Posted by Jonas on Tuesday, May 01, 2001 at 1:36AM :
In Reply to: Diesel question posted by Gordon Maney on Monday, April 30, 2001 at 11:19PM :
I went round and round with this same dilemma a few months back. I even went as far as to buy a '98 quad cab diesel that I promptly returned to the dealer 2 days later for major mechanical problems in the engine and it only had 72k on it. I was lucky there as he tore up the paper work and kept the truck. My wife really wanted the crew cab so we looked at the F-350's At 34k we could'nt strech it.
I started to think about what was important to me. Did I really need the diesel torque monster for the 3 or 4 times I haul a trailer long distances? I penciled things out on paper also. You can buy a hell of a lot of gas for $4500 which is the premium you pay for the diesel. In fact, right now gas is cheaper than diesel (where I live)!! Also, alot of people rant about how long their diesel will last (300-500k). My grand father had a chevy 454 that had over 300k on the odometer. Another way to look at the milage thing: Lets assume you are going to change the oil in your Diesel every 3000 miles per the severe duty servicing guide lines. When you change your oil you will be using a minimum of 4 GALLONS of oil, if I remember right (I had a '96 Powerstroke), the filter is'nt cheap either. When you change the oil in a gas motor you are looking at about 2 gallons of oil. If you cut your oil changes in your gas motor to every 1500 miles (You would be using the same amount of oil as the diesel at 3000 mi.) I bet you would outlast any diesel motor in a light truck on the road today.
I went out and found a nice clean '87 GMC 1 ton crew cab with single rear wheels and a FI 350ci motor (most have the 454 and duals) It has 90k mi on it and runs like a champ. I pull a trailer with a '46 WDX over Snoqualmie pass in WA state and do 65mph, no problem. It dosent have any bells and whisles but the heater works good. When its hot out , belive it or not folks, you actually have open the wing windows, pull open the floor vents and MANUALLY crank down the windows to keep things cool. The only air bad in there is my wife when she's getting on me about delaying our trip to turn around and investigate that tell tale fender line I caught a glimpse of behind that old barn we all know and love. But it only cost me $6k so I dont have to worry about the monthly $#@^ payment. If worse comes to worse and I blow the motor up, A new crate one can be had from NAPA for $1200. (Parts for a 350ci are very in expensive, Check out what a waterpump will cost you for a diesel!!) The transmission is 1/2 that, but you can find good turbo 400's everywhere.
I can see the brand loyalty thing and my father has a '96 Dodge with a 360 magnum. He pulls a 2 horse trailer (yes with the horses in it silly!) as fast as he wants to up and over hills and mountians. He has over 200k and no problems with the engine, although he did have to replace the entire front end on it, and all the paint peeled off.
Nope, I respect anyone who has the where-with- all to pump thier money into a brand new diesel. It's all about choices, I prefer to spend my money on other things (I just got a WC-63 for me and a '62 scout for my newborn son... HeHe!!!). Those car dealers are crooks, you cant tell me that it cost anywhere near what they want for those trucks to build them. It's all stamped out sheet metal, and not very thick sheet metal at that! If I hit the lottery, (Which probably wont happen 'cause I dont buy tickets) Then mabye I would buy one, but not while I'm still scrubbing the dirt out from under my fingernails before I pick up my paycheck. Then again, Maui is nice in January....
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