I have been in the BIG THREE diesel forums for several years now in anticpitation of my first diesel, but I am honestly afraid to by anyone of them. The three biggest reasons to buy a diesel is MPG and performance and longevity. Well after reading hundreds of posts I have come to the conclusion that new Cummins 600 owners are not happy with the milage, Ford diesels are a mess, and Duramax has injector problems. This months Trailer life tested a new PSD and it only got 9.5 pulling a relatively light trailer. I can almost get that with my current gas motor. I know the CTD 600 is new and milage should improve but 12-14 MPG empty is not much better than a gasser. Please tell me I am wrong because I have been looking forward to a diesel since 1999.

 

First off, most people join forums because they have a problem, and are looking for a solution.
Therefore, most of the posts are about problems.

For every one person posting about a bad experience,
there are another thousand happily going about their daily lives.

Every vehicle has problems, fact of life.
Especially the first year of a new body style, injection system, etc.

Diesels get better mileage than gassers, doing what they do best, towing heavy loads.

They are such heavy duty motors that they often take many, many thousand miles to break in,
at which point they start getting better mileage.

I doubt there are any "600's" out there that are broken in.
We're talking 20,000 miles or more.

My last gasser experience, full size truck not my little "Toy"ota, I was ecstatic to get 10mph going downhill.
My current truck, barely starting to get broken in, gets 14-17 as a daily driver.
Not bad for an 8,000 lb vehicle, with an engine that will easily go 500,000 miles without an overhaul
(maybe more since I currently don't have anything to tow).
All on the original spark plugs.

Try that with a gas engine.

I guess your best bet is to carefully weigh the big 3's problems and pick the one with the least.
I think that would be the Cummins (2nd gen of course )


phox

 

If you can't make a decision after five years of research, I'd continue with my usual routine of a gasser. Life is short. I can't understand why you haven't at least tried one of the big three. All three manufacturers have their advantages and disadvantages, but to me, the CTD is the best. I bought my first CTD (1998 Dodge RAM 2500 Reg Cab 4x4 12V) in December of 1997. My only regret is I wish I had bought one five years earlier in 1992. Personally, I've been extremely happy with my past 3 CTD's.......best trucks I've ever owned.
Greg

 

This is my 3rd CTD and couldn't be happier. Like Mr. Mulder said the new 600's haven't been out long enough to put a judgement on them yet.

Give them a chance............

I'm very happy with mine.

 

I agree with phox-mudder. A lot of the problems you read here are aborations and not the norm. I bought a "99" new and the only problem I have had with the engine in 136K is the fan fell off. (I'll bet you haven't read that on this site) Even though I have read horror stories about the 24 valve, computer, lift pump, yad yad yad. I just replaced the lift pump because I thought it was getting weak and other than a seat belt retractor problem I haven't had any problems. If all you are looking for at the forums is problems you'll never make a decsion. Look at resale, longevity, and looks, then just buy one!

You could take my wife, but don't even think about taking my CTD.

 

I used to have a Ford F350 crew cab dooley with a 460 gasser. That truck liked gas just as much as my twin chevy engined boat. That truck could barely pull the boat on the trailer just as fast as the boat could go on the water.

Pulling the boat, I'd get 5-7 mpg, its a joke, but no lie. It felt like it was tapped out around 65 with the boat behind.

The Blue beast gets 13 on the same stretch of highway pulling the boat. The Beast is comfortable at 65 on cruise control. She's got enough ***** left to pull out and pass slower traffic if I so desire. This is while pulling the boat.

Buying a diesel takes a little leap, what with the extra $5k in purchase price. But your getting more than better mileage, better performance and more longevity. Your also getting that sound, that sweet exhaust smell, that stinky fresh fuel smell on your boots at the fueling island, and best ofall, that special wave to those other oilers that those gasser guys just don't get. And that includes the 'Strokers and Mad Max's.

You're probably going to be making payments for a few years, get whatever will give you that warm and fuzzy. Is that payment premium worth it? It is to me.

How many times have you seen someone in a gasser open their window to listen to a V-10, a 5.4, or 8l chevy? Never. How about a diesel? All the time.......

That CTD put a stupid grin on my face the day I drove it home, and that grin factor is still the same, a year and half later. YMMV.

 

toddbailey, I just got back from a short trip on my first tow with the CTD. I have no reason to lie, it will do me no benifit.

Here are the results: 6400 miles on the ODO, 6% grade, 70MPH, ~2500 RPM, I got 10.5 MPG on the computer.

I towed the exact same trailer up the exact same hill with my last truck gasser (00 Silverado) 4-6MPG, 5000+RPM and 50MPH scared she was gonna blow!

I LOVE THIS TRUCK

 

I have been a gas-o-holic all of my adult driving life. This is my first diesel vehicle. I will NEVER go back to gas!.... A family member of mine has an 03 GMC Denali truck with quadsteer, ...it is a very nice truck. He lives in California. Gas for his truck is about $2.25 a gallon. With a good tailwind and no towing, it gets about 11 mpg. Hook a trailer up, no grades, and he will be lucky to see 7 or 8 mpg. His truck puts out 350 hp and about the same in torque. My 04 HO puts out 305 hp and 555 ft.lbs in torque. And my unloaded mileage, with 3k miles on the odo so far, runs about 15 around town, 20 highway. A recent tow of 4500 lbs yielded a best of 19 mpg on the flats, and diesel is .25 less a gallon when I am in California. ALL auto makers have their issues. Anything that is mechanical has issues! Sometimes it is a matter of poor maintenance, poor design, or just plain old poor luck. Ya takes your turn..ya takes your chances...Personally, out of the two dozen or so trucks I have owned over the years..I LOVE THIS TRUCK MAN!!!!!!

 

Just a thought, compare the MPG of the diesels not to a LD gas motor, but to the big ones, the Ford V10, the GM 8100. A friend with a GM 3/4 ton with the 6.0L gets really bad MPG unloaded.

 

Buying a new diesel, as bulabula said, is usually tougher because it is that extra 5 grand to get in. but once you are in, you are in forever. Here is a point, my dad sold his old 97 gasser , 190K, for 4900 bucks. I bought my 94, 163K, for 8250 (It was 9800, but talked em down, and it was the BEST price I could find around). The fact is that the resale value on a diesel is SOOOOOO much higher, no matter how many miles you get on, and the resale difference between oilers and gassers gets greater every time the odometer clicks over.

So hop in, the water is fine!

 

Hiya Todd,

I used to be a died in the wool Ford man. I've had one in my possesion since I was sixteen, and have purchased 2 new Fords, all gassers. My last truck was a 96 F250 4 dr xlt 4x4 lariat w 460 5spd, at 90,000 miles pulling a 9000 lbs boat at 65 mph I was lucky to get 8 mpg. My brother has diesels, my brother in law has diesels, my friends have diesels long story short I wanted better milage and topend pulling power.

So I cruised into the ford house last year, bottom line 2003 F250 4 dr 4x4 xlt 6.0 $42000 the trade in offered on my 96 in excellent shape (body and mechanically) was $5000. I asked to talk to the sales manager and asked if this was his best offer and his reply was yes. So I call east Texas and get figuers all in the same range.

I stopped by the Dodge house and looked at a 03 Quad Cab 4x4 Slt with all the options I wanted. Bottom line $32,400 ($39,700 sticker)and they gave me $10,500 on my trade in. The Ford deal was $15000 more than the Dodge. I was so irate with ford the I went back to the dealership in my new Dodge and spoke to the manager, I told him for 22 years I've had a Ford truck in my driveway but not any more. 3 months later I traded my wifes' 01 f150 in for a Durango 4x4.

I now have 10000 miles on the truck, I pulled my boat 140 miles to the lake this weekend through some good grades and got pretty close to 12 mpg with cruise set on 75, didn't even stutter climbing the grades. On the way back I put cruise at 2000 rpms just to see what kind of mpg going slower would do. 19 mpg ( no boat of course) with a head wind.

will I go back? No. I did the research and did my homework, powerstroke, duramax and Cummins, and Cummins came out on top. DC has some issues, but Cummins carries them by far. Don't forget warrantees and 7/70 vs 3/36 for a truck your paying 600 bucks a month for goes a long way.

It's your dollar, I'm pleased with my desicion, good luck with yours.

Garry

 

When I was punching up number on Kelly Blue Book once, I optioned out a Ram 2500, 3 years old with 90,000 miles. I did them up exactly the same, one with HO Cummins, the other with the 360 V8. The Private Party price difference was over $6500 more for the HO.

If you go to resell, you will get your diesel premium back, and then some.

Vaughn

 

After a little over a year, and 30,000 miles, here are some facts. First of all, I'm really light on the throttle. My race car trailer has a bunch of boxes and junk on the workbench, and I've never had anything fall on the deck. The trailer weighs #8500 pounds with one race car in it. It's a big, 30' box that something like towing a garage or barn down the road. Although it has two axles, both only have single wheels, so I seldom go over 55 while towing as I really don't want to have a blowout, especially on some of the twisty mountain roads I travel over the Sierra's. I live at 5,000 foot elevation, I tow up and over 8,000+ foot summits, and down to sea level - then come home. My towing fuel mileage is 13.5. While running around town without the trailer, I average 17-17.5. Last fall we took a 7,850 mile trip to the east coast and back - empty. There were three of us from here to Vermont and back, and five of us from Vermont to Western PA, then down to Gettysburg and back. We were never cramped for space, it road like a luxury car - I ran the speed limit, and averaged 20.5 mpg. While towing up the hills out here I pass many other trucks towing trailers, and have never shifted down below fifth gear. What mare can I say? Good luck with whatever you do.

 

Try starting a thread on "Who loves your truck?" and see what happens. You might be surprised..
BulaBula made a statement about people rolling their windows down to hear the truck. I can't wait for warmer weather so I can roll my own window down to hear my truck.
Finally, it would be kind of a boring site if all the posts were " I drove my truck another week with no problems. Gee, I love this thing!"

 

to pile on some more "I love my truck"....my first diesel here. I bought purely on the cummins reputation. I didn't even look at a chubby or turd. I knew exactly what I wanted...cummins HO w/ 6 speed. Drove a few and came home with a new truck. I get right at 18 mpg rural driving no load. This drops to about 16 in the city. Power and great milage...how can you go wrong?

Oh yeah, had the bank refinance my truck at 2.9% and their value was $33,000 with 25,000 miles and 1 year old. That is real close to what the final price was when I bought it. Bet that won't happen with a gasser.....you think? - JKE