Who Daily Drivers their diesel TV?

[RoyBell]

I am looking for honest real-world feedback from people that use their TV as a daily driver as well. I am thinking of upgrading from my Tundra to get a little more capacity. Tundra has been a great truck since I bought it new 6 years ago, however, I feel I could use a little more TV with my new camper I got last year. Around 7300lbs loaded. Everything seems fine until I load the truck full of passengers and it's a different towing experience.

I have a concern going to a diesel because they get a bad rap for expensive repairs and poor reliability. Right now I am swaying to the F250 because I like their looks and hp/tq figures seem to be the best currently. Some people cry that they are very expensive to maintain and repair. Can anyone share real world opinions on that?

In 6 years I have done nothing to the Tundra but put gas in and change the oil. Brakes/tires at 50K miles but that's been it. Very good truck in that regard.

It's a little surprising the Big 3 don't offer better gas engines at this point. All current gas engines make as much power as my 5.7 Tundra. At a heavier curb weight and the same or less hp, I am taking a step backwards in power which is not something I am willing to do. I was sold on the GMC 6.2, but they only put it in their 1500 trucks. Their 1500 HD barely tows more than my Tundra when you look at GVWR numbers.

Which has me looking at Diesels again. On days I do drive it, I would be looking at 30 minute minimum trips in it. I know short drives or not driving Diesels under load is not good for them which has me wondering what kind of driving people with issues actual do.

Appreciate any input. I figured this asking this here would be better than going to a vehicle specific forum. Looking forward to the unbiased responses.

[Cummins12V98]

burningman wrote:
I was at both ends of the spectrum, I drove a tiny Mazda Miata as a daily driver and a 4x4 crewcab dually when needed. The Miata recently met a violent death (miraculously I didn't!) and after thinking long and hard about it, I decided to daily drive my Ram Cummins dually, I think it makes more sense to just drive it than to buy another car.
No matter how powerful it is (I think my slightly pumped-up diesel would win a drag race against the Miata) I will admit it's big and heavy and sometimes I miss the way the sports car flies around. I hear people on Cummins forums calling their hot-rodded Rams "8000 pound sports cars"; yeah right, they've apparently never driven a sports car!!
Overall, so far I'm OK with it. I sure feel safer in the heavy truck. Honestly, if I weren't afraid of tiny cars after the crash in mine, I'd probably get another sports car though.

Those Miata's are a death trap, many have died or seriously injured in those cars, besides they are a little "girly" ! Happy you made it out ok.

I owned a 1990 Corvette and honestly my 15 RAM Dually is by far better riding than it was. The handling part is not all that far off, the RAM has very tight steering and has no roll coming into the corners. I can also say with all honesty the RAM is much more smooth at 104mph. 😉

[jus2shy]

Currently Daily Drive my Ram. Hoping to do the opposite and pickup a nice sporty smaller car in about 2 or 3 years (looking at a used porsche 911 / Cayman, jag f-type, or even mustang / camaro, just unsure right now and depends on values 2 or 3 years from now). Wife has her sedan as well, so it'll be nice to own something a little irresponsible again. There's no way I would ever purchase a "Commuter" car to supplement my truck.

That's why the truck I bought is a short bed crew cab, I can still drive it through downtown and park in most parking garages and road spaces. I too have about a 35 to 45 minute commute on a daily basis. And at least once a month, I go on a trip to the coast or up north or south (about 200 to 300 miles round trip). My truck is a diesel and we get bad traffic in the city occasionally, but I try to work off-set hours to avoid much of the gridlock. Really what kills a modern diesel's emissions system is high idle time and driving primarily in grid lock (since that's almost akin to idling all the way home). My active regens tend to be about 1,000 miles apart on my truck. No issues with emissions or the engine itself. Had to get the transmission re-programmed under warranty so that it shifts nicely now. But with 45k miles of driving, no real issues to report. Personally, there's plenty of members at all 3 forums that get well over 100k miles on their post 2010 EPA emissions vehicles. Some are unlucky and they're the most likely to post issues. So all 3 forums will skew to show more breakdowns per capita for any brand. However, you are right in that if something goes wrong on a diesel outside of warranty, it can be a pricey proposition. But I figure that the chances are low of something like that happening. That's been the case ever since common rail diesels came to market (Duramaxes, Scorpion Powerstrokes, and Cummins from 2003 on up I believe).

Lastly OP, If you do supercharge your Tundra, make sure that the supercharger is good for towing. I looked into that option for my 2010 F-150 and found that all superchargers for my 5.4 liter V-8 were *NOT* recommended for towing applications. Apparently too much heat and the cooling system wouldn't be able to keep up, or something would break in the driveline. So keep that in mind and do more research.

[burningman]

I was at both ends of the spectrum, I drove a tiny Mazda Miata as a daily driver and a 4x4 crewcab dually when needed. The Miata recently met a violent death (miraculously I didn't!) and after thinking long and hard about it, I decided to daily drive my Ram Cummins dually, I think it makes more sense to just drive it than to buy another car.
No matter how powerful it is (I think my slightly pumped-up diesel would win a drag race against the Miata) I will admit it's big and heavy and sometimes I miss the way the sports car flies around. I hear people on Cummins forums calling their hot-rodded Rams "8000 pound sports cars"; yeah right, they've apparently never driven a sports car!!
Overall, so far I'm OK with it. I sure feel safer in the heavy truck. Honestly, if I weren't afraid of tiny cars after the crash in mine, I'd probably get another sports car though.

[ksss]

If you are going to stay with a half ton, I think your best options are the heavy spec GM 6.2 and Ford Ecoboost. The GM will tow around 12K which is about 2K more than the Toyota. The pull off that was just posted on this forum is here somewhere, you may want to look at it. The Toyota did poorly compared to either the GM or Ford. These two options would give you more towing capacity and the sport truck feel it looks like you desire. I don't have personal experience with the Ford but the GM 6.2 is a fantastic motor. You cant argue with it's spec sheet, nothing else can touch it.

As to the diesel, a lot of pluses and some negatives. Personally, I think if your running a pickup with a heavy load all the time, it is the easy decision.

It gets a lot more subjective when you just like running them, regardless of what makes the most economical sense. You may have to do some traveling apparently to get a variety to test drive and see what gives you the performance your looking for. I would guess that will be a Ford or GM since the V-8 diesels are a "faster" feeling truck than the I-6 Cummins in my opinion. Know that these HD trucks are going to have a much different ride than the soft sprung Toyota you are used to.

I am not sure that your going to find exactly what your seeking in a HD pickup. You may have to adjust your personal requirements somewhat for you to be happy in a HD. Regardless of what you buy (either heavy half or HD, gas or diesel), it will be better than what you have for towing. Heavy duty gas trucks to me don't feel fast when empty, but when you are pulling they get it done regardless of OEM, they all perform about the same (according to test results). That is why the 6.2 appears like the most logical choice assuming you can stay at or under 12K and since your considering SC your Toyota that seems to be the case. They can pull and they are a fun engine to drive empty. Not as fun as the SC 6.2 in my ZL1 but fun for a pickup.

[polishdon]

I drive my 2014 2500 HD 13 miles back and forth to work every day. I've only had it a few months, but no issues so far. Gas mileage is comparable to my 1500, except in the extreme cold, then it's a little worse. With the price of diesel on the reservation it's actually saving me money as I only ride out there every 2 weeks and fill up. Kind of fun pulling into the corporate office parking ramp with it every day too. lol

[jalichty]

I don't know if this has bee said, but you might take a look at Dave Smith Motors in Idaho. I understand they are a pretty good dealership for price.

[Slownsy]

Yep herd Texas has a lot of cheap pickups going.
Frank.

[Houston_Remodel]

Shop anyplace there used to be a lot of oil drilling. I'm sure the dealerships will be quite eager to sell a veehickle. New or repossessed.

[Grit_dog]

Dang man, now I know why I left Chicago and never moved back...
Only one diesel pickup in 4 dealerships??? That's a travesty haha.
You need to move out of the city!

[Wes_Tausend]

...

Roy,

I don't think there is much of a problem using a modern diesel as a daily driver. Most get reasonable mileage, comparable to a smaller truck on gas, maybe better than your Tundra. As an example I had a featherweight B4000 Mazda (same as 4x4 Ford Ranger) that got about 17 in town. Our old F-250 230HP diesel "anvil" gets similar economy. But we seldom drive it in winter and it still has thick summer oil in it. In foul weather we drive a thirsty gas Excursion SUV when we have to. Our prefered vehicle otherwise is always a cheap running, nimble little hybrid. I don't have a thing for power since I used to drive locomotives. After years of that, now I appreciate small and nimble.

The one main thing that saves short-trip gas engines today is that engineers removed sulphur from gasoline and lube oil some time ago. Now the same cleanliness is true of diesel fuel. Sulphur used to combine with unevaporated crankcase water vapor to form sulphuric acid which literally ate the bearings and other metal while parked. Engines didn't get hot long enough in short trips to dry out. That type corrosion damage is no longer true, and now all engines finally last longer. Engines are not really built any different than in the past. The acid is merely gone. So a little blowby water vapor, left mixed with oil in the crankcase from short trips, is not the problem it once was.

The 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton engines have little to do with towing ability although some are better for no-load hill-racing. The main advantage of a 3/4 ton is the HD tranny, differential and HD cooling system. Even if your Tundra has HD cooling, its probably less than most 3/4 tons which accounts for Tundra's lesser rating. The 1/2 ton transmission won't matter on level ground but will more likely overheat in hills. Souping up your Tundra will probably kill the tranny and/or differential if you actually use the power.

I say get the diesel. They have that low rpm torque you value in your Tundra, only way moreso. Pulling a hill without having to shift down is their forte, not necessarily high rpm max horsepower. You only live once, and a thread like this is a poor substitute for the real experience. I'm pretty sure you will like diesel power.

Wes
...

[deltabravo]

I daily drive the 06 in my signature, only have been doing that since October when i went back to work full time.

[Crambo]

I am enjoying my 2015 ram. No issues in 21,000 miles other than a check engine light for a bad relay on my grid heater. I've got to run by the dealer and get that fixed. I think the new diesel trucks are doing pretty good with reliability. What I'm seeing reported are mostly minor issues. I drive mine daily and do the maintenance myself. Both fuel filters can be bought for 100 bucks and changed in about 15 minutes. Oil change is recommended by ram every 15,000 miles but I do mine around 7500.

[camp-n-family]

Interesting. Aside from the lack of power, how does it tow compared to the Tundra? Every 1/2 ton side by side tests the rams 5.7 cant keep up with the toyota 5.7. I can't imagine it in a huge truck like the 2500. Does it feel more stable?

I wouldn't say there is a lack of power, they both have plenty for their intended use. It's just that the Tundra is better geared to make use of the power. The Ram is always bogged down in the wrong gear and refuses to downshift (towing and non)

Yes the Ram is more stable. It is definitely bigger and heavier than the Tundra but also has E rated tires aired to 80psi. My Tundra had a 3" lift with 305/55/20 AT tires which didn't help. The Tundra didn't feel unstable but was definitely softer. Airbags helped. The Tundra was a better "puller", the Ram a better "carrier". Having towed with both, I prefer the Tundra.

[phillyg]

Yes, but I'm retired and don't have to go to work five days a week. I do miss my F150 that was so sedan like. I find myself driving the Avalon most of the time unless I'm hauling a load.

[Cummins12V98]

Daily driver 2015 Crew LongHorn Dually Aisin 4.10's 4X4. Love the truck, with 32,500# combined the truck gets the load rolling easily and HANDLES the RV well in all conditions. Had a 2011 same truck as the 15 in looks but the 15 is a completely different animal. Towed heavy with the 11 at 28-29K with 65K on the clock at trade with zero problems.