Thread: Diesel vs Gas

Does anyone have an opinion about driving a diesel in regards to it being more cost effective in the long run? ie the engines typically last longer? Or...since the price of diesel can be higher and it holds way more oil, are you better off driving a gas engine? What about towing? How do diesels ride on the road when they aren't towing anything?

I had a '96 Ford Ranger power stroke for a few years. Great truck with a 4 speed manual trans + overdrive, and whiplash power even going 60 on the freeway if you tromped it. The diesel engine will last longer than the gasoline engine but .... the fuel is obviously more expensive. In some regions it may be harder to find. Service and parts are way more expensive. I sold mine in '01 and bought a V8 Ford E250.

My van , knocking on wood, has been great and still going strong nearly ten years later but .... If I had it to do over again I would have bought a E150 with a 6 cylinder gasoline engine. I would say if you have a real need for a super strong towing vehicle it might be worth it but IMO it will cost more than a gasoline engine in the long run between maintenance and what not. BTW, I hear that the engines Ford changed over to, diesel that is, are not as good as the older ones they produced when I had mine. That may not be valid though.

I have been tempted by some of the TDI's making their way to the states.

Originally Posted by JDCAL29

Does anyone have an opinion about driving a diesel in regards to it being more cost effective in the long run? ie the engines typically last longer? Or...since the price of diesel can be higher and it holds way more oil, are you better off driving a gas engine? What about towing? How do diesels ride on the road when they aren't towing anything?

I would vote diesel over petrol any day. You get far better mileage, you do lose power but gain back that in torque. and torque equates to better towing ability in a variety of conditions. Ride has nothing to do with whether or not you have a diesel or petrol, rather, that has to do with suspension setup.
I've owned both Petrol and Diesel vehicles and will never go back to Petrol if I can avoid it. I definately recommend a TDI. Current main vehicle for the family is a Toyota TDI V6 manual, but I would just love to get a TDI V8 Troop carrier from Toyota. Go any where and take anything I need in something like that. Spend the rest of my life out bush if I could.


Mick

I had a poorly maintained '96 Chevy Sierra that had 660,000 km on it when I junked it. It was because the body was too far gone, the diesel engine I'm sure I could have got 1,000,000 km out of.

I've heard the same thing, that the new Powerstrokes are not what they used to be. In regards to my own needs.... the biggest thing that I would be towing (as of right now) is a duck boat. I know that there would be no need for a diesel to do that. I am just trying to consider the longevity of the engine. I like to run vehicles into the ground, and if I can get 300,000 + with a diesel, that changes my opinion about the price of the fuel.

Right now, I drive an '07 Ford Fusion with a 5 Spd Manual. I love the car and have no plans to get rid of it, but my next vehicle will absolutely be a truck.

- Jim

The guy I worked for 15 years has a '95 Ford dualie. It has well over 200k miles on it. The trannie just went recently and he said he is looking at $2,800.00 to repair/replace it. That is with dropping his trans off and installing the new one himself. He is equipped to do that sort of thing. He has replaced injectors on it a number of times, filters, and other stuff I can't recall. An oil change in my power stroke used 14 quarts IIRC. Cost around $90.00 at the dealer and that was 10 years ago.

If someone is talking about a mid or compact sized automobile running diesel may be preferable. Maybe it is preferable in a larger vehicle such as a van or a pick up but my experience is that the gasoline engine is more economical in the long run. BTW, with my power stroke it loved fuel. Drank the stuff up like it was kool aid. The mileage was NOT better than a gasoline engine of comparable size and power.

In the US, diesel vehicles don't get good mileage like they do in the rest of the world.
You'll lose on fuel mileage in the long run. You'll win on longevity. You should expect to get at least 300k miles on a diesel. The downside there is that the maintenance costs will be higher.

For just towing a duck boat, you'd be fine with a pickup with a small v8. There's no need to go bigger than that and lose more fuel mileage.

Depending how much you drive, it might be worth getting a pickup and an economy car. Do the math on it, but with gas prices what they are, you could easily have the gas savings be enough to cover the car payment - ie: free car.

Here's the next topic for discussion.

I'm getting a manual transmission in this full sized truck when it happens.

Dodge quit offering a manual in 2008.
Ford, GMC, and Chevrolet quit offering it even earlier.
Toyota Tacoma offers manual in the 2011 - but it's a mid size
Nissan Truck? - probably not happening.

Do I get an older truck, or go with the '08 Dodge or the newer mid sized Tacoma?

Honestly, either is fine if you're doing mild towing but for more heavy loads a manual is nice. I also prefer manual in winter driving so I can take advantage of the torque in lower RPM's. If you hit the hills the manual is nice for going downhill.

Also, if you tow a lot and have heavy loads look into the towing packages. Aside from nice shocks, leaf springs they also separate the oil and transmission radiators from the main engine radiator. Each will have their own radiator.

Food for thought, if you choose diesel look into fuel additives and heat plates. In some cold climates when nights can dip below zero that fuel can fog and the truck won't run. Worst case is that gel (fogged fuel) can clog fuel filters and even injectors that will require replacement. Most often the truck simply won't start. Yes, even here in Colorado fuel fogging is an issue.

Hope this helps in some way.