Gas or diesel

[ridgefire]

I am in the market for a truck and torn between getting a gasser or a diesel. Truck would be driven for mainly fishing, hunting and camping. Wife wants to get a camper so also torn between a 2500 or a 3500. What do you guys recommend? Probably wouldn't put more than 10,000 miles a year on it at the most. Truck will be a rig I would have for the next 10-15 years. Thanks.

[257wbymagkiller]

I was in the same boat as you and all the new trucks are all so nice and very  capable.  I ended up going with a new crew cab silverado with the 6.2L and an 8 speed transmission, and man am I impressed with it. Both my brothers have diesels and we cut wood up in the mountains and with full loads of wood all of them are about even going up hills and towing up hills. In my opinion if you pull more than 12k you should go with a diesel but if you don't tow heavy than I'd go with gas. Just my 

[Skillet]

I'm a diesel owner, mostly agree with 257.  Gassers are very capable nowadays. But if you are really going to work the truck, the extra expense of diesel ownership could be easily justified.  Campers are heavier than most people think, and even more add a boat or some other sort of trailer back there as well...
My recommendation -
If you feel like you actually need a 1ton, I feel like you need a diesel.

[257wbymagkiller]

Well put skillet. I don't tow over 8k. My trailer loaded is about 6700LBS. Like skillet said if you think you'll need a diesel you won't be disappointed. All the diesels on the market are work horses. If you got the extra coin to buy one go for it.

[Encore 280]

I just bought my first one, a used 2011 Silverado 2500 WT with the 6.6 DuraMax that had 84k miles on it. I wouldn't recommend getting the WT with the 6.6 because the mileage isn't all that great, maybe 15mpg. But it sure does tow my 26' Arctic Fox nicely. I'm thinking the WT has the 410 rear end so mileage isn't going to get any better. The WT doesn't come with cruise control or a cd player and who knows what else. Other than all that it's a pretty good truck. First Chev in 40 years, had Fords before that.

[257wbymagkiller]

Welcome to the dark side haha WT, is work Truck correct? Just for the record I own a ford also. I don't want to start a brand war 

[Mark Brenckle]

I had never owned or needed a diesel until we got horses. We got an '08 Ford diesel and I came to really appreciate the power. Unfortunately it was just about out of warranty and was starting to have a few little issues. We traded in on a '14 Dodge diesel and what a huge difference it was. Not much more power, but a huge upgrade in transmission and gas mileage.  I get 18 or 19 mpg empty, averaged 13 with a 6000 pound trailer going 70+ over Snoqualmie pass last week.
  You probably can't go wrong with any of the big 3 diesels these days. That '08 had the cab off 3 times to work on trivial stuff, so it had to go.

[Mudman]

If you need a 1 ton get diesels.  MPG better.  Power no comparison.  RESALE value?  Game over!  10 years from now it may be worth close to what you paid but gassers wont.  Half ton gas will ride so smooth in the woods and maybe cheaper to maintain.  Also at 10k a year working you would save 1200-1500$ a year in gas....DIESEL RULES!

[Encore 280]

Welcome to the dark side haha WT, is work Truck correct? Just for the record I own a ford also. I don't want to start a brand war 

Yeah WT = work truck. I miss my Ford but the little 4.6 just didn't like pulling the new trailer.

[PolarBear]

Real trucks don't have spark plugs, just sayin'.

[Taco280AI]

Was a thread exactly like this about a month ago, if you can find it.



Most of your driving is towing = diesel
Half of your driving is towing -  depends on trailer weight, but probably diesel
Only towing occasionally = gas

[Oh Mah]

Just got me a 13- 450.I love it.When it comes to pulling there is nothing to compare.A little rough off hiway but not to bad. 18-20 mpg loaded or not.Braking i've never had a vehicle with such awesome brakes.

[yorketransport]

A lot of the advantages that diesels had are gone with all of the new emissions and DEF requirements. The power and fuel economy aren't quite what they were in pre DEF engines.

 If you're buying a brand new truck, it will probably take you at least 10 years to recover the additional cost of the diesel engine over a gas. A diesel engine will typically cost an extra $8k. Add to that the extra maintenance and true operating costs (more expensive services, DEF fluid, additional wear on tires because of the extra engine weight, more expensive repairs when necessary) and diesels aren't quite as cost effective. Also consider that diesel fuel is more expensive compared to running 87 octane in a gas engine.

As a daily driver that gets used to haul a trailer every once in a while, a gas may work better. If you're going to haul heavy loads for extended distances at a reasonable cruising speeds on a regular basis the the diesels will probably serve you better.

[jackelope]

DEF is a pain in the butt I bet. They should build into these new trucks a storage compartment to hold 2 2.5 gallon jugs of it. Add about $40 every 5k or so miles to your maintenance cost too. I'm sure there are cheaper ways to buy it.

[wadu1]

I went diesel last year, I'll will never go back to gas. The dealer I purchased from gives you oil changes for life including DEF.

[brush hunter]

Diesel, if your going to carry a camper, or heaver 5er or trailer go 1 ton. 3/4 tone will work just fine for everything else.
Airbags are something you might want to look into. I have a 12V and a 2012, last year for no DEF. Heard from others that use DEF and they say a tank gets you around 5k before you need to fill it again, Wal-Mart has it for less than $20 a gallon.

Now it's up to you on what brand...I say Dodge

[follow maggie]

If you're thinking of getting a camper, go with the 1 ton. It'll give you many more options in what you carry safely. The extra cost is nothing.

[Buzz2401]

I prefer gas.  But agree if your towing much over 10k a diesel is probably gonna be better for you.  With the newer tranny's and new technology of gas engines they are quite capable of towing a heavy load.  Longevity isn't a issue because not very many people keep their trucks past 300k anyways.  90% of the folks that own diesels do so more as a luxury then as needed,  if ya got the money to burn buy one just be prepared for the crazy expensive repairs that are so common with the new diesels.  I used to put my 2800lb camper on back of my truck and tow my 6200lb boat all the time and have never had any issues.