Is It Worth It?

[rarin_2go]

I have owned both a gas 1 ton and a diesel 1 ton and do agree that a diesel pulls my trailer better. But at the moment both trucks have went to truck heaven. That is why I am looking for a truck and trying to keep costs down as best as I can. Driving around today I checked the price of diesel vs gas. Today diesel fuel is a $1.04 more expensive than a gal of gas and has been that for quite awhile. Now does the benefits of owning a diesel vs a gas truck justify the extra cost of fuel. Especially when I will probably rarely be in the mountains. I am on the fence about which way to go and need input on your experience with either engines.

Thanks for your input.

[theoldwizard1]

IMHO, diesel does NOT make sense unless you

• Have a load that can't possibly be towed by a gasser
• Drive 50,000+ per year

Preferably, both !

[way2roll]

Turtle n Peeps wrote:
Diesel will net you 25 to 30% better mileage. Just do the math in your area and find out if diesel wins out in the cost contest or not.

I agree with this.

Despite higher price at the pump you are still better off because your MPG is better in a diesel than gas. With a gas truck you will buy more fuel than you will with a diesel, enough to make it cost more in the long run.

but, the cost of a diesel truck is considerably more. How long the difference in price tag to the net in overall fuel costs would probably be long enough that it doesn't matter.

Then you have value. Diesel trucks - despite fuel costs - retain higher value than the equivalent gas trucks. So you pay more up front but it's worth more on the back end.

Finally, I think you said it yourself, that a diesel truck simply does the job better. The new gas trucks are phenomenal and likely better than a diesel truck a few years ago, but apples to apples, the diesel just does the job easier. No offense to gas truck owners. Either will do the job adequately.

Personally, I don't really care for my new truck to just drive around. It's big, torquey, bouncy and rough riding. Once you hook up the FW though it's like a Cadillac. It's made to haul a big load, not really made as a grocery getter. I do find that I like it on long trips even without the RV but otherwise it's not a lot of fun to run to the store.

[Crespro]

We are half towing and half not towing and pull a 14.6K fifth wheel. We went with gas (7.3L and 4.30 axle, 26K GCWR) and it works fine for us. I agree that a larger RV should be pulled by a diesel. With the 10 speed, we downshift a lot, but it pulls fine up the hills. We are 22.6K combined, with about 15% reserve margin. A diesel would have a much larger reserve. I am comfortable with 15%, but understand many who would prefer 40% reserve margin.

[wanderingaimles]

The one thing not mentioned by others is age. New gassers 2021 or 22, with 8 to 10 speed tranny's are way more capable than they were just 5 years ago. The Ram's 6.4 when mated to the 8 speed, GM's 6.6 with a 10 speed or Fords Godzilla, they all are more capable than the gassers of 2017.

[Grit_dog]

rarin'2go wrote:
I have owned both a gas 1 ton and a diesel 1 ton and do agree that a diesel pulls my trailer better. But at the moment both trucks have went to truck heaven. That is why I am looking for a truck and trying to keep costs down as best as I can. Driving around today I checked the price of diesel vs gas. Today diesel fuel is a $1.04 more expensive than a gal of gas and has been that for quite awhile. Now does the benefits of owning a diesel vs a gas truck justify the extra cost of fuel. Especially when I will probably rarely be in the mountains. I am on the fence about which way to go and need input on your experience with either engines.

Thanks for your input.

You should have titled this thread "Points to Ponder, Hornets Nest Part 2!"
Seriously.
You've been a member here for 18 years, owned both, and even if this is the only place in the world you go to seek information (sad), you certainly have read, can read, or can find approximately 12,345 different, but the same, versions of this question.....

I'll go on about presuming you're just bored and want to start another internet pissing match between Shiner and....whoever! LOL

So my answer is, get a Cybertruck! Don't be one of those run of the mill schmos with a gas or diesel. And since you think fuel prices are a concern, those things basically run for free! All you gotta do is round up enough unicorns and feed 'em a little too much high quality alfalfa and that thing'll fly on unicorn farts!
Plus, I heard, the infotainment system voice in the Cybertruck will sound like Elon whispering sweet nothings into your ear, like he does to Grimes!
(BTW That's the real reason Yosemite, 8.1 and FreeRad have a chubb for the cybertruk!)

[time2roll]

I would have the gasser.

[valhalla360]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
What did you like towing with more??? That's your answer.

If you need to sooth your ego and money is a non-issue, by all means get the diesel. They are great fun.

Unless you are doing 30-40k miles per year towing, the fuel savings won't pay for the diesel up charge.

Biggest driver is what are you pulling.
- If you are pulling a 7k lb trailer, go gas.
- If you are pulling an 18k lb trailer, go diesel.

For me the break point is going to be somewhere around 12-15k lb.
- With lots of mountain driving, I would use the lower end of that range.
- With modest mountain driving, I would use the upper end of that range.
- Obviously, check the actual tow and payload ratings.

[Grit_dog]

schlep1967 wrote:
I just bought a new diesel. My thoughts are this, if you drive your truck twice as many miles when not towing as you do when towing, gas might be a better option. If your truck sits in the garage unless you are using it to tow a trailer, I'd go with the diesel.
We are a two person two vehicle family. I work from home. If we go anywhere in the evening we are taking the car. The diesel truck I am selling now is a 2008 with 99,000 miles on it. I bought the truck to pull the camper and that is its main use.

Looks like you got a buyer in the post above this one!

[toedtoes]

The fact is that in a year, diesel may cost less than gasoline again. Or it could go even higher.

Buy the truck that works best for what you need it to do. Don't base your decision on a roller coaster of a factor like fuel prices.

[Turtle_n_Peeps]

Diesel will net you 25 to 30% better mileage. Just do the math in your area and find out if diesel wins out in the cost contest or not.

[ShinerBock]

Your answers will be very subjective from one person to the next based on everyone's personal feelings, taste's, and opinions. Not everyone's answer will be the same just as not everyone's answer will be right or wrong. To some, an extra $1k-$2K over the life of the truck after trade in is worth the added power and ease of towing, to others it may not be.

There are some objective answers to your question regarding cost, but that will also vary depending on everyone's location. Some like me only have around a $.40 cent difference between diesel and gas while other like yourself may have more than a dollar.

Although, I will say that the higher the fuel cost in general, the more you will benefit from a vehicles that gets better fuel mileage. For instance, a Ram 2500 Cummins gets an average of 15.5 mpg while the gas version is 12 mpg. With that, if diesel is $5.19 then it would cost $.34 cents per mile while the gas version will be $.35 cents per mile with gas being $1.04 cheaper at $4.15. If both gas and diesel were exactly $1 less then the gas truck would cost per mile of $.01 cent less than the diesel. So as fuel prices increase, it benefits the diesel due to it's better fuel economy. When they decrease, then they benefit the gas. Kind of the opposite of what most people think.

[Cummins12V98]

What did you like towing with more??? That's your answer.

[schlep1967]

I just bought a new diesel. My thoughts are this, if you drive your truck twice as many miles when not towing as you do when towing, gas might be a better option. If your truck sits in the garage unless you are using it to tow a trailer, I'd go with the diesel.
We are a two person two vehicle family. I work from home. If we go anywhere in the evening we are taking the car. The diesel truck I am selling now is a 2008 with 99,000 miles on it. I bought the truck to pull the camper and that is its main use.