Posted by Marty on Tuesday, February 03, 2004 at 12:39PM :
I actually bought my first diesel thinking I was going to save a bundle on fuel but I can't say I believe buying a Cummins or any other Diesel should be based on operating expenses.
Yes, they are much better on fuel than a Dodge V10 but lets be serious, altough the V10 is a powerfull & reliable engine, it's probably the worst engine for fuel economy that's ever been built.
If a man were looking for a gas engine truck I'm sure you could find one fully capable of pulling a P/W on a trailer & still maintain 13-15mpg.
I find the Cummins actually more money to maintain than a gas engine by the time you look at $100 oil changes vs $25 in a gas engine, fuel filters, expensive & crucial air filters, etc etc. They use up rear tires at twice the rate of a lower torque gas engine & really, if you care about your engine & are planning to get 3-400,000mi out of it then you're adding half a bottle of Stanadyne fuel additive at every fill up.
They are definitely harder on transmissions & the rest of the driveline. I'd say if you're running an automatic you better be changing the fluid, flushing & doing the filter every 25K max...all this added maintainance adds up.
I love my truck & doubt I could ever run a gas engine truck for a daily driver again.
The power & reliability of a diesel is fantastic & they are certainly built to last but if you're looking for the cheapest truck to drive...buy a gas engine truck.
Buy a diesel if you want the most powerful & reliable powerplant.
That's my take on it all.
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