I fail to see the problem.

Absolutely.

I used to tow a 25' TT with my last gas powered RAM. Weighed about 7K lbs. It sucked. That RAM had almost 300 rwhp. I had done everything I could to add power and the towing performance was still unacceptable to me.

Now I own a fiver that weighs well over 8K lbs. dry. It's about 11K lbs. loaded. It's also 12' 4" tall. This makes for one heck of a parachute to drag down the road. I don't know of a light duty gas powered truck that I would want to tow this with. Even that Chevy 8.1 liter big block can't tow this load and maintain acceptable fuel efficiency. It would get less than 6 mpg at 65 mph.

So for me, the CTD is necessary.

 

A few posts back someone commented on having ability...

I'll bet that after you have had the truck for a while you will find yourself using the power and utility you have... And anything you do will be less stress on the truck because it is a beast, built to work long and hard.

I had a 1500 with a 318, and it would do most of the things I do with my current truck, but it would not be nearly as easy or fun, and it would be a lot more stress on my truck, and nerves...

 

Exactly what displacedtexan said, I was in the same boat. I will never buy another pickup unless it is an oil burner!!

 

I sold I good 99 CTD because I thoght I didn't need a HD truck. I bought an 89 Ford Bronco for cheap, $1500. I got terrible mileage 8-10mpg. The Bronco was ok. Good for hauling the kids around. Didn't care if it got dirty. Etc. After 4 months, I was looking at 2500 diesels again.

A little different situation than yours; I can't really afford a brand new truck. Gasser, diesel, fullsize, midsize, compact, or whatever.

But, I really regreted selling my diesel. The fuel price was $200 a month greater with my gasser.

I bought my 97 CTD in Feburary. I can feel the difference in capability and my wallet is thicker.

I didn't think I needed a HD truck either. But my garage is a lot cleaner after many trips to the dump. I don't need to pay for delivery of anything I buy for the house. And I've helped people with lighter duty vehicles out of Jams because my truck simply GETS THE JOB DONE. Whatever the job may be. No questions asked. No hesisitation.

 

Just idle it in, it will make the opening larger for you, just may need to fix the garage afterward and buff out the scratches on the roof. Then its easy to increase the height of the opening.

 

Purestock,

I use my truck as a daily driver w/ the weekend trips to Home Depot. Only other difference, I do have a 3500# project boat I'm working on. I'm also interested in Bio-Diesel and SVO/WVO.

Previous truck was a '01 Ram 1500 w/ the 318/auto. As earlier mentioned, it would do everything I 'needed', just a 'dog' as far as performance and very poor gas mileage. I found a great deal on a '98 12V QC 5spd and couldn't be happier. This thing is so much fun to drive. Last night it hit me on how much it was like having my old hot rod from back in high school/college ('71 Camaro). I actually felt like my truck had a 'soul'; BTW I'm 40 yrs old and should be way beyond this, but ...

 

CZSteve......I think I'm going through the same phase, and I'm certain I should be wwwwaaaaayyyyyyy beyond this. I'm 54 !!

 

midsize truck is a grocery getter..... diesel powered 2500 is something people look at, are intimidated by, and they get out of your way.... (usually.... check gallery)..... it is a great investment.... you will love it....

 

Pure Stock,

I cannot lie, I originally purchased mine for the tax benefits!

I never thought, beyond resale value, of the long term benefits.

Wow, was I surprised that my cost of operation actually went down 15% as compared to my 98 gasser Dodge with a 5.2L.

I get 15.7 mpg avg towing my trailer (3500lb), daily, as compared to 13.5mpg best in my gasser.

I continuously overworked my 1500 on a daily basis and was/am flat out amazed at how these Cummins powered trucks perform in comparison.

If you are going to just bomb around town picking up groceries then buy a Toyota

If you want to have a truck that will do the job no matter what the job is then buy the Cummins. They will get the same mileage

Rick