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Old 04-13-2015, 11:18 AM   #25
sourdough
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Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,692
When I bought my new 14 Ram 2500 I bought gas based on a number of things. As has been pointed out, the initial cost, depending on what you get, will be increased about 9000-9500. The increased mileage of a diesel vs a gas engine is smaller than ever. I don't keep trucks long so if I want something bigger I'll wait a couple of years and get it. So for me at this time a gas engine made sense, but, those aren't really the reasons I decided on the gas model.

Before purchasing I asked 3 neighbors, all diesel owner/drivers, plus my barber (owner/driver/5th wheel tower) about buying a diesel in my situation and the benefits thereof. To a man, they all said to get the gas truck for various reasons; didn't keep it long enough to pay for itself, didn't pull/tow enough (5k a year), increased cost of diesel (currently .80 - 1.30 in our part of the country) etc. 3 of the 4 talked of the increased costs of maintenance. John did a great job of comparing regular oil changes but they spoke of injector clogging/cleaning, uses more oil than a gas engine, DEF additions, etc. So in the end I went gas. I will say that my son, in the car business, advised me to get a diesel telling me of the increased used vehicle value. We went thru about 5 hypothetical gas/diesel used vehicles and by the book they averaged about 4k more than the gas counterpart.

I've driven both and DO like the torque of a diesel. The added costs didn't make sense for me at the time. I think all of the variables have to be weighed by any potential buyer and then figure out which ones are important; let that be your guide in getting whatever you need/want. I will say that any trailer over 10k should use a diesel; pulling in mountains very often requires a diesel; carrying heavy loads frequently would probably require a diesel. All to say that in reality the "gas vs diesel" question is not cut and dried to me. They each have their place and each have their pros and cons. It's like buying a new pair of boots; put them on and wear them. If they hurt your toes......buy another pair
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