2018 F-150 3.0L Diesel GCWR

In actual truth. There is no payback at trade. The diesel cost more up front. so it is a wash. You get a diesel to tow. IF it will tow more, you got what you wanted.

Besides. I have NEVER bought a vehicle thinking what can I get for it at trade in, or when selling. I buy my vehicles for me. It's my money. They only have to please me. I don't care if they please you. By the time I get done with them. Trade in is not an issue.

Used to be even back in 01 that a gas engine would get 13-15 mpg and towing 10 or perhaps less. The diesel would get 18-20(certain routes empty I could always count on 21-22mpg) and towing 12-16 (on my pup I could get 16 towing it on the hwy no problem sometimes as high as 17.5). Diesel used to be 15-20 cents less per gallon at that time as well. When I calculated it out at the time based on fuel costs it was going to be 105k miles for payback on the up charge for the diesel engine. I sold the truck with 350k on it so I got my payback for sure on it. My new truck I get 16-18 (high so far 19.8) so I lost 2-4mpg compared to the old one, towing I get about 12.5 which is about the same as the old one with our fiver. However these days and for quite a few years now diesel is more expensive than gas at least here and the mileage difference is not there as much either except generally for when towing. If it wasn't for the towing ease and my general getting used to all the torque on my old truck at 1300 rpms I probably wouldn't have bought a new diesel. I do use it for more than just towing the fiver and commuting though. If that was my only purpose I might have gone gas and tried to get used to the performance towing.
The payback timing has certainly changed over the years and doesnt make near as much sense as it used to.

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
right now I have shopping for a used 2014- 2016 with around 40-75k miles, momma wants a longhorn Ram and the difference between a ecodiesel and a hemi is 9-15k dollars, I know the ecodiesel option was only 4-5k when new.

The difference is worth $9K - $15K only if someone is willing to pay that - which would make them pretty stupid.

right now I have shopping for a used 2014- 2016 with around 40-75k miles, momma wants a longhorn Ram and the difference between a ecodiesel and a hemi is 9-15k dollars, I know the ecodiesel option was only 4-5k when new.

I don't know how the economics work out on these smaller diesels. On the main three diesels, excluding the 6.0/6.4 Fords, diesel versus gas is mostly going to be a wash from a total cost of ownership standpoint. As long as you have the means to swallow a little more up front, why not go for the higher performance option?

I think you lose way more on the extra dollars you put toward higher trim levels.

ScottG wrote:

X2. No payback is needed. I have gotten the price of the diesel back and more at trade in.
That makes it a nearly free luxury. Def is cheap and of no consequence. Oil changes are at higher intervals and the price difference isn't enough to worry about.
Further, many people like turbo diesels because of their ability to work hard without down shifting and spining hard.

Yeah, when my brother traded in his old Cummins for his 2012 PSD. The salesman forgot(or so he says) to select that it was a diesel in the trade in value guide on NADA. It bumped up the trade in value another $6k when he applied the diesel engine option over the gas engine. That was just about what he paid for the option when he bought it new.

ShinerBock wrote:
I never understood the diesel "payback" in fuel savings that people seems to get brought up. You usually tend to get your "payback" with a diesel in trad-in/resale value or longevity, not in fuel mileage (unless you are towing a lot). I can see this argument if a diesel had the same resale/trade-in value as its gas equivalent, but in almost all cases it holds a much higher value. Basically it costs more, but you can also sell it for more just like you can with any other option on a vehicle like trim levels, 4wd, and Nav systems.

X2. No payback is needed. I have gotten the price of the diesel back and more at trade in.
That makes it a nearly free luxury. Def is cheap and of no consequence. Oil changes are at higher intervals and the price difference isn't enough to worry about.
Further, many people like turbo diesels because of their ability to work hard without down shifting and spining hard.

I've always thought the Payback meant one would have to own the truck for X amount of time to save X amount of dollars in cheaper fuel to pay for the diesel engine in which case you are then even. I never considered resale in terms of Payback but can see it now, especially with these high dollar trucks.

I never understood the diesel "payback" in fuel savings that seems to get brought up. You usually tend to get your "payback" with a diesel in trad-in/resale value or longevity, not in fuel mileage (unless you are towing a lot). I can see this argument if a diesel had the same resale/trade-in value as its gas equivalent, but in almost all cases it holds a much higher value. Basically it costs more, but you can also sell it for more just like you can with any other option on a vehicle like trim levels, 4wd, and Nav systems.

Folks have been waiting for a diesel F150 for a LONG time ! It would be interesting to see sales numbers given the fact that it will carry a premium price tag. With the cost of diesel fuel as high as it is, plus the cost of DEF and the more expensive oil changes, you will need to put a lot of miles on that engine to make it pay back !

Personally, I think it would be better paired with an F250. People will love it in the full sized Transit !