Deciding between gas and diesel

[orlando bull]

I think the Hemi would work for you... a couple of other factors...

- How long will you keep it? Used market for a higher mileage diesel is much better than higher mileage gasser. I personally think the up front cost is usually recoverable on the back end, almost no matter how long you keep it.
- When you tow, how far do you tow? I am on the edge with my rig, could probably manage my fiver with a gas truck, but one of the dumb reasons I wanted a diesel is because fueling up on the road is nearly impossible with a large trailer and a gas truck. I am towing a 43' fiver, so a smaller trailer may not be as big of an issue, but to travel, it's hard to find a place to gas up a truck with a huge trailer. Diesel takes that stress out of it by using the truck stops.
- Mileage is realtive. right now, in my area, diesel is $.35-$.45 more per gallon than gas, so even at a slightly lower MPG average, the $$ may not be that different.

 

[dmhines]

I am sure but man over on the FB Ram groups a day doesn’t go by without Hemi owners complaining that they have to replace their cams or deal with cracked header bolts…seems like 90k miles is the sweet spot for these failures…

Yeah .. stupid MDS ... unfortunately I also have a 2021 Camaro with same stupid cylinder deactivation issues so I own two ticking time bombs ! lol

 

[Dave01]

I couldn't be happier with my 6.4. I tow an 8,000 lb. trailer around once a week, not a long enough trip to really know the mpg. Tows it easily. With a 5,000 lb. boat and trailer you don't know it's back there. My general mileage is 14.5 average with a decent amount of highway in the mix, more like 12 if all around town driving. I do drive pretty fast so the brick through air at 75-80 certainly drops mileage.

My last 3 trucks were diesel, I prefer diesel in general, but this gas engine purchase made sense for my usage and I don't regret it a bit.

 

[Ziggy]

I am sure but man over on the FB Ram groups a day doesn’t go by without Hemi owners complaining that they have to replace their cams or deal with cracked header bolts…seems like 90k miles is the sweet spot for these failures…

Everyone makes great points for going either way, but part of my decision to stay diesel was long term and longevity of the cummins engine. If cared for properly, they will outlive a gas engine by a long way.

 

[Thisnthat]

something that hasn't been asked...what is the 2023 priced at...dealer asking MSRP? $2k off? $2k over? $7k off?

New trucks can be ordered at 10-12% off MSRP for sure, but there are deals to be had as well for trucks sitting on the lots. We are probably almost at the point where a buyer can actually get a better deal on a lot truck vs ordering one.

Depending on when the 2022 was built, the options on the 22 may not even be available on the '23 Laramie trim

I'd personally pull the window sticker on the 22 and to see the options in order to compare the two.... and to see how they are pricing it...selling a $60-70k used truck in this market is going to be tough sledding. Don't make it easy on them

 

[BadKarma]

I had a similar dilemma. Didn’t really need a diesel, ended up with a hemi. At the end of the day yea sure a CTD would be awesome. But…. It’s a truck… a heavy duty truck.. not saying gas mileage isn’t important but expectations for anything heavy duty and gas need to be realistic. I drive like I can afford speeding tickets/gas and average 10-13mpg for work. When my days off come and I’m playing car pool dad. I get about 8 mpg. Going up north to flagstaff for hunting or camping I average 15-16 mpg and a little better coming back as most of the time I’m on cruise control. In Summary, it’s a lot of truck to move around and you gotta get what you need unless you’re willing to pay for what you want.

 

[flan]

I get looking at the different costs of maintenance but when I spend $108K on my truck the last thing I am worried about is if oil changes are going to cost me an extra $150 a year...

You can get the OEM fuel/oil filter set for $69.00 on fleabay...

View attachment 61599

Prime counterfeit material right there....

 

[Blythkd1]

$30? It sure cost me more than that to change the oil and filter in my Dmax. It holds 2.5 gallons of oil, so that's at least $60 or so before the filter.

I was running Rotella T4 from a 55 gallon drum. It was about $9 a gallon so $22.50 per change, then $8 for a filter. Of course Covid took care of that. The oil is over $16 now. But I changed a lot of it for $9-10 before it went through the roof.

 

[Rockcrawlindude]

Did they factor in the snapped header bolts and cam replacement that seem to plague the Hemi’s…

Plague lol

 

[Blythkd1]

I agree the Mopar OEM filters from the Cummins are crazy expensive, but it's easy to do it yourself for under $200.

With OEM filters and synthetic oil? I was talking about the full meal deal, all filters. I've been buying from Geno's.

 

[phatboy64]

Plague lol

Prime counterfeit material right there....

Maybe…get‘‘em at Geno’s then…my point is the cost of an oil filter would never factor into my decision on what truck I would buy. That said I respect how others make their decision…

 

[phatboy64]

Yeah .. stupid MDS ... unfortunately I also have a 2021 Camaro with same stupid cylinder deactivation issues so I own two ticking time bombs ! lol

Good luck with that! BTW I love the color of your truck!

 

[Jacob]

I just didn't like the dial gear shifter on the Hemi trucks.
Test drive some and see what you like.
I've been happy with my diesel truck. Had the code pop up when I used a Fram air filter. No biggie. And a hub bearing went out at early miles. No def or other major issues.

 

[Exec_DetroitDiesel]

I’ll put it pretty plainly based on reality. A lot of good points here tho.

I’ve had both. I had a 22 Laramie hemi, and I have now a 23 Laramie diesel. I wanted the diesel even though I love the hemi v8s. In the heavy duty I prefer the diesel engine in general and love it.

That said, I hated the dial shifter, so lame, love the column, that’s the small interior benefit. The Cummins torque is amazing, it hauls, much much better than the hemi. The hemi was no slouch tho, but very thirsty to get you there especially when towing almost pathetically terrible single digits. I averaged about 15mpg on rural roads, the Cummins gets me close to 20, highway mpg is excellent, 22-24 with small payload but no towing.

I used to use premium with the hemi, diesel is cheaper. You have the def now with the diesel but no big deal, 500mpg to the def depending on your usage. The Cummins will last longer and have a better resale value.

Get the Cummins.

 

[Braggster]

Owned a 2016 Ram 1500 5.7, 2020 3500 6.4 gas, 2021 Nissan Titan SV and just bought a 6 inch lifted 2023 Ram 2500 Big horn with 37s and get 16.5 mostly city and some freeway. I will NEVER ever go back gas truck again. This truck is absolutely fun to drive.

 

[gimmie11s]

You rarely read about folks hating diesel and going gas. You ALWAYS read about folks leaving gas to go diesel. See post 35.

That said, OP, I'd go Hemi if I was you. Sounds like no need for the extra torque in your case. Be prepared to pay at the pump though... the gas HD trucks (any brand) do NOT get good fuel mileage, never have probably never will. Sadly, diesels are not efficient as they used to be but at least nowadays they have MEGA power and torque.

 

[dieselscout80]

How many people are going to drive a truck more than 250k miles?

Most people are going to be tired of it and get something else.

Most gas trucks are going to go +225k miles nowadays.

 

[phatboy64]

I agree with what most people say about holding value over a gas engine. I traded in a 2014 3500 CTD with over 180k on it and got over $30k, I am pretty sure the dealer would have not even considered taking it in on a trade if it was gas with that many miles on it.

 

[Grateful Dad]

I went from diesel to gas, only real complaint is range with the tiny 31 gallon tank but that might have a remedy soon.
My 5ver is 10.1k maxed out, 6.4 tows it just fine, I get about 7.5 mpg on the Hwy towing with my heavy foot, wind at Hwy speeds is what tanks mpgs, it goes up on anything but the Hwy when towing.

 

[AH64ID]

Strictly from a fuel mileage standpoint I don’t think most owners will ever pay for the diesel, even with the added resale. The initial cost, maintenance, and fuel price differences make the gains minimal per mile.

Don’t buy any HD truck for the mileage, buy the truck that does what you need it to do.. and live with the mileage.

Fast forward to the Ram and an oil change with all the filters costs $300, and that's doing it myself. Some guys have reported up to $500 even $600 having it done at the dealership.

All filters combined for my annual service I’m right at $250 to do it myself with OEM air/fuel filters, a Donalson oil filter, and Amsoil HD 5w-40.

I’m going to do diff fluid this first change too, that stuff is crazy expensive for synthetic but the OEM fluids haven’t left a lot to be desired in my experience.

Diesels aren’t cheap to maintain, but the exhaust brake sure is nice in the mountains.