Need a tow vehicle...

[shortrack]

The cost difference between a larger displacement gas engine truck and the diesel engine truck from any of the Big 3 is between $8K-$10K new and $4K-$6K for any late model used truck.

here

[parsonsj]

The cost difference between a larger displacement gas engine truck and the diesel engine truck from any of the Big 3 is between $8K-$10K new and $4K-$6K for any late model used truck.

Cool, missed that, though it's not exactly what I asked. But it will do, as it kind of makes my point. In order to calculate value, you need to subtract the higher used vehicle price from the higher purchase price. In other words, the true purchase cost difference for a new diesel vehicle is about $4K when factoring in higher trade-in value at the end.

[WS6]

I was and still am in this boat to some extent. I posted about it a while back when asking about long versus short bed if you care to find the thread. What I ultimately decided was that I'll go for a 6.0 gas motor when the time comes. They are cheaper, I know how to work on them already, and I won't be towing all the time. Even going through the mountains of Colorado, which I intend to do once I move back there, I have no doubts the 6.0 would suit my needs. Mainly because I won't ever be towing that much weight or that often. Now, should that prove incorrect and the 6.0 just won't cut it, I know how to turbo or supercharge a 6.0. Problem solved

BTW, my work truck is a crew cab 4x4 long bed superduty. I pull a 30ft twin I beam 5th wheel all over SW Kansas and the TX and OK panhandles. My truck alone weights ~9100lbs (verified by scales) and pulls my heavy trailer very well. This includes off roading with said trailer in tow also. I do like diesels but still will choose the gas at this point in my life for my personal vehicle.

Oh and one huge point that scared me considerably with the D-max, that Allison transmission is nice until something goes wrong. It's ridiculously expensive to fix and rather sensitive to engine mods. Considering how easy and often people mods diesels, it's imperative you know how to look at a used one for damage to the transmission. The cost to fix that thing alone bothers me.

[vintageracer]

Price of gas today in Nashville Tennessee is $3.07 for GAS and $3.89 for DIESEL at the same station.

That's $0.82/gallon MORE for Diesel. That makes the cost difference even GREATER!!

[nekkidhillbilly]

sell you my dmax

[brans72]

I have thought this also through and would go with gas as I will not be towing every weekend or anything more then a car on a open trailer (poor man). If I had choice right now I would go with a 1500 HD extended cab, due to you can find them easier,cheaper on gas,cheaper to fix,cheaper to insure,cheaper to buy up front. If your not towing least 3 times a week heavy loads do you really need a diesel sitting around?

[71RS/SS396]

Price of gas today in Nashville Tennessee is $3.07 for GAS and $3.89 for DIESEL at the same station.

That's $0.82/gallon MORE for Diesel. That makes the cost difference even GREATER!!

That's not the norm in my area for the difference in fuel prices, with that being said that is the only pro vs con for a gas truck vs diesel imo. The 6.0 gets lower fuel economy empty or loaded and the disparity is greater when loaded. I owned a 6.0 truck and the fuel economy pulling a trailer was from 7-9 mpg, the worst I've ever seen from my Dmax has been 12 mpg pushing it through the mtns, average is 14 mpg loaded and 18-20 mpg empty. Everything else about a Dmax is better for towing, more torque, better trans, and more longevity. My 07 still has the dynamic engine braking, you set cruise and never have to touch the brake so you don't have to buy the $60k truck to get that.

[The Stickman]

Man earlier today I was sold on a 1500 with the 6.0 engine.....now i'm thinking diesel b/c I'll be towing through mountains...

WHAT TO DO??!!??!!??!!??

You already know my thoughts on this lol.

[SicMonte]

Any thoughts on the Chevy 4.8L engine? It only has 7 less hp and 20 less ft/lb than the 5.3.

[carguykeith]

I'd be looking at the torque curve not the peak numbers, my guess is the average torque is a lot more with the 5.3 so will tow a lot better.

People are always surprised how well my "Toyota with a 350" tows, but if you look at the torque curve the Iforce 5.7 is better than most of the chevy 6.0s...

[justin51986]

yeah diesel may cost $0.82/gal more, but my stock 2009 f150 was getting 14mpg....where as my levelled w/slightly larger tires 06 Ram 2500 Cummins is getting 24-28mpg's. i spend WAY less on fuel now. Oil changes are more expensive because my cummins takes 12 quarts of oil, but you change it less. plus you'll get many more miles out of a diesel than you'll ever get from a gas truck. Mine has 161,000 on the odo and still driving like a new truck.. the diesel will have a lot more torque, you won't even know you have a trailer hooked up when you drive it. I had 2,700 lbs in the bed of my dodge the other day and it didn't even squat. it is VERY easy to get great fuel mileage in a diesel if you spend a little $$.. I spent about $1000 to get the MPG's that i get

[vintageracer]

All of what you said may be true but fact still remains that you must drive that diesel truck at least 250K miles to just break even from the initial additional cost standpoint incurred by a diesel truck over a gas truck. The reality is that most people do not keep any vehicle they buy NEW for that many miles. People who buy $40-$50K vehicles new can afford to trade and usually do LONG BEFORE the 250K+ break even point.

You may the exception but you are also still a LONG way from that break even point!

[SicMonte]

What do you all think about buying a used Diesel truck?? I have found a bunch of good looking 04-05 chevy 2500's in the $17,000-$20,000 range with between 125K-150K miles.

[justin51986]

yeah the initial cost of a diesel is more, but they retain their value better as well. nobody is gonna pay 20 grand for a 150,000 mile gas truck, but i was offered 19,000 for mine with 161,000 miles on it a couple weeks ago. you just have to know how to shop around. i have bought trucks all over the country, usually diesel trucks are cheapest in texas, yet I have found a couple good deals elsewhere, such as Utah and Virginia. I have never lost money on a truck either, I have always turned a profit on them even after driving them sometimes up to 2 years before I sell them. just watch the market for a few months and buy when diesel truck prices are down.

[justin51986]

also keep your eye out and you can get a deal on a bank repo diesel.....just make sure it's a bank repo, not a theft recovery or a police seized truck

[SicMonte]

where do you all look for used truck? I just went on ebay and a bunch popped up. Alot of dealerships advertise their inventory on ebay.

[cascius]

What do you all think about buying a used Diesel truck?? I have found a bunch of good looking 04-05 chevy 2500's in the $17,000-$20,000 range with between 125K-150K miles.

This is my personal opinion so feel free to take it for what it's worth. On used stuff it pays to do some research and know what you're getting into. I've owned and pulled with 7.3 Ford's, worked in a GM dealership, and worked at a local performance shop specializing in Cummins powered trucks, and currently run a 2003 Dodge 2500 with a Cummins. I am biased towards the Cummins powered stuff, but I have the capability of working on it myself so that's worth a lot.

Personally, I would never own a Duramax with that high of mileage. In my experiences you don't tend to see as many Duramax trucks with over 200K still running around. I know there are exceptions, but it seems like a lot of people tend to get rid of them before that mark. It seems just like anything, once they get higher miles on them the prices and resale value tend to drop noticeably. If you aren't capable of working on it yourself then this is something to consider.

Also pay attention to any common issues associated with the different years of engines. It seemed the early Duramax's liked to eat injectors. The Dodge's had the same issues in '03-04, and were better in 04-06 but it still wasn't uncommon for it to happen. With injectors running $300-400 each, plus labor to install them, that's going to be a big hit when that happens. I think they are becoming available but I do know Bosch had them on national backorder for a while. We had trucks sitting for several months at a time waiting on parts to become available. The early 6.0 Fords seemed to have lots of issues with head gaskets and turbos. Some were great, others were nightmares. Dodge and Ford have horrible stock transmissions, while the Allison behind a stock engine seems to prove itself very nicely. They are all expensive when they go out, but the Allison is probably the most expensive to rebuild or replace. The 7.3's seem to be pretty bulletproof but lack the power of the newer diesel engines.

My personal truck runs a built automatic and gets driven about 15-20K a year. If I was looking into a tow only rig I would definitely go with a 6-speed manual truck and a good clutch. Like I said, this is just my opinion and I know it'll get torn apart and argued over. Good luck with your decision, whatever it may be.

[TheJDMan]

where do you all look for used truck? I just went on ebay and a bunch popped up. Alot of dealerships advertise their inventory on ebay.

Check these guys out. They specialize in used diesel pickups.

http://www.handpickedtrucks.com/

[justin51986]

I've bought 3 on ebay, my most recent I found on craigslist, autotrader.com has a great selection too. just make sure they are willing to let you test drive it before buying. I usually email the seller and say "i'll give you the selling fee as a deposit and if it doesn't meet my standards, then you aren't out anything because i paid the listing fee" usually ppl are pretty good with that. also I read the Indiana Auto & RV trader....see if there are any for your area....they are free and come out weekly, if you don't find anything, at least you have some "ceramic throne" reading material and some fire starting material!

[zombiekiller]

its a shame you're chevy only. I've towed my galaxie with my '11 f-150 ecoboost plenty ( 23K on the truck since may 3rd). I couldnt be more pleased. regular gas, twin turbos, torque monster, auto trans downshifts and hold gears, tow/haul mode, trailer sway integrated that actually works and to top it off, unloaded i get 22 mpg consitently at 75 mph on the highway, combined i get about 17.3-18. Towing just under 8K lbs i got 13.5. not bad!