I have been lurking here for the past 6 months or so, congrats on a very cordial site. I have a '00 1500 w/5.9 with about 68,000 miles, and will trading it in shortly.

I have been looking at a new 2500 CTD. I tow about 5500 lbs, usually 60 miles one way about 35 times per year. The rest of the time the truck is a daily driver and grocery getter as my wife does not drive. I'm not real comfortable towing at high rpms as the gas engines need to do, not to mention that mileage gets sucked thru the throttle body!

Obviously, economy is important, but I wonder if the extra money for the diesel is worth it. I'm not really planning on hot rodding it, other than an exhaust, maybe a mild chip if one is available. I don't really have the funds for alot of playing. How do you folks justify a diesel pick up?

Doug

 

1) Engine life expectancy-The Cummins will outlast the truck it's in!
2) The difference between gas/diesel when towing is incredible
3) Fuel milage is great! I average 20.5 (mixed highway and city)
4) Power on demand
I could go on and on, but I'll let some of the other guys chime in!
-Steve

 

Drive one for a day...

Thats how I got hooked...smoooooooooth power, better mileage and just an overall great ride. I also bought mine not intending to do anything with it...now look at it...

 

• fuel economy
• durabilaty
• performance with a load
• fuel economy with a load
• resale of the truck (look for used diesels)

Dang! you know, this isn't necessarly easy trying to describe why one would want to buy a diesel...
As someone earlier said, go drive one for a day. There are so many diffrences between the way a gas and a diesel engine performs.

 

If you take care of it, you will get your money back out of it as said above. Look at a used diesel in good shape as opposed to a used non-diesel. Plus all of the other savings...and they are just plain fun to drive and tow with!

Here is a pic I took in mexico...I was missing my ram and saw this one!

 

Look at it this way, the Cummins will last at LEAST twice as long as any gas engine you buy out there. Assuming you can put up with an older truck too, you've basically bought two vehicles lifetimes for the price of one...The initial cost is high, but your overall vehicle cost over the next 300,000 miles or so will be less than taking the gas route... plus all the other things mentioned, they tow so much better, better fuel economy, and they are just so darn cool Plus you'll get to bs with all of us more often, thats a major bonus

 

My justification, hmmmmm, let me think.

Oh yeah:
1) cause I want it

2) cause I can

Yep, that's pretty much it.

 

yeah what he said

 

If you ever pull anything with a diesel. you will never go back to a gasser. In the summer, you do not have to worry about the engine everheating with a load!! There are many other advantages. Plus you get excellent fuel economy loaded and empty. Nothing like running 70mph up a big hill with 15,000 lbs behind you!!

 

power, smoke, fuel economy, and did i mention power

 

Doug ... for me, it was torque making capability per $.

I had a Dodge V-10. Definately an animal of a motor. Great towing rig. With a simple cat-back exhaust & 300 injectors on the 215 pump, the Cummins out pulled the V-10.

If you look at making hp per $ or torque per $ & the resultant reliability, the Cummins HAS to be @ or near the top. For example, take the 215hp, 12V. For the price of a temp & boost guages ($?) & a fuel plate ($225), you're at a reliable 680 ft-lbs. No clutch needed & it'll out tow about anything.

Drop in a bigger clutch, turbo & fuel plate and you're at least 200 ft-lbs over that!

The gasoline towing trucks aren't even in the same game.

 

Well Doug, I drive a lot of miles. The truck in sig has 126500 miles on it. It's two years old. I've killed gas trucks with 20000 fewer miles on them. My previous 3500's lasted 425000 and 645000 miles on them respectively. All were powered by Cummins.

 

17 MPG with 4000#'s of vacuum pumps in the bed @ 70 MPH and the A/C blowing snow ***** this past summer. It's a no brainer, the long life of the engine, the fuel economy, in the long run you'll come out cheaper. My "bean counter" aka wife, used to get on me all the time for spending extra money on equipment for the business, when I could have got a better price on a lesser quality machine, but after I show her how much better the machine operates and produces higher quality parts, she says OK. Example- From B'ham to Montgomery and back used to cost me about 25-30$ in gas, now it is only about $15 or less in fuel, I was working the crap out of the gasser, the Dodge ain't even breaking a sweat, and when she saw we could go to Gulf Shores to the beach, have fuel left to putter around the rest of the week, and get about 75 miles back home before needing any fuel, she quit asking why, now she just ask "when are we going back" , If I'm gentle on the pedal, I can get 19-21 mpg. Just my .02 worth

 

I used to hate diesels. Rattle, stink, etc...until I had a 87 6.2 GM for a work truck when I was in the Air Force. We had the pump worked and the truck was a pleasure to drive. We retired it with over 300K on it and it was still running great. Time moves on and end up being the "go-to" man on the CTD equipped Dodge rams in about 98 in the dealer I work at. I worked on them for four year and last March was finally able to buy a pre owned 2001 CTD. Even my wife loves the truck. It pulls anything, gets great mileage, and running empty won't slow down for anything unless you tell it to. The gasser guys just need to experience the feeling of approaching a 10 mile long 7% grade and all you hear is a little more turbo noise, no shift, no loss of lock up, just a steady freight train pulling like it was made to. Going from AZ to South Dakota with our gasser we would only get 10-11 miles per gallon (driving fast). With the diesel we still got 18mpg+ and even better if we kept it under 75. Also the brakes on the 3/4 ton are waaaaay better than the 1/2 ton we sold off. I won't be going back to a gas rig anytime soon.

 

The resale on a high mileage diesel more than makes up for the high initial cost. The savings on repairs are great too. These things need little maintanence to go to 300k.