wcbcruzer

In the future it probably would be worthless to drive a diesel truck. But not for a while imo.

D2 Cat

You guys might consider other options to make driving your existing truck less expensive.

Figure out a simple business you can operate and deduct a portions of expenses or just take the .44 or .48 per/mile (whatever it is today) and dont keep track of oil, fuel,etc. You could mow yards, home maintenance, run parts, landscaping, subcontracting of any kind..... Find a need and fill it! Then you have to go bid jobs, mail invoices, PU mail. Learn to incorporate some of your daily drives into deductable expenses. It's not real tough to do!!

signature600

You should have specified about the trading issue...but with ANY new vehicle, you lose 25-30% when you drive it off the lot. Doesn't matter if you keep it 10 days or two weeks!

Chris

WhoozYaDaddy

Resale value of diesels will drop if they are not as much in demand any longer. I agree with the 1/2 ton argument. If they can make a successful 1/2 diesel then the 3/4 market is going to shrink considerable. With the truck companies building more powerful gasoline engines that get better mileage, the diesels will look a lot less appealing. I am one of the many that did not need a diesel. A 1/2 ton would have been fine. I justified my purchase by believing that the truck would last longer, have higher resale value and save me money in fuel if I keep it long enough. There is no appreciable fuel savings But I think the truck will last longer as well as resell higher. But again the resale will depend on the market. If I were to buy a new truck today, I would strongly consider the new Tundra. Its not a good looking truck but it is fast, strong, very capable and built extremely well.

JyRO

Here's the way I look at it.

Current diesel price - $2.879 or so in my area
Current gas price - $2.699 or so in my area

Say I tow my 24 foot enclosed trailer - I can easily get 13 mpg
All the conditions the same, but towing it with a V8 Hemi, I'd probably get 8 mpg (maybe less, but let's say 8 mpg).

Let's say I tow my trailer 400 miles.

Diesel - 400 / 13 = 30.77 gal * 2.879/gal = $88.58
Gas - 400 / 8 = 50 gallons * 2.699/gal = $134.95

Not towing Diesel - 400 / 21 = 19.05 gal * 2.879/gal = $54.84
Not towing Gasser - 400 / 16 = 25 gall * 2.699/gal = $67.48

I don't know about you guys, but diesel is here to stay for me. But these new 6.7L with DPF may be some diesel guzzling monsters ... dunno.

And here's the icing on the cake: If I had bought a 1/2 ton with Hemi, or Chibby 6.0L gasser, or 5.4L, or 5.7L Tundra ... the whole stinking time I owned it, I would be wondering what it was like to tow with a diesel. But since the 1st day I've owned this old-school Cummins, I have never gave a rat's B-hind what it would be like to tow with a Hemi, or other 1/2 ton gasser.

And when I sold my 1/2 ton gasser, I'm sure I would be in a lot more pain, than what I'll be in if I ever sell my 2000 24V "old school," Cummins.

That ownership satisfaction is worth a lot of $ to me.

induchman

I'm having a hard time trying to juggle the price of gas (1/2 tank in a V10 = $35) vs diesel (1/2 tank in a CTD = $55). Both get about the same mileage, both pull just about the same load 12,000# every day. The diesel should last another five years, the V10 gasser maybe two.

In the meantime, I have access to two B3.9's from bread trucks. If able to put one into an 85 Wagoneer, with an Eaton tranny, this might be the right rig for the farm. And, that may be the only reason I stay in farming. I can't use WVO without a preheater and running it wastes more fuel, than I would save over the course of a year. Remember, this is Wyoming and it's cold here every night--even in the Summer (8200-8800' elev)

induchman

If mfgrs are able to bring out a 4 banger that gets 20-25 hiway and 18 towing (9,000#) it would be worth it. The problem I see is they've hitched themselves to hydrogen fuel cells instead of diesel/electrics.

wcbcruzer

A diesel hybrid would be great. Fuel cells don't use fossil fuels, that's why there's research going into them. We will run out of diesel one day.

induchman

There's more sour crude than light sweet. And, synfuels can be made either way. So, there will be more diesel than gasoline.

PoorMansCat

I'm with Jyro on this one.. I've owned both. The '04 model that I had was a 3/4 ton 4x4 Quad cab with the Hemi and 4.10 gears. It would pull the camper, 4 wheelers, tractor, horses..etc.. but it cost me ALOT of $$$$$$$ to do it. I pull every weekend, and after doing that for two years, I sat down one weekend with receipts and a pen and paper and started doing some real number crunching. What I came up with was it would be more cost efficient for me to go back to a diesel. Even with higher maintenance and higher fuel costs.. And actually, the oil changes are cheaper on the Cummins, the Hemi had 7qts. of synthetic, where I run dino oil in the diesel.
IMHO, it all comes down to if you really have the need for a diesel. Just buying a diesel because the fuel mileage is slightly higher doesn't justify itself if you don't pull with it. I gain my savings on fuel when I look at the "loaded" mile numbers.JMO

SSweeney

Diesel trucks are THE BEST work truck period coupled with HD suspension. However, It seems a large segment of "diesel truck owners" have limited "work" use. This points to IMHO the materialistic nation we have become. We want the biggest house, most powerful truck, biggest screen tv etc. I am guilty also to some extent. The bed in most trucks come in 1/2 ton,6 cylinder gassers etc. They will pull basic payloads. Most people that have say a fifth wheel go maybe 6-8 times a year. If you use this truck as a daily commuter you are paying alot for fuel. If you have payments on a truck to have power to pull 5-10 times a year, you would not want to know what each trip cost. IE I know people who buy a 20k dollar boat. After the first year they may go out 6-10 times a year at best on average usually less. When you add the insurance, monthly payment, gas, tags, fuel etc you probably about 500 dollars a visit to the lake. You could rent one for half that. So it is with diesels. Most of us love them. but dont work them to there justification. I do think our society is headed towards a reckoning of whats truly important in life, but thats another story. Enjoy your truck, just realize that other things like "family" and "G..) are the main thing. I also limit my use of my diesel due to fuel costs. With insurance that just raised the month/mile cost up. Hard to justify sometimes, till I hook my camper up and head to the mountains YEA baby.