I test drove .......

[fordtrucker4life!]

I'm just sayin that nothing is like it used to be. In our fleet there are 2 1974 ford F700's that run and drive great. One of which goes out all the time. Compared to a new truck they are a pos, but hey that old truck makes the same money as a new one and it is payed off. As long as you arn't putting alot of money into the 95 there is nothing wrong with it. The newer trucks are a bit nicer, but the cost isn't.

 

[Crumm]

Food for thought.

Mike, here is something else to think about.

Your typical gasser gets 12mpg+ and the Diesel will get 18mpg+.

Fuel here right now is $2.39 for unleaded and $2.77 for Diesel(reader board at local station today).

Gasser = $0.1991666 per mile

Diesel = $0.153888 per mile

That is a .0452786 difference.

It will take 88,431 miles just to make up the $4000 price of the Diesel engine. Then figure in when you change the oil in a gasser it will take you 5 quarts and a filter, when you change it in a Diesel it will take 14 quarts and a expensive filter. Todays gas engines will go 100K without plugs or any other maintenance to speak of.

A very short time ago the Diesel engine made much more sense but now that Diesel costs so much more than gas I am starting to wonder. If you tow and drive massive amounts of miles the Diesel makes sense but for the occasional tow and commuting vehicle the gas rig is starting to look better. Throw in the fact that 12mpg is on the very low end and you might tighten up the gap more. 18mpg figures on the diesel is about the average and 12mpg on the gas is very low but I was trying to give the diesel all the advantage I could since I like them You know my last vehicle purchase was a 05' F150 with the 5.4 but my 96' 7.3 will be in the family until the end of time..

Do you tow heavy?, I know you do commute a long ways so you will probably eat up that 88K miles in a hurry but this is just some food for though.


side note: I am just a truck driver so someone check my math please..

 

[geonc]

geo,

I've owned them all, Ive had one Dodge (good truck), three Chevy's (1 Sub, 1 S-10 and the step side) all three were good trucks with the S-10 being the best single vehilce I have ever owned, and now 1 Ford (again, good truck).

TRUE!

Dont take this as a dig but I think you will agree with me in light of your recent repairs that one is NEVER out of payments in one fashion or another.

OUCH! kick me when I'm down whydoncha

Truth be told, regular maint items aside at 250k mi and averaging 700 mi a week....this bout of bad luck is the first real drama in 5 +years
so aside from the norm, my operating costs other than exh, gauges,stereo/amp etc...

This 04 I drove was just a whim, my wife actually leaned me into it, I know I am not ready to buy right now so I was not interested in looking. But for her it helped to get her mind around what is out there, what its going to cost and when we might be able to do this.

Loyalty to the OBS is great, but I dont want to become the next generation of basement dwellers either. The newest OBS is 10 going on 11 years old, mine is pushing 13 years old.... few more years and I can apply for antique license status.

And whats wrong with the basement
I have been an oilburner since '83 with a pos 6.2 GMC

If I could stuff an mildly tweaked IDI turbo in my '96 OBS
I really don't need 400 hp....what I want is to see where my '90 and '93 IDI's took me-----both went 300 k mi plus with minor issues and believe me 225k hard miles in 4 years on the '93 {'cept the 5 rebuilt POS E4OD's}

Wish places like SDD/OB etc...were around when I had them

I guess that is kinda what seperates many of us .......some buy the latest and greatest and soon tire or see something shinier....while many buy a diesel truck for the longevity, reliability and use it for it's true designed purpose ie:work and while striving to maintain it's good looks and performance, we have the comfort of knowing it will serve us well and be reliable long after others have gone on to the next new shiny thing....along with the headaches and heartbreaks associated with them

JMVHO from the depths of the basement

 

[jharvey]

Here's my .02 worth..........buy/drive what you like, even better if momma likes it too.

I figured that in 100k miles a gasser would be ready to get traded in, a diesel will almost be broke in.

I probably would not have traded up to the '06 if my '95 had been a crew cab, 4x4, long bed. Taxes were cheaper and it was WAAAAY easier to work on.



Now where's my 36mm socket, gotta go take my diesel bath

 

[budtoh3zo]

i got the 03 i love it. But payments are long. I wouldnt have bought it but the 94 was giving me alot of grif, I pretty much need a diesel i put on about 60,000 km a year so i would be trading a gas off every 2 years

 

[Yellowsub1962]

side note: I am just a truck driver so someone check my math please..

close enough
sant

 

[Maxtor]

Cost of Ownership

The savings or cost of gas vs diesel truck ownership boils down to what do you really want. I think all of us have purchased things because we wanted them and not because it was practical.
My truck is setting in the garage, not costing me a dime, until I remembered the cost of insurance. She is costing me $1.25 per day setting idle on her rims. If my rehab continues as it has been, I will be able to drive her in about two weeks. Diesel is now $2.99 per gallon here, but I am not complaining. I will just be glad to be able to hit the road again.

 

[DragonSlayer]

i bought mine cause it was what i wanted...and it gets better mpg than the ol' ladys trailblazer

 

[mjstef]

Mike, here is something else to think about.

Your typical gasser gets 12mpg+ and the Diesel will get 18mpg+.

Fuel here right now is $2.39 for unleaded and $2.77 for Diesel(reader board at local station today).

Gasser = $0.1991666 per mile

Diesel = $0.153888 per mile

That is a .0452786 difference.

It will take 88,431 miles just to make up the $4000 price of the Diesel engine. Then figure in when you change the oil in a gasser it will take you 5 quarts and a filter, when you change it in a Diesel it will take 14 quarts and a expensive filter. Todays gas engines will go 100K without plugs or any other maintenance to speak of.

A very short time ago the Diesel engine made much more sense but now that Diesel costs so much more than gas I am starting to wonder. If you tow and drive massive amounts of miles the Diesel makes sense but for the occasional tow and commuting vehicle the gas rig is starting to look better. Throw in the fact that 12mpg is on the very low end and you might tighten up the gap more. 18mpg figures on the diesel is about the average and 12mpg on the gas is very low but I was trying to give the diesel all the advantage I could since I like them You know my last vehicle purchase was a 05' F150 with the 5.4 but my 96' 7.3 will be in the family until the end of time..

Do you tow heavy?, I know you do commute a long ways so you will probably eat up that 88K miles in a hurry but this is just some food for though.


side note: I am just a truck driver so someone check my math please..

Better figure about 16 average for a 6.0. Best i have ever seen out of mine on the highway was 17.5....................

 

[tgatch]

Better figure about 16 average for a 6.0. Best i have ever seen out of mine on the highway was 17.5....................

Wow... you are seeing low. Best I have seen out of min was a gnat's behind under 20 on the highway. I typically see between 15 and 16 with a 60/40 highway/city mix.

Of course you're truck is a 4x4 and mine is not.