We are looking for a truck with more room in the back seat than my 14 Ram 1500.

I found one that has everything I'm looking for except it's a diesel and it's black. The truck has 38k miles on it and has everything else we're looking for. I can get it for $40k, which seem reasonable enough for what it is.

I can't think of any time where I've needed a oil burner instead of a gas rig. I put on 25-35K a year normally. I've averaged 29,500/yr in my current rig.

Do I pass on this and keep looking for a gasser?

We traded one off about like the one you describe.

It got great mileage... 21 mixed driving. Not bad for a 3/4 ton 4x4 diesel. But it was just a go to work truck for my wife mainly.

Good truck, but more than she needed.

This would be a go to work truck, haul the kids to sports truck, haul boat/atv's/camper on the weekend, hunting trip truck. We are going to camp more and haul a camper, but nothing that I need a diesel to pull. I'm not hauling cars, horse trailers, skid steers around or anything like that.

It's for me. She's got a Honda Pilot we are quite fond of. I'm surprised how much I like that little rig.

I just purchased a new 2018 Ram Quad Cab with 6.4L out the door for 40k. I didn’t figure on needing the diesel either. Just a few miles on it but am getting 16.5 mpg on the highway. Good luck, Dave

I would get the diesel for the work load you describe.

I have a 2014 Ram 3500 with the 6.7L Cummins which I bought new and it now has 75K miles on it. Modern Diesels are pretty easy to live with and get better fuel milage than their gas counterparts. If you are OK with keeping the DEF tank full (not a big deal at all) and changing 100.00 Fuel filter/water separator every 15K miles, to me it's a no brainer..... I guess the oil changes are also 12 quarts.... The upside is I can pull my 27' travel trailer or big boat over any hill about as fast as I want and the motor doesn't struggle or hardly down shift. I personally like the factory exhaust brake for coming down long grades when towing and the interior on the trucks is roomy and well done.

I run 35" tires and still get an average of city and highway driving of 17 mpg. When I pull the travel trailer I'm at about 13 mpg. No complaints from me.

If you don't need a diesel I would keep looking for a gas engine. The diesel will just cost you more in the end, everything is just more expensive on a diesel.

I love my diesel but I haul and tow. I wouldn't have one for a grocery hauler. The engine will last a long time but fuel is more expensive and repairs are MORE EXPENSIVE. Often the fuel is the least expensive thing you put in a vehicle.

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.

Thus ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^when you really come face to face with all the facts.

Diesel only if you really need one which you, most assuredly, do not.

MM

Thanks guys. I was pretty sure I was going to keep looking for a gasser but this confirms it. Like I said, I don't pull anything that requires a Diesel motor.

Horse1 makes some great points as well. I can get it up to operating temps on my drive to work, it's about 25 miles or so. But there is a bunch of short commutes to sports kid pick ups.

I'd stick with the 1500 gasser, they are rated to 10k lbs so it should be able to handle anything you throw at it. Those diesel trucks are nice but they require a fair amount more maintenance than the gas trucks. I've got 4 buddies that all have/had the diesels (2500-3500) and one had so many issues with his he sold it and bought a F-350 and 2 of them have had to rebuild front ends and buy new transmissions. As much as I'd love to have a diesel I simply don't tow enough weight wise to justify buying one.

This.

How does the pre-warmer plug in work for overnight parking?

You plug it into a regular 120v extension cord.

Around here, 20% higher fuel costs negates the higher mileage of a diesel. Then there is the much higher maintenance cost. Without looking up the specs, you'll need at least a dozen quarts of oil per oil change, a high quality Cummins oil filter and a big air filter. Then there are one ore more fuel filters that will need to be changed every 10-15k miles. If you don't do it yourself, figure $150 or more per oil change depending on how many filters need to be changed out. Bottom line to me is that if you're not using a diesel truck for its towing capabilities, you're probably better off with a gas engine.

How could your oil change cost $100 w/o a filter? Get yourself a Fumoto Valve to replace your oil plug and change it yourself. I’ve got a 55gal. drum of 15w40 that cost me peanuts. The biggest PIA is disposing of the drain oil. I run Duramaxes. Filters (fuel and lube) total $40.

All the emissions crap aside, modern diesels put out tons of power and do it efficiently. If you’re willing to modify the truck, you can get even more power and more efficiency.

I love diesels, and 15 years ago I would have told you "BUY THAT TRUCK, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN MISSING"!

Now, those advising against buying a diesel for everyday use are spot on.

And, though others have alluded to it, the EPA regs have really hurt the reliability of diesels.
Before 2000, most diesels were the definition of reliability, the electronic fuel control improved performance at a cost to reliability.
The emissions control changes added a lot of systems and sensors that are problematic.

The Ford 6.0h-no, is the best example of diesels gone wrong. $5k, and emissions delete can make that a good engine.

I've owned gas and diesel trucks and will always choose the diesel over gas; that is, as long as the diesel is a Cummins (I have a '91 and a 2017). All of the modern trucks have the same potential electronic issues but the diesel will produce more power and get better mileage. The fuel filter changes do not have to be done quite as frequently as recommended and I suspect this is a bit of a cash cow for the manufacturer. There are a lot of things I dislike but, in general, I'm happy with the new truck.
Among the things I dislike are:
The necessity of having to push buttons and scroll through a menu to monitor temperatures, oil pressure, etc. The engineers who figured this was better than providing easily read, readily visible, gauges, are idiots.
The control for the compression brake is another stupid feature. There is no need for the "auto" setting. If the driver can't figure out when he needs th brake, he shouldn't be driving the truck. The brake control should be a prominent, easily reached, knob or switch; not a little push button you have to look for. When the brake is engaged in "manual" mode, the driver then has to push the button again to go into "auto", then again to turn the brake off. Stupid.
With the cruise control engaged, when towing the trailer, the truck shifts down too much and stays in the lower gear too long. I can get 10% better mileage by not using the cruise. In addition, when the transmission is set to allow manual shifting, I would like it to shift when I tell it to; not have the computer think it over and decide whether or not it wants to listen to my input. It's supposed to be a truck; not a wife.
Apart from these things, there is the list of things I hate about all new vehicles. Automatic door locks, computer controlled headlights, traction control.The stupid electric key. In general, the penchant all engineers have for doing things electronically when they would be better and more reliably done mechanically, is annoying to me. Of course, these things are common to all new trucks and cars so there is nothing to be done about it. GD

Just traded my pig of a diesel on a 2018 Tundra, best move I ever made. It was wonderful for towing but I only towed about 1500 miles a year, so it didn't make sense. I bought a smaller trailer and it only takes a little longer to get to where I'm going. The diesel was a pig off road, expensive to repair, half the tire life because of the weight. The Tundra or Ford or Chevy gas trucks get much better mileage and gas is now cheaper than diesel where I live. I am getting an honest 15.5 around town and 19.8 at 70 to 75 MPH on the highway.. My diesel would get 21 MPG as long as I drove 55 MPH but when I pushed it up to 70 it went to hell, about 15 MPG. It took the other guy 38,000 miles to figure it out! ONLY IF YOU TOW A LOT GO DIESEL!

I wouldn’t have anything but a Diesel, I have a 2004, best truck I’ve ever owned. I’m going to buy a new Dodge in another couple of months. I’m keeping the 2004 as a spare vehicle.

You are,most assuredly, looking at a mighty fine truck but listen to these two men.

Another option with the gas vs diesel is the available unlimited mileage/age bumper to bumper warranty you can get thru Chrysler. It's available on any new or under 4 year old/48k miles Dodge/Chrysler/Jeep rig. As long as the repair doesn't go over the blue book its covered. If you keep vehicles a long time it's definitely nice. Only downside is you can't get it for diesels or fleet vehicles.

Look at the crew cab Silverados. I know, I know, you had a really bad experience with a POS avalanche lol but they are worth a look and a test drive. The back seats have lots and lots of room.

Except for the brakes, my 2000 f250 has been a good truck. It pulls great with a v10 and 5sp.

I keep my eyes open for a newer crew cab model. An 07 or 08 v10 with a 6sp and 4:30 rear end would be a great tow vehicle with out dealing with a diesel.

Those V10’s sip fuel! LOL

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Yep! You really don't need a diesel. They are great for towing a lot of weight though. Lots of torque. You might want to stay away from black. Difficult color to maintain.

The 5.7 and 6.4 Hemis are great motors.

Nope. Lol

I have the 5.7 now. In a 2500 I’d want a bit more. I have heard good things about the 6.4.

Go with the 5.7 hemi or 6.4 hemi verses the diesel..I have the 6.4 hemi in my 2016 Ram 2500 plenty of AZZ..

Always a hoot when people get the talking about pulling power and different Motors but totally forget about the rear end gearing

About like I "sip" beer!

But hell, gas is cheap if you aint hauling all the time. Cheaper than beer anyway!

Depends on the camper.

While you might easily rationalize the diesel, I would never buy another black vehicle.

All of the other reasons you don't need one would still have me choosing the Diesel, but the extreme cold you see there would make me choose a gasser. This is from an "I'll always have a diesel" person.

Good luck with your search.

I've got a '15 Dodge 3500 SRW with the 6.7. I like it a lot, but I also have the security of a 100k mile driveline warranty. Like folks are saying, the repair costs can EAT YOU ALIVE. It's not hard to drop $5-$10k on diesel repairs. If you don't need a diesel, then it would be best to go gas. The days of cheap diesel fuel and 22mpg are over. Most do 17-18 at best. When you're paying 20% more for fuel, then getting 18 mpg, vs 15mpg in a gasser, isn't an improvement.

Most gasser's can go 200k/250k miles these days. The only other benefit of a diesel, resale, is already negated if you are buying used.

Yea, what’s up with that!

That’s the truth if I can help it. I’m not real picky on vehicle color but the one I have now is a charcoal metallic. Shows EVERYTHING!!

Bullshit. They guzzle. Can pass anything but a gas station.

Hence the "LOL"

LOL

I got it.