Diesel ver gas communing cost

JonBoy

Active Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Hampstead NC
I have a bit of a drive to work 25 miles and have a 98 chevy ex cab 4x4 5 speed with the 5.0 I get about average for a gas v8. around 14MPG. Considering buying a 97 Chevy 3500 Crew Cab 2wd with the 6.5L Diesel. How much more will I be spending on fuel to make the 5 day trip? If any? I dont really need the diesel im more in need of the crew cab.
 
I drive an '03 Dodge 2500 quad cab with the cummins diesel. It's my daily driver as well as my tow rig. I consistantly get right at 24 mpg solo and about 14 towing either my jeep and trailer or our 30 ft travel trailer. I think it being a diesel has a lot to do with the excellent mileage for a pickup truck. I used to drive a 1500 dodge with a gas engine and the best it ever got was 17 mpg.
 
24mpg... do you ever get over 50mph, and how many minutes does it take to get you there?

JonBoy, I think you'll spend roughtly the same in the end.
 
I know it sounds crazy. And no I don't drive like an old man even though I am one. :lol: On the interstate, I usually roll along around 65 to 70. I usually fill up when I get down to 1/8 tank and then I have around 625 miles on the trip meter. Like I said though that is running solo, not towing. When I tow either of my trailers, it drops down to about 14 +/-. I do have the 6 speed manual and (I think) 3.73 gears in the rear end. I know if it had 4.10 gears it probably wouldn't get the mileage it does.
 
if you have a confirmed 24 mpg, FACTORY without mods, you need to go to DODGE.

Im sure they would buy the truck from you for close to 100k just so that they (and us) could tear it apart and back engineer every single inch off it. 21 I can attest to, even believe 22 to be possible, but 24....DAMN
 
All I know is that when I figure the mileage, it is consistently right at 24 mpg. OK, it's 23.9, so I rounded. :shaking: I just replaced the original tires at 86000 miles too.
 
Toneeau covers help a lot. I never would have believed it. But a buddy of mine has an F250 and he consistently gets 1.5-2 mpg better using it versus not. That's like 10%.
 
It's all math and when you do it the cost saved is never what think it is. Around Raleigh diesel costs about 15% more per gallon than regular (http://www.raleighgasprices.com/) so you need at least a 15% increase in mpg to break even (assuming equal payment or no payment).

you say 50 miles per day x 5 days per week x 52 weeks = 13000 miles per year. Lets say you put an extra 5000 per year on the weekends for a total of 18000 miles per year

In your current truck 1285 gallons of gas per year at around 2.70 per gallon is 3469.50 dollars per year.

If you can average 20 mpg in your new diesel that would be 900 gallons of diesel per year at 3.10 dollars would be 2790.00 dollars per year.

so the difference is about 680 per year, 56 dollars per month, or 1.86 per day.

So depending you personal finance situation that might be enough to justify, but it seems like most of spend more than that per day on coffee and soda.

Those are pretty high miles per year to me and 20mp on an average is pretty generous (my 12V cummins with a 5 speed and 4.10 gears only sees 19mpg on the highway at 1900 rpms and averages around 15-16) so real world savings will probably be less per year. When you look at with 18mp the yearly savings goes down to 369 dollars per year.

If you just want a diesel then go for it, but fuel savings is rarely the reason.

If you need to save 700 dollars a year to get by you should drive yugo or ride a bike.
 
That's a great post. I might get a diesel someday but I have never been able to work the numbers to make it seem like a cost savings. One thing you didn't mention is that they are often more expensive to maintain. Oil changes are expensive and just about every part on a serious tow rig is expensive.

If I get one it will be because I really want it, really need it (pulling two rigs for example), but not because it saves me a lot of money.
 
Yea, I didn't buy mine for the fuel savings. Although when I bought it back in '03, diesel was much cheaper than gas. I bought mine solely for the purpose of towing my stuff. I have the camper that weighs around 10,000 lbs and I'm not sure what my jeep and trailer weigh together. It tows both with ease. It is more expensive to maintain the diesel too. Oil changes alone are around 60 bucks.
 
Insurance and weighted tags will eat up any you save if not more not to mention the added cost of keeping one up with oil changes and normal maintence. I have mine for towing abilty. Not for cost effectiveness.
 
Webbinator said:
All I know is that when I figure the mileage, it is consistently right at 24 mpg. OK, it's 23.9, so I rounded. :shaking: I just replaced the original tires at 86000 miles too.
Click to expand...
my 01 3500/ 2wd/6 speed/3.55/edge comp/5" ex., will get over 20 easily...but only if I stay at or below 65mph. Hammer down 70-85 it gets around 12-13 towing.
It however, has become a tow vehicle only..I drive a $400 92' honda accord that gets 35mpg everywhere else.
 
Jp9519 said:
Insurance and weighted tags will eat up any you save if not more not to mention the added cost of keeping one up with oil changes and normal maintence. I have mine for towing abilty. Not for cost effectiveness.
Click to expand...

Insurance is more on a diesel?:confused: Louisiana plates don't need weighted tags ;) But the maintenance is higher on a diesel than gasser, but I feel that if you keep the vehicle for the life of the vehicle, it will eventually break even.
 
Mine does the same thing. If I cruise at 75 to 80, the mileage drops off fast. That's why I usually try to keep it in the 65 to 70 mph range.
 
Go with WHAT you want, but the argument that maintenance is more is bunk.
Sure it cost 25 to service a gasser and 60 to service a diesel. But....manufacturers SUGGESTED service intervals are 3k for gas and 10k for diesel.
Soooooo its a break even.

With current prices you will never make a new diesel "PAY" for the difference (unless you WVO) but in this case it looks like you really want the truck for room and it happens to have a diesel.

I say score!
 
Thanks for all the replys, Let me add this is a 97 C3500 2wd with 144,000 miles. As long as im not spending much more in Diesel than I am in gas I might just go for it. Its priced at $6500 OBO thinking $6000 would be easy. I would be loosing 4x4 that I have now but I don't use it anyway, I am mainly needing it for the 4 doors lots of room in the back for kids and child seats. I can cram one in my extended cab but its not fun as I dont even have a 3rd door option. I have 140,000 miles on my truck and have owned it worry free for 3 years. Kinda makes me think its about to break. Also figure I could easly get $5000 for my truck and not be in the hole but $1000 more.
 
JonBoy said:
Thanks for all the replys, Let me add this is a 97 C3500 2wd with 144,000 miles.......
Click to expand...

THis is a 6.5 TD correct ? get service history if you can, if you can't, do an oil sample before you buy it (looking for coolant in oil, these had block porosity and head gasket issues), then if you DO end up buying it, SAVE back for the inevitable injection pump ( between $600 and $1600 rebuilt or new) and Fuel solinoid driver module ($300ish)

That is the computer controled injection pump, KNOWN to have issues, and it's out of extended warranty.

Find out if and when it was replaced.

Not saying it WILL have issues, just KNOW before you go.
 
Jp9519 said:
Insurance and weighted tags will eat up any you save if not more not to mention the added cost of keeping one up with oil changes and normal maintence. I have mine for towing abilty. Not for cost effectiveness.
Click to expand...

Weighted tags, yes...but my insurance was cheaper on my (newer) ctd than my v6 dakota... Gas mileage depends on whether or not you're able to keep your foot off the pedal.
 
SkyHiK5 said:
Go with WHAT you want, but the argument that maintenance is more is bunk.
Sure it cost 25 to service a gasser and 60 to service a diesel. But....manufacturers SUGGESTED service intervals are 3k for gas and 10k for diesel.
Soooooo its a break even.
Click to expand...
Respectfully, the oil change interval is 7,500 on the gasser he's looking at. That's about normal for gas motors now. It was increased to 10,000 in 2001 but I don't know if they changed the motor or just the owners manual when they made that change. You're in the minority when you say that a diesel isn't more expensive to maintain. I don't have one, you could be right. But I just don't see it based on the numbers.

I might get one at some point anyway. I just want one. :)
 
I drive my 96 ram 3500 2wd to work everyay. my over all milage is 17MPG. Cruising at 65-70 I have seen 21.5.
Towing my J10 I get 16 and I get 14 with my slide in camper.
Currenty my truck is all stock 4:10 gears and 285x75 r16 tires
 
There was a thread that was similar to this with the exception of discussing DD the tow rig or have both a tow rig and commuter car.. Had similar points etc..
My advise is to do the numbers yourself, if you rely on others to make your decision you will be equally convinced its the wrong decision down the road...
The math is easy
miles per day driven x 5 days per week x 50 weeks
+ weekend milage driven
+ vacation or 4x4 trips per year
= Total miles per year
That number divided by the MPG you 'think'(hope) to get with each truck
= Gallons of fuel used
X current price of each fuel
my example
60 miles per day x 5 x50 = 15,000 per year
+ 200 (average) weekend miles = 10,400 year
+ trips (3+ NY trips @ 1200 each) = 3,600
+ 4x4 trips, example a few Tellico/Harlan trips etc.. = 3,000
-----------------
= 32,000
Yes thats a lot of miles in 1 year

/ by gas truck mpg of (15 average? )
= 2133 gallons of gas
X 2.70 per gallon
= $5,759

/ by diesel truck of ( 18 average)
= 1777 gallons of diesel
X 3.00 per gallon
= $5,331

Note: For more precise numbers you could break each segment of miles drive out using DD mpg or towing mpg vs empty mpg etc..


That with a single truck...
For me I have a commuter car that gets 31.5 mpg and a tow rig that gets ~10 mpg
and we take the wifes car on road trips @ 32mph
so you can see where the numbers go depending on YOUR situation..

But taking the above #s factor in any know maintenance items and I'm sure you will see YOUR answer..
 
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