Would You Buy A Diesel LD Truck?

[CKC1586]

This is a bit off topic but it made me remember that my brother once had a diesel chevette, I am not kidding! I think it was in the 80's. He drove that thing till the doors fell off.

 

[Subsoil]

What is a "light duty" truck? Are we talking about 1/2 tons or something smaller like an S-10 or Ranger?

If a person wants to get technical, a F-350 is a light duty truck --

and F-450 - F-750 is a medium duty truck --

and to get a heavy duty, you'd go to a Mack, Kenworth, Freightliner type vehicle.

However, for this discussion, I think the title of the post should have been - would you buy a diesel half-ton pickup? Then there would be no confusion.

 

[ALACOWMAN]

My dad had a 1978 chevy silverado diesel.
At that time it was a converted 350.
It got 30mpg on the highway! for real!
But, and there is always a but.
If you towed anything it voided your waranty.
If they could build a diesel that could get 25 mpg and pull as good as a smallblock V-8 gas motor.... They could sell quite a few to us
part timers that drive 60 or 80 miles to work everyday.

Hillbilly

GM took a 350 oldsmobile eng that normally had 8.5 to 1 comp. ratio and went to 24.5 to 1 and talk about a disaster itwould beat the bottom end plumb out over time let alone blow head gaskets break head bolts.i worked on a salvage yard full of those boat anchors

 

[Saltydawg]

I would only consider a diesel in my Daily driver if they sold them for close to the same price as a gas engine.

95% of the time I'm driving my normal truck Im not loaded.

Don't wanna pay a 6 grand premium for a diesel when my gas motor does everything I ask it to do.

I would pay maybe 1 grand more for the diesel option....simply cause they get better gas mileage.

6 grand? I could put fuel in my gas engine for 10 years with that money :lol: .

 

[norriscathy]

My dad had a 1978 chevy silverado diesel.
At that time it was a converted 350.
It got 30mpg on the highway! for real!
But, and there is always a but.
If you towed anything it voided your waranty.
If they could build a diesel that could get 25 mpg and pull as good as a smallblock V-8 gas motor.... They could sell quite a few to us
part timers that drive 60 or 80 miles to work everyday.

Don't even talk to me about those 350 converted diesels!!!!!!! I bought my wife a Monte Carlo with one. Yeah, got great gas milage, but one day I saw her come up the driveway with the engine running away. How she got that thing home without killing herself and my son I'll never know. Not sure I could handle a runaway diesel. The only way I could stop it was to take the air cleaner off and jam my T shirt into the engine. It totally ate my T-shirt and finally had to use my jacket to stop the thing. With 20/20 hindsight, it wasn't real smart of me to have my head and neck over the fan of a runaway! Please!!! No more of these things! I know Flaboy puts turbo diesels on his skate boards, but the rest of us can do just fine with gas engines.

Hillbilly

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

A little food for thought for those who are scared off by the initial high price of a diesel. Just for grins, I hit over to the Kelly Blue Book website. These are the guys who make the little blue books that the salesmen use to screw you over when taking in your trades

I entered in the ZIP code for Beverly Hills, because I figured if anywhere in the world was gonna be diesel unfriendly, it would be the world of Rolls Royce's and Jags.

I used a 2000 Ford F350 Dually with ALL the trimmings. Heck this is Beverly Hills, they ain't gonna wanna roll down their own windows, and they sure as heck are gonna need a DVD player. Of course it was in excellent condition, as Beverly Hills cows are known for their manners and good taste. Why chew on an old Ford when they've got a Mercedes right beside it to chew on?

What did I find for resale pricing, based on past historical sales data? The ho-hum base model V8 F350 typically listed for $28540 while the 7.3L Slow, Stinky, Worthless Diesel listed out at $34070, $5530 more than the V8 (it was a $4500 Cdn option in 2000, so US would have likely been a hair less, maybe 4Gs). The hot rod V10 I figured would be high dollar unit here, but listed out at $29275, a scant $700 and some odd dollars more than the V8 (It was a $1750 Cdn option in 2000, say $1250 US or so). I fired in a few other ZIPS for areas that would actually USE the trucks, and the diesel value widened up even more, as much as $7000 more than the V8.

The lesson here? The bigger V10 gas engine depreciated faster than the V8, while the diesel depreciated slower. While the diesel cost more in the beginning, its true cost of ownership is less (I can buy alot of diesel for $1350). I should have fired in 2002, 2003 and 2004 trucks to see when the actual cost of ownership for the diesel began to be less than the gas jobbies. If Bevery Hills is anything like my little town, it was as soon as the truck left the dealer lot :lol:

I think a half-ton truck with a diesel would be a real gem for those who had to commute long distances, or pull lighter weights like a 16ft stock trailer when running critters to the vet.

Rod

 

[DiamondSCattleCo]

think the EPA will have such restraints on light duty rigs, on account of GVWR's (they have enough on heavy duty's) that it would be a joke.

Do you think so Crowder? I'm hoping the EPA wises up like the governing boards have overseas and begins to realize that the days of the horrible smelling, smoke belching Oldsmobile diesel are over and that they truly are a greener choice.

It also doesn't hurt that Cummins, Navistar, Isuzu, Mercedes, VM, and Detroit all have 1/2 ton truck class engines that meet the 2008 EPA standards for light engines.

Rod