2500 HD 6.0 Gas vs a Diesel

bobsbbq wrote:
My DW thinks I'm crazy for wanting to give up a brand new truck we bought new on an older used one. We put a lot down so we are not in a losing situation but about even. Still it is hard for her to understand it is a needed move. The longer you wait the more the vehicle will depreciate as both mileage and age build up.

I too tend to think you are a bit crazy. The time to make this decision was before you bought the half ton. What are the tow ratings (payload, max tow, rear axle weight rating) on the current truck and can you not find an ultralight (look at Keystone Passport, Keystone Bullet, etc...) that will give you the room you need and a weight you can pull?

I agree that 3/4 or 1 ton would have been the way to go, but before I took such a bath on the truck I would be looking to see if their were camper options at the right weight.

I don't agree with the diesel hype either. I would love to have one, cannot afford one. For me its not the yearly maintenance but the initial purchase price. I have an E350 with V10 and 3.73 rear end. The rear gear is not great for towing. Pulling a 9,200 lb camper over the mountains in Western Maryland on I70 (Pretty much the steepest and longest Interstate climbs in the Eastern US) I can maintain 45 mph (barely) in 2nd gear with my foot on the floor. That is still 5 - 10 mph faster than the tractor trailers can do it and we have it to do maybe twice a year. Just think of yourself like a tractor trailer, get in the right lane, and let cars go around, its not that big of a deal. Everyone says that the diesel engine will last longer but I have yet to see anyone wear out a gas engine aside from lack of maintenance. In my own experience, the rest of the vehicle falls apart around the engine.

Good luck.