I am new here, and have a question or two. I want a diesel. Not nesscarily for use like pulling or hauling. Daily driver actually. I love trucks, and am tired of the old gassers. A friend of mine told me this wouldn't be a good idea, but couldn't really tell me why. Can someone explain it to me? Please be reasonable, and give me more than "its just not a good idea, or its for towing and hauling, not a dd."

Thanks guys! I am mechanically inclined, so feel free to get technical on me!

 

i use it as a daily driver and i use it for long trips to florida..your friend has an old school mentality...trucks these days look great, handle great, and are a pleasure to drive...they're not just for work...if anything the probem with todays trucks is that they are too pretty and people dont want to scratch them up....so go ahead and get a diesel...but if u like to zig zag in traffic and are used to driving a lil mazda or somehting...then ur gonna have a new experience

also what year diesel do u want?...modern diesels are quick and have great acceleration...older stock diesels can be slugs (but ur in the right place if u want to change that)

 

Great! I came to the right place then.

My Grandfather-in-law has a 92 12 valve 2500 Ram. My father-in-law is about to buy a 98 24 valve or a 03 24 valve, he's got to figure out money and what not. I'm looking for something between 97-2001 because of price. It'd be used, what I'd get it. I don't need 4x4, or a 3500. Just a 2500, quad cab.

What else!?!

 

i commute over 100 miles a day. I feel more comfordable in my 3/4 then i would in any little econo car. besides, at hwy speeds, i can accelerate past traffic better then most others. whether flat or going up grades. the fuel mileage is excellent compared to a gasser truck of equal size. of course the power isn't equal (so sorry). an econo car will give ya better fuel mileage, but the power leaves a LOT to be desired. and if you drive in heavy traffic like me, when an accident occurs, i'm well protected in my truck. maybe bumper damage. the econo car on the other hand.............

 

are u a gear head? if yes then get somehting between 94-1998...the 12 valve with the inline pump..if u dont plan on moddign much and want to lay down as much power as possible right away then get a manual transmission...if u plan on gettign an upgraded tranny then id say get an automatic for the future cause ur truck will overrall be much faster in the end....if u like plug and play cars/trucks (programmers chips etc) then get somehting from 98.5 and up but be ready for less reliability with the fuel components ( i may get flamed for that)

 

For what your wanting, check and make sure it's a 3.53(or so), rear end ratio. Since your not towing, you'll want as high a speed rear end as you can get.

 

My dually is my daily commuter vehicle since 1999.
About 12 miles each way, about 50-50 highway/city.

 

I put about 50 miles a day on mine not towing a thing, just driving it. If it will live dragging a house behind it, it will live putting around and getting foot tuned every once in a while when a ricer gets froggy.

 

Id say if you have a commute of maybe 20 minutes or less I wouldn't want it for a daily driver. Especially winter time, the truck hardly warms up at all and Im doubting thats good on the engine. Otherwise, if you have a good commute and can get the engine up to temp Id drive it everyday since my Cherokee gets worse milage!

Theres my .02

 

Well, my opinion has changed a bit on this over the 6 years I've owned 96_12V. For the first few years, I made out quite well cost vs. benefit wise daily driving the Dodge to work. However I'm also an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) member and no matter how much hp & tq you can pull out of one of these, they will never a sports car be. Much too unbalanced, all 6800+ lbs of it.
These past couple of years it's started to make less and less sense to drive the truck as much. I also now have an automatic '91 Accord I took over when my sister traded up to a Subaru. I'll lay it straight with you here & now, people may "feel" safer in a full-size truck, trouble is the most important safety feature of any veichle is sitting in the driver's seat! That car can out-manuver, out brake and (not always) out-accelerate a truck in nearly every situation. Plus, running the same miles a week for around $30 in gas as opposed to $65 + in diesel and it's becoming apparent why I save the truck for out-of-town trips anymore.

Just my $.02 but for a commuter I would get a car, and find an older truck for weekend use. I know people will disagree but I think my tastes are changing. It's what happens when practicality takes over...

 

I daily drive mine

and tow with it about 20-25 percent of the time i do drive it, light most of the time and heavy the other times. Now for a daily driver this thing rocks. I get 16-17 mpg in town and 21-22 on the highway with lots of torque and power at my beck and call when i need or want it. The fuel mileage is great, i cannot complain and it will last me much longer than any gasser out there. I have almost 190K on my ride and it rides, drives, and pulls better than any 1/2 ton on the road, and most 3/4 and 1 ton vehicles. (not all of them are at 500 plus rwhp and are daily driven reliable...)

I wouldnt go back to a gasser, unless of coarse it was back up transportation..

Rick

 

I don't tow, or haul much. Really, I have no reason to be in a 1-ton truck. But it drives great, its a lot more fun than any gasser I've owned, and gets better mileage. Only downside to owning it is trying to have it fully warmed up by the time I shut it down. Going to work is no issue, but running around town, I usually just steal another vehicle from the family. If you have a drive greater than 15 minutes one way, I don't see any reason to steer clear of diesel.

 

I use a 1 ton dually as my daily driver 9 months out of the year, I only tow with it during the summer when I'm out working on our ranch...Don't get caught up in other peoples misconceptions that if you own a diesel truck you have to have a trailer behind it if you're going to drive it, I hear it all the time but just blow it off. Drive around town and pay attention to how many diesel pickups you see out there, once you start watching for them I bet you'll really be surprised how many people are using them for daily drivers.

 

I use mine for daily driving. Less than 10 miles to work and I rarely tow. In the winter I pull the fan off and block the radiator to help the enging get up to temp. I just change the oil a little more often to get the crud out of it cause of the lower operating temps.

 

My drive to work is 25 minutes. I drive to college too, and its 15 minutes from work, and 11 minutes from my house or so. My fiancee is about 23 minutes if I'm driving the speedlimit, 18 if I'm not. I do some go and stop driving, but not really as much.

I also live in Texas, so winters are as harsh as they are other places.

As far as the mechanical side, yes I am a gear head, not as much into fabbing stuff, but I can handle most aftermarket stuff.

What can I look to be changing from my normal stuff on a gasser, to a diesel?