I'm buying a diesel truck, can you help?

zingo
zingo Posts: 11,258
edited May 2007 in The Clubhouse
Hello friends,
I am considering buying a diesel truck, possibly a Dodge 2500. I would like a truck, but the mileage on the gas engines kills me. Plus, diesel is bad-A. The commute for me could be up to 45min each way. I was hoping to hear from some of you diesel guys on your general views and opinions of your trucks and whether trying to commute in it would be crazy. (I would be my daily driver) Thanks ya'll!
Jake
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  • venomclan
    venomclan Posts: 2,467
    edited May 2007
    Hi Zingo,
    I do not own a diesel truck but have also been considering it as I too have a long commute. There are some new diesel technologies coming out soon to work with the new low sulfer diesel and are more fuel efficient. Honda has some coming out for 08 I believe, as are some of the big 3. May be worth it to wait. Just a heads up.
    v
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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited May 2007
    My roommate rolls a F250 diesel with a manual and a full Banks Big Hoss kit as a daily driver. He gets about 19MPG....A little better on the highway. It isn't insane to drive everyday, if I wanted a truck at all, I would get a diesel...I am thinking my next car is going to be a VW Jetta TDI or a used Golf TDI...45MPG city? F yeah!
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  • ohskigod
    ohskigod Posts: 6,502
    edited May 2007
    I dont know how cold it gets in seattle, but if it does, your going to want to make sure you have a way to run the plug via outdoor extension cord to wherever your going to park the truck. in the extreme cold, you WILL want to use the block warmer, your electricity bills will be markedly higher during that time, but worth it. starting a very cold diesel is a tough thing to do.

    also, and this will sound silly, but make sure you have a bunch of gas stations at least near you and along the route of your daily comute that sell diesel. not all of them do, might be better or worse out there, I dont know. just check.

    other than that, I know someone that has a 1997 ford f350 diesel, 10 years old and the truck is still bad ****. lots of torque obviously, but can be hellish on a tranny if your retarded in the way you drive, but still a viable choice, especially if you really do alot of towing and whatnot.
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  • disneyjoe7
    disneyjoe7 Posts: 11,435
    edited May 2007
    My understanding of the low sulfur diesel fuel, is a bit harder on exhaust value seats. So this is ok on engine, but would require a value job sooner then everything was to stay the same. When a value job is needed get harden value seats, same thing happened 35 years ago with leaded gas engines.

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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited May 2007
    Oh yeah, BLOCK HEATER IS A MUST....Living in TN, I don't have to worry about it....In MN it is a must though....Now mind you, it drops just below freezing here and stays there pretty constant through the winter months here, and I know he never had any problems starting it.....I would use AMS OIL as well if you get one, they run A LOT better on it....I was really surprised...That Banks kit rocks as well, he picked up about 3-4MPG from that set on 3 and the K&N FIPK intake. He got about 2MPG from the intake alone, the stocker on the Powerstroke is really restrictive..It sounds mean as hell too. The Banks Power kit is really expensive, but is worth it in my mind...A LOT more power! I would maybe get the Speedloader and Six Gun, the exhaust later...The intercooler is a pain in the **** to put in, and the gain isn't worth the **** pain or expense, IMO. The exhaust is 5" from the turbo back...It isn't louder, just a different tone really. The tip is a lot more serious looking though. I think he paid $3500 for the Big Hoss bundle, and it would have been $1100 to get it installed if he brought it in....I have a feeling that about $400 of that would be for the intercooler, there is some cutting involved.
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    edited May 2007
    Right now, as far as diesels go, Id go with a duramax/allison combo. Cummins is currently redesigning their diesels to be able to compete again with the duramax. Theyre making a larger block which, generally, means more fuel consumption. Plus, the duramaxs are extremely quiet compared to most diesels.
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  • SLOCOOKN
    SLOCOOKN Posts: 704
    edited May 2007
    Unless you are hauling something a lot I would by gas. My father in law drives an 06' f150 4x4 and gets 17-18 on the highway. It is not worth the extra expense to buy a diesel unless you are using it to tow/haul a lot. There is more maintenance cost on the diesel as well. Good Luck,

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  • MSALLA
    MSALLA Posts: 1,602
    edited May 2007
    exalted512 wrote: »
    Right now, as far as diesels go, Id go with a duramax/allison combo. Cummins is currently redesigning their diesels to be able to compete again with the duramax. Theyre making a larger block which, generally, means more fuel consumption. Plus, the duramaxs are extremely quiet compared to most diesels.
    -Cody

    +1*** However, if you don't need a diesel for the torque, go gas. Diesel motor's are an expensive option and would off set any gas savings you would get. Plus, the new GM motors have two cylinders shutting down at highway speeds to save gas.
    Michael


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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited May 2007
    Best part about a diesel truck is that you can run home heating oil in it instead of paying $2.99 a gallon at the pump. :D

    Make sure which ever truck you get you put a Banks Power Pack on it.

    http://www.getpower.com/
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    edited May 2007
    MSALLA wrote: »
    +1*** However, if you don't need a diesel for the torque, go gas. Diesel motor's are an expensive option and would off set any gas savings you would get. Plus, the new GM motors have two cylinders shutting down at highway speeds to save gas.

    agreed. If youre not towing heavy things a lot of the time, diesels are not for you. The new tundras are looking nice too.
    -Cody
    Music is like candy, you have to get rid of the rappers to enjoy it
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited May 2007
    exalted512 wrote: »
    agreed. If youre not towing heavy things a lot of the time, diesels are not for you. The new tundras are looking nice too.
    -Cody
    Traitor.

    I want a diesel.
    George Grand wrote: »
    Jstas wrote: »
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited May 2007
    My Silverado Duramax Diesel 2500HD 4x4 gets 25 MPG. Buy a Duramax!!!
    (I happen to have the 6-speed stick shift).
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited May 2007
    rskarvan wrote: »
    My Silverado Duramax Diesel 2500HD 4x4 gets 25 MPG. Buy a Duramax!!!
    (I happen to have the 6-speed stick shift).
    Sweeeeet ride!
    George Grand wrote: »
    Jstas wrote: »
    Simple question. If you had a cool million bucks, what would you do with it?
    Wonder WTF happened to the rest of my money.
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  • ben62670
    ben62670 Posts: 15,969
    edited May 2007
    I am a big Ford fan. I love the Power Stoke, but the new DuraMax Allison combo is just a great example of refinement in automotive technology.
    Please. Please contact me a ben62670 @ yahoo.com. Make sure to include who you are, and you are from Polk so I don't delete your email. Also I am now physically unable to work on any projects. If you need help let these guys know. There are many people who will help if you let them know where you are.
    Thanks
    Ben
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2007
    Thanks for the advice ya'll. I'll head down to the dealership this weekend and see what they have. I'll only buy one if I can find a good deal on a used one with low miles, maybe a few years old. The investment of buying any car new just doesn't make sense to me. I'm open to any one of the big three diesels. I'll have to see what deals I can find.
    Jake
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  • exalted512
    exalted512 Posts: 10,735
    edited May 2007
    audiobliss wrote: »
    Traitor.

    I want a diesel.

    I'm not a traitor, I'm just not brand biased. I want the best truck out there for my money, if Mopar, Ford, and GM dont supply that truck, its no sweat off of my back. Although GM has a 6speed automatic tranny now and Ive heard a lot of speculation the toyota see-saw commercial...such as 5k of the 10k towing load was the truck itself...not to mention the trailer had an electronic brake system and could have actually HELPED the truck stop, rather than the truck helping the trailer stop...
    -Cody
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  • MSALLA
    MSALLA Posts: 1,602
    edited May 2007
    BaggedLancer wrote: »
    Best part about a diesel truck is that you can run home heating oil in it instead of paying $2.99 a gallon at the pump. :D

    Make sure which ever truck you get you put a Banks Power Pack on it.

    http://www.getpower.com/

    NOT LEGAL!!!! And if you do it anyway you should put the cleaning additives in.
    Michael


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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited May 2007
    MSALLA wrote: »
    NOT LEGAL!!!! And if you do it anyway you should put the cleaning additives in.


    I never said it was legal! But it doesn't mean you can't do it!

    And forget the cleaning additives, everyone knows diesel trucks that fill the air with black smoke are badass. :p
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2007
    I checked out a 2000 F250 Lariat with the 7.3L today in my area and was very impressed. I told the seller that I would call him back tomorrow after I had considered all of my options. I might just have to do it...
    Jake
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited May 2007
    Checkout the Duramax Silverado with the Allison Transmission. It really is the best HD Truck on the market right now.
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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited May 2007
    zingo wrote: »
    I checked out a 2000 F250 Lariat with the 7.3L today in my area and was very impressed. I told the seller that I would call him back tomorrow after I had considered all of my options. I might just have to do it...

    Those 7.3L are beasts...Glad you found one man! Time to call Banks!;) :D
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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited May 2007
    FYI, if you have an automatic truck, it is recommended that you upgrade the internals of the transmission if you plan to run in the 6 power setting a lot....Believe me, setting 3 is perfectly ok for 90% of the time...This is not to say that you cant run at full power, but IF you want to run balls out all the time, you will need to upgrade....
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  • audiobliss
    audiobliss Posts: 12,518
    edited May 2007
    exalted512 wrote: »
    I'm not a traitor, I'm just not brand biased. I want the best truck out there for my money, if Mopar, Ford, and GM dont supply that truck, its no sweat off of my back. Although GM has a 6speed automatic tranny now and Ive heard a lot of speculation the toyota see-saw commercial...such as 5k of the 10k towing load was the truck itself...not to mention the trailer had an electronic brake system and could have actually HELPED the truck stop, rather than the truck helping the trailer stop...
    -Cody
    No, no, no. Miscommunication here. This thread was about diesels. They're cool. They're awesome. I want a diesel. You come in and say get a gasoline-engine truck.

    That's the kinda traitor I was labeling you as.

    :p
    George Grand wrote: »
    Jstas wrote: »
    Simple question. If you had a cool million bucks, what would you do with it?
    Wonder WTF happened to the rest of my money.
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2007
    One question if anyone has an answer: I test drove the truck and it was a little slow out of the hole. I know there is a bit of lag with a turbo and if I stepped on it, there was power. But applying a slow throttle wasn't what I would call impressive in the acceleration department. (The truck does weight over 6K) I haven't been in a diesel in a while and I'm trying to remember if this is normal. Thanks.
    Jake
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  • Bill Ayotte
    Bill Ayotte Posts: 1,860
    edited May 2007
    It is pretty normal to have a lot of lag in a truck like that, they are geared really low...Most of the time my roommate stars out in second gear (he has a manual) because he basically lets off the clutch, and puts it right back in to go to second otherwise...The banks kit gives you a little more low end, it really improves acceleration....He runs it in position 3 for everyday driving and is very happy with the results...
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited May 2007
    Its a Diesel Truck. They are made for towing HUGE loads. Acceleration from a stop-light is not a significant design feature.
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  • nadams
    nadams Posts: 5,877
    edited May 2007
    One thing I've noticed in the few years I've been going to tractor pulls.... Almost all the diesel smoker pickup class are Dodges. There was only one Ford, and he did miserable.
    Ludicrous gibs!
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2007
    I have always liked the Dodges, but I don't know if I can beat a good price on a well kept, low milage truck. Thanks for all the help guys and I will let you know the verdict as soon as it is passed. And of course, with pictures if appropriate.
    Jake
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  • goingganzo
    goingganzo Posts: 2,793
    edited May 2007
    olny reaseason i would buy a deasel is so i can make bio deasel and save money on gass
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited May 2007
    Well fellas, I put down a deposit on the truck and I will go pick it up on Thursday. Being that I'm 6'3" and have always owned compact cars, I am excited to finally own a car that I really fit it. A full size vehicle has been a long time coming.
    Jake
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