Do I need a diesel?

I agree with that! A diesel with a manual trans is awesome! Just ease on the throttle, build some boost, and no need to downshift!
 
I knew I wanted an excursion and waffled between gas and diesel.
The v10 ex limited I got was roughly 5k less than the diesel version I looked at, with 40k fewer miles too.
Diesel is nice, I'd love one. But there was no way I could justify the difference.

Sent while I should have been doing something constructive...
 
rokntoy said:
I found a 02to avalanche with a 8.1 (496) and allison for around 10 grand
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Those 8.1's are rockets! They tow excellent as well. Iirc, the suburban got 13mpg unloaded.

Still keeping my cummins & 6spd though :flipoff2:
 
snappy said:
Do the math, the v10 is way cheaper.... Cost to purchase,let's say the excurison, I gave $4,100 for mine with 130k on it. The diesels where going for $16-18k.... Gas is 3.49 compared to 3.95.... Milage is 12 mpg vs 19mpg... It takes about 300k miles to break even...
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Snappy,
How would it change the numbers if you factored in the resale price after you drive each for another 100K miles?

Gas 100k miles at 12 mpg and $3.49 comes to $29083
Diesel 100k miles at 19 mpg and $3.95 comes to $20789
So....
if you buy the v10 and put a motor in it lets say 6500+29083 = 35583
if you buy the diesel for 17000+20789=37789

Then you have to ask yourself do I think that the diesel will sell for $2206 more than the gas truck when they both have an extra 100k miles on them?

PS. I know that my example removes the fact that the diesel will cost more in maintenance I am just throwing out a little different way to look at the numbers.
 
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Barnes 4wd said:
Snappy,
How would it change the numbers if you factored in the resale price after you drive each for another 100K miles?

Gas 100k miles at 12 mpg and $3.49 comes to $29083
Diesel 100k miles at 19 mpg and $3.95 comes to $20789
So....
if you buy the v10 and put a motor in it lets say 6500+29083 = 35583
if you buy the diesel for 17000+20789=37789

Then you have to ask yourself do I think that the diesel will sell for $2206 more than the gas truck when they both have an extra 100k miles on them?

PS. I know that my example removes the fact that the diesel will cost more in maintenance I am just throwing out a little different way to look at the numbers.
Click to expand...

Its a crap shoot imo... I also for see $5 a gallon deisel again so the market will drop again on them if that happens. I dont drive it enough to justifiy it myself. If I towed long distance every week end, hell yes I would have a 7.3... but to have as a weekend driver, for me, the v10 was the way to go.....
 
I agree it is a crap shoot at best and I there is no way of ever knowing the total cost of each to have an absolute answer. I was not saying that you were incorrect. To me the cheapest always seems to be drive what you have till the wheels fall off! One thing that I do know is that I wish my truck got 19MPG. I had a total weight this spring of about 24k going to Moab and I averaged about 8mpg.
 
That is a nice score! Super low miles for the age and the last year before the DPF's.
 
Complete with the grandpa bed topper! Nice Tilley. We have the same year loaded crew cab at work with almost 200k and it runs like a scalded cat. No problems out of it at all.

Now let's comp cut the TJ and put some tube fenders on it!
 
YES
 
Towing in the montains, you'll NEED something bigger than a half ton vehicle. Not for the power, but for stopping power. Thankfully I didn't have to chime in first about Excursions. I just picked up my 02' Limited, but it's a 4x4 7.3 diesel. Yes the gassers are MUCH cheaper, seeing I paid $9500 for mine, but I've seen base model diesel Ex's go for around $7500, so they're still fairly cheap.

I've always remembered my father(marine pilot) telling me this, "I rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it." Therefore I opted for the diesel for ease of maintenance, increased fuel mileage, and ability to tow a house without having to get a weighted tag :) They're great rigs and can still haul 6-8 people around with your 2 rigs on a trailer, granted it was pretty tough finding the right trailer for my Jeep. I needed a deckover because my ZJ is right at 90" wide and wouldnt fit on a standard car trailer. So yes you are limited by having to use a bumper pull, but I'll opt to save on weighted tags every year and it'll pay the trailer off in no time!

The picture was the last time I went to URE. Towed a buddies V8 YJ on 1 tons and 40's with all the gear and 4 guys in the truck. It stayed in OD 95% of the trip from Raleigh.

image.jpg
 
buddyantunez1 said:
Towing in the montains, you'll NEED something bigger than a half ton vehicle. Not for the power, but for stopping power. Thankfully I didn't have to chime in first about Excursions. I just picked up my 02' Limited, but it's a 4x4 7.3 diesel. Yes the gassers are MUCH cheaper, seeing I paid $9500 for mine, but I've seen base model diesel Ex's go for around $7500, so they're still fairly cheap.

I've always remembered my father(marine pilot) telling me this, "I rather have it and not need it, then need it and not have it." Therefore I opted for the diesel for ease of maintenance, increased fuel mileage, and ability to tow a house without having to get a weighted tag :) They're great rigs and can still haul 6-8 people around with your 2 rigs on a trailer, granted it was pretty tough finding the right trailer for my Jeep. I needed a deckover because my ZJ is right at 90" wide and wouldnt fit on a standard car trailer. So yes you are limited by having to use a bumper pull, but I'll opt to save on weighted tags every year and it'll pay the trailer off in no time!

The picture was the last time I went to URE. Towed a buddies V8 YJ on 1 tons and 40's with all the gear and 4 guys in the truck. It stayed in OD 95% of the trip from Raleigh.

View attachment 82657
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You lost me at ease of maintenance
 
buddyantunez1 said:
Longevity of engine life and increased maintenance intervals is the reason for that statement
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You've obviously never had a failure. Lol
High pressure oil leaks, injectors, turbo etc etc.
They may last longer but their far more expensive to fix.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
 
Also one could easily argue that newer half ton trucks and suvs have bigger brakes than older 3/4-1 tons if those are your options.

I have a diesel and love that i can tow heavy (15k+) on the rare occasion i need to, but i wouldn't mind going back to a gasser because that isn't very often.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
Also one could easily argue that newer half ton trucks and suvs have bigger brakes than older 3/4-1 tons if those are your options.
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Yup. Half ton trucks made in the last 15 years have bigger brakes than one tons from the 90s.

And a half ton gasser is going to weigh (literally) a ton less than a diesel SUV... And have some engine braking as well.
 
mysterync said:
You've obviously never had a failure. Lol
High pressure oil leaks, injectors, turbo etc etc.
They may last longer but their far more expensive to fix.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...


Nope, sure haven't. But I've replaced multiple gasser motors with less mileage than my diesel, and I'm pretty sure they're no cheaper than diesel parts.

And I agree that newer vehicles have better braking power, but I thought the OP was on a budget. Start talking about $30k+ new 1/2 vehicles and you can throw any budget out the window.
 
buddyantunez1 said:
Nope, sure haven't. But I've replaced multiple gasser motors with less mileage than my diesel, and I'm pretty sure they're no cheaper than diesel parts.

And I agree that newer vehicles have better braking power, but I thought the OP was on a budget. Start talking about $30k+ new 1/2 vehicles and you can throw any budget out the window.
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Nobody is talking about spending $30k but you....

Like I said above, a 15 year old f150 has bigger brakes than a 16 year old f350... And either is better than an excursion, which are notorious for brake problems.
 
buddyantunez1 said:
Nope, sure haven't. But I've replaced multiple gasser motors with less mileage than my diesel, and I'm pretty sure they're no cheaper than diesel parts.
Click to expand...


:confused:
 
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