I hate to even say it, but there’s one way around the ridiculous cost of newer diesel pickups... get a gas truck.
It’ll be a downgrade but you can get a nice truck capable of getting you where you’re going for probably half the money. MPG is a big hit to the wallet, but not as big as the diesel buy-in.
I was in your shoes too, I ended up doing a new motor and new “built” transmission in an even older truck, because I just cannot justify $80k on a pickup truck.
Now the problem is insurance. I’ve got a lot of money into a truck that blue books for about half of it.
You couldn’t begin to duplicate it for what the insurance payoff would be if it gets totaled.
