Diesel vs gas......................
OK folks, there have been a few to many diesel vs gas threads that have shall we say gone to "Hell and a hand basket"! So if all of you would put in you BEST, no flaming reasons for going gas vs diese...
Forum Discussion
I currently own a 1994 gasser (see below). I would LOVE to have a diesel, but just can’t justify it. The rig below only has 38,000 original miles on it. It only sees the outdoors when I am camping. I am blessed enough to be able to dedicate this truck to nothing but towing (and the occasional trip to the lumberyard). I’m not rich by any means, I just choose to live in a small house, drive junk cars with 200,000 miles on them, and spend the money saved on new cars/houses for camping with my family while the kids are young. When camping, we choose to make several short trips throughout the year (maybe ten weekends all within 100 miles) rather than two or three long trips. Taking all of the above into account, it was more cost efficient for me to purchase the gasser. I change oil once per year. The truck sits for months during the winter. We rarely take cross-country trips. It pulls awesome. Its cost was considerably less than the diesel. I know how to work on and maintain gassers. Etc., etc., etc. IN MY SITUATION, the gasser just made more sense. I know the diesel will pull better and get better mileage (I’ve driven friends’), but mine “DOES THE JOB I NEED IT TO”. I wouldn’t want to full-time with the gasser, but I know for the occasional cross county trip it will (and has) got me there just fine.
I guess the bottom line is that they both have their pros/cons. You have to figure out what is best for you in your own situation. I have nothing bad to say about either, and nothing good to say. I just have pros/cons. Read through all the posts, take bits and pieces from each of them, and draw your own conclusion.
BTW – over the life of the truck (starting from the very first fill-up and including every one since then), I average 6.11 mpg per my Excel spreadsheet. I would say this is 40% interstate towing at 65mph, 50% two-lane highways towing with stops/goes through towns, and 10% driving w/o towing. My TALL fiver weighs in loaded at close to 12,000 pounds. I only had two trips without the trailer long enough to calculate the mileage and one got 10.2mpg and the other got 11.1mpg.
I guess the bottom line is that they both have their pros/cons. You have to figure out what is best for you in your own situation. I have nothing bad to say about either, and nothing good to say. I just have pros/cons. Read through all the posts, take bits and pieces from each of them, and draw your own conclusion.
BTW – over the life of the truck (starting from the very first fill-up and including every one since then), I average 6.11 mpg per my Excel spreadsheet. I would say this is 40% interstate towing at 65mph, 50% two-lane highways towing with stops/goes through towns, and 10% driving w/o towing. My TALL fiver weighs in loaded at close to 12,000 pounds. I only had two trips without the trailer long enough to calculate the mileage and one got 10.2mpg and the other got 11.1mpg.
