Truck with the best MPGs?

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to CyberEric :

The buy-in for diesel is always high. They last 1.5- 2 X as long. 

A lot of folks forget that for that longer life that some get, the maintenance costs are also higher, the repair costs are WAY higher, and all the rest of the truck doesn’t last any better!

i love diesels, have had 6 trucks with, not including equipment. But definitely not cause their cheaper!!!

In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :

A mate and I did some bio for a while, and you nailed the hassles. We never did get his plant working right! And then we ran out of used veggie oil. “Other” people have all the markets I know of, in 4 different states, all tied up. 

03Panther said:

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to CyberEric :

The buy-in for diesel is always high. They last 1.5- 2 X as long. 

A lot of folks forget that for that longer life that some get, the maintenance costs are also higher, the repair costs are WAY higher, and all the rest of the truck doesn’t last any better!

i love diesels, have had 6 trucks with, not including equipment. But definitely not cause their cheaper!!!

That's partially true. 
 

The repair costs are higher, but more infrequent. 
 

The truth is it depends entirely on the usage. 
 

For the typical user on this board who needs an occasional tow pig that will sit idle for extended periods between uses, diesel is a terrible idea. They don't like to sit, and the repairs will kill you. 
 

For the average daily driver user, diesel isn't a great idea either. Stop and go traffic, very few open roads. This is the majority of users. These guys drive diesel because they are compensating and trying to prove how big their manhood is (isn't). But these guys also keep things running with their checkbooks, and often have plenty of money to spend. They'll be trading it in before the repairs get significant, so more power to them.

For long distance haulers like me, diesel is significantly cheaper. I drive 1000 miles a week, and tow frequently. The diesel is more capable, more powerful, but also cheaper to operate. Repair bills don't get out of hand because the engine is running at constant rates of strain for extended periods (which diesels love), transmission is rarely shifting, suspension components are not getting taxed, steering and brakes are used infrequently. Change the oil regularly, and it will always be reliable. Plus, the resale will eventually be higher.  I've done the math- total life of ownership costs for a driver like me are 30-40% cheaper. (I'm currently driving a gas burner, but have owned a diesel in the past, and will again for my next truck)

One more thing on the maintenance costs... it's not as simple as gas vs diesel. Maintenance costs on something like an Ecoboost will far exceed maintenance costs on a diesel. 
 

Your mileage may vary (but I don't think it will)
 

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

It’s prolly too much nit-picking for this post, but to answer the various statements:

with several friends running repair shops, and many miles on diesels myself, I have not seen the repairs be less frequent... for most. A few yes, and you seem to be one of them. But my usage is has been similar to yours, and my “ mileage “ HAS varied. Along with what I’ve seen in the repair shops. 

The math does look very good on paper, but normally does not work out that way. Yes, it does sometimes, but not for most. I’m glad you’ve been able to be one of the exceptions. 

Very good statement that it depends on the user. 

Also good explanations of the users that do not do well for diesels. 

But most I’ve seen, including fellow long mile folks, repair cost are higher overall. 

‘Course my luck with lemons has not looked good... except the EcoBoost my wife inherited! Very low maintenance costs for us (I’m aware we were one of the exceptions on that one!)