Gm 2500HD GAS VS DIESEL

librty02 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:

librty02 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
According to AAA,US gov and Gasbuddy, the state average fuel costs for PA is $2.74 for regular gas and $3.38 for diesel. You must be in a very remote area at $3.69 for diesel.

Nope just outside of Pittsburgh and fuel costs are high in this part of the state...head to the eastern part east of Harrisburg and the fuel costs drop significantly

The closest 15 stations to me range from 2.85 to 3.05 per gallon regular right now and diesel is anywhere from 3.69 to 3.99 all within 3 miles of my house

I looked at Pittsburgh on Gasbuddy and did not see $3.69 either. Looking at over 100 fuel stations in Pittsburgh, the lowest for diesel was $3.39 and the highest was $3.59 with most being in the $3.45 +/- $.05 range.


Gasbuddy -Pittsburgh-Diesel

Its ok that's what my local stations are want a pic of them later? Will that Appease you?!?!? I can take pics of about 10 different stations at those prices if you like

You can I'd you like. I am just saying that the data I am seeing states otherwise. I would also say it would be stupid of a diesel owner to get fuel at $3.69 when it is available at $3.39 a short distance away.

EDIT: I stand corrected and $3.39 is not the lowest in Pittsburgh. The lowest in Pittsburgh area is $3.15 at one Sam's Club and $3.18 at another. It seems having a Sam's membership would pay for itself in fuel alone for a diesel owner in the Pittsburgh area.

ShinerBock wrote:

librty02 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
According to AAA,US gov and Gasbuddy, the state average fuel costs for PA is $2.74 for regular gas and $3.38 for diesel. You must be in a very remote area at $3.69 for diesel.

Nope just outside of Pittsburgh and fuel costs are high in this part of the state...head to the eastern part east of Harrisburg and the fuel costs drop significantly

The closest 15 stations to me range from 2.85 to 3.05 per gallon regular right now and diesel is anywhere from 3.69 to 3.99 all within 3 miles of my house

I looked at Pittsburgh on Gasbuddy and did not see $3.69 either. Looking at over 100 fuel stations in Pittsburgh, the lowest for diesel was $3.39 and the highest was $3.59 with most being in the $3.45 +/- $.05 range.


Gasbuddy -Pittsburgh-Diesel

Its ok that's what my local stations are want a pic of them later? Will that Appease you?!?!? I can take pics of about 10 different stations at those prices if you like

librty02 wrote:

ShinerBock wrote:
According to AAA,US gov and Gasbuddy, the state average fuel costs for PA is $2.74 for regular gas and $3.38 for diesel. You must be in a very remote area at $3.69 for diesel.

Nope just outside of Pittsburgh and fuel costs are high in this part of the state...head to the eastern part east of Harrisburg and the fuel costs drop significantly

The closest 15 stations to me range from 2.85 to 3.05 per gallon regular right now and diesel is anywhere from 3.69 to 3.99 all within 3 miles of my house

I looked at Pittsburgh on Gasbuddy and did not see $3.69 either. Looking at over 100 fuel stations in Pittsburgh, the lowest for diesel was $3.39 and the highest was $3.59 with most being in the $3.45 +/- $.05 range.


Gasbuddy -Pittsburgh-Diesel

ShinerBock wrote:
According to AAA,US gov and Gasbuddy, the state average fuel costs for PA is $2.74 for regular gas and $3.38 for diesel. You must be in a very remote area at $3.69 for diesel.

Nope just outside of Pittsburgh and fuel costs are high in this part of the state...head to the eastern part east of Harrisburg and the fuel costs drop significantly

The closest 15 stations to me range from 2.85 to 3.05 per gallon regular right now and diesel is anywhere from 3.69 to 3.99 all within 3 miles of my house

According to AAA,US gov and Gasbuddy, the state average fuel costs for PA is $2.74 for regular gas and $3.38 for diesel. You must be in a very remote area at $3.69 for diesel.

Assumption of 15k a yr driven 8k being regular driving 7k being towing using my local fuel cost:

GAS Truck
Cost 45k + tax = $47700
$47700 @ 3% for 60 months is $857
Fuel Cost: 2.89 a gallon regular
8k @ 16mpg = $1445
7k @ 6.9mpg = $2931
Total of $4376/year in regular gasoline cost @ 2.89 per gallon
Cost to own per month is $1222

DIESEL Truck
Cost 55k + tax = $58300
$58300 @ 3% for 60 months is $1048
Fuel Cost: 3.69 a gallon Diesel Fuel
8k @ 19.9mpg = $1484
7k @ 10mpg = $2583
Total of $4067/year in Diesel cost @ 3.69 per gallon
Cost to own per month is $1387

Monthly Cost to own Diesel truck per month payment and fuel = $1387
Monthly Cost to own Gas truck per month payment and fuel = $1222

Difference of $165 per month for 1st 5 years to own a Diesel over Gasoline...

After the 5 years of payments is up the cost to own difference is $309 in favor of the Diesel truck but none of these numbers include maintenance or reliability factor at all just payment and fuel cost...

noteven wrote:
Eeelectronic Diesel engines run on so little fuel with light and no load there are not enough spare waste heat btu’s to heat today’s big expansive cabs full of frozen plastic. Cold diesels ****** their timing so there is even less waste heat...

Unless you have a manual with a manual exhaust brake. Warmness occurs with the brake closed idling...

Heat on the seat and more clothes is the key....

DW's car is like that. It's a Chevy Cruze with the tiny 1.4L turbo engine. In winter it takes forever to warm up, and once it does, there isn't enough hot coolant to keep the heater happy. In single digit temps you can't run the blower fan on HI or the air from the vents will actually cool off.

ib516 wrote:


The diesel mpg advantage has shrunk compared to what it used to be (gas became more efficient and diesel became less), the complexity of diesel and the emissions garbage they are saddled with has increased, and now you have to add, buy, and store DEF.

While I agree that you have many good reasons to go with a gasser. I would not contest any of them since they are unique to how you use your truck.

However, I do take issue with gasser owners constantly bringing up the return on investment(ROI) issue with a diesel as justification for their purchase yet do not do the same for any other option. As I pointed out before, you will ever get your money back and it will end up costing you more for a 6.4L over a 5.7L(or most other gasser engine upgrade option in a 1/2 ton) yet no one ever brings that up. It will cost you more with a 4x4 option in fuel mileage yet no one ever brings that up. You will never get all of your money back on a higher trim level option, yet no one ever brings that up. So why is diesel the only option people consider an ROI on while ignoring the fact that it has a higher value due to the added performance, capability, fuel economy, and longevity?

I also take issue with people stating higher costs without actually doing the math. It is just an assumption until they actually do the math. And even if they do the math, I can grantee that the total cost is no where near $8-10k higher like many here state. If it does cost more(which is highly unlikely for most people), then it is likely less than a few thousand over the course of five years which ins't bad for the added performance and capability. Heck, you likely paid more in total cost going from the 5.7L Hemi to the 6.4L Hemi for much less performance increase than you would if you went with the Cummins.

Eeelectronic Diesel engines run on so little fuel with light and no load there are not enough spare waste heat btu’s to heat today’s big expansive cabs full of frozen plastic. Cold diesels ****** their timing so there is even less waste heat...

Unless you have a manual with a manual exhaust brake. Warmness occurs with the brake closed idling...

Heat on the seat and more clothes is the key....

Lantley wrote:

kw/00 wrote:
Glad you stated all the so called facts... but not one size fits all, for u I’m glad. For others it doesn’t work that way. It is what it is... diesels are not the cure all but neither is gas. Again, I don’t buy into all the facts.... different markets, lots of variables and tons of so called experts everywhere.

The only advantage a gasser has over a diesel is cheaper initial cost.
ALL other performance factors will favor diesel.
I challenge you to point out a performance parameter that a gasser does better than a diesel.

Heat in the cab at -40*.

That was a concern for me when I switched to a gasser. I froze in both my previous diesels for 3 months of the year when it got really cold here in Canada. The diesels I had never made it to operating temperature on my morning commute when it got cold. That commute involved about 8 miles of highway followed by 15 or 25 minutes of city commuting. The diesel trucks would actually cool off when I got into the city. And, to add some additional info, the trucks had been plugged in, in an attached garage (not insulated or heated) and the grills were completely covered/blocked by a winter front.

So, for a guy (like me) who only tows a trailer 5-6 days out of 365 in a year, the gasser made far more sense.

The diesel mpg advantage has shrunk compared to what it used to be (gas became more efficient and diesel became less), the complexity of diesel and the emissions garbage they are saddled with has increased, and now you have to add, buy, and store DEF.

As to remote starting, that might work great in Florida when it's "cold", but anyone who has experienced -40* and a diesel truck will tell you if you leave a diesel idling at -20*C or colder, the engine coolant actually gets colder as they idle. They just don't use enough fuel while idling to stay at operating temp.

We can all agree I think on the fact that when you use "towing performance" (mpg and how well it pulls) as your only metric to judge a 2500 or 3500 truck by, diesel wins hands down. There's just no denying that 900+ lbs-ft of torque beats 450 lbs-ft.

But for me, when everything was considered, gas was a much better choice.