Easy Diesel Fuel

What are the benefits of owning a diesel truck in today’s American economy?

Ryan M asked:


With rising gas/diesel prices and no end in sight, what are the benefits?
To be more specific, I am referring to a consumer level, not commercial.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 19th, 2009 at 11:23 am and is filed under Diesel Truck. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

10 Responses to “What are the benefits of owning a diesel truck in today’s American economy?”

1. Kubota Oh on March 22nd, 2009 at 8:45 am

   no benefit unless you drive an 18 wheeler

2. Em M on March 25th, 2009 at 11:04 am

   nun, where i live diesel cost r higher

3. Sarah H on March 27th, 2009 at 7:56 pm

   a diesel truck burns dirtier
   but it is much more efficient
   you get more mileage out of diesel fuel
   so your not burning as much fuel, you’re just burning dirtier fuel

4. vumenjimi on March 28th, 2009 at 4:16 am

   Tow and haul capabilities. There will ALWAYS be a need for trucks. You can’t tow a boat or horse trailer with a Fit or a Versa no matter how you slice it. You will start to see the “soccer mom” with one child that “needed” a truck get out or at least attempt to now as the price of fuel has risen.

5. goclaygo on March 30th, 2009 at 8:00 am

   depends deisel gets more power and more miles/gallon, but now diesel has jumped in price and to have work done on a diesel vehicle is more expensive, not to mention deisels are more complicated. About the only benefit would be if you are towing a heavy load or need a really great work truck, those deisel mercadies and volkswagons are nice but you really don’t save any money in the long run with them.

   However should you invest in a bio diesel set up then it might be worth your time, but not alot of people want to invest the time and effort to establish a home distilling lab for bio diesel

6. smysecret on March 31st, 2009 at 9:52 am

   Basically, diesel will give you something like 30% more power than gas per gallon. You need that for semis and it comes in very handy on heavy duty pickups like Ford F250s, etc. If you’re pulling a trailer or hauling heavy loads, a diesel engine would perform much better and more efficiently than a gas engine.

   Now, in most parts of the US, diesel costs about 15-20% more than gas per gallon. However, because you get more power than gasoline, most diesel engines will actually give you about a 25-30% mpg increase over what a similar gas engine would get. So you may pay 20% more for the fuel, but it takes you 25% further. That way, it actually works out cheaper, mile per mile!

7. JD on April 3rd, 2009 at 2:22 am

   The best thing about a diesel is they aren’t really broke in good at 100000 miles. fuel savings are wiped out as diesel which is cheaper to make cost more than gas.
   The frame and chassis is usually better built for the diesel.
   If you work the truck you really need to compare torque. You can get as much or more HP and Torque from a big gas engine as a diesel.
   I am afraid the days of the cement cowboy are numbered. It just costs too much to operate a truck to use t for style anymore. Depending on your common sense and income.
   If you are going to drag a lot of weight a lot of the time get the diesel. Otherwise get the smallest gas you can.

8. Hooligan305 on April 6th, 2009 at 8:54 am

   If you’re going to tow on a regular basis, get a diesel. If you’re just using the truck to get from point A to point B, buy gas.

   Diesel fuel costs more, and the diesel engine option on a new truck will cost a few thousand more up front. Maintenance can be pricey. They also stink pretty bad (unless you like the smell, like some do) and don’t like to start when it’s extremely cold.

   The benefits? The engine should last longer than a gas engine (which should go 150k+ anyway). You’ll get better mileage both unloaded and towing, but nothing astronomical. You’ll also be able to tow/haul heavier loads.

   Basically, if you don’t NEED the diesel option for work, don’t get it.

   Like one person said, the waste veggie oil conversion is an option, but it’s more $$$ you’ll need to throw at the truck. The truck will still need to warm up and start driving using diesel until the oil heats up. Only then can you switch over. It’s not worth it for short drives.

9. Stupid Flanders on April 9th, 2009 at 5:01 am

   1) The engines last forever.
   2) Typically get better gas mileage, but as you mentioned, this is offset by the inflated cost of diesel fuel.

   I know a few people that are able to make their own bio-diesel fuel at a fraction of the cost of diesel fuel available at gas-stations (about 1/4 of the cost).
   The only negative is that the start-up costs to be able to do this are very expensive.
   At some point, though, the benefits will outweigh these costs, especially if the price of diesel continues to climb.

10. mike c on April 10th, 2009 at 9:17 am

    This is what is breaking American manufacturers backs they depend on sales of diesel trucks and the price of fuel makes the public leery of purchasing these high ticket trucks. Nissan has one ready to launch and apparently is going to eat it before they take the P.R. hit. Toyota had one in the pipeline and it was simply shut down. I drove a 3/4 ton Cummins for mileage vs the gasoline powered Dodge Trucks the price of fuel has changed that equation.
    The only exception is if you live near the Mexican border and can cross and buy Pemex diesel untaxed and make it worth your trip.

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