The TFL guys bought a 7.3L

ShinerBock wrote:
What are the cost over the life of the truck? And don't forget to add in resale/trade-in.

There are many people that simply cannot afford the outright cost or the $800 to $900 a month payment that is required to purchase a new mid grade diesel truck. If you cannot afford to buy it new, what difference does the lifetime cost of the truck make?

If you can afford a gas engine truck that meets your performance needs, why shouldn't you buy it?

Or, if you can save $15,000 by purchasing that gas engine truck and invest that money, how much more money do you have over the lifetime of that truck?

You see, its not that cut and dry. Just because YOU can justify it doesn't mean that everyone else can or should justify it. The *only* reason I own a diesel truck right now is because I found a less than 1 year old, low mileage used diesel for about what I was expecting to pay for a new gas truck. I have ZERO need for the diesel, nor did I want to pay the premium for the diesel.

I enjoy my diesel 75% of the time, but 25% of the time it'd be nice to have a gasser again. When we go to Florida in February its nice to get 12 mpg towing for the 2500 mile trip... but when we get on the island and are driving back and forth under 25 mph for 2 weeks straight the diesel tries to force a regen and isn't happy with the driving conditions. When the wife is out running errands and I need to run some errands, I know its not great for the truck to be driven on multiple short trips.

Bottom line, a diesel is a compromise. You get great power and longevity... but you sacrifice ease of use at times. I'm very happy to see that Ford is offering a more powerful gas engine that is cheaper and doesn't have as many restrictions to operation. I'll certainly be watching it over the next couple years and see how it performs. Maybe it'll be a great option for me to consider, maybe it'll be a stinker.