Frizlefrak
Well-known member
Campingnut16 said:As a full time mechanic of both gas and diesel cars trucks and semis I always suggest steering clear of diesel trucks unless you have deep pockets . The average repair cost for any given diesel that walked through the last dealer shop I worked in was 3500 dollars. I have been trained and spent a lot of time working on a wide assortment of Diesel engines. They're more expensive to buy , much much more expensive to maintain and a breakdown can be more than most can handle . For example injectors for most diesel trucks run anywhere from 1500-2500 in parts alone . A turbo is over 1000... Everything is expensive and diesel work is 100-150 an hour at any given shop out there these days. The last 6.0 power stroke I did head studs , updated oil cooler , bulletproof egr cooler , updated stand pipes , any and everything that can and does normally go wrong and with parts and machine work had over 4000 in parts just to be ready for the road again . On the other hand today's gas engines from just about every manufactured if cared for go well into the 200's and often 300,000 miles plus before requiring replacement or rebuild . A rebuild of a gas engine or replacement will cost a small fraction of what a Diesel engine does . If you're hauling heavy loads daily or maybe weekly up a lot of hills or for business a diesel may be nicer for
You . However any of today's 3/4 ton gas engines will do the job just fine . A majority of people today think they need a diesel to pull a car trailer and it's not true at all . Lastly automatic transmission rebuilds for a diesel that is going to be pulling is often 4-5,000 where as a gas engine transmission likely can be had for half that if you shop around . You have to decide if buying diesel is worth it to you , to me no way .
No question.....repairs are very expensive on diesels. When mine breaks drivetrain warranty, I will either buy an extended warranty or trade it in. Thus far, save a couple of reflashes, it's been 100% trouble free Today's gassers are extremely good powerplants, and the only reason I bought a diesel is that I tow almost exclusively in the mountains up and down steep grades at sometimes close to 10,000' in elevation. The Cummins makes it effortless.
That said, if I had it to do all over again, I'd probably have bought the 6.4 Hemi truck. Yes, it would have to wind a little higher up in the hills, but it would get the job done and be a whole lot less cantankerous than the oil burner. And it would have been $9000 less.