U of M study

carringb wrote:
This is important:

The authors also did the calculations from the perspective that people would keep these models for three to five years.

That means the sturdy pretty much excludes out-of-warranty repairs.

When looking at three-to-five years of ownership, the diesels generally kept $2,000 to $7,000 in owners' pockets.

$2-7,000 will make a lot of "out of warranty" repairs. I know people say that the injection system alone will cost way more than that but be real, if it last through the warranty period then you are only going to have minor things to repair. The way you talk my 2005 Cummins should have ate the money saved by now but in reality all I've had to do is change the oil and filters since new in 2005. Correction, I did replace the Two batteries last year because I was getting nervous.

I have 2 - 2006 Cummins in my fleet with almost 500,000 miles combined and only cost of a diesel repair was 1 turbo. These trucks are also diven by guys that don't own the truck and don't care if they break them because they know it's not out of their pocket and the truck has to be fixed for business.

Now add the cost of me being relaxed and less stressed (other views vary) because I tow very heavy and a gas truck of the same would have driven me nuts revving and shifting, I would say the diesel game has payed me back and then some.

Great catch Bryan.

This is important:

The authors also did the calculations from the perspective that people would keep these models for three to five years.

That means the sturdy pretty much excludes out-of-warranty repairs.

will, yea, the resale valve is greater because you paid more for it....

The gist of the article is that depreciation is the key factor.

"Although the combined costs of insurance, repairs, maintenance and fees and taxes, are higher for nearly all diesel models, the lower depreciation values and lower fuel costs of diesel vehicles contribute to a lower total cost of ownership—especially among passenger cars and SUVs."

Pretty cool article, of course some may pick it to death:B