Horrible Gas mileage
Ok.. so I know fuel mileage is probably the biggest shock most RV'ers experience, shortly after they shell out the big bucks for their rig. I have a 2011 GMC Silverado, short bed, 5.3L, 3.73 gears, t...
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Well you have to compare apples to apples. Don't compare the price of a new diesel when you can get a used one for a fraction of the cost. A year ago I purchased a F-250 LB supercab with 109k miles for only $11k. It still has more miles left on the engine than a brand new gasser. (International publishes a B50 life estimate for this engine at 500,000 miles.) Then take into account what the OP could get for his used truck if he sold it outright and purchased one such as I have. Maintenance costs would still be an issue, but he wouldn't be as badly upside down on the initial purchase as many suggest. However as I said before, it would be a waste of time for fuel economy alone. One upgrades to a diesel for towing power and durability, economy is only a side benefit.
I'm afraid that under the load of a large trailer, the RAM 3.0, 1/2 ton diesel would be within 2-3 mpg of the bigger diesels. And since they are now so new, you will be hard pressed to find a used one for a reasonable price - maybe in a few years. By going with the light duty diesel you lose the huge torque numbers, thus the power reserve of the larger, heavy duty diesel engines, putting you back in gas engine territory as far as towing power goes.
Chip
I'm afraid that under the load of a large trailer, the RAM 3.0, 1/2 ton diesel would be within 2-3 mpg of the bigger diesels. And since they are now so new, you will be hard pressed to find a used one for a reasonable price - maybe in a few years. By going with the light duty diesel you lose the huge torque numbers, thus the power reserve of the larger, heavy duty diesel engines, putting you back in gas engine territory as far as towing power goes.
Chip
