Ram 1500 EcoDiesel Max towing number released

Slowmover wrote:
I've averaged 21-mpg FOR ALL MILES in my (now 200k mile) 2004 DODGE CTD. CIty and country, solo, and am just above 15-mpg towing. At $4/gl diesel, that's 15 cents per mile, solo, and 25-cpm, towing. I don't fall below 24-mpg highway solo (loaded or empty, traffic or no traffic, rain, major metro areas, etc. Have seen 27-mpg numerous times) and am closer to 16-mpg with a TT that has yet to have all bugs worked out in re alignment, etc. I bring this up as it may be a similar set of numbers for the new truck.

What is your towing cost per mile?

Technically your towing cost per mile includes every piece of the cost to tow. That includes the original cost of the vehicle, all maintenance, fuel, tires, etc etc.

You are making reference to your fuel cost per mile. Those are 2 radically different numbers.

Obviously you get better mileage in your truck, but the upfront cost and maintenance costs are much larger than a gas engine that gets worse economy. Chances are that at the 200K mile mark you might have surpassed the gas engine with total towing cost, because the gas engine owner probably sold the truck and bought a new one. I've never owned a diesel and I know they run a long time, but I've owned a couple trucks and around 100,000 miles things besides the engine start showing wear and need to be replaced. Steering components, exhaust, interior wear, suspension items, brake lines, etc etc. The nickles and dimes add up. Perhaps it is slightly cheaper to hold on to that truck with 200K miles and replace all those items, but I would rather sell the truck around 90K miles and start over new. New technology, higher power engine, new interior, new suspension, new exhuast, etc etc.

Not debating which method is better, just pointing out that relatively few "original owners" own the truck long enough to see the total cost per mile drop down that low.