Diesel fuel penalty

[Redsky]

I knew when I bought my diesel truck that the cost for the truck was going to be $9,000 more and that I would be paying twice as much for maintenance and repairs, but I did not expect to be paying more for diesel than for premium gas.

I have been checking prices and locations for a trip planned through California, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada this year. I was surprised in checking Pilot truck stop prices how much more they are charging for diesel over premium gas.

In California the difference is on average 8 cents.
In Oregon the difference on average is 22 cents.
In Idaho the difference on average is 55 cents.
In Montana the difference on average is 60 cents.
In Nevada the difference on average is 25 cents.

That difference in cost is twice as great when comparing diesel to the regular gas that a truck would be using. In Montana diesel is 90 cents more per gallon than diesel or 29% more expensive. That pretty much wipes out any gain in fuel economy from having a diesel engine.

[monkey44]

GoPackGo wrote:
But you should recoup a lot of that on the back end when you sell or trade.

I find that hard to believe - if you buy a diesel today, at say anywhere from $7k - $9K over a gas version, and you get down around 250K-300K miles or so, you have an older worn out body and seats, and heater, and A/C, and wires, and alternators, and undercarriage, and etc etc... So, what makes anyone imagine a truck of that age will bring $7k or $9k more than a gasser,

You have a diesel engine that runs like new still in an old worn out truck even if you take care of it. The reason one buys a diesel is pulling power ... it never will have anything to do with resale value or operating expenses. Or, recovering that expense when you sell it. Can't...makes no sense.

[jmtandem]

Nobody buys a turbo diesel for just the MPG.That by itself is a total waste of money and everybody knows it!!! As for the price of diesel fuel??? It is what it is.

You buy a diesel for the mass moving, git the job done, trailer towin, MH pushin, ground poundin, stump jumpin, junk yard dog bitin, a$$ kickin, high altitude thin air suckin, straight razor toten, slap yer mama, head butt yer cousin, shoot yer bro in law, 7% grade climbin, 7% grade descending, gut bustin, mother lovin, over built massive torque & grunt when yer towin a heavy load!!! Meanwhile at 60 mph, yer sipping yer favorite libation and enjoyin the passing scenery at elevations and grades even mountain goats don't frequent, passin the gasers on the shoulder puking parts, gas, and antifreeze!!!

Thats why diesel owners buy diesels.

Excellent summation of the difference between gas and diesel. It has nothing to do with cost. It is all about performance. Good job sharing with the OP the reason he bought a diesel!!!!

[jmtandem]

In Montana diesel is 90 cents more per gallon than diesel or 29% more expensive. That pretty much wipes out any gain in fuel economy from having a diesel engine.

What???

[rhagfo]

Me Again wrote:

2oldman wrote:

Redsky wrote:
. That pretty much wipes out any gain in fuel economy from having a diesel engine.

I think you may have fallen victim to a couple diesel myths, one, that you get better mileage with it, and, that it costs less.

Just a cursory observation.

So can you point me to a gas TV that will tow my 12,400 pound trailer and equal the 12-12.5 MPG I get towing and get 19-20 on road trip empty and around 15 around town.

Oh, and I want one that will come down 6% grades at a reasonable speed with the trailer without using the service brakes.

Chris

X2 to that and at $3.00 and $4.00 per gal that is 33% more and 11 mpg to 7 mpg is about 33% more I call that break even

[2oldman]

N-Trouble wrote:
Which diesel options have you been looking at? Try closer to $9-10K

Oh gees.. last time I bought new was in 2003. Wow.

[Roman_Duck]

We went from a 31' gasser avereging 6mpg to a diesel and last trip down south and back with the diesel we avereged 12mpg. Max speed 60 to 65

[Roman_Duck]

N-Trouble wrote:
You don't buy a diesel to save money... You buy a diesel because you want/need the pulling power.

X2 more power!

[gmcsmoke]

45Ricochet wrote:

ghost trailer and all

[skyhammer]

Where I live on the NW coast of Calif. diesel is about 10 cents cheaper than premium.
Empty, my DRW gets about 5MPG more than my half ton truck.
Fully loaded I get between 10-12MPG with the DRW.
Carrying 1/5 the weight of the DRW, my 1/2 ton gets 8MPG fully loaded.

[N-Trouble]

2oldman wrote:

krobbe wrote:
Buy a diesel for tow power. Not to save money.

That's about it. It's a $3k-4k premium up front too.

Which diesel options have you been looking at? Try closer to $9-10K

[N-Trouble]

GoPackGo wrote:
Many years ago I remember reading that, in general, a diesel engine will get about 33% better fuel mileage when compared to a COMPARABLE gasoline engined vehicle.

It's a little difficult to do an exact comparison, but I do remember way back when VW was selling both a gas and diesel Rabbit. As I recall, the diesel version did get about 33% better fuel economy - my 5-speed diesel version would get an honest 60 mpg at 60 mph. So I figure if diesel fuel is no more then 33% more expensive, then I come out ahead by driving a diesel engined vehicle.

Tim

My experience coming from a 2002 2500HD 6.0 gasser CCSB to a 2012 2500HD Duramax CCSB is ~20% improvement in both daily driving and towing my 8K lb toyhauler. But that's not why I bought the diesel...

[N-Trouble]

crickeydog wrote:
Nobody buys a turbo diesel for just the MPG. That by itself is a total waste of money and everybody knows it!!! As for the price of diesel fuel??? It is what it is.

You buy a diesel for the mass moving, git the job done, trailer towin, MH pushin, ground poundin, stump jumpin, junk yard dog bitin, a$$ kickin, high altitude thin air suckin, straight razor toten, slap yer mama, head butt yer cousin, shoot yer bro in law, 7% grade climbin, 7% grade descending, gut bustin, mother lovin, over built massive torque & grunt when yer towin a heavy load!!! Meanwhile at 60 mph, yer sipping yer favorite libation and enjoyin the passing scenery at elevations and grades even mountain goats don't frequent, passin the gasers on the shoulder puking parts, gas, and antifreeze!!!:B

Thats why diesel owners buy diesels.

Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)

Amen to that brotha!

[45Ricochet]

Me Again wrote:
Check the price difference in the summer months!
Chris

True. Premium was the same as diesel much of last summer here anyway.
Seems the price did jump with the introduction of ULSD, they have to cook it longer and in the process lower the lube quality. Then they have to add something to save our injector pumps :W

Ah these were the days



That is from 2006 but I believe the station had been closed for a while :B

[ford_truck_guy]

crickeydog wrote:
Nobody buys a turbo diesel for just the MPG. That by itself is a total waste of money and everybody knows it!!! As for the price of diesel fuel??? It is what it is.

You buy a diesel for the mass moving, trailer towin, MH pushin, ground poundin, stump jumpin, junk yard dog bitin, a$$ kickin, high altitude thin air suckin, straight razor toten, slap yer mama, head butt yer cousin, shoot yer bro in law, 7% grade climbin, 7% grade descending, gut bustin, mother lovin, over built massive torque & grunt when yer towin a heavy load!!! Mean while at 60 mph, yer sipping yer favorite libation and enjoyin the passing scenery at elevations and grades even mountain goats don't frequent, passin the gasers on the shoulder puking parts, gas, and antifreeze!!!:B

Thats why diesel owners buy diesels.

Happy camping!!! See y'all down the road!!!:)

What Cricky said !!!!! ... And to get in the great forum debates on which engine is better. :B

[DavisK]

Around here diesel is 4 cents more than premium.