Diesel Virgin

[pedalontheright]

Wife and I planning on toyhauler purchase. Trailer guys say 3/4 ton is only way to go and diesel is best. Currently driving 04 F-150 4wd supercrew. Looking for low mileage used 04 or 05 F-250 SD/PSD crew 4wd. What are the pitfalls of owning a diesel vs. gas - maintenance, upkeep, quirks? Heard that 04 have had some issues. Appreciate feedback.

 

[DragonSlayer]

i gotta 04 and no issues...bought her used w/26000 and now got 32000 in just a few months. as for maintence they arent too bad, but i run my service intervals longer. i'm changing oil and filters at 7500.

 

[Crusin350]

The only pitfall that I have found is that I wont ever be able to go back to a gas truck. And I occasionally find myself daydreaming about my superduty.

 

[jimmypage]

i had an o4 f-150 and went to a 2006 f250 at the beginning of the year and have 10,000 miles on it i will never go back to a gas vehicle i can tow heavy loads with it like it not even there good luck

 

[Mike K]

I am a heavy equipment mechanic and have always been around diesels. I just recently bought my own diesel and noticed a few minor pitfalls.

Diesels are louder (but i like that so that is actually a + for me)
Fewer places to get fuel (depends where you live, you may not have this problem)
Costs more (the initial diesel option costs about $5,000 but you get a lot for that money)

Thats all i can really think of, can anybody else think of anything? I love my truck and probably wont be going back to gas (in a truck) for a while. The positives far outweigh the negatives.

-Mike

 

[threejacks]

Wife and I planning on toyhauler purchase. Trailer guys say 3/4 ton is only way to go and diesel is best. Currently driving 04 F-150 4wd supercrew. Looking for low mileage used 04 or 05 F-250 SD/PSD crew 4wd. What are the pitfalls of owning a diesel vs. gas - maintenance, upkeep, quirks? Heard that 04 have had some issues. Appreciate feedback.

Did he recomend a 3/4 over a ton truck, and if so why? If the trailer you are going to pull has any size or weight to it at all I would not consider pulling with any thing other than a ton truck. The other post seem to cover gas vs. diesel.

 

[DiscountPowerParts]

Welcome to the site! The biggest pitfall is you can mod that diesel, and mod it, and mod it, and mod it. Its called PMS (Powerstroke Mod Syndrome). You add 150 hp to her and the diesel will be your toy. lol

 

[oi8228oi]

one of the downsides to owning a diesel is that your oil changes cost a little more.. my 99 7.3 takes about 4 gallons of oil and the oil filters are a couple more bux. but i go 5k before changing. and yes PMS (Powerstroke Mod Syndrome) is definetly a problem. lastly go 1 ton, even if you dont need it at the current time, if you do decide to up grade to bigger toys no future problem.

 

[sparky]

I would second the one ton, even though I have a 3/4 ton in my sig. Of course I don't haul or tow anything I just like the look, the ride and the noise of a straight piped diesel.

 

[W4RLR]

The thread title sounded SO much like adult entertainment. Can you imagine that line being used by a truck stop lot lizard? "Hey, driver, I'm a diesel virgin!" But even though the price of our trucks is more, the mainenance costs of our trucks is more, we can do more with our trucks than the average gasser, get better fuel economy on average, and with proper care the truck's engine will go much longer than a gasoline engine before major overhaul. And there is just something to driving on a cold Florida morning, tricking the school kids waiting on the school bus by them hearing my truck around the corner. They sound so much alike.