TZone, if I'm not mistaken, you live in the frozen north of MN or WI somewhere, I have a diesel and live in eastern ND. Here are a few things to consider about owning a diesel in this part of the world:
It takes ~25min of steady highway driving to get to normal operating temp when it's 10F or colder. Stop and go driving around town it never gets up to temp when it's below 10F. Idling won't bring it up to full temp either and takes ~5-7min off of time to full operating temp. Normal operating temp is important on any diesel from any manufacturer from '07 on because that's when they added the Diesel Particulate Filters (DPF). The DPF catches soot and once it's caught enough, the system runs through a "Re-Generation Cycle". Re-Gen is done @ normal operating temp. It consists of pumping raw fuel into the DPF can and raising the Exhaust Gas Temp (EGT) up high enough to essentially incinerate the trapped soot and clean out the DPF. Circa 2011-2012 Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF/Urea) systems were added as a catalyst to the incineration process which improves mileage because you need less raw fuel pumped into the system to attain the level of "Clean" required to end the Re-Gen cycle. My 2011 F250/6.7L runs through a Re-Gen roughly every 200Mi and the Re-Gen takes 10-20min of continuous driving to complete. DEF freezes @ around 10F. Your DEF tank and line will have a heater that defrosts it, but that adds complexity and failure points. I almost never have to add DEF between 5K Mi oil change intervals and have it topped off during oil changes. DEF is available pretty much everywhere, no real chance of not being able to get it and having a problem getting where you want to go.
At ambient temps of 20F or below, you really need to be vigilant about having the proper fuel in your rig so it doesn't gel. There will be various blends from straight #2 which is what you run in the summer, delivers the best power and MPG, to 25/75, 50/50, 75/25, or straight #1. Every time you add more #1 you reduce power, reduce MPG, and pay more for the fuel.
My oil changes at the local Ford dealer average $200. I change oil every 5K Mi and change fuel filters very 10K. Straight oil changes are ~$100, oil/fuel filter changes are ~$300.
Fortunately for me, my truck is a secondary vehicle, not a daily driver. I typically don't use it unless I know I'm going to drive far/long enough to get it up to temp, or need it to pull something. If I had to drive my pickup as a daily driver, I wouldn't have a 3/4T diesel, or a diesel at all for that matter from any manufacturer.
Take it for what it's worth.
How does the pre-warmer plug in work for overnight parking?
