Dodge 2500 6cyl. Turbo diesel?

Looking at trucks again. I like the idea of the better gas mileage but have no experience with diesels at all. Any pointers/tips/knowledge you guys/gals can share with me on this one?

 

Also bear in mind the cost of diesel against petrol. I have no idea what diesel costs in the US right now, but I know in the UK it is more costly than petrol, making the improved mileage per gallon argument weaker.

 

Well, if I get a truck it has to last me a LONG time. That's why im leaning towards diesel. I figure I would be replacing a V8 at around 150,000 miles or less depending on how things go. From what i've seen, diesels go forever if they are maintained well.

I dunno, I can't seem to bring myself to pay a lot for a vehicle. Used diesels are around 12-20k which is about all I want to spend. And I really don't wanna spend that either lol.

 

bluesman I have a chevy 6.5 turbo diesel and love it. Wish I could afford the new duramax. The ford powerstroke is also an awsome powerplant as is the dodge cummins, but I do not care for dodge products. They just seem very cheap, quality-wise. The price of diesel is higher now than gasoline in most places and as far as mileage goes you can expect to get a realistic mpg of 16 to 19 mpg from all of them when not pulling a load. If you're pulling a substantial load (fifth wheel-trailer, etc) it'll drop to some where around 9 to 12 mpg. Also according to many small operators pulling loads with the dodge cummins the mpg also drops with an increase of speed. The cummins acts like it's big rig brothers and gains it's optimal fuel economy around 55 to 58 mph and drops as you increase your speed,especially when pulling a load. The chevy 6.5 that I have is also not a very good choice for pulling a load that is too heavy if you are pulling it up long steep grades as it will overheat, every time. If you change the oil on a regular basis every 3000 miles and have it tuned up (run the rack) every year or so I would expect a life of 500,000 to 750,000 miles. The last company I worked for is not turning in their rigs for new ones until they have at least over a million miles on them, and most of those have been really abused by their drivers. Hope this gives you some usefull information.

 

Bluesman....you want ultimate economy from your vehicle? Take a lesson from this guy!!!

 

My boss at work a while back came in fussin and cussin.

Seems the Dodge Cummins Engine is mandated to have dealer ONLY service. Not even at a truck stop.

They soaked him $350 for an oil change!

 

A diesel driven engine can not produce the same speed, it will generally feel a bit "heavier" to drive. Instead you tend to get more power, a stronger engine. Revs is usually a tad lower, I like the sound of diesel better.

If you live in a cold and humid climate there are advantages! No high tension leads or distributor that gives you trouble, no spark plugs that need changing. The electrical system is less complicated. If it is cold where you live though, it is VERY important that the primer glow for the engine works well, or it will be a nightmare to start in the winter, as diesel starts on compression heat and not on a spark.

Of course in a modern car you always have electronic control systems that can fall apart, but on an old diesel engine I would say there is nothing that can break, and maintenance is incredibly easy!

I love diesel engines! When I come home from work I'll show you a picture of my baby!

 

BluesMan, I sure hope the car you are looking for doesn't have an engine like this:

http://members.chello.se/solange/images/photos/24.jpg

What you see is just the flywheel and the exhaust pipe (that is the round tube looking thing above my left shoulder). The rest of it is enormous... Lol

 

Solange...is that the stick shift you are holding? *grins*

 

personally, i would love to have a diesel truck, perferably duramax. sry guys, no 6.0 powerjokes for me, i mean powerstroke, sry . one reason is i love the way diesels drive, they dont most of there power untill the turbo gets reved up, and i love the way it feels when ur sitting at a stop light, a lil civic or somethin pulls up, u both floor it when it turns green and he pulls ahead at first, but when the turbo kicks in, u go flying by him blowing smoke at their car (usually only smokes with a high horsepower computer chip). all my friends have duramax's with a chip, except one. one of em raced a mustang gt and beat em, 175hp chip. and around here, the diesel is between the cheapest, and midgrade gas prices. and around here, there is also a lot of farming, which means a lot of tractor diesel is around, which also means even cheaper diesel(but its illegal to use farm diesel in a truck so dont tell anybody i said that ). but... there is one good advantage of a gas engine, they are quieter, run more smoothly, and gas is a lot easier to get a hold of, depends where u live of course.
but enough of my rambling on about diesels, i will get back to letting you ppl discuss gas vs. diesels again.

 

I once owned a diesel Escort Never again! It was fitted with the body-building option (no power steering) and was wayyyy to noisy when you went house hunting for the day. I guess they make them a lot better nowadays though.

 

my mom once had a lil car with a diesel in it, i forget what the car was cuz i was only 4 years old, but it was the biggest waste of metal ever.....