Diesel pros and cons

[dropped93]

Alrite guys, so yall know im lookin for a daily driver. one of the main things i need is an assload of torque and the capability to pull stuff. for instance, last night i went and picked up an 86 camaro, it wasnt too bad. current tow vehicle is 04 z71 ecsb 5.3 yada yada. also last night after the camaro was the 83 chevy i just bought. it has a lift and 38.5 inch boggers on it. lets just say thats not the lightest thing ive ever towed. also tonight i had to go pull a coworkers four runner outta the woods. so i use the truck alot as a truck. what i want to know is you guys that drive the ole turbo diesels, whats your pros and cons. ive never worked on a diesel so is it much different? gas mileage? life of the motor, eg. miles?

 

[ndians68]

well i dont drive a diesel as a daily and im only 14 but my cousin drive a 2003 cummins long bed dually its pretty mean its got tons of torque (ive never seen a 1ton dually long bed 4door side ways on the highway besides his... it will pull everything he hooks to it and it gets good fuel milage from what i know

 

[dropped93]

well i dont drive a diesel as a daily and im only 14 but my cousin drive a 2003 cummins long bed dually its pretty mean its got tons of torque (ive never seen a 1ton dually long bed 4door side ways on the highway besides his... it will pull everything he hooks to it and it gets good fuel milage from what i know

oh i know, i cant afford a cummins though. i cant even afford an older somethin but i need a different daily.

 

[Fobroader]

If youre pulling almost on a daily basis, diesel is king. The sheer torque, fuel mileage and durability makes it the only way to go. My neighbor has a Ram Cummins flatdeck company truck, that thing loaded with stuff pulled like a ****. Id love a Cummins wrapped in a mid 2000's Gm truck...thats a different story though. THe durability of a diesel is amazing, the overhaul cycle of a cummins is 1/2 million Km's, ford and gm, about 1/2. Im looking for a diesel right now so I can comfortably tow our new travel trailer over the rocky mountains. Downsides, maintenance is more expensive, repairs are more expensive, purchase price is more expensive and finally, if you live in a cold climate, Im not talking about "OMG it dropped down to 50F last night", like a good proper cold, they dont heat up as well as gassers. Id still get one in a hearbeat for a tow vehicle.

 

[Tinbender59]

been there done that, here is the best advice that I can give ya, "If ya are making money with the truck, by all means get a diesel, if you are doing all of this as a hobby or just a good ol boy, stay the he!! away from the diesels cause your good ol boys wont be there with their wallets to help get it back up and running". step up to a 6.0l Gasser, damn near a straight swap out, a little tuning - reprogram AND YOU GOT A BUTT LOAD OF TORQUE!!! plus $800 - $1000 here in Kansas gets you a good 6.0l just my bit P.S. 6.0l = 396cid hum? where have I seen that number before???

 

[dirtyhick42]

been there done that, here is the best advice that I can give ya, "If ya are making money with the truck, by all means get a diesel, if you are doing all of this as a hobby or just a good ol boy, stay the he!! away from the diesels cause your good ol boys wont be there with their wallets to help get it back up and running". step up to a 6.0l Gasser, damn near a straight swap out, a little tuning - reprogram AND YOU GOT A BUTT LOAD OF TORQUE!!! plus $800 - $1000 here in Kansas gets you a good 6.0l just my bit P.S. 6.0l = 396cid hum? where have I seen that number before???

I currently have two buddies with their diesels for sale and one is actually trading his in tomorrow to step back down to a 1/2 ton

 

[Fobroader]

I agree with that about the Duramax and Powerstroke, the Duramax is a money pit, my buddy has an 05 and everytime anything goes wrong its north of $1500. My neighbor runs a fleet of cummins for work, says for what they do, change the oil, and theyre good to go. Like I said, an Allison tranny with a Cummins is the way to go. But since I dont think you want that, get a Cummins. Theyre cheaper, better built and proper diesels are inline. Its too bad that theyre wrapped in a Dodge, which even the new ones have a cheaper interior than a mid 80's Pontiac.

 

[Tinbender59]

I agree with that about the Duramax and Powerstroke, the Duramax is a money pit, my buddy has an 05 and everytime anything goes wrong its north of $1500. My neighbor runs a fleet of cummins for work, says for what they do, change the oil, and theyre good to go. Like I said, an Allison tranny with a Cummins is the way to go. But since I dont think you want that, get a Cummins. Theyre cheaper, better built and proper diesels are inline. Its too bad that theyre wrapped in a Dodge, which even the new ones have a cheaper interior than a mid 80's Pontiac.

hay I just remembered I know a guy that installs Cummins in chevys i sold him my 1995 2500 with a blown 6.5 and inside a month it was runnin a real diesel, might be cheaper than a new truck????

 

[Fobroader]

There ya go, that would be a perfect blend.....plus the 6.5's make a helluva boat anchor

 

[Tinbender59]

There ya go, that would be a perfect blend.....plus the 6.5's make a helluva boat anchor

owning a 6.5 is like and had me doing for a long time. loved the power but not the cost, cool thing is my Gasser does just as good a job, just with out as much finesse or cost