Hello, I'm new here. I'm going to be getting a new truck but this time I realy want to check out the diesel market.
What I'm asking is why should I buy a diesel over a gas?
The only thing that scares me is all the horror stories with diesels, like somthing simple like a starter is twice the price of gas
And if a fuel pump goes on ya you have to take out a loan to pay to fix it.
I realy dont know you guys tell me, right now i'm between diesel or gas.
Any info would be appreciated.

Thanks
Larry

 

First question should address what you are planning to do with the truck. Towing, carrying loads, RV/TT, onboard camper, daily driver, or just gotta have that Sweet Smell in the morning? BTW, they're all valid reasons in my book.

Depending on the answer, you may not want or even need a diesel. You are correct that some parts are rather expensive, but its not like they are all defective.

There are many many trucks and owners out there who have never had to replace those parts. You will typically read of the concerns/complaints of those who have. The good news is that the warranty period is rather robust (unless you decide to bomb it - then you're on your own).

 

Bought mine for a daily driver and to work out of, the fuel milege is worth it. I got 92000 on it and have had two lift pumps put on both under warrenty. Have not had to replace nothing else so far, I would buy another one in a heartbeat.

 

Larry,

Welcome, I bought mine just because I wanted one. Now I will NEVER own a gas job again. My history was always with gas jobs. Anything from my last truck with a 318 back to my old crewcab with a 440, both good trucks, but nothing in comparison to the diesel. I wouldn't worry about the parts prices, yes most are more expensive, but they are designed to go many, many miles. Keep in mind with the Dodge you are getting a medium duty engine in a light duty truck, this is exclusive to Dodge. The Ford and Chevy are light duty engines in light duty trucks.

Go buy one you won't regret it!!

 

I have had mine for three years with no prolbem (touch wood) daily driver lots of miles with work 80000 so far. Pull my little back hoe once and awile of 6000lbs it just loves to work. Had a1998 dodge gas with what I save on fuel makes the extra payment. But And I Mean But, I do expect to pay for repairs so learn what it's about find a good shop you can work with or fix it yourself. This is my second diesel first was a ford 6.9 had done a ton of work on it myself sold it with over 600000 on it just want'ed more power. And the gas truck you say, don't ask . laps in judgement

 

Those are very valid points. My choice came down to how we use the family "truck". I race a few times a year and needed pulling power for the enclosed car trailer over my old gas rig. We also use the "truck" whenever we go on a trip some mileage would be nice. While I don't get that much better mileage pulling, the drivability is night and day from my old rig (keep in mind I was using the wrong tool for the job, a 5.9 gas 1500 4x4 doesn't pull a large trailer well). Without the trailer it is a total pleasure to drive. There isn't a grade anywhere that this truck even thinks about coming out of lock up or shifting down. Our old one the trans would hunt like crazy driving in up/down terrain. You set the cruise and thats where it stays, and I can count on 17-19 mpg even at 75 mph (old rig got 10 at those speeds). Are the parts more expensive? Yes. Can you buy alot of gas for the extra cost of a truck because it's a diesel? Yes. Would I ever go back to a gas truck? NO WAY!

 

I purchased diesel trucks for work trucks for years. First Cummins/Dodge was a 1989. I have had two Ford Diesels and six Dodge diesels, three of the Dodges have 300,000 to 500,000 miles. I have never replaced a fuel pump (yet), but you are correct, a fuel pump is more than the gross national product of some third world countries.

I chose a Dodge 3rd generation as my first diesel daily driver. Appologies to the die hard fans, but the early Dodges had interiors designed by the Salvation Army, poor transmissions, brakes, steering and handling. In my opinion those issues are solved. The Dodge is not up to the "creature comfort" level of the Fords, but I am more than satisfied. I kept buying them for work trucks because of the reliability of the engine. As others have posted, the Cummins is complete overkill for a pickup truck which creates a lot of value for someone who relies on working trucks on the road for an income.

Loyalties aside, I really enjoy driving a solid vehicle that weighs in excess of 8,000 pounds (with shell and in bed tank), gets 20 M.P.G., pulls 8% grades in 6th gear at 75 M.P.H. (without working very hard), and frankly looks good too.

If you just can't decide, borrow a diesel truck and hook up your trailer. You will never hook it up to a gasser truck again.

Good luck with your decision.

 

I always said I'd never buy a diesel because of the noise, smell, cost of parts, etc. A friend convinced me that the Cummins was the only way to go for towing my Jeep. I've owned my truck for almost two years and now I wish I would have bought a diesel years ago.

I get 17-18 MPG around town (actually got 19.4 on the last tank), about 21 MPG on the freeway (empty). Towing the Jeep on a trailer (~6000 lbs combined, plus the weight of the truck) I still get about 14 MPG. That's better than I get driving my Jeep, and about what I got with my F150 - empty - on a good day. I've driven the truck from AZ to OR twice, each time with a small cabover (truck & camper weight 7700 lbs). The first time I averaged a little over 15 MPG, and 16.3 MPG this year. Try that with a gas engine.

In 30k miles, I've replaced the lift pump (preventive maintenance on 1st Gen trucks), belt tensioner, complete brake job (drums/rotors, master cylinder/booster included), and had to reset the backlash in the rear diff. Some parts are more expensive, but unless you have a catastrophic failure (injection pump, for example ), the costs will likely even out or even be to the diesel's advantage: better fuel mileage, less routine maintenance costs (no plugs, wires, cap, rotor, etc), not to mention the Cummins is known for going many, many more miles than a gas engine.

 

My diesel 3500 4x4 with auto & 4:10's gets 19-20 mpg highway, at ~60 mph. My 2001 2500 4x4 V-10 Sport, auto 4:10's SRW got 11-12, highway ~55-60mph. I went from a tank of fuel a week (30 gal.) to about 2/3 tank a week, and diesel is currently cheaper than gas. My V-10 towed anything I threw at it, but at a higher rev and lots more fuel -- 7-9 mpg towing a carhauler and 1962 Imperial 4 door hardtop to Chicago and an empty trailer home. My diesel hasn't been called to tow yet, but I am expecting about 14 mpg. I also love the extra low down grunt when I am off road. The V-10 was certainly no slouch in the torque dept, but the 8.0L engine needed a little more throttle to accomplish what my diesel can do in idle! I love my diesel, and look forward to someday ordering a brand new one!

 

Diesel fuel = $1.77

Regular Unleaded Gasoline = $1.97
Your prices may vary

My 7,000 lb diesel gets 5 mpg better than my 4,000# gasser did.

 

yeah, who'd want all that torque, power and milage anyway????

 

In 5 years of driving for a company with 18 medium duty trucks, most of them late '80's/early '90's vintage with spotty maintenance, I have not seen one fuel system or engine failure. The trucks break, but the engines don't. What I'm saying is that forums like these cause any problems to appear more widespread than they really are. Most people have few to no problems with their Cummins powered diesel truck.

 

a LITTLE insperation.............The first time after owning a diesel that you jump into a gasser youll cry...because at that point youll realize you are ruined and nothing compares to a diesel.....then when you turn on the A/C and notice how the gassers puney motor bogs down youll Im not saying gassers are not nice vehicals just not for me..........anymore and welcome to our site . when you meet so many loyal and dedicated consumers as we have here you cant help to think .....whats going on in the diesel world...and the answer........were takin over....On the track On the strip and on the high way and when it comes to diesels hands down the cummins is the champ.Good luck

 

As soon as you own a pickup truck..Gas OR Diesel...parts are twice as expensive as a domestic car....add a Diesel pickup and that same part is twice as expensive again ( sorta like RV parts, never could figure that out) however...you will replace those parts not nearly as often as in a gas truck. Remember, these trucks are built heavy duty...designed for much more than driving it to the local grocery store!
Im sure as stated previously... that once you own a Diesel......you'll never go back to a gaspot again!
Theres something about that rumble...that feeling of never ending power...the looks of disdain or envy that'll make you decide after you test drive one.
good luck!

 

You can't rely on a test drive at a dealership either...they don't let you hook up a loaded trailer to REALLY test it out! The diesel will seem a little slower and maybe a little less snappy than a gasser, but once you get on a hill or put a trailer behind it you'll see why we drive them.

I have a '99 Ford Powerstroke (nothing I'm really proud of ) and I got to drive a late 90's Chevy 454 flatbed that wieghed around 9000 lbs empty. I drove up this one particularly long steep hill in my Ford and made note of my speed and RPM's and what gear my auto tranny was in. Then I drove that same hill in the Chevy. I almost felt like I'd have to get out and start pushing the truck up the hill compared to my Ford! You step on the throttle and you don't go anywhere.

I've sworn from that day that I'd never own a gasser because they're not worth the trouble and maintenance. Heck, change the oil every 3000-4000 miles and change the spark plugs and wires every 30,000 miles. That's a lotta money on a V-8! There are no spark plugs and plug wires on a diesel. The only thing close to a spark plug is the fuel injectors, and they only need replaced every 300,000 miles or so.

Now, some people will contest that the Cummins needs around 3 1/2 gallons of oil just to run but a V-8 only needs 6-8 quarts. The difference is, the oil and air filter are the only things you need to change on a diesel every 6000 or so miles, depending on how you use your truck. On a gasser you've already changed the oil twice in 6000 miles, if you go by the book. And in fact, the new Cummins 600 is designed for the oil to be changed every 7500 miles if it's heavily worked and every 15,000 miles if it's hardly worked at all. Now wouldn't that save you some money!

Also, look under the hood of a Dodge w/ a Cummins and tell me which engine you'd wanna work on...that one, or a big V-8 gasser. There's a whole lotta room under the Dodge's hood because of the I-6 configuration.

As I've said before, ANYBODY who says diesels are slow, smoky, oil-guzzling, dirty engines is obviously biased and hasn't even looked under the hood of a nice diesel truck in the last 10 years. The technology has come a long way since the days of non-turbo/naturally-aspirated engines.