I really don’t get “all the maintenance” costs. We don’t have that with our 99 Ford 7.3. Just, don’t. I don’t think we’ve spent more than $500 on it in the last five years, excluding tires. And we use the holy whack out of it.
[QUOTE=cowboymom;8061943]
I really don’t get “all the maintenance” costs. We don’t have that with our 99 Ford 7.3. Just, don’t. I don’t think we’ve spent more than $500 on it in the last five years, excluding tires. And we use the holy whack out of it.[/QUOTE]
Well, sounds like the OP might have a bit of a lemon.
And the 7.3 is an undeniably trustworthy engine.
But it’s just a basic fact of life that diesel engines are more expensive to repair than gas engines, between parts and labor. The hope is, of course, that they break less often!
My late 80’s 6.2 ticked along to 250k before we sold it to someone who was thrilled to get it. But man, when that turbo went at 180k, that was a $2k repair. (Granted, we’re the ones who needed to have the Banks turbo. :lol:) Injectors are another $$$$ repair in a diesel that is not so bad in a gas engine.
My F350 V10 4x4 long bed was a hideous gas hog–at best 10.3mpg regardless of what I hauled or not. I will not buy another gas towing vehicle. WA has very high gas prices (currently 2.90 gal and rising) and diesel seems to stay a bit steadier. My dream vehicle? Chevy/GMC Duramax diesel, long bed, extra cab 4x4. Sigh. Someday. They are incredibly hard to find used, as once bought, never let go!
I have to agree that your maintenance issues seem unusual, as my Ford and Chevy diesel owning friends and family (most with 150,000+ miles) never seem to need major repairs, just standard oil changes etc.
[QUOTE=HMF;8061938]
hosspuller - What are you getting for mileage and what are you pulling?[/QUOTE]
I figure about 10 miles per gallon. A dually one ton, hauling a GN steel trailer 3 horse with a week-ender package. But have not really checked. Getting “there” is the objective. Gasoline is the requirement.
I did have a bit of trouble this winter with my diesel tractors. The summer fuel gelled and starting was hard. A downside in getting a farm tank. You know how to deal with diesel, just consider that another info point in your decision.
A few years back I did a Excel spreadsheet “what if” calculation (it replaced my trusty “pencil and yellow pad” 
) and the gas truck came out 1-2 cents per mile cheaper than a diesel truck. Note that this was a maybe 2-3% difference so it’s not exactly “Earth shaking.” Sadly, I lost it in a crash and have been too lazy to recreate it.
The long and short of it is if you compare the total cost of ownership (purchase price, depreciation, loan cost, insurance cost, maintenance cost (preventive, scheduled, and unscheduled) the gas truck wins by a very narrow margin.
So the real question is not so much costs as operational considerations, convenience, and aesthetics. Some folks hate the diesel noise and smell; others love it. Some dislike having to search for diesel stations; some don’t find that a problem at all.*
This is not exactly “Coke vs. Pepsi” but so close that it might as well be. Buy what makes you feels good!!!
G.
*I’ve noted diesel has become more available at in-town stations over the past few years.
Wouldn’t buying an almost-new diesel offset the narrow margin of savings that a new gas truck presents?
If you are not in a hurry, the right truck with 20-ish K will come along, and we all know how long diesels last.
[QUOTE=GoForAGallop;8061966]
And the 7.3 is an undeniably trustworthy engine.
But it’s just a basic fact of life that diesel engines are more expensive to repair than gas engines, between parts and labor.[/QUOTE]
Ain’t that the truth…I’m running over to the mechanic today to plunk down $8k on a new (rebuilt) engine for my 1990 F350 7.3.
It’s only got 117k miles, so why it needs to be replaced is unknown. (maybe cavitation?) The original owner is deceased & I have only partial service records.
I keep reminding myself I paid almost nothing for it, it has a new-ish tranny, and this motor should keep the beast going for a long, long time. Sometimes I even feel ok about it. :sadsmile:
Diesel, especially if you are in the mountains.
I couldn’t imagine my gas mileage if I was towing in the mountains on my gas truck. I get 13 MPG on a GOOD DAY, straight highway.
Diesel, especially if you are in the mountains.
I couldn’t imagine my gas mileage if I was towing in the mountains on my gas truck. I get 13 MPG on a GOOD DAY, straight highway.
You won’t be so relaxed when your brakes get hot going down those same long mountain passes with the gas truck.
Again, it’s the engine brakes which would make me go diesel in your case, not the power - though of course more power is nice. :winkgrin:
All diesel fleet here - with your kind of mileage hauling, I’d say diesel.
Shorter hauls, I’d say gas.
The engine brake is awesome. Find a good mechanic and keep it well maintained and it will last years. Our 7.3 was 23 years old and never gave a minute’s trouble hauling all over the mountains.
[QUOTE=wildlifer;8061535]
All my diesels have had VASTLY lower maintenance costs than the gassers, plus the fuel savings & it’s also my daily driver to work, as I can’t afford two vehicles; especially with a load that size, mtns added, I would stay with the diesel. Climbing up the passes in SW VA or over to TN, it is invaluable when that turbo kicks in on the SuperDuty & we roll right past the poor gassers panting up the grade!
Am curious why your maintenance costs are so high – is it a Chrysler (LOL, kidding! mostly…)? All makes & models have peak reliability years, as well as tradeoffs, so perhaps you just need a diesel that has been better maintained or is from a better design year?[/QUOTE]
Me too. My Chevy 3500 Dually turbo (diesel) is still going strong. Bought it new in 1994 to haul a 4-star 2 horse with dressing room.
I’ll bet I’ve spent less than $4K in maintance all these years and it’s now 20 years old (other than tires). Some of the paint on the hood is oxidizing and there’s a little rust on the back bumper, but it still looks and runs great.
Don’t forget, the diesel will be worth much more come trade in time.
Engine brakes have been listed twice as a bonus of diesel but I have been in gas trucks with engine brakes. Its pretty obvious when thry kick in on down hill runs.
[QUOTE=cowboymom;8061943]
I really don’t get “all the maintenance” costs. We don’t have that with our 99 Ford 7.3. Just, don’t. I don’t think we’ve spent more than $500 on it in the last five years, excluding tires. And we use the holy whack out of it.[/QUOTE]
That’s b/c it’s the 7.3L. 
That’s what mine is as well – and that was the result of about a year of careful research (first vehicle was inherited family 85 6.0L diesel GMC 3/4 ton suburban & dad was perfectionist mechanical engineer, so I was involuntarily educated in high school whether I liked it or not LOL!). My insurance is actually VERY cheap; since I have a work vehicle, I can insure it as a secondary vehicle, which helps a lot.
After read more from OP, it does sound like you just have one that just didn’t get all the care it needed earlier on. The little maintenance things really DO make all the difference, no matter what the emblem on the grille says. And yes, from experience 8-10 mpg on a gasser while pulling is a good number, I got even less, but was using V8’s, a V10 can get you to 10.
I do agree to some extent with an earlier comment that many people are religiously fanatic about brand loyalty, but not all of us are. I may or may not have a problem with OVER research (what specs you want, LOL?) & use every resource I can find, as well as being lucky to have a great network. I did not buy my truck BECAUSE it was a Ford, it was because it had the combination of reliability, engineering/design specs, & wide part/service availability (the 7.3L engine was built by International Harvester, so you can get parts at their suppliers as well, although I haven’t needed any for ~50k, it’s at 175k, I bought it around 110k) that fit my needs.
There really are pros & cons with every make/model, & I still prefer the older (pre-03) models of almost all of them, due to less computerization/electronics & affordability/availability of parts. This makes them easier & cheaper to work on, either yourself or for a good diesel guy (tap the forum networks, e.g. www.ford-trucks.com, they are AWESOME). I come from the school of “more electronics = more expensive things that will someday break.”
Just as an example, Ford hasn’t had a good diesel SINCE the 7.3L & lost a ton of mileage value by adding the DPF systems to meeting EPA requirements (sigh, burning more fuel to reduce soot emissions is so stupid…). That mileage can be restored by removing the DPF, as long as you live in a state where you can do that. Even my beloved 7.3L (which you pretty much have to cage-match to find a well-maintained one now anyway!) could use some more bed capacity (which I could increase by putting a 350 rear end on…with all my spare time & money, ROFL) & the '02 model gets slightly better mileage than my '01. I actually just also learned that a simple wastegate modification would allow me to give the engine an exhaust brake very easily. Maybe one day I’ll have time…
Dodge’s Cummins diesel is a fantastic engine, I love it – but it has a plastic Chrysler built around it with their notorious front end, so, tradeoff there. However, there are quite a few folks who have dropped the Cummins engine into an F250 & that’s a hella truck!
Chevy’s Duramax has a good engine as well (although I get annoyed at the Allison marketing, as they don’t even build that tranny, they slap their name on it from a 3rd party manufacturer, but that’s a marketing pet peeve, I hate that crap) & have some very good model years of their own.
Rambling point being…maybe I should have just said PM me if you’d like some links to resources! There’s a lot more than engines…suspension, frame design, brake systems, turbos & accessiblity, and not least, maintenance.
All vehicles have wear parts; for example, I had to replace my #8 injector last winter. Yes, it was $800, but it was 13 years old & that truck will easily run another 200k miles. That’s ~20 years for me…hell I could replace the whole engine if needed (it won’t be) & it would STILL be cheaper than a new truck!
[QUOTE=moving to dc;8061789]
Looks like her average prices in Wyoming are vastly different than the east coast, and a lot closer to the national average. “Rocky Mountain” averages are currently $2.28/gal gas and $2.81/gal diesel.
$2.28/gal at 8 mpg = $0.29 per mile
$2.81/gal at 12 mpg = $0.23 per mile
Not near the same…[/QUOTE]
This morning our prices are still 2.47 for gas and 3.31 for diesel. The difference with my prices is .03/mile.
But in your case, .06/mile vs. the price premium of, let’s say $6000 for a used truck, will take 100,000 miles for the diesel to break even.
When you add the maintenance costs, and incalculable inconveniences of a break-down (blown radiator for example), in some cases the diesel never pays off.
Thanks guys for all the input, there is some great information here for sure! At this point I am doing a little more “shopping”, more like research to see if I can’t make the diesel work for me but I am honestly leaning towards the gas. The upfront cost difference is between $8-9K which with the towing I do will take quite some time to recover costwise. I agree the diesel really is a great benefit but I am just not sure it will fit within my budget right now.
I will keep you posted on the outcome.
Thanks again!
We got our Dodge Ram 350 for almost the cost of a gas…year end sale.
So, this final decision was a diesel. My research paid off and I found a really great deal on a Ford using my Costco discount. I was able to get the price down to within budget and went for it. The truck was ordered today, so now I hurry up and wait. Thanks again for all the input.
Yeah!
Gas trucks lose for me because of having to drive from gas station to gas station. :lol: I LOVE my drive radius with the diesel.
