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Diesel/Gas justification banter?

Rockcrawlindude said:
OP said the 26 would be “close to $130k” maybe he meant out the door?
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Yea iam from Canada, so just for example if you wanted say a base model platinum F350 with the powerstroke you'd be 130k minimum, then your about 110k for a baseline lariat (Before taxes). For a loaded up limited ram dually with the 6.7 youre looking at 120,000$ before tax, that's if you order one. If its on a dealers lot you can almost guarantee 7-8000$ markup usually. Which is ridiculous. 12,500$ for the Cummins, and 11,900$ for the powerstroke respectively.

I can say i am to blame partially, i help enable these stupid prices by purchasing them. I like new trucks, new technology, creature comforts etc. But i think i have to admit to myself as well that the prices are getting to be a bit much for a new diesel in a trim level i enjoy. Among the other items mentioned in relation to the pros/cons of owning a diesel vs gas. I think the 7.3 or a 6.7 gas would work perfectly fine for a welding rig dually, especially since I almost never tow with the truck it just has its payload close to 4000-4500lbs. Theres just that apprehension of 25 years of owning diesels haha
 
Its pretty simple. You want a diesel? The get one. You want a gasser? Then get one. Justifying the price and cost of a diesel over a gasser is silly and youll only save money as a hot shot. Resale wont make it back either. So if you want one you only have to justify it to yourself and nobody else. So unless you drive an OBSCENE amount of towing miles cost will never balance out and to be frank it doesnt matter. If diesel is what you want then buying it will make you happiest, and going gas will make you unhappy as you will always wonder "what if". Being money wise is great, but if it puts you into a purchase you dont want you will never be happy.

That said, the math can be done. Figure milegage for a year and that will help you figure out fuel/DEF and maintenance costs. The figure out how long youre planning on keeping til you sell or trade in and that will tell you if or when you would break even. I can assure you that the 6.4 HEMI, 7.3 Godzilla, 6.7 Cummins, and the 6.7 powerstroke will all do what you want them to do. I regularly drive these, and other engines I stated in the previous post, with a total weight of 20-26k LBS in ambulance and utility with trailer forms.
 
My first diesel was a 2004 Duramax 2500. Not my first time being around diesels, as at the time, I was a part time truck driver and construction worker with experience with diesel trucks and heavy equipment. I know that a diesel will make most any kind of work easier. That's pretty much a fact. Since the Duramax, I've been fortunate to own a 2016 2500 6.7 and a 2018 3500 6.7. Both Rams. No question, diesel trucks just does everything better before the guberment got involved. Since I retired, things have changed and I don't drive as much as I used to. We're not pulling heavy 5th wheels around, and only have a 26' travel trailer now. I have a 2005 TJR to do trails and daily and my wife has a 2018 JLU that's pretty much a garage queen. I think that I finally have the right truck that I can afford and be happy with, my 2024 2500 6.4.
 
mdsonofthesouth said:
Its pretty simple. You want a diesel? The get one. You want a gasser? Then get one. Justifying the price and cost of a diesel over a gasser is silly and youll only save money as a hot shot. Resale wont make it back either. So if you want one you only have to justify it to yourself and nobody else. So unless you drive an OBSCENE amount of towing miles cost will never balance out and to be frank it doesnt matter. If diesel is what you want then buying it will make you happiest, and going gas will make you unhappy as you will always wonder "what if". Being money wise is great, but if it puts you into a purchase you dont want you will never be happy.

That said, the math can be done. Figure milegage for a year and that will help you figure out fuel/DEF and maintenance costs. The figure out how long youre planning on keeping til you sell or trade in and that will tell you if or when you would break even. I can assure you that the 6.4 HEMI, 7.3 Godzilla, 6.7 Cummins, and the 6.7 powerstroke will all do what you want them to do. I regularly drive these, and other engines I stated in the previous post, with a total weight of 20-26k LBS in ambulance and utility with trailer forms.
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In all honesty it doesn’t matter if it’s gas or diesel. It’s a vehicle and if it’s just for personal use you are going to lose money period. Very rare occasions is it anything otherwise, and yes we can all say well this one time I…
 
Vdrsnk said:
In all honesty it doesn’t matter if it’s gas or diesel. It’s a vehicle and if it’s just for personal use you are going to lose money period. Very rare occasions is it anything otherwise, and yes we can all say well this one time I…
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Fortunately we still get to choose what we think is best for our own personal use.
 
Pressure_welder said:
Good day fellas just thought id throw this up for a bit of banter and see where everyones head space is at admist these insane prices for new diesels. Ive been a pretty dedicated diesel guy since 2004 when i bought my first new GMC ext cab LB7 loaded right up, loved that truck if i remember correctly it was 45,000$ out the door. Fast forward 7 trucks and i am now in a 24 limited chassis cab thats a welding rig/family truck. I also love this truck, i paid 105,000$ as a leftover in early 2025. I thought this was alot but hey whatever. Fast forward to 2026.... speaking with my friend who owns a dealership.... i would be so close to 130k to replace this truck with a 2026, call it 123 ish for a laramie. This to me is absurd, because i do not see 130k truck here.

I usually trade every 2.5-3 years, as i put on about 30-35k a year with the business, I dont tow much but i do run around close to max GVWR on the daily, and get an average of about 13.5-14mpg, highway i can see about 16.5-17mpg. Love the cummins even though its de-tuned.

Enter my friend who owns a very large construction company that i do alot of welding for... dozers/hoes/rock trucks you name it. He had a fleet of 2020+ 6.7 powerstroke 3/4 tons that he started to swap out with 3/4 ton 7.3 Godzilla in 2021 due to emissions related issues. Both from our cold winters and idle time. As of now his entire fleet of pickups is now 3/4 ton 7.3's a few of which have 200+ km on them. So i asked him how they were doing and if the change was worth it, he laid out all the numbers and charts for me granted hes a huge business compared to myself. But he said he'll never go back to another emissions equipped diesel truck in the pickup world. The fuel economy advantage of the diesel is almost null when compared to the higher diesel price vs gas, hes seeing roughly 11.7-13 mpg with the godzillas on average, about 7-8 when towing skid steers or mini hoes. With 10 trucks he has yet to see any major engine issues, more driveline related things or ball joints etc. From a business stand point he's saving thousands with going back to gas, as a diesel mechanic he made a good point that sort of hit home. These manufacturers are going backwards with diesels.... while they may be "reliable" in a sense, all the mandatory emissions equipment are making them less reliable long AND short term. The short term being def tank pumps, frozen def tanks that cant unthaw themselves, sensors etc. I dont disagree with this as ive also had my share of def problems in winter, alot have went away since i insulted my def injection line.

I have to say that chat with my buddy, in real world testing for 3+ years sort of opened my eyes a bit.... granted i dont know if id ever see myself in a Ford. But being so die hard diesel for so many years, I feel a bit of a shift in my mind set as to what is becoming justifiable. I am really curious to see if Ram releases a 6.7 cummins gas. I am still really on the fence but my friend certainly spoke alot of truth..... i believe while these diesels are great, i think they are also really flawed with all the emissions equipment both in a reliability sense long and short term. 130,000$ for a cummins or equivilent dually is getting a little out of hand i feel for what we are actually getting. The 10 year warranty is certainly a good incentive but is it worth an additional 13K over a gas powered truck? I really dont know. Curious to see what you guys think, or if any of you have switched back to gas. Certainly pro's and cons to both.
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Oh geez, not again……
 
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