Diesel vs gas......................

sacmarata wrote:

SWAGGER wrote:
not sure this this been posted but is a recent study from 2013

http://www.dieselforum.org/files/dmfile/20130311_CD_UMTRITCOFinalReport_dd2017.pdf


Overall, the results of our analyses show that diesel vehicles provide owners with a TCO that is less than that of the gas versions of the same vehicles. The estimates of savings for three and five years of ownership vary from a low of $67 in three years to a high of $15,619 in five years, but most of the savings are in the $2,000 to $6,000 range, which also include the extra cost that is usually added to the diesel version of a vehicle.

Do you know if this includes paying for simple maintenance? I consider simple maintenance to be oil and filters.
At the rate that some places charge for diesel oil and filter change, it could quickly skew the Cost of Ownership numbers as compared to a gasser.

I've known some perfectly capable folks who pay for diesel oil changes instead of doing it themselves and heard reports of oil changes upwards of $250 simply because it's a diesel!

Without giving a thorough overview of the report, I bet the numbers reported could improve a lot more even.

$250 X 5 times a year = $1250. It wouldn't take long for that to do some SERIOUS damage to your cost of ownership. I'm not sure what an oil change station would charge for a 6+ liter gasser oil change, but I've never heard anything even close to $250.

I would also like to submit that not everybody has to have the newest diesel. Theres several "old technology" diesels out there that are WAAAY less costly to maintain. My '94 Cummins being one of them. I've never used any additives EVER and my oil changes only cost what I spend in oil :)

I've had my 2013 Duramax for six months. It had right at 5,200 miles on it when I had the oil changed last week at the dealership for $80.The DIC still said 30% on the oil life. I would have let it go a little longer but it was still OEM oil plus we're taking a 6 day trip next week. But...that's 5,200 miles without towing.

The week before I added 3.5 gal of DEF at $36. My fuel filter still reads 89% so I don't know what that will cost when the time comes. Probably next oil change. I don't see any way I'll have 5 oil changes in a year at 5k mile intervals. It may be less than that now that summer is finally here and we can hit the road some.