Quote:
Originally posted by Motorhead-45
Diesel vs gas..... IMHO with the premium $5k-6k that dealers are asking for diesel equipped vehicles the fact is that most consumer level buyers would be hard pressed to recoupe that initial purchase premium. Yeah they get better mileage but not that much better. Anybody price regular unleaded vs diesel lately? In my area at least, diesel is about 20 cents a gallon more than premium unleaded and 40 cents or better a gallon than regular unleaded. It's a tough argument to make.
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You are absolutely correct about the price of a new diesel pick-up not amortizing these days unless you drive it a LOT of miles and/or tow with it. They were an easier sell back when diesel was ~$1.40 @ gallon, now you just have to love diesels to buy one and to hell with the $$.
That said, it isn't hard to love the modern TDI-type diesels that are being sold in light-duty trucks and vans today. They make a ton of smooth torque, they are just better suited for the task of powering a truck and towing, period. The size and inefficiency of a gasoline engine that makes comparable torque makes it an easy choice, especially with the price of gasoline. I am in the diesel lover camp, I have a '99 F-250 4x4 Powerstroke that gets 18 mpg @ 75 mph, (not towing), I am sure that is ~ 100% better than it would get w/ a gas motor that makes comparable torque. (~550 ft. lbs.). The in-town mpg is also close to double. A gas F-250 4x4 w/ the big motor gets unbelievably horrible fuel mileage, I've owned them.
The 460 gas motor that Grady has is one of the best gas towing motors ever, but they might as well have a toilet flushing handle instead of an accellerator pedal. 7-8 mpg EMPTY is more in line w/ my experience w/ them, not 15 mpg towing,
My experience includes working at the largest Ford dealer in the world, as well as owning most all of them.
If you leave the truck in the carport and pull it out a couple times a year to tow a trailer, this might not matter. If you actually use it for transportation, even moderate use can add up to ridiculous monthly fuel bills. And of course,
YMMV. 