Diesel vs Gas

Your vehicle is kind of your signature and some people think because you have new equipment or a truck you must be rich. An older truck in tip top condition would be good advertising for a mechanic.

Especially if you rolled up in a vintage, fully restored KW service truck. That might be phase 2 if things take off lol.

And the clueless would assume it is a new truck!
I know a lady with a restaurant, catering a party recently.
Host looked at her Nice Suburban, commented:" Catering must pay well to drive a vehicle like that"
Her response: " Oh yes indeed it does, other wise I could not afford this 2007 model"

This what Rob Zucker operates, on paper.

Truck Shop said:

This what Rob Zucker operates, on paper.

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That's freakin' cool!

I've been restoring an old W900A in my spare time. Was going to use it to tow a 5th wheel but maybe I'll put a service body on it in a few years when its finished.

I'll start my reply by stating I'm a diesel nut. I love the sound, the smell and soot of diesels!! In a perfect world I would own nothing but diesels, but the EPA has choked the life and efficiency out of today's diesels. Gas engine technology has improved and as has been mentioned diesels have become extremely technical. The new emissions systems have lowered the fuel economy of the latest diesels while fuel economy in gas engines has improved dramatically. Diesel fuel now costs more than gas instead of substantially less as in the days before ultra low sulfer. The slightest variation in fuel quality will send the latest diesels into a tizzy as well. On paper you really can't justify a diesel in that size truck unless you plan to drive mega miles throughout it's lifetime.

When I ran my landscape business starting in '97, I bought diesel trucks for the torque advantage in towing and plowing but once the DEF engines came about it just doesn't make sense anymore with the miles I drive, plus the reliability of today's gas engines vs diesel only solidifies the argument. I've been spec'cing gas engines both in my personal vehicles and work trucks since the switch to DEF. The local school district is even purchasing nothing but gas engined school buses now, even the 66 passenger models. It's such a shame what they've done, diesel fuel contains more energy per gallon than gas and should result in better efficiency as they had in the past.

PS:
If you can find an old 7.3 Ford or 5.9 Dodge in good shape, that would be the way to go.

I have a 2000 F250 with the 7.3 diesel. Every time I take it to the Ford dealer a salesman or service writer wants to buy it, only 85k miles on the clock. I think it's had maybe five fuel filter changes in its lifetime. Apparently the new Ford diesels have two filters and they should be replaced every six months. I guess one is a pre-filter.

We had a 2016 VW Passat TDi, we would get up to 55 mpg on the highway. When the crap hit the fan with emissions 'cheating' we decided to sell it back to VW because I was concerned the 'fix' would ruin the engine performance. Great little car.

As others have already stated, for how choked down the current diesels are and the advances in gas engines they're pretty much even at this point.

Last service rig I was in was a brand new 2018 Duramax dually that got the same mileage as my '86 6.9idi (that has no turbo, no OD and 4.10 gears). That truck had endless DEF refills, and regular CELs (continuing for the guy that got it after I left). Rig before that was a "temporary" Ford gasser with almost 300k on the clock and took me all over 7 states with nothing more than sceduled service and an AC recharge.

There are good deals out there for slightly older clean trucks (especially with a crunched bed), and no shortage of $500 service boxes that just need keys and a coat of paint.

Funny to me the only diesels I ever owned had {low pro 24.5 tires}. I have spent a life time working on Class 8 and smaller, and not only do I not want or ever wanted a diesel car or pickup-
I wouldn't have one shoved up my worst enemies a$$. When I'm done with being around them all day the last thing I want hear is another one-plus waking up the neighbors at 5:00 a.m. .
And I if were to tow something bigger than a regular car trailer-I would get a real truck for that task. JMHO.

For me the factor is where, I'm driving. Driving at high altitudes … the gas engines run out of breath unless they have a turbo. And that's would push me toward, even a new EPA choked turbo diesel. But down on the flat lands, gasoline emission technology has passed diesel tech at this time.

Well I have a different perspective on the discussion of gas v diesel in pickups and larger light trucks.

First of all I currently have -

2001 F250 7.3 bought new with 160K on the clock with no major repairs
2013 F350 6.7 with 150K on the clock with no issues what so ever
2014 F250 6.2 gas with 160K on the clock that we've replaced the exhaust manifolds on
2018 F350 second gen 6.7 with 34K on the clock with no problems (my personal truck)
2019 RAM 3500 with 10K on the clock - it's new ..

We have not experienced any issues with the DEF diesels in our pickups (knocks on wood..). At one time I owned 3 - 6.0's and still occasionally wake up in a cold sweat at 2:30 AM on a Tuesday morning remembering those abortions.

In a heavy duty 3/4 or 1 ton truck, diesel is the only way to go IMO. Our '14 F250 6.2 gasser is a spare truck at the moment and will be sold. It's gutless compared to the '13 6.7 - absolutely gutless. The '01 250 7.3 is also a spare truck and the guys always pick it over the '14 250 gasser when they need another truck.

Of course there is around a $8500 premium for a diesel when you buy the truck new. However you get most of that back when you go to sell it in addition to the added performance while you've put 250K miles on it - pennies in the grand scheme of things.

The premium on the diesel engine initially and the extra cost of diesel over gasoline is a no brainer IMO over the lifetime of the truck. Hook up our 14K pan trailer with a 279 on it around 13K lbs total behind our '13 6.7 and then behind the '14 6.2 gas - the performance difference is no contest.

I'm not experiencing the "choked down EPA diesels" folks are talking about in the newer engines. Our '13 6.7 is a hoss and my '18 6.7 is an absolute hoss compared to the '01 7.3 - no comparison whatsoever. The Cummins in the RAM is just getting broken in so we don't have a lot of experience yet.

I can pull 14K behind my '18 6.7 like it's not back there. Seriously the truck will pull 14K up a steep grade as fast as you want it to go. Never owned a gas motor that will pull like that second gen 6.7.

This is my business plan and other plans may vary in mileage.

CM1995 you have a need for them and a use, most people don't they use them to haul pie and coffee.

The 6.7L in the 2014 F-550 I used to run wasn't horrible but it sure loved showing off its CEL. Ford makes a decent truck but that diesel shoehorned under that hood gives me nightmares lol. The RAM/Cummins looks less cluttered under the hood and the fit and finish seems a little better. I have a love/hate relationship with Chrysler products though lol.

The '19 RAM is the first Chrysler product I have ever owned, not the first Cummins though. Time will tell how it turns out.

Seriously I've had zero problems with the '13 and '18 Ford 6.7 - (knocks on wood even harder )

Truck Shop said:

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Never skip leg day.......

Looks like they used 4 of 8 studs on a 5 stud wheel Wonder how they made & balanced that set up

I would take what ever comes cheap since the body always falls away long before the engine dies. Unless you are towing at max capacity all the time i dont see the point of the new diesel trucks. And even at that you guys need different licenses to do that so in that case you might as well have a real truck. In quebec anyone with a regular license can put 30 000lbs behind a 550 and go.

I could sell my 2000 F250 7.3 for about what I paid for it brand new. A gas truck in that vintage is worth $3-5K. My F250 is by far the best vehicle choice I ever made.