My last two trucks have been diesels, a Dodge/Cummins and now a Chevy/DMax. Both have been very dependable. The Dodge had 144,000 miles on it when I traded it in on the Chevy. No real reason I didn't stay with Dodge other than back when they were having financial problems at the corporate level, they did away with my favorite Dodge dealer so I made the Change. Looked at the Fords and liked them, but the Chevy dealer had what I wanted on the lot and was very aggressive with their pricing.
Around here, to me, one of the major points in driving a diesel is the ease in selling or trading it when it reaches over 100,000 miles. I know gasoline engines are still good at over 100K in most cases, but many people are leery of buying one. When the Chevy dealer asked what I had to trade, then if it was a gasoline or diesel, he said it would determine if he kept my trade on his used lot or sent it to auction in Orlando. Diesels he kept and gasoline's over 100K miles went to auction. I paid a premium of $2,600, when I bought the Dodge diesel over a comparable gas engine truck, but I got more than that back when I traded it in. The dealer ended up having my trade in on his lot for 3 days before it sold.
I spend much of the summers in the mountain west, so the diesel is so nice to haul our TC or tow our 5th wheel. Both for the torque and having the exhaust brake on the downhill sections of the Rocky Mountains. Never having to have a tune up with the diesel, more than offsets any additional costs of oil changes, etc. IMHO. The main problem with the diesels in pickups is other than the diesel engine, most everything else remains the same and wears out just as soon as a gasoline engine powered pickup. The most trouble free truck I have ever owned was a 3/4 ton Ford with a 460 engine but it loved to drink gasoline. :)
