At what point does it become feasible to buy a diesel truck?

[A930Rocket]

At what point does it become feasible to buy a diesel truck?

My current ride is a 2001 Ford F150 with a 5.4 and 218,000 on the clock.

I commute 45 miles each way to work and keep the AC running when parked a lot of the time while I do odds and ends or work on my laptop. 30 miles of it is highway, but I'm only getting 12-13 mpg.

I'm filling up every 2 to 2-1/2 days at $75 a pop.

The good news is the truck is long paid off so my $500 truck allowance goes toward the gas bill. It's still about $750 a month.

Would the new Dodge Ram 1/2 ton diesel be an option?

[aigel]

Are you ready to buy a new truck? Because if not, you can buy a lot of gas for the price of a new truck.

Why do you commute in a truck?

Why not retire the truck for occasional hauling duty and commute in a commuter car? Easily triple your mileage and no need to buy a $40k+ truck you'll only drive into the ground in short order.

Just my two cents. I commute in a commuter car ...

G

[A930Rocket]

I need a truck for work, having gone back to building houses.

My thought was I could get a new(er) truck and be out of pocket the same. I haven't priced a new truck but I'm sure it'll be sticker shock.

[aigel]

Just on in the forum:

What are your thoughts on new 1/2ton diesel ram?



I would just go look at the EPA fuel mileage and factor in the miles you drive. Keep in mind diesel is usually more expensive than regular and probably assume that the premium paid for the diesel engine can be recovered at resale to a large degree.

G

[HardDrive]

What about a V6-ecoboost engine? You didn't say if you're doing any towing.

[LakeCleElum]

It comes down to some very basic math........We all want a new rig, but it would take more years than you would live to buy a new diesel........Sticker shock for sure...

[Nickshu]

New half ton diesel Ram claims 28mpg.

I have a new 6.2L Silverado getting 17-21mpg thanks to its cylinder deactivation features. Not bad for 420hp.

[onewhippedpuppy]

A new 3/4 ton diesel is shockingly expensive. A new diesel 1/2 Ram slightly less so. Dropping an additional $40k to save 5 MPG means you'll break even sometime this century. That is, if you don't leave it sitting at idle with the A/C on. I think shutting off your current truck and rolling down the windows makes better financial sense.

Now if you just WANT a new truck, we are all here and ready to be enablers.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

At what point does it become feasible to buy a diesel truck?

My current ride is a 2001 Ford F150 with a 5.4 and 218,000 on the clock.

I commute 45 miles each way to work and keep the AC running when parked a lot of the time while I do odds and ends or work on my laptop. 30 miles of it is highway, but I'm only getting 12-13 mpg.

I'm filling up every 2 to 2-1/2 days at $75 a pop.

The good news is the truck is long paid off so my $500 truck allowance goes toward the gas bill. It's still about $750 a month.

Would the new Dodge Ram 1/2 ton diesel be an option?

New 1/2 ton payment is about $382/month: Ram -Build & Price - Select Model

If you get twice the mileage (24 mpg)(1/2 the gas) you will be spending ($375 gas+$382 payments) = $757month

It's about a wash. Go for it!

[A930Rocket]

That $382 must be for a reg cab or base model. For a crew cab and a few options, it's about $550.

Still something to consider. My truck allowance will make the payment.

[speeder]

Truck allowance? Total write-off? Go for it, man. Get whichever new truck suits your purposes best and do your part for the economy!

The prices are high but the discounts are huge and going from a 2001 F-150 into a new diesel is going to be dramatic.

[campbellcj]

Keep in mind diesel fuel costs more than regular gas, at least around here. Fuel savings ROI is a tough equation with any vehicle. The math just doesn't work, typically. If you "need" more towing/cargo capacity or the current truck is getting too old and untrustworthy, well that helps with the justification/rationalization. I'm kinda in the same boat as you, 2001 F150 5.4 which is becoming my defacto daily-driver as my Audi is basically shot; however, fuel is roughly a wash between those two with the Audi getting around 21 but requiring 91 octane (and far more expensive service). The F150 gets 14-16 but on 87 octane. Eventually I do want/need a larger diesel truck and enclosed trailer but will probably look at a Golf or A3 TDI for commuting instead, and postpone the truck/trailer a couple years.

[Por_sha911]

Upside: better MPG and no repair cost for a few years.

Downside: The new truck will cost a lot more to insure. Diesel costs more and that will offset the MPG.

Consider: Don't over-react and buy a truck that has better mileage but won't meet the need for towing or hauling capacity.

[dewolf]

Can't you get something smaller and get a trailer to cart stuff when needed. When you don't need to cart stuff around leave the trailer behind.

[legion]

I'm waiting patiently for the diesel Chevy Colorado to come out as a 2016 model. I expect it to get almost double the mileage of my 5.3 (with cylinder deactivation) while having almost the same towing capacity. (8,700 lbs on my Silverado.)

I'm told that the first model year it will only be available as a top-of-the line model (LTZ?) with leather, bells and whistles, 4WD, etc., but it will eventually be available as a work and fleet truck.

[speeder]

Diesel fuel is the same price as regular gas in CA. And has been for quite some time. It would have to be 50% more than gasoline to have even fuel costs on a 3/4 ton 4x4 truck. It would has to cost double on an older truck comparison.

[Nickshu]

Originally Posted by legion

I'm waiting patiently for the diesel Chevy Colorado to come out as a 2016 model. I expect it to get almost double the mileage of my 5.3 (with cylinder deactivation) while having almost the same towing capacity. (8,700 lbs on my Silverado.)

I'm told that the first model year it will only be available as a top-of-the line model (LTZ?) with leather, bells and whistles, 4WD, etc., but it will eventually be available as a work and fleet truck.

Those will be sweet. I was going to wait but needed a truck. Also found out that the Colorado will only be slightly smaller than the Silverado (only 2 inches shorter!!) so it's really not a compact pickup in length, maybe width only. I really think the Colorado will struggle to find it's market. The knife to the heart for the Colorado will be if Chevy brings out a 1500 Silverado Diesel to compete with RAM. We'll see....

[Arizona_928]

I used the fuel factor "mpg" to justify buying my new car. Even figured the service cost would be cheaper then replacing worn out parts when they broke.

I would go for a new truck. I wouldn't be worried about sticker shock once you do some research of how much other people are paying, and the amount of rebates will offset the headache. However, paying taxes on something like that sucks...

[speeder]

Paying sales tax sucks but the depreciation tax write-off doesn't suck if he has some cash flow that needs it. Also, the sales tax paid would be 100% deductible if not mistaken.

[A930Rocket]

If I'm not mistaken, SC has a max $300 sales tax cap on cars. Of course we pay yearly property taxes to make up for it.