OK, all you truck wonks...

MargaretB wrote:
... answer me this.

Why are diesel engines only available in F250s, 2500, etc.? Why can't they be put into the smaller F150s and 1500s? (I know about the payload deficiencies of the 1500, so that's not an issue in this question.)

This is a real question. I know diddly about engines or motors or trucks or anything about what happens under the hood when I turn the key, except what I hear on Car Talk. But we were frustrated because we couldn't get a diesel in the smaller versions of the trucks we looked at, and we didn't want or need the larger ones.

You now can get a smaller diesel in a half-ton.
Take a look at the RAM Ecodiesel. It gets amazing unloaded mileage and when towing a modest load, it'll still do great. It's a small 3.0 Liter engine and only 240 HP so it won't win drag races, but if that's something you're looking for then there you go.
I saw a few of them last summer towing large ski boats and at the campground plodding along with no problem. They're quiet but still have that diesel rumble to them.

If that's too small, Nissan is coming out with a heavy half-ton. The Titan XD. It'll feature the 5.0 Cummins V8. It's not quite a 3/4 ton.