, we haven't had a good diesel v. gas thread in awhile). Seriously though, other then you just wanting(which like bf250 said is sufficient by itself) you also said you were wanting to plow with it and I just think a diesel handles that strain better then gas engines do(by then again I'm biased to diesel, I have yet to own a gas burner a fact that I'm very proud of).

 

instead of looking at the 99-01 powerstroke, look at the 02 powerstroke 02 started the introduction of the 5 speed automatic trans. the 99-01 only had a 4 speed auto.

the used 02 i just picked up is getting 16 mpg around town. just on the fuel mileage alone it is paying for itself. my 88 only gets 10-11mpg, and the crown vic gets 12 mpg aroundtown.

 

I love my diesel. Simply love it.

BUT....If you are just going to use it as a grocery getter you will be wasting alot of money. you COULD just get the V-10 (its only a $600 option vs nearly $6000 for the PSD). You could spend $2000 on Mods (if you do the math....you've saved about $4000 on the cost of the truck) here is the best part. It can sound just as cool, get about the same fuel mileage, pull just as much and go faster. The V-10 is a good motor. If you get the diesel you will end up doing alot of the same mods getting it to perform and get better mileage. So not only will you pay the $6000 plus price for the motor, but $1000 for exhaust, 3 - $600 for a tuner.....you get the point.

 

or you can leave it like it came out of the factory and save all that money.

 

And so it begins. Actually I have yet to pay the entire 6k diesel option and I buy my trucks new and I pay for them outright. Most I paid was 3900, lowest was 2700(I was haggling good that day), now that is still more then the v10 however, not as much as you stated. Everything else you stated is very much debatable and even though I would be getting my wish on this being a diesel v. gas thread, I don't think the OP would appreciate that very much.

 

7.3 and 4R100 superduties were from 99 to 03
6.0 and 5R100 were 03 to 07

 

my 02 superduty F250 with a 7.3 powerstroke has a 5 speed automatic in it, not a 4 speed.

and acording to the ford dealer here, 02 was the start of the 5 speed auto trans.

 

you have something every other 7.3 owner would love to have and your dealer is full of crap

 

if your worried about milage your in the wrong game.


the HEMI, well that will get you 9-10 MPG if you lucky!

the 6.0 chevy 10-11, 12 MPG again if you lucky!

at 3.50+/gal #2 is looking sad.

time for use all to change our lives and drive honda civic.

 

I would like to see a honda civic pull my 6 horse trailer or shoot even my 2 horse trailer.

 

get rid of the horses?

 

It took me to long to get my business to where it wasn't operating in the red, I'm not going to do that, if they were just a hobby it would have been easier, doesn't mean I would do it; just means it would have been easier.