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How many miles a week to justify a diesel?

farmingdalesfinest

farmingdalesfinest

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Let me rephrase my question. I put the same question on FB that's below and most people are only looking at the 9 mile commute but I am also driving for work 2-3x a week 110 miles round trip. So my total mileage a week on average is 250-350 miles. Would this be enough to justify a a diesel and not cause issues with it? I am not looking to justify buying it either I have no experience with diesel and want something that will last a long time with this potentially being the last vehicle I ever own.

My local dealer has a Tradesman Diesel that has been on the lot long enough that they are offering it for only 2 k more than a 6.4 Big Horn that I was looking at. The biggest difference is the diesel has the towing cameras and only the black steel wheels with the stupid small 245 tires. The Big Horn is the midnight edition and heated seats. If I got the Tradesman I would immediately replace the tires to something that would fill the wheel well better.

I really never thought about diesel because of how much more they usually are and then the additional cost of diesel while not towing often. It would be my daily driver and work is only 9 miles from my house but 2-3x a week I drive round trip about 110 miles. I am curious if this is enough mileage to justify to additional maintenance cost as well as the higher fuel cost and DEF? I have never owned a diesel but have read that short trips are going to cause issues over time.

Looking forward to your answers.
 
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Bighorn. You have to want a diesel to justify it. It's not something you try out because they are very different animals.
 
We own both a Ram 3500 4x4 Tradesman Crew Cab LB SRW Cummins and a Ram 2500 4x4 Tradesman PW 6.4L. Fuel MPG is usually 25% better on our diesel. Diesel is cheaper here. 85 Octane is regular gas. 87 Octane is mid-grade gas. Our diesel has a 50 gallon tank, so 1/2 the fill-ups. Further range with less fill-ups.
Screenshot_20250902_082347_Maps.jpg
 
I own both gas and diesel trucks. I wouldn’t buy a diesel truck unless the gas version wouldn’t pull or haul what I need to pull or haul. My 13 year old Tundra gets almost all of the non-towing driving.
 
Dodgeman said:
I own both gas and diesel trucks. I wouldn’t buy a diesel truck unless the gas version wouldn’t pull or haul what I need to pull or haul. My 13 year old Tundra gets almost all of the non-towing driving.
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I can only own one truck. When we go out we usually use my wife's Santa Fe because she has bad Rheumatoid and it's easier to park in most parking lots.
 
I only use 91 octane gas anyway in a vehicle, and the locally, the price for that gas vs diesel is the same.

The version of the ram that I want is only offered in diesel, so the decision is easy for me.
 
HarryN said:
I only use 91 octane gas anyway in a vehicle, and the locally, the price for that gas vs diesel is the same.

The version of the ram that I want is only offered in diesel, so the decision is easy for me.
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What version is only offered in Diesel? I've never looked at all of the packages because some get insanely expensive for stuff that no one needs and only adds to the likeliness of an electrical issue.
 
farmingdalesfinest said:
What version is only offered in Diesel? I've never looked at all of the packages because some get insanely expensive for stuff that no one needs and only adds to the likeliness of an electrical issue.
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All of the megacab versions ( at least for 2025 and 2026 ) only come with the diesel.

I need the ability to lean back the rear seat and it also can make a bed almost long enough for a nap.

If you are looking at a 2019 - 2024 , then the decision gets more complicated on the diesel due to challenges in that series.
 
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HarryN said:
All of the megacab versions ( at least for 2025 and 2026 ) only come with the diesel.

I need the ability to lean back the rear seat and it also can make a bed almost long enough for a nap.

If you are looking at a 2019 - 2024 , then the decision gets more complicated on the diesel due to challenges in that series.
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I am looking at 25 models.
 
For me, it isn't how many miles per week used to justify owning it.
It's has 4300# + payload and the truck will tow whatever, whenever I need.
Diesel and fuel are a cost of doing business IMM.
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Cheers.
 
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Our Ram 2500 4x4 6.4L doesn't have an exhaust brake that our Ram 3500 4x4 6.7L does have. Can't understate the importance of it. We live on a mountain with a 21.4 mile long grade and this is one of our roads. Our Power Wagon gas is our go to vehicle in winter. TOTR-SteveMiller-104-2016-1024x768.jpg
 
farmingdalesfinest said:
Let me rephrase my question. I put the same question on FB that's below and most people are only looking at the 9 mile commute but I am also driving for work 2-3x a week 110 miles round trip. So my total mileage a week on average is 250-350 miles. Would this be enough to justify a a diesel and not cause issues with it? I am not looking to justify buying it either I have no experience with diesel and want something that will last a long time with this potentially being the last vehicle I ever own.

My local dealer has a Tradesman Diesel that has been on the lot long enough that they are offering it for only 2 k more than a 6.4 Big Horn that I was looking at. The biggest difference is the diesel has the towing cameras and only the black steel wheels with the stupid small 245 tires. The Big Horn is the midnight edition and heated seats. If I got the Tradesman I would immediately replace the tires to something that would fill the wheel well better.

I really never thought about diesel because of how much more they usually are and then the additional cost of diesel while not towing often. It would be my daily driver and work is only 9 miles from my house but 2-3x a week I drive round trip about 110 miles. I am curious if this is enough mileage to justify to additional maintenance cost as well as the higher fuel cost and DEF? I have never owned a diesel but have read that short trips are going to cause issues over time.

Looking forward to your answers.
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This is just my opinion but I see no reason to not buy the diesel if its a 2025 your looking at, you will be driving enough miles per week to keep DPF happy, it would not hurt to also use a good fuel additive like Archoil or Hot Shot Secret every day, but as they say its all up to you buy what you want not what anyone else's wants you to buy. BTW resale value will be higher with the Diesel engine compared to the Hemi..
 
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