Personal diesel truck

[a1fa]

The lift helps too!

[Bueller]

Originally Posted by a1fa

It all depends how much you have paid for your truck initially. For example, paying under $2k for a nice example of old government maintained diesel truck is a no brainier over a used dealer 5.4 Triton.

This argument has about as much use as the seemingly countless arguments we've seen here in which the "used KLR purchaser" tells everyone who bought any bike less than 10 years old and with more than one cylinder how badly they got ripped off.

My comments are aimed at apples to apples comparisons, and in that context they are certainly accurate. More on point, I can buy a similarly aged gas truck to your diesel and the parts needed for any repairs are generally cheaper. And remember, the diesel needs to get 25% - 30% better mileage to offset the fuel cost.

Again, I love diesels and was originally trained as a heavy truck/construction equipment diesel Tech. I've been inside engines from Detroit, Cats, Cummins, and Mack, and really enjoyed the work. But in a light truck or passenger car application the only real payoff comes when you need absolute tow/haul capability or are buying a high mileage diesel passenger car. Unfortunately the trend in diesel passengers cars is to sacrifice mileage for power. I have trouble understanding what was wrong with the '05 TDI we owned that could pull two bikes on a trailer while getting 31 mpg, or 48 - 50 mpg without the trailer - while still having plenty of power to pull a hill or merge into traffic. Look at the current TDI - more power, but mileage is off by at least 15%.

[a1fa]

You have a point.... but, not to go back to F250.. take two F250s for example, 351 or 460 and a 7.3L IDI, most of the parts are interchangeable (besides the motor), and depending on what you consider maintenance, those intervals are about the same... I think it comes to a wash at that argument, and I still have to defer back to my point, and maybe I didnt word it right...

But if you are comparing trucks of same vintage, and class, and you can score a nice truck, regardless of diesel or gasoline, that requires no additional investment, then go for it -- diesel or gasoline.... It makes no sense to pay more for something, that's almost the same and or marginally better or worse.

[slackmeyer]

Originally Posted by moodfart

Also will say I don't mind having lots of money tied up in a vehicle provided it has decent resale value... Current top picks are a Tacoma, a silverado and the wrx. They each have their strengths and weaknesses. A diesel sounds nice, but as you guys have mentioned here, it doesn't make sense for what I want to do with it, as much fun as it would be!

Thanks for all the info guys!

I have a diesel truck (99 F250 powersmoke) and a wrx. Guess which I prefer to drive?

Diesel is great if you need it, but it doesn't sound like you do. My truck is a work truck, and it does great backing up somebody's steep driveway with a full pallet of concrete in the back and the service body chock full of tools. The noise gets old. The waiting 15 minutes every morning before the heater works gets old. The 3 gallon oil changes are a pain. And stock (like mine is) they are s-l-o-w. Well, the 7.3 is, newer trucks are not- but the stratospheric cost of fixing a major engine problem on a duramax or a 6.7 ford would scare the hell out of me- I can't afford for my truck to not work for a week, much less to spend 10 grand on engine work.

Love the wrx, mine's an 02 with 130k, it's been great.

[PirateJohn]

[QUOTE=moodfart;20767369]

Originally Posted by PirateJohn

Isn't Jeep starting production of a small diesel Wrangler for the US market?

/QUOTE]

I can tell you if this were the case, you'd suddenly see thousands of used yj, TJ and jks up for sale. Jeep guys have been praying for this since jeeps were invented, and most would sell a kidney for one, including me.

!

http://www.expeditionportal.com/foru...er-On-It-s-Way



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[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by a1fa

OMG PirateJohn! You and your trucks!!! What kind of build are you making this time?

Probably just going to repair some rot in the body of the one that I have; it's a surprisingly strong runner so far considering it's age.

I'd like to have a box with a lift for a motorcycle installed behind the cab so that might get done. In an ideal world I would prefer a slightly longer wheelbase and a box for 2 bikes. I am buying enough spares for a second truck but they say that the drivetrain on the one with a longer wheelbase is shot and not worth rebuilding. We shall see.


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[moodfart]

Is there a mileage bench mark you wouldn't want to buy past on a diesel? I'd assume most would say 100k for gassers... But I've seen some nice diesels with 200k...

[MikeinEugene]

Originally Posted by a1fa

Spit & Sputter on start-up is usually air intrusion! How is hot start?

It fires right away when cold, not like when the lines drain & it takes forever to get fuel to the ip.

When it stumbles I see a puff of blue smoke out of the exhaust so assume it's unburned fuel.

One of my return lines is leaking a bit, but like I said, not enough to have any issues with starting cold.

No hot start issues...if you're asking if it stumbles when warm/hot I'm not sure. I usually drive to work & stop then drive home 8 hours later and stop. Use the bike or the little car for errands

[moodfart]

Originally Posted by slackmeyer

I have a diesel truck (99 F250 powersmoke) and a wrx. Guess which I prefer to drive?

Diesel is great if you need it, but it doesn't sound like you do. My truck is a work truck, and it does great backing up somebody's steep driveway with a full pallet of concrete in the back and the service body chock full of tools. The noise gets old. The waiting 15 minutes every morning before the heater works gets old. The 3 gallon oil changes are a pain. And stock (like mine is) they are s-l-o-w. Well, the 7.3 is, newer trucks are not- but the stratospheric cost of fixing a major engine problem on a duramax or a 6.7 ford would scare the hell out of me- I can't afford for my truck to not work for a week, much less to spend 10 grand on engine work.

Love the wrx, mine's an 02 with 130k, it's been great.

You basically nailed my point of view on this. The torque would be nice, and the noise fun... at first. After reading the information in this thread and around the web, it seems like it would get old quick... not to mention anything I spend 15-20k on will most likely require work and still be 10 years old. I'm moving back towards the WRX/Tacoma. Should only be 4-6 more months til I make up my damn mind.

[liquidsmile]

Here is one you might be able to grab on ebay. No reserve, and it looks well cared for.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1997-...f36#vi-content

[PirateJohn]

Originally Posted by moodfart

Is there a mileage bench mark you wouldn't want to buy past on a diesel? I'd assume most would say 100k for gassers... But I've seen some nice diesels with 200k...

I am not an expert on pickups but I drove a friend's Dodge that had turned 200K and was surprised at how well it ran and how well maintained the interior and steering was.

People say that those recent Fords have better bodies than the Dodges but probably anything over 45 miles seems to be too much for the Navistar-built engines in them.


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[boardrider247]

Originally Posted by moodfart

Is there a mileage bench mark you wouldn't want to buy past on a diesel? I'd assume most would say 100k for gassers... But I've seen some nice diesels with 200k...

It all depends on how well they are maintained. But plan on anything over 150k needing a front end before 200k. The body on my dodge was going to hell as well, door hinges were shot, front seat was getting tired, little things like that. Drivetrain was still solid but everything else was slowly falling apart around it.

[SantaRosa]

Originally Posted by boardrider247

It all depends on how well they are maintained. But plan on anything over 150k needing a front end before 200k. The body on my dodge was going to hell as well, door hinges were shot, front seat was getting tired, little things like that. Drivetrain was still solid but everything else was slowly falling apart around it.

Transmission is a big issue as well as a clutch. You never know how much it's pulled or driven. Normally people buy these trucks as work horses. Older trucks require a lot of Repair or Replace even if the engine is strong. Resale is not so good since you would be dumping money into maintaining it.

I have an F350 2001 7.3l Automatic Dually, a work truck with a 4.11 rear end. At 150k I put $4200 on the tranny being rebuilt and an additional Transmission Cooler.
$6500 on Banks setup ( their tuners suck ) exhaust brake is awesome but there is better out there.
$650 on a better tuner
$1800 on new front end with actual greece zerks and brakes
$1600 on tires ( front tires are replace all too often )
For that kind of money I could of bought another truck but I know what it has and am confident when a pull a big load (7 k loaded trailer) or carrying my cab over camper that is over 4k dry PRICELESS
Oh not to forget 12 mpg, loaded or not
Want good mileage get a pickup not a truck
A truck is not comfortable like a pickup can be.
A truck is not quite like a pickup can be.
A truck is not a go fast rig (unless you modify it and it is no longer a truck)

Just saying, unless you have specific needs of a truck stick to a pickup.

[Hardware02]

A diesel pick-up to me is like a Jeep. At some point in your life you need to own one, if only to get it out of your system...

[blacktruck]

Okay, here's mine.
A truck is a tool in most cases. Buy the best tool you can afford and the one that best fits your hand (so to speak). If money is not a concern, buy exactly what you want to drive. If you're like the rest of us, find one that you like because you will probably keep it for awhile. Diesel versus gas? There are limitations and issues with both. I'm new to the forum but a long time diesel owner and driver. I wouldn't be without one in my garage but if it were asked, is it practical? My answer would be hell no. Not for what I use it for now but I won't get rid of it because I like it. Diesels typically last longer than gas engines but the engine is only a small part of the total truck. There's a butt load of other expensive parts that wear and break with no regard to what you want to do. Keep your mind and options open when you are looking. Don't buy a truck just because it's a diesel. Consider the big picture. What do you want? What do you need? What can you afford? Let those be your deciding factors and not vague opinions of one brand or year versus another. They all have to be a little good or they wouldn't have sold so many of them.
End of opinionated rant now. I'm done.