Downsides to daily driver diesel

jonaddis84 · February 28, 2007

I live in Ohio, so I dont see extreme colds, but it does get cold for a few months. I will rarely be towing anything but a 4000lb boat or a 800lb jetski, so towing is not the reason I need a truck. I just really want a 2500hd for looks over a 1500, and incase I ever need the added payload/towing capacity.

So that in mind, Ill be driving 60miles to/from school every day. I have been seroiusly considering a duramax/allison combo just for longevity reasons. Im sure the 6.0l is a very durable truck as well, but to my knowledge a diesel/allison will last much much longer with lower maintenance (but correct me if Im wrong)

I just want to hear any downsides to having a truck like this as a daily driver and not towing anything reallly heavy with it. I dont really want to drop the extra $ for a duramax if I dont need to, unless the gas mileage itself would warrant it.

Nova5 · February 28, 2007

Problem with desiles is their higher initial cost. the higher MPG is offset by the higher cost per gallon of fuel now for them. costs more than gas. additionally, when a deisel breaks down they cost more than a gasser to work on. (you paid more so the mechanic figures you can afford more to)

jonaddis84 · February 28, 2007

What are some usual mechanical problems with diesels? Fuel pumps are probably big I would assume, and the part probably isnt cheap?

I would do 98% of any repair work, so labor cost isnt an issue, but I assume some diesel parts are more $ than gas?

Whats the warm up time issue with diesels? I assume its a very good idea to warm them before driving? Or is that only cold weather?

mschuyler · February 28, 2007

I just want to hear any downsides to having a truck like this as a daily driver and not towing anything reallly heavy with it. I dont really want to drop the extra $ for a duramax if I dont need to, unless the gas mileage itself would warrant it.

Then you won't get a Duramax. You simply cannot justify the extra money with a calculator. You don't know all the variables anyway. It is true that diesel is currently more expensive than gas, but that fluctuates. It's not a constant relationship. The durability issue is there, but ask yourself how long you would want to keep the truck. At 100,000 miles these things are just getting worked in. They should give you several hundred thousand miles, but realistically, would you expect to keep the same vehicle that long? You might; I don't know--it's real question to answer. For towing, you already said you don't tow much, so unless you're interested in POTENTIAL towing, that isn't a factor. If you suddenly get into 5th wheeling around the country, then the diesel starts to make sense. As far as the 'coolness' factor, well, that's for only you to decide. For me, there's just something about the sound of a diesel.....

So far, the answer is no, but there's one small additional factor. How paranoid are you? If you were alive and driving in 1973-1974 you will remember the long gas lines. That happened supposedly because OPEC stopped our oil for supporting Israel in one of their wars. Many people feel the oil companies used this as an excuse to jack up prices. I'm not championing either political answer here because I don't know, but I was in those lines and it was not pleasant. Whatever their cause, those were real lines.

IF that were to happen again and you had a diesel, bio-diesel is an alternative. I know some are concerned about their warranty and that's fine, but the fact is if there are gas lines, only diesels will have an alternative. There are two bio-diesel stations within range of me right now. One will even furnish a storage tank and deliver to my house. It's expensive right now, over $3.00 a gallon. Of course, if you get into it you can make it yourself. Use synthetic oil and you have weaned yourself from petroleum (Ok, so brake fluid is still dino, but you get my point.)

That was the clincher for me. All the rest of the advantages I figure I get for free. This is probably my last truck. It will last as long as I will. So I got what I wanted.

jonaddis84 · February 28, 2007

That was a very helpful reply, the more and more I think about it the less it makes sense to get a diesel for cost reasons. Though I have no NEED for either truck, I have much less need for a diesel, even though I would love to have one for power reasons. If I end up finding a duramax for close to the same price with similar miles and specs I would choose the diesel, but I dont see that happening with how popular diesels are becoming for average Joe's.

dogzapper · February 28, 2007

Yup, driving a Duramax really, really SUCKS.

Don't need it and I totally hate it, but somebody HAS to do it.

Steve

mschuyler · March 1, 2007

Yup, driving a Duramax really, really SUCKS.

Don't need it and I totally hate it, but somebody HAS to do it.

Steve

That would be the coolness factor, I think, Steve! I finally got one. Victory Red Extended cab. Stuck some nerf bars and bed rails on it, sprayed in Line-x and got me a storage bin underneath the rear seat. Still on my first tank of "fuel." I'm ready to boogie! Pics as soon as the weather cooperates. That new truck smell and the sound of the diesel, though. Don't know if I can stand any more of it!

Michael