Diesel Trucks? Opinions?

Well right now im driving a 1991 Civic HatchBack Si for the time being. Itll get me to school and work with good gas mileage (about 35 Highway). But ill have about $3k to put down on a newer or new vehicle in the spring. I was thinking that maybe a nice diesel truck. maybe a big ford or dodge. Ill be putting quite a few miles on it but diesels are good high mileage motors, get decent MPG and are pretty darn mod friendly. Heck i could drive that to school and work

I dont know much about diesels but based on a couple people i talked to they are pretty reliable and some are gas friendly?

let me know what you guys think
Walter

i like the 99-02 F250's and i really like the new 6.0 disel ford has. but those trucks are expensive.

i like the 99-02's also

good way to go

As being one that has more than one diesel truck, you will get the right answer here,
I can send a diesel truck out to work all night and it will use one tank of fuel. I can put a gas truck out to do the same work and the gas one will use both tanks doing the same work. This is true even when I change drivers in the trucks...
Now as far as working on the open road goes. Last week I took a power stroke diesel up to Bayfeild Wi to get a 28ft boat that was on a trailer. I got almost the same fuel mileage with the boat doing 62 mph as I did running empty at 65-70 mph. The boat cut the wind with it's bow and that helped on the miles, but there was still another 7500 pounds behind me.
I also pull that enclosed trailer with cars in it and get a lot better mileage than I would with a gas.
The two down sides are, 1] you MUST change the oil every 3000 miles or sooner,and use good oil..2] buy your fuel at a place that sells a lot of it so it is good, and sometimes if it gets REAL cold they are a bit of a pain to start. You just plug them in at night and that takes care of that deal.... Good luck and think Ford when you buy..............Rich

rich, what mpg should a diesel/ or turbo diesel get on average? ive been reading 9-13mpg for the fords, that doesnt right!? lol.

Hi I work in the bush last year for a consultant (forestry) and had a chance to drive all three new Diesel Trucks for 2003. My boss owned a new 03 Dodge 2500 with the 5 speed. I started out with a brand new GMC 2500(auto) it had lots of power and could easily pull a trailer at highway speed+, the inside was the best of all three, the most ergonomic of all three. But they have a problem with their 4-wheel drive, their sensor located near the trans can't get wet even from road spray! The message centre will tell you to service the 4 wheel drive and what’s worse it messes up too. In short the electric shift on the fly will act like its trying to go into 4low at highway speeds! When you need 4 wheel drive it will not go in.

So we switched it up for a 2002 Ford 350(auto) with manual 4 wheel drive. You could tell the difference in power with the old 7.3L. It took a lot more to get up to speed and pass cars with a trailer, on hilly roads you could really hear the turbo whine to keep up with highway speeds. When the truck had too many miles on it (to send to the auction and get a good price) the rental company switched it for a new 2003 F350 with the new 6.0L with the 5-speed auto. Boy was I surprised with the power and how fast it would rev. It felt a lot more powerful than the GMC, pulling a trailer was easy even in hilly areas.

Now we get down to which I would choose. I got to drive my boss's Dodge on several occasions. The biggest problem with the GMC was the 4 wheel drive, the is nothing whose than being in the middle of nowhere with out cell phone coverage and you 4 wheel drive acting up. The dodge and the ford would be a tie on the lines of power but the dodge wins with a better interior and the 5 speed (personal preference) no problems with manual 4 wheel drive and I think the Cummins diesel is a better engine: D .

On a side note be careful if you plan on going off road at all the stock tires that come on these truck suck. On semi built gravel forestry roads when it rain a bit you’re in for a good ride and when it rain a lot or snows you in for a hell of a ride. On clay roads I would spend most of my time driving sideway or trying to keep my *** end out of the ditch (too much torque) and the fact that the truck a heavy pig. My boss's truck with the 5 speed, limited lip and off road tire had no problems keeping straight.

Sorry about the novel but you wanted opinions.

Jay

I think you have some good advice posted above. From the research that I have been doing (because I am looking to buy a diesel truck also), I have found that the Cummins tend to get better mileage than the Powerstroke.

Hope that helps a bit.

-Steve

SC UL8R1990 said:

rich, what mpg should a diesel/ or turbo diesel get on average? ive been reading 9-13mpg for the fords, that doesnt right!? lol.

Click to expand...

I regularly get between 15-18 mpg in my late-99 F-250, and mine's one of the heavier ones (4x4, Super Cab w/ 8' bed). Only the dually and crew cabs are heavier. I'm sure I could get better, but I have trouble staying under 75 or 80.

If you do go with the Ford, try to get the late-99 (built after November, I think). I can check for you if you get close.

I did have some starting problems this past winter, but they were battery related.

all great info, my dad has a 2002 suburban and the rear sensor is fubared.

i think id go with dodge or ford if i go diesel

My dad has a '95 F-350 Crew Cab 4X4 Powerstroke and he regularly gets close to 20mpg. I need to ask him what he gets pulling the 5th wheels he delivers with it. He has a downtube, gutted cat, no muffler and a chip. He runs Amsoil synthetic 30W with a double bypass and he once went around 50,000 miles without changing the oil. All he did was change the filters and took oil samples. They were still coming back passing but he decided to try Amsoil's new 5W30 synthetic for diesels, which he decided was not worth it so he switched back. As far as cold start up, I don't think he has ever plugged it in during the winter and he has never had a problem starting it. Granted, we live in Kansas so it doesn't get as cold as it does to the north. I don't think I have ever heard him complain about not having enough power, more is just nice to have. All in all, I don't think you can go wrong with the Powerstroke, 6.0L or 7.3L.

I bought a 04 F250 Lariet FX4 6.0 deisel 5 speed automatic last June and absolutely love this truck. 18.5 MPG with tons of power. Problem with the Dodge Cummins is not the engine but the package it comes in. Go do and test drive the Ford, you will not be disappointed.

Super XR7

Back to basics

I am missing the reason for getting the truck vs a car. It sounded to me like you were getting a new vehicle for commuting purposes. Will you be using the truck for working/towing?
Tom

miles and more.............

You should get from 13 to as high as a low 20 # if you drive normal. I get 15 pulling a 30 enclosed trailer with a car in it. This is with a crew cab duelly and doing 75 mph most of the time. I just went to St. Louis and back pulling and I got 16.3 mpg. for the trip. Some of this was due to the fact that I was driving slower on the way back. The normal with a 4:10 rear gear and 4x4 is around 14-16 no matter if it is empty or full.
Now someone asked why a truck, well insurance,safty,cheapper fuel,and the usefullness of a 8 foot box with 4x4. Now does that sound like a good reason????......Rich

yea the truck has alot more uses. I got got plenty of crapm around here to tow. come to think of it, i can take out my parents jet ski whenever i want. lol.


I just though if im going to put high miles on something...why not a diesel. They get twice the miles of a gasoline automobile. am i right?

dont go with the powerstroke...

i guess there's been a lot of problems with the ford powerstroke diesel, something about fuel leaking into the crankcase and causing all sorts of hell. a buddy of mine showed me an article he got dated sometime in july of this year, I'm sure what it said word for word but something to the effect of tons of people were having the dealership buy back their trucks. I found this article online, i know it's dated from august of '03, but the problem still exists... Ford: Truck Buyers Stuck with Lemon Diesel IMO I'd go with the chevy's duramax diesel.

SC UL8R1990 said:

I just though if im going to put high miles on something...why not a diesel. They get twice the miles of a gasoline automobile. am i right?

Click to expand...

As I agree with that and trucks have tons of uses, but as you started your post, you have a car that will get better mileage. I understand if you have the uses for a truck, diesel is the way to go. But if you don't have the use for a truck, even with a diesel you would appear to be taking a hit on the gas mileage going from the civic. Now if you like the diesel idea and want better mileage than you already have, get a diesel car. There are a few to chose from some are really cool. Like for example the VW Jetta TDI. They get around 50 MPG.

Not trying to dway you away from the truck, but just wondering your intentions.

-Steve

got a car for you........

I got the best thing for you and it is on the cheap side as well. I have a Mercury Lynx DIESEL that I got new. This car will give you 50's to low 60's on the highway and still pull more than 45 in the city. If this is what you want give me a hit and we can talk. This will give you all the miles you want, and the sound of those bigger diesels as well...Yes I do like my diesels......... One more thing, I would stay away from the new 6.0 Fords, as someone else said. There are a LOT of issues with them. So much so that there is talk that it might get dropped and you would see the old 7.3 do a come back.........Rich

The new Cummins "t600" turbo diesel in the dodge is the way to go in my opinion. most horsepower, mot torque (600 ft/lb.....all the way from 1600 to 2900 RPM)... plus it's quieter than a duramax and a more durable engine. Plus the dodge trucks are not the rattletraps they were in years past.

I sell these trucks for a living (yes I'm a damn car salesman) but I'm in the unique position of working at a dealership that sells both Dodge (number one dodge dealer in the world....Dave Smith Motors) as well as GM. So i've sold both of them and the duramax is good...just not AS good as the cummins. The duramax' torque covers a narrower rpm range, and yes...it IS noisier than the cummins. The GM trucks tend to ride a little softer but the difference is minimal. I dont know anything first hand about the new new fords so my opinion may be somewhat biased here..... but i've "heard" that they are having problems with the 6.0 deisel.....

pro street rich said:

I got the best thing for you and it is on the cheap side as well. I have a Mercury Lynx DIESEL that I got new. This car will give you 50's to low 60's on the highway and still pull more than 45 in the city. If this is what you want give me a hit and we can talk. This will give you all the miles you want, and the sound of those bigger diesels as well...Yes I do like my diesels......... One more thing, I would stay away from the new 6.0 Fords, as someone else said. There are a LOT of issues with them. So much so that there is talk that it might get dropped and you would see the old 7.3 do a come back.........Rich

Click to expand...

The issues with the 6.0 were in some of the 2002 and 2003 trucks.

Super XR7

pro street rich said:

I got the best thing for you and it is on the cheap side as well. I have a Mercury Lynx DIESEL that I got new.

Click to expand...

Sorry for the OT, but... Where the hell did you dig that thing up? I didn't think they were ever sold stateside!