Heavy Duty Truck Purchase

EarthWindandFire wrote:I nearly bought a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 extended cab with under 50,000 miles on it last year. It even had the 10 cylinder gas engine but the mileage would have been 10 mpg highway. Even driving just 9,000 miles per year like me, the fuel would cost $ 4,000 annually.

Your fuel cost for diesel would have been ????????????? if you don't do at least 80k miles/yr & tow/haul heavy,its pointless to go diesel,they tend to sound more manly,but.. UPS trucks sound that way too,even they are purchasing a lot of gas powered units again.

windyhill4.2 wrote:

EarthWindandFire wrote:I nearly bought a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 extended cab with under 50,000 miles on it last year. It even had the 10 cylinder gas engine but the mileage would have been 10 mpg highway. Even driving just 9,000 miles per year like me, the fuel would cost $ 4,000 annually.

Your fuel cost for diesel would have been ????????????? if you don't do at least 80k miles/yr & tow/haul heavy,its pointless to go diesel,they tend to sound more manly,but.. UPS trucks sound that way too,even they are purchasing a lot of gas powered units again.

I have to agree. Unless you are hauling something very heavy all the time or drive many many miles a year, the gap between gas and diesel is so close that it really just comes down to personal preference. My brother has a duramax with over 170K miles and no issues other than general maintenance, but my father's duramax already blew a head gasket at around 150K.

My brother inherited my dad's first Duramax - an '02 he bought brand new ... think it's got around 210k on it now - had about 180k when he got it. EVERYTHING you can think of has been done to it, but some of it may have been due to the performance goodies my brother installed as soon as he got it. Not long after, around 180k, the Allison tranny took a dump, then the turbo, then a million coolant and oil leaks that you couldn't even see where in the hell they came from ....

Long story short .... rebuilt for performance tranny, oversized turbo, head gaskets, different head bolts with higher clamping force than OEM, water pump, fuel injectors (for the fifth time ....) .... plus all the body rot - rotted brake and fuel lines one after the other, brake issues, dash peeling, window regulators going to hell, power switches not working ......

It's been a long road, and the body is getting worse by the day .... but it's still getting him back and forth to work .................. well, except for that below zero morning where it wouldn't start due to frozen fuel lines ...

windyhill4.2 wrote:

EarthWindandFire wrote:I nearly bought a 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 extended cab with under 50,000 miles on it last year. It even had the 10 cylinder gas engine but the mileage would have been 10 mpg highway. Even driving just 9,000 miles per year like me, the fuel would cost $ 4,000 annually.

Your fuel cost for diesel would have been ????????????? if you don't do at least 80k miles/yr & tow/haul heavy,its pointless to go diesel,they tend to sound more manly,but.. UPS trucks sound that way too,even they are purchasing a lot of gas powered units again.

A little more than half of that for fuel,

My f350 with a PSD has tons of power and gets 17 mpg. Towing 15k lbs, I can't find a way to get less than 10mpg. Truck has towed heavy all it's life.
An F350 with a 460 never could do the work that mine does and would be lucky to see 4mpg towing the way I do. I don't think it would have lived through the beating the diesel took either.
That puts diesels at about half the fuel cost as a gasser.

There is a time and a place for diesel trucks. The shame... As Smitty pointed out is that they reduced the reliability of the new trucks.

My EPA diesel lacks all of the GOOD things but still carries the ridiculous price tag. The smell of the exhaust is kind neat though, it smells like a propane forklift running.

Please don't go down the road thinking all diesels are junk, or not worth having. My PSD has only had minor issues since new. I would bet I have put less than $500 in parts into it in 270 k miles. Mostly minor electrical items, sensors and a glow plug relay.

When towing there could be significant difference in fuel economy between gasoline and diesel, but empty vs empty it's not always a big difference. My brother averages about 16mpg with his one ton Dmax empty while I can average 13-14mpg with my 3/4HD empty with a 6.0 gas engine. Lets just say my brother and I average about 25K miles a year each and I get 13mpg with my gasser and he gets 16mpg with his diesel. If my brother pays about $3.80 for diesel and I pay about $3.40 for gasoline, my brother will save about $500-600 a year over me which would be close to a 10 year pay back period for his diesel depending on any kind of repairs our engines may need along the way. Realistically I drive much less than 25K miles a year so a diesel was way out of the picture for me. Diesels are fun, but for most people they aren't as cost effective as you might think.

I've done both farming & trucking (semi= 13 yrs) both good use of diesel engines,last semi I owned had a Series 60 Detroit 500 HP,1550 torque,i averaged 130k/yr with 6.75mpg avg,awesome power plant. Still convinced that most diesel pick ups are a waste,wrong application,& now with new EPA regs

A purpose built Truck is a Tool. A Pimp Wagon/Living Room on Wheels is not. Can't stand undependable when it comes to something standing on 4 to 6 wheels and it's needed to pull. Commuter Transportation,sure,go buy a Priapus or a Focass. Your going to get great mileage,yet your going to shell out some severe bucks to get it. Bottom Line-never bring a Honda to a Truck Fight. It's your hard-earned money,do your homework,do your best,and understand that it's a tool,not a Cult/Status Symbol. God Help You

HB if you are talking to me,i need to clarify something,I've already stated earlier what would qualify a diesel pickup,you do not need a diesel p.u. to go for groceries .When I farmed yrs ago I had a 2 wheel drive,318 cube,automatic & pulled fertilizer spreader weighing 14,000#,didn't have engine break down.Pickups with diesel stacks up thru the bed,2 - 8 ",how do you use something like that for work???????? i'm not advocating a Pri??? or a Fo???,but I can do a lot of work with my 99 F250SD gas engined truck,it plows snow very well,starts when cold,it will haul & or tow heavy,BUT to each his own, free choice. Oh yea,my truck is a purpose-built truck -- 8' aluminum flatbed and I installed a liftgate to lift lawn tractors up & then back them on the flatbed,as lawn & garden equipment is what we service & repair in my shop,I aint got no pimp wagon so turn your guns around!!!!!!!!!!!

Relax, I don't think Bob was implying anything, just making a statement that a lot of people buy the wrong truck for the wrong reasons.

mmcoal wrote:When towing there could be significant difference in fuel economy between gasoline and diesel, but empty vs empty it's not always a big difference. My brother averages about 16mpg with his one ton Dmax empty while I can average 13-14mpg with my 3/4HD empty with a 6.0 gas engine. Lets just say my brother and I average about 25K miles a year each and I get 13mpg with my gasser and he gets 16mpg with his diesel. If my brother pays about $3.80 for diesel and I pay about $3.40 for gasoline, my brother will save about $500-600 a year over me which would be close to a 10 year pay back period for his diesel depending on any kind of repairs our engines may need along the way. Realistically I drive much less than 25K miles a year so a diesel was way out of the picture for me. Diesels are fun, but for most people they aren't as cost effective as you might think.

Understood, but...put the trucks in a truck environment. Driving around empty isn't it.
I had two identical trucks, one gas one diesel. Both did the same exact thing for my construction co. Mostly towing equipment. There was no comparison in power, fuel economy, reliability.

Today the diesel is driven almost daily. The gasser was sent to the scrap yard.

And BTW;
I drive an eco box for everything. Comuting in one of my trucks would just be idiotic.

Thanx,Rob ! Windy,we gotta get you a Coal Boiler ASAP ! I'm thinkin' you got Creosoted on that last Log Toss! I wasn't talking to you. I was responding to a lot of the common sense aspects Folks had posted since my last post in this Thread. You happened to show a lot of that Common Sense on Trucks.....Chill........But by the way,if it helps,I never point guns anywhere but on Target,,,I happened to enjoy your comments previous to your last ones. Don't ever go off on me or anyone else here again,Mister.

I have a 01' F-350 flatbed with a 7.3l and a 6-speed 318,000 and still going strong ,its my daily driver to Cleveland 5 days a week putting 500/mi week averaging 16 mpg/10 to 11 while towing my 38' fifth wheel love the truck and the power but its 13 years old and rusting like a bitch so I just started looking to replace it in the spring but I'm having cold feet on this one.The new EPA regs as some of you have said is killing the durability of the diesel engine,I'm not sure I could handle big step back in torque or the lack of in a gasser because I do tow and haul with my truck and you do get use to having all that power it but the cost is a hell of a lot less and at $50,000+ its something I have to look at.I had a 5.9 Cummins before the Ford and It was a ok truck but not nearly as good as the Ford,I like the looks of the Ram but the rest of the truck freaks me out and my family has had nothing but bad luck with GM stuff(not knocking them but we just can't own anything from them without it being a big PITA but I think it's just us)so If I get something I'm still not sure what it will be or maybe I will keep driving this one for another year,who knows. Keepaeyeonit

PS. I had herd that the Ecoboost is having coolant/oil mixing and turbo issues but don't go to the bank with that info!

This thread made me think about whether or not Fire trucks were exempt from these abusive and dangerous EPA regulations. According to several websites, they are not, and fire departments across the nation are complaining because the Diesel engines are more prone to breakdowns due to the tampering by our great Federal government.

http://www.firefighternation.com/article/emergenc ... re-service

HB,it looks like guns pointed,but,i can't get your avatar any bigger,so can't tell for sure,now keepaneyeonit that is a sensible application for a diesel p.u.,& yes the options today stink thanks to EPA regs.I aint got an answer for that applications replacement,buy older truck that was used for grocery shopping & use it for what it was designed for !! By the way,HB,creosoted on last log toss s !we just got in from feeding the wood monster,sometimes raking the ashes does stir up gas waves that singe eye brows or other exposed hair. EW&F they also invaded the farm tractor engines

Life's Good Windy ! My own personal garbage wagon is a bust out '97 2WD Ford F-250 Light Duty(Pansy) that's trying to commit suicide by rust. It's got the 5.4L with the Auto Trans and the deadly 7 Lug Steel Wheels. Damn thing does everything I ask for it,but I'm looking to either redo the Frame or replace it. I like the full 8' Bed,but I may do the Chassis Cab and go with the flat-bed for even more Utility. I like the lift gate idea on the back of your's. We're not getting any Younger. I may have to bite the Bullet when it's time and look South or West for a unit that works. The prices have gone through the roof because a lot of Folks have the same idea. They want a truck,not an EPA Test Lab on Wheels