[Flying Toaster]

I bought my wife an '04 EX when her little freestyle took a beaten after a mild fender bender. I spent the few $$ more for the diesel option purely for longevity and fuel mileage. (The V10 gasser gets a whopping 7mpg around town). But with 4 kids in the back & the added ability to haul 8 full sized adults around very comfortably, my wife loves the feeling of safety she has in it now. It is a 3/4 ton frame that runs from the furthest point in the front, to the farthest point in the rear. Its a beast as my kids call it. Has the powerstroke & we are about to hit 100k miles. To answer another members question regarding the "smoke", its a programmer causing unburnt fuel to exit the tailpipe. I drive a duramax 3500 with a programmer, in the lower modes, it burns clean, if I put it int he "performance" modes, thats when the black smoke starts blowing. In general though, the EGR systems are significantly different (I think) in the powerstroke & duramax. Her powerstroke exhaust stinks something terrible, very traditional diesel smell. While my duramax burns very clean, doesnt smell like roses, but much cleaner "smelling" than the powerstroke. Both have their issues & so far, I am happy with both. As a sad note, my (4) daughters know of Bieber fever very well.....
-John