xOmertAx

My Dodge is my first vehicle and I love it. If you can afford it, go for it. Keep in mind the upkeep is more AND parts are more expensive. If a diesel is what you really want, go for it, or you will regret it and you will be sick every time you see someone that has one and you don't.

FlaCracker

Definitely, some good advice. My Dodge is a daily driver, plan on towing a camper for recreation. I'm 51 and can afford it. If you are a young teenager, just getting out of High School or going to college, I would recommend you wait til you finish school get an established job, then get the Cummisn. Don't worry, these trucks are built to last! Thge cummins will still be there when you are ready to get one! Good luck!

theIntlEggrole

Rick, you know what you can handle, you've got to look at it like this- if the worst happens can you afford to fix it. If no then I say there will be plenty more Dodge Diesels to come along. I love diesels mostly older ones, and I use them for work and daily driving. Listen to your parents though, they do know more than you do, whether you believe it or not, I seldom did.

Tony T.

Rick! what your parents are saying is true,these days things have changed alot since I bought my truck 4 years ago. At the time I bought mine diesel fuel was running .10 to .15 cents per gallon cheaper than regular unleaded gas. I believe it was right at 1.309 per gallon then. These day's it's well above the super unleaded. My reasoning at the time I bought my diesel truck was I had been wanting one for awhile, the cheaper fuel cost, and we was going to up-grade to a larger fifth wheel travel trailer, but a car wreck my wife had two months after I purchased the truck put the fifth wheel on hold. In fact since her wreck we have only been camping twice due to her not feeling well.I have noticed at my work place that more than half the guy's driving diesel trucks have either traded them off or sold them and went back to gas rigs mainly due to higher fuel cost and not really needing a diesel truck. I still have my diesel truck and enjoy it alot, but for me now I really and truely do not need it, it's mostly only a daily driver now. I would weight the fact what will I be using this truck for, if it's your going to be using it quite often pulling heavy loads and using it more in business go for it, if not I would consider a good 1/2 ton that you can still haul some with less expense.

Tony

dieselfuelonly

Here's my advice:

I'm 17, and my truck (the 3500) is my first vehicle that I really own...

You have to look ahead a bit, and remember that some things just might go wrong... The dealer that I that I bought the truck from had hidden some things from me, and two weeks after driving the truck I found that the transmission is toast... So the truck is over at Phil's (mcmopar) right now, and he is installing a tranny that he rebuilt for me with a Goerend single disk TC and VB. Thats gonna set me back over $2,000. And not to mention that 3 days after I bought the truck the fuel shutoff solenoid completely died on me, and that set me back $500, because at the time I didn't go and look around for an aftermarket one that was cheaper.

So those are things you just have to keep in mind... when you buy a big truck with a big motor, there are sometimes going to be some big costs associated.

Would I have bought that exact truck if I would have known that there were things wrong with it? Probably not. Would I have still watched out every day for a Dodge Diesel truck to show up within my limited price range, even if that meant going without a vehicle? Absolutely.

I love trucks, I love diesels, and I needed something to drive daily that will give me what I wanted, while not costing me an absolute fortune in fuel costs. I could have gone and got a 2500 with a V10 for a lot cheaper... but I don't even want to begin to think about how much that would cost to fuel up over a month.

So I'd say just be careful with you're decision... if you can afford to pay for a few things that will need to be fixed on a moderately used truck, then go for it. But if you're really on a tight budget, you may end up liking something like a Toyota 4x4 with some big old mud tires on it that will go through anything, last a long time and cost little to drive.

Good luck whichever way you go!

kevim

Get A Ford DIESEL There Cheaper...

wcbcruzer

Once you do it, you'll adjust to it and be fine with it. If you really like it, just get a cheap one and if you can't handle it, sell it for the same price. A 2wd, 5spd truck is going to cost less in maintenance than a 4wd auto (I've learned from experience).

I'm kinda in the same boat as you. I've even thought about selling the truck a few times but just can't let it go. Your parents are absolutely right. These trucks cost a lot for maintenance and fuel. Oil changes require 3 gallons of oil on top of a $10 oil filter, $100 to fill up the fuel tank. Then when you buy used, you have to put another few hundred into it to bring the maintenance up to date (if you do it yourself). I've noticed it's a little harder to work on too, compared to my Honda. Not only because the truck is tall and I can't reach all the way across the engine bay, but also because everything is made so much bigger.

It is a very cool machine though! The thing is, if you can get yourself into something else, then might be worth it for you. I personally would like any turbocharged vehicle. But I got the truck and it makes me happy. I love the sound, torque, and size. It kinda blows when you don't have all the money for horsepower upgrades though. I mean, you come on this forum and it gets you tempted. The automatic tranny is so expensive!

Oh by the way, for Honda's, etc. there's ways you can make yourself happy by getting cheap things off ebay (intake, throttle body spacer, etc.). By all means, I DON'T mean ricey stuff, but neat things that sound cool and give you lots of fun. There's no real "cheap thing" for these trucks. The gauges alone cost me close to $300, 5" straight pipe exhaust w/ tip = another $425. The mod list is endless. At least with a gasser, there's only so much you can do (before you go turbo), and you better believe that. People who think the mod list for a N/A gasser is endless probably have riced out cars...

wcbcruzer

On a second note, your dad will probably fall in love with your truck, if you do get it...

DiEseLjunKy

...and that might go a long ways towards easing some of the cost problems associated towards owning one on a teenager's budget

6speedcowboy

What year truck are you looking at getting? I bought a 2001 2500 6 speed a year ago right before i graduated high school and have put 17,000 miles on it and with payment,fuel,and maintenance it cost around $9,500 to drive for a year which equals around $0.55 a mile just to show you some figures. But the older ones are less expensive and if you can afford it and have use for the truck go for it