To diesel or not to diesel...

[ghunt]

As some of you know I was forced to sell off my truck almost 2 years ago due to a commute to a new job I just couldn't afford to use it for.

In the time since, my now-wife and I bought a house and got married last June, so I'm now 11 miles from work instead of 40, and my '97 Camry beater (that I bought with some of the money from selling the truck) that was supposed to last me through at least one more winter blew up. My father in law has a 2002 Grand Prix that doesn't really get driven anymore that he's willing to let me use for as long as I need it (hopefully, just through the winter).

I've been sorely missing having a truck since I sold mine, and this just pushes me more in that direction anyway.

Here's my dilemma, though. After I sold my truck, I told myself there was no sense in trying to get another diesel because I didn't need it, and diesel is just so damn expensive here (while regular gas is now down to $3.21, diesel has not dipped below $3.80 that I have seen).

But I loved my truck, and I loved clattering around in that old diesel and listening to the turbo sing. Now I'm not sure what I wanna do.

I don't NEED a diesel. At all. I don't tow anything and I can't see myself hauling much. I just think diesels are cool and I like the noises they make. And I will be relegated to something older, likely with high miles, if I do go the diesel route. But I'd rather have a high mileage HD diesel than a high mileage gasser half ton (and there are a LOT of used trucks out there for sale with a crap ton of miles).

I've seen a '93 IDI Turbo and a '95 PSD, both on the local craigslist, for $4000, so I know there's stuff out there. Hell if I had $4000 right now I would probably go look at the '93. But I have to wonder if these both have a million miles on them too.

Sorry, I'm rambling!

 

[redneckaggie]

if you want a diesel but can't justify owning a large truck look for a diesel vw pickup, or even a diesel vw car, fun little rides, great mileage, and if you find a little vw diesel pickup you have the ability to move small trailers.

 

[ghunt]

Well I already have a car...I want/need something with 4WD that I can haul stuff in. So I definitely want another truck.

The other question is if I have enough room at my house to really park a full size truck there without it being in the way. Hmm...

 

[Wyreth]

Didn't they also put a Perkins diesel in the Ranger at some point? Could be hard to fined, but that would be a fun little beastie.

 

[Mulochico]

The thing that sent me to diesel (besides the sound ) was that, sure gas is cheaper (84% the cost of diesel using your #'s). you will get better mileage (10-12 Gas, 15-19 Diesel. Gas only gets 63% the mileage of diesel ) So in actual cost for fuel per mile you are saving 21%.

I run overall cost per mile on my truck vs my wifes 98 Plymouth Grand Voyager. That is maintenance cost, fuel, the works. It costs me about 5 cents ($.05) per mile more in town to drive the truck than her to drive the van. That is at $3.95 for diesel and $3.63 for gas (Modesto cost as of today). If she was in a full size truck it would be close to even or even go to my truck being better.

Plus look at:
1) I don't have to smog the truck (older than '98 in Ca)
2) I have the ability to pull whatever I need to, no problem (rental companies are limiting what trailer you can rent w/ a 1/2 ton or smaller)
3) THE SOUND!!!!!!!!
4) License fees and insurance cost.
5) Don't have all the computer garbage to go bad

Need I go on? Seemed like a no brainer to me.

 

[ghunt]

The thing that sent me to diesel (besides the sound ) was that, sure gas is cheaper (84% the cost of diesel using your #'s). you will get better mileage (10-12 Gas, 15-19 Diesel. Gas only gets 63% the mileage of diesel ) So in actual cost for fuel per mile you are saving 21%.

On the topic of the mileage thing...how does an IDI compare to, say, a 351? I got about 13 mpg city, couldn't seem to muster more than 15-16 mpg highway, and city dropped to 11-12 on winter fuel. I think it would have been better with new injectors...I swapped IP's and it started way better, but had issues with the new injectors I got and had to swap the old ones back in. Did the 351 trucks get single digit city mileage? My wife's dad has a couple newer F250 shop trucks with the 5.4 and those things are gutless, I imagine that's what the 351 feels like too.

I did love the block heater on my truck in the winter...hop in, turn it on, instant heat

Ohhhh...I guess it will all depend on what I can find. IDI's are getting scarce in these parts. Older PSD's are easier to find but they always have 200K+ miles.

 

[Can30Diesel]

Trucks are a little like a microwave, once you have one you can't figure out how you managed without one.

Over the years I always seem to have found myself in the loop of "Buy a truck to do the current job - need it for something it can't handle - buy a bigger truck" I finally ended up with a 1 ton diesel and that loop finally came to an end. (Of course my family just recently physically out grew this truck but I'll call it a workload capability win for my own sanity).

If I was in your position I would be looking for a truck that will do everything your old truck did. Otherwise as you drive the little truck or diesel car you will probably find yourself comparing it to the truck you used to have and dealing with that little bit of regret in the back of your mind for not getting what you really wanted. You may not need the truck you had now, but you might be better off in the long run when that truck is already there if you do.

The other thing of course is money. It always seems to limit a perfectly logical thought process like this one. :O)

 

[rockbender]

I know this isn't the place to advocate a GM product, much less a gas one. However, we've got a couple of 1/2 ton Chevy pickups (4x4 extra cabs) in our fleet at work that seem to just keep going and going (like over 300,000). These are in the '96 - '00 range and have either the 5.7 or 5.3L engines. Don't get me wrong, I love driving my diesel van but for daily driving (especially shorter distances) the get in and turn the key and go convenience of the gas engine is appreciated. I seem to average about 15 mpg out of my '00 4x4 extra cab, and see better than that on more highway oriented driving. With gas being $.50 a gallon cheaper, it is definitely cheaper to operate than our Powerstroke's that might be getting 16-17MPG.

It seems that diesel's always command a premium in price, but you can often find 1/2 ton pickups with 150-200k miles on them for cheap that still have plenty of life left in them.

 

[Wellused]

Half the trucks you see on C/list,local trader ect that say blown up,dead or wont start are usually a good source for cheap trucks.Most have a dead fuel system or something simple wrong with them.

 

[ghunt]

I know this isn't the place to advocate a GM product, much less a gas one. However, we've got a couple of 1/2 ton Chevy pickups (4x4 extra cabs) in our fleet at work that seem to just keep going and going (like over 300,000). These are in the '96 - '00 range and have either the 5.7 or 5.3L engines. Don't get me wrong, I love driving my diesel van but for daily driving (especially shorter distances) the get in and turn the key and go convenience of the gas engine is appreciated. I seem to average about 15 mpg out of my '00 4x4 extra cab, and see better than that on more highway oriented driving. With gas being $.50 a gallon cheaper, it is definitely cheaper to operate than our Powerstroke's that might be getting 16-17MPG.

It seems that diesel's always command a premium in price, but you can often find 1/2 ton pickups with 150-200k miles on them for cheap that still have plenty of life left in them.

I have to admit that those newer GM half tons with the LS engines are on my list. My old boss had one, I drove it a bunch of times, and man those things do ride nice, plus he told me he sometimes got 20 mpg on the highway.

The biggest thing with all trucks here is that the majority are all rusty, especially the wheel arches on the bed. I'll do that job if I HAVE to, but I don't really want to. I hate body work.

 

[Deezelcaddy]

I have had many vdub diesels and I can say that they are a lot of fun as my call sign implies I had a diesel rabbit pickup or caddy and I lived it. I would not recommend towing anything heavier than a rollerskate with one. They aren't actually trucks. They are stretched out rabbits. With 48 big bad ponies under the hood and unibody construction( no frame) they have a payload capacity of 700lbs including passengers.That being said, I have had every version of mechanical pump vws and they are great. I have a diesel vanagon now that is more fun than any vehicle I have. They are also very reliable. Extremely reliable compared to our trucks. Once you do a timing set and water pump you just run them and add oil.
If you decide to go that route let me know and I'll help you out on what to look for.

 

[texcl]

My 93 f250 gets 18mpg in the warm months the worse I've ever gotten was 16mpg (cold weather right now will probable get worse) and it's a 4x4.

 

[Greg5OH]

if you have the space, get a truck. I dont need a truck at all, but I pay $60 a month for insurance on the thing, usually just sits there on the side of the road for when i want to drive it. But sometimes i need a new piece of furniture, or scrap part of a car, or my main car is down. its there-always ready to go. Truck only let me down once when oil cooler o ring blew and was dumping oil everywhere. Been a champ ever since the fix.
Sometimes I need to tow a car once or twice a year. Got it covered with my truck.

 

[FORDF250HDXLT]

sounds like an f150 w/ 300-6 would fit you better ghunt.still a full size truck but good on cheaper fuel (gas) with a lot better ride than these old hd diesels.

 

[GOOSE]

I have had just about every truck across the board, especially Fords. My current crew cab longbed is the one truck that I have not found a short coming in. My kids fit in it, the technology of the diesel is comparable to a 60's big block.....very simple. Apples to apples, my 4:10 diesel gets 14.5mpg for an average, I have found that a 300-6, 302, 351 or a 460 would all get single digit mileage in the same truck. The 300 may get 16-18mpg's in a 2wd regular cab truck with the right gears and driver but will be in single digit range when performing work duty or pushing a heavy ext cab 4x4 or similar.

My girlfriend has a 2007 Honda Odyssey mini van. When she has a had a bad week, heavy foot, her mileage is with in one mile to the gallon of my F350 on a good week. I can squeak 15, she has been down to 15-16 on frequent occasion. If I had to go gasser, I'd look for a 6 cyl 5 speed ext cab ranger, anything else, the diesel will be nipping on its heels economy wise.