I need a four wheeler. But I don't know if they run that cheap ether. The other thing is you would have a hard time trying to drive one in town.

 

Yep, there's a lot of good answers until that 25 foot trailer is factored in. I totally believe that God made diesel pick-ups so someone that maintains their rig can drive it forever w/o major surgery, get decent mileage unloaded, awesome mileage loaded (comparatively), plus you have all the heavy-duty drivetrain, bakes etc.
Diesels were desighned to work for a living, in my opinion gas trucks SUCK for towing. They run hotter, burn more fuel, probably have worse brakes, less compression braking (at least with a manual trans.) don't last as long etc. Every time my Dad tells me he's gonna sell his Cummins and buy a Hemi because gas is cheaper I get frustrated as all get out! He knows better!

 

Everyone around here says the Hemis get only 15mpg, most diesels are around 15 and higher.
I don't know what the answer is but we better figure somthing out or no one will be going anywhere.

 

Hemis getting 15mpg thats way higher than i've ever heard of them getting well at least the new ones.

 

the real point is if you are buying a diesel on the sole premise that you will save so much in operating costs you are sadly mistaken. when you figure in the extra maintanece costs involved with a diesel it negates a lot of the money you save. as far as buying a new ford you couldnt sell me a powerstroke anymore. it would have to be a v10. the 6 and 6.4 liters just dont have a very dependable service record. the v10 is a very viable option as far as new trucks are concerned especially now that the price of diesel has stayed consistanty higher for almost a year now. hey at least it is still a ford!!!!

 

It ain't a truck but my parents have an 'o6 Charger with the 5.7L and it gets awesome mileage for having roughly 350HP. They got 27 mpg going from Western Oregon to Boise ID for a funeral and there are some serious passes in between, mostly Hwy 20 from Sweet Home to Sisters. My Camaro would almost be out of gas when I'd get to Sisters but I was runnin' the crap out of it and gas was like $1.50. The key is the VERY good aerodynamics, low rolling resistence of the 20" tires (the tread on these things is pretty hard and the short sidewalls are STIFF, it's an R/T) and the multi-displacement (MD) (it cruises on 4 cylinders). It is not very light they are a decent amount over 2 tons empty, I'll bet they were pushing 5K with them and all their junk.
Sooo my Dad thinks a Hemi in a truck is going to get the 20 mpg or so he gets with his grandpa driving style in his Cummins.
I wonder how often the TRUCKS are actually using the M.D. They're bucking a ton of air, they wiegh a lot more and they have flexy-grippy tires, although less so with the 1/2 tons and their goofy 20" dork wheels.
The M.D. has to help as Dodge and GM both use it and the Chevy's (I hate to admit) get diesel-like mpg but they don't have the capability or the other advantages I stated in my last post.
Now on the mileage thing, everyone gets different mileage with the same vehicle. I KNOW my truck got a lot better mileage when my Dad owned it and it wasn't even broken in yet. On the highway/freeway I can match what he got but in town or my 10 mile trip to work I don't even come close.
I have a friend who has a Cherokee very similar to mine he gets 27 MPG all the time, BULL****!! I get about 15-16, 20+ on a long trip. My Grandpa had a 440 3/4T 4wd ClubCab Long bed. My Dad built the engine for him IDENTICAL to his own, Dad got 10+ mpg on the highway, empty on its best day and it was a 1/2 ton ClubCab short bed. My Grandpa used to have to pull over going over a pass w/ a 10K fifthwheel on and siphon out fuel so the tank wouln't overflow.
When you buy something and the mileage doesn't exactly match what everyone else told you you'd get you'll know who the bigger liars are Chevy, Dodge, Ford, Nissan, Toyota? There's "confused" people in every group.
All I can say is the devil you know (your truck) might be better than the devil you don't.


I'm confused by the COST OF UP KEEP that diesels supposedly have. My Dodge has 124k on it and so far I've put front brakes on it, a rear wheel cylinder, a speedo "gear box", wiper blades, radiator hoses (once), a fan belt (needs another one), had my Dad rebuild my alternator, a coupl'a headlights, all the u-joints at about 70K but they weren't really "bad", the dome light bulb burns out all the time, the factory paint job sucked butt, however they did fix it under warranty (at a Chevy dealership) and that's it!
The only thing I can think that cost more is the 3 Gallons of oil it takes to change it.
I'm not trying to pick on anyone here but I always hear about the HIGH COST OF MAINTAINANCE but I don't see it. Maybe I'm getting into something new with the Navistar/Ford truck but I doubt it.
I can promise you I've had a lot more than that go wrong by the time my 1/2T Suburban got to 124K and it hasn't hardly ever been off-road or towed anything. Plus it has an ignition system, which diesels don't, that has had a problem here and there and some SMOG system problems too. I've put more batteries into it, more brake pads, more oil and filters because the change interval is shorter. A water pump, two alternator rebuilds, belt tensioner, heater core, spark plugs & wires, front hub seals, a couple of rotors and all the rest of the rgular "consumables". To be fair, it now has 205K on it.
And I LIKE the thing! It has been far from a piece of junk, but if it could have a good diesel in it, it would be better in every way, from my experience.

 

[QUOTE=

I'm confused by the COST OF UP KEEP that diesels supposedly have. .[/QUOTE]

you are forgetting that oil filters cost at least twice as much, fuel filters cost twice as much,they hold at least twice as much coolant, and then the coolant additives you are supposed to run. then you have the price of fuel additives that you should be running. replacement parts are almost always twice as much. then when it comes to rebuilding the diesel, all the money you saved goes right out the window. diesels have their place one of them being the ability to run svo in them, but the age of the gasser is far from over. i love my idi but the 460 and v10s have a place in my heart too especially now with the record high diesel prices.

 

The only silly little thoughts going through my head...


What about WHEN gas prices catch up to #2?

My '92 gets its oil changed every 5000mi~. My '90 every 10,000mi. Fuel filters... How often does anyone replace filters? And I never change coolant, unless it's contaminated or out of spec. Test strips. All my automatics get their tranny fluid changed every year, or when I feel like it, which ever is longer.

Why buy a diesel. If you like new and shiny.... Or the biggest load you haul weekly is groceries... Then a diesel is not for you. People like me buy diesels. I drive 50-60,000 mi a year. I haul at least 2T of tools and supplies around. And I reg tow 12,000lbs.

It costs me a lot less in overall expenses to run the diesel than a gasser. How do I know? Self employed, itemised expenses.

If you haul a trailer twice a year, buy a gasser. If you haul a trailer twice a week, buy a diesel.

 

RIGHT ON LILDUKE!
That's EXACTLY what I'm saying! AMEN!

 

The gassers have these pesky little things called spark plugs that alos need to be replaces every so often. And that's just part of the Tune up. I think I'll still keep my diesel. And as far as overhauls it may cost twice as as much but you do half as often.

 

yep. gotta agree with y'all. got 3 gassers (4 if you count my sport bike) and every stinking one of them goes through spark plugs WAY too regularly. use my bike when it's over 30 degrees outside and dry unless i need the truck to haul to the job site. love the fact that i can haul anything i need in the bed that i can load in, pile on, tie in and hook to a trailer and still get decent (18) economy. insurance and tags on the diesel is 150 bucks cheaper every six months and tag is 100 bucks cheaper a year. think i'll keep it a while longer even if #2 is $3.89 here.

speedrdr

 

A friend of mine has an '06 1/2 ton Dodge with the Hemi on 37" tires. He gets almost 19 on the highway with it. He claims around 15 in town. Still better than any of the "new" diesels. But I always tease him "well thats great, but hook a 10K trailer to it and see which one you like better".

I've been toying with the idea of getting rid of my wifes car for a new megacab Dodge 6.7. But, we're in the same boat. Its main use is going to be as a family car and with 4wd so she can get around a little better in the winter time. In the summer, it will get worked pulling a travel trailer and my boat. But I haven't justified having another diesel for that purpose other than just wanting another diesel and semi retiring my Ford. I keep thinking that a Hemi would suit those needs better.

Jason