Diesel truck starting to look more attractive

[dmccarty]

Mossey,

Compare the cost of a diesel in a new truck. Then go back 4,5,6 years and look at the used price of the same truck with a gasser and with a diesel. Find out what the used price of the diesel. Subtract that number from your 5,000 dollar price for a new diesel. I think what you will find is that you get most or all of the 5,000 back on resale. I know I got most if not all of the cost of the diesel engine back when I sold my Chevy.

I'm doing tests on my oil as well. I have gone to at least 5,500 miles with no problem on the oil. I just put in the Shell synthetic and I might push up to 6,000 per oil change. I THINK I'm also seeing a 1 mpg increase with the synthetic but I need another 6-7,000 miles to see.

Later,
Dan

 

[RobertN]

This is a guess, but I think you are right. My old('89) F250 I mention in one of these threads, was comparable truckwise to my diesel Dodge, but it had a 351ci gas v8. 10-11mpg... I am not sure what the newer ones get; I would guess a little better, but not a lot?

 

[SageBrush]

The most my gas trucks got was 8 mpg or so towing equipment trailers. The Cummins 4x4 dually gets 11 mpg at 75 mph pulling more weight. If I run 65 mph with 6K on the trailer I'll get almost 14 mpg. Empty I get 14.8 average running up to 75 mph, under 65 mph on the highway I get in the High 16's. I think thats great for a 8K plus 4wd dually truck with 4.10 gears. The truck always has weight in the back from the diesel transfer tank and tools.

Overall I would say the Diesel gets me 3 mpg more than gas empty. Towing has been up to 13.1 with a 5K load in the rolling hills of Alabama two lanes. Not a whole lot, considering the diesel option cost. I haven't seen the big mpg numbers of some diesel owners, I don't baby it, lots of stop and go traffic too. For me its a torque thing, I love the relaxed feel of the diesel while pulling loads. I hardly ever floor board the 2003 Cummins HO. That low end torque pulls the hills mighty fine, though I don't have anything over 10K to pull... yet. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[LarryRB]

I think you can argue pro and con until the cows come home. I have a Dodge diesel, H.O. 6sp, 2001 model. The quad cab, 3/4 ton short bed. I pull some pretty heavy loads with it and up and down some grades you wouldn't believe. Ask AndyMA, who on ocassion I pull his full cab TN75 with 10 1/2 ft backhoe and FEL. My last diesel was a 3406B cat w/13 speed. Before that, a 3406 A model and a 1693 TA before that. Other trucks I've owned had 350 Detroits and two were 855 Cummins. I feel comfortable with my Dodge and wouldn't change for the world. To me, comfort and especially pulling power on our short but extremely steep hills is more important than getting 17 pulling heavy load vs 15 with a gas job. My truck hovers around 21 when I just do errands and such. I don't go far (7) miles a day and don't hot rod it either. So to me, the mileage factor is way down the list compared to other things that are more important, and I'm comfortable with the way it's going for me..

 

[RobertN]

I would think you get less mileage for the same reason as me; low gears. 3.55's would bump it up some.

I got mine for working hard, even before we had our little business. I wanted to haul a camper, firewood, supplies for the property. I did not get it specific for mileage, but I did hope for better. It is, though, better than my old Ford with EFI-351ci.