Diesel or Gas

[DaDubs]

I am sure this has been hashed out a million times before, but...

I have decided to sell my current TV and move up to a 3/4ton. I found a really nice F250 Harley Davidson Diesel with low mileage for a pretty good price. My question is: Is it really a huge benefit anymore to have a diesel compared to the new 3/4 ton gassers?

The truck will also be my daily driver, so will the better pulling fuel economy outweigh the worse city driving economy? Also, our winters are very cold, would that affect your decision between gas or diesel?

[funnthestix]

I had a 2000 GMC Serria 3/4 ton with a 6.0 gasser. I purchased the truck with 92,xxx on it drove it as my daily driver for 5 1/2 yrs and of course it was my tow vehicle. At 176,xxx it started giving me trouble in the engine and transmission. I had always wanted a diesel But couldn't afford a new Sierra with the Dura Max and the Allison transmission combo. I started doing a little searching and found a 2001 F250 with the 7.3 diesel and it only had 26,xxx original miles. The truck looked very close to new. So I couldn't help myself, I had to buy it. That was just 2 weeks ago and I used it this past weekend to tow my camper. All I can say is it tows like a dream and I'm glad I made the switch to diesel

[isljumper]

I have a 2001 3/4 ton Dodge, pulled a 32 ft. Jayco Designer fifth wheel, did a terrific job of pulling, I have the 410 rear end, and I would get up to 15 miles per gallon on level terrain.
Sold the fifth wheel because of wife's health problems, but will keep my Dodge. I get as good mileage with that as I do my 2009 Saturn Vue.

[MontanaCamper]

2003 was the first 6.0L..or all the searching I have done this is what I came up with. I had a 6.0L had 82K on it and had the drivers bank of injectors changed by PO. When I bought the truck I wanted a warranty with it..so I paid extra..1500 or something like that. NOT KIDDING...the warranty was for the truck up to 100K and 2 years...so I had 18K and two years of warranty..I was happy with that...this is the NOT KIDDING PART. 4 days from the two years, I had 99,980 on the clock...The truck would not start. Cool day, but not cold..say 30F. Had it towed, Insurance covered it..they did a dio on it and it was the other bank of injectors..they said it will be spendy..3500 or something like that, I showed them the insurance..100 deductable...wrote them the check, they had the truck for 2 days...picked it up, drove it just off the lot and it started jerking under acceleration..limped it back and told the guy, he jumped in and I drove 10 feet..he said, well your lucky day..the turbo just went out..and its still under warrenty...so drove it back and 3 more days it had a new turbo. total cost of like 5000ish dollars in repair was 1600ish... Wanted to trade it in for a bigger truck and the best the lot could do for me was 3500 for my truck..it had 120K when I wanted to sell it. I sold it for 9000 off of CL. Would I have another 6.0L...yes...but I would get a warranty. And the truck pulled like a dream...I would still have it, if the family didn't grow!!

[AJR]

Take the VIN number to a friendly Ford dealer and have them look up the truck’s history.

I had a 2002 F250 6.0 and once Ford got the programming right. No more bad injectors for 90k mi..

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Kalabin wrote:
Its funny on my daily commute up here I seen TONS of 6.0 power strokes on the highway. The guys I have ran into that have had issues were fully bragging about modifications / tuning they had done.

One guy I talked to put it to me this way. He would rather pay 5,000 for a head gasket rather than a 15,000 repair bill on the 6.4. Now I can't say if that's true or not, but if you can afford a little down time if it happens the 6.0 is a really good deal.

My BIL spent close to 30k on a 2006 Dodge Ram SLT 3500, I see F350 Lariats with the 6.0 @ 90k miles on dealer lots for about 20k. For the difference ya could do a lot of work on the truck or have an "oh shoot" emergency fund if needed.

I guess my thing is there were a lot more units of ford 6.0's sold and for the number of them I sure see a TON of them on the roads up here, almost 50% of all diesels.

So are you saying you know a lot more than Ford engineers that say they went over spec on cylinder specs which causes cylinder head gasket problems?

Or do you think Ford was wrong when they sued Nav for a BILLION dollars because of engine problems?

[Kalabin]

Its funny on my daily commute up here I seen TONS of 6.0 power strokes on the highway. The guys I have ran into that have had issues were fully bragging about modifications / tuning they had done.

One guy I talked to put it to me this way. He would rather pay 5,000 for a head gasket rather than a 15,000 repair bill on the 6.4. Now I can't say if that's true or not, but if you can afford a little down time if it happens the 6.0 is a really good deal.

My BIL spent close to 30k on a 2006 Dodge Ram SLT 3500, I see F350 Lariats with the 6.0 @ 90k miles on dealer lots for about 20k. For the difference ya could do a lot of work on the truck or have an "oh shoot" emergency fund if needed.

I guess my thing is there were a lot more units of ford 6.0's sold and for the number of them I sure see a TON of them on the roads up here, almost 50% of all diesels.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

This is all you need to read about the 6.0 engine.

The 7.3 is a great diesel engine; the 6.0 and 6.4; not so much. Be careful what you pick. There is a reason 6.0 are cheap.

[PA12DRVR]

A) If you're going to be towing with it, I'd suggest a diesel. Better low end torque, less impact to the mileage when towing etc.

B) There are lots of people with lots of experience with the Ford 6.0: Here's mine: 2 2005/6 (?) 6.0's. No problems whatsoever with either. 1 was stolen and the replacement was sold later. No problems; of course, I never chipped or programmed them.

I'd get a diesel if you find one you like and I wouldn't be unduly scared of the 6.0.

[rustycopperball]

I had the the Ford F-250 Triton V-10 gas freaking hog, it new of only one standard of fuel mileage 8 miles to the gallon, towing it went down even more sometimes five miles to the gallon. Diesel are out their just keep look I found a 2004 dodge cummins 1 ton single axle 5 speed with only 89000 miles on it. Wow was I surprised ran a carfax and went to deal, they really wanted my truck and I wanted there's> I told them what I could do, no money exchanged hands a few dollars more in a monthly pay. It was what I could do. It pulls my 10000 pound trailer with ease. 68 miles an hour with cruise every where we travel and mileage increased to 12 to 14 towing not towing on highway 21!!!!! ya I'll never go back to a gasser!!!!

[On_the_Lam]

The 7.3l Internationals are bulletproof. They are older, but still highly sought after. I have a 2003, the last year they made them. They hold more value than the next generation 6.0's. Someone in an earlier post said they are older, and they are, but they are ultra-reliable, reasonably cost-efficient to maintain (compared to newer diesels), and if you're a shade-tree mechanic, you can fix just about anything on them due to the ton of information on them on the Internet. They really have a cult following. I have a landscape friend with several 7.3's, all over 600k miles and going strong. Lots of clean air and clean oil. Don't let the "older" tag mislead you. Lots of life in the 7.3's.

[aarond76]

I have several friends that had 6.0's. More unhappy then happy. But some did not have problems. All that had problems were bought used for cheaper than a comparable Dmax or Cummins. They had no knowledge of 6.0 issues when they bought them and ofcouse the salesperson made no mention of them. So if you do buy the 6.0 just make sure you get it for a very low cost compared to what the equiv. Chevy or Dodge will sell for. Ask your salesperson about 6.0 issues and I'm sure he will act like he has no idea what you are talking about. Have a buddy take a 6.0 to him for trade in and I expect he will be an expert on how difficult it will be to sell and not want to give much on trade.

[mbrooks43]

I have a 2004 Duramax/Allison set up with a programmer. I love it and love the diesel. But, the upfront cost of a diesel made me question buying one, and makes me question buying one again.

If I was buying a new truck, I would probably avoid diesel due to the emission stuff currently installed that do nothing other than restrict the engine. I also just heard due to some lawsuits, some of the programmers and other mods are illegal to manufacture now.

I would buy an older non-DEF diesel which I could remove some of the emission stuff. Diesel is made to last and pull. There is a reason commercial vehicles use diesel engines. The lifespan is tremendous with maintenance. I saw a mention of gas being 400hp and 400/ft lbs, which is good, but diesel is massive torque.

If you want a heavy trailer and plan on keeping the truck pony up the money and get a diesel otherwise go with a large gasser.

[87bob]

I'm going to stir a can of worms here! Awhile back I had breakfast at one of the local Hardees. They have a crew of Farmers and retirees from Cumins. To a person they are all diesel drivers and to a person they all complained about the newer diesels the have to run the DEF. it seems that while it works well in theory the particle side has not been met yet. One guy mentioned a friend that was pulling a 5th wheel when his shut down and he had to hire a Semi Wrecker to tow him in to the tune of 800.00 before the repairs started. They complained about ALL THE BRANDS Ford GM Dodge. It seems that the Carbon filters plug up past 40,000 miles and dealer service is required. One guy said it happened to him twice. I asked a guy I know at Cumins about his and he confirmed that his had plug ed up as well and they took care of the problem. Not in a way the EPA might be happy with but he stated he will never have it happen again. I also asked a friend who owns a fleet of triaxle dumps and he is buying Gliders which are basically new trucks that he and his son retrofit their old rebuilt engines into and because they are aftermarket assembled units they don't have to worry about big brother. I have a 2013 2500HD GMC I wished I had bought the Alison trany but I'm glad I don't have a diesel.

[anaro]

As others have stated, there is no comparing towing with a diesel to a gasser, it is a wonderful experience. That said, the diesel does require more maintenance and is more expensive for things like oil changes and repairs. I have the 6.4 ford PSD and it is a daily driver. mine has the smoking issue that some get. that is another story for another day. The diesels need an oil change every 5000 miles at around $100 each time (they take 15 quarts of oil).. They need a fuel filter change every 10,000 miles, that will be another $80-110 each time. You should drain the water from the fuel line monthly. Not sure about the 6.0 but the 6.4 and newer require Cetane boost to be run with every tank of fuel. For more info on the trucks visit... ford truck enthusiasts or the diesel stop