diesel engine!!

[Robert2468]

good afternoon!

I hope you all are staying safe from Covid. If I was confident before, I am NOT now. my friend, younger than I just died from Covid. shocking. he was very very strong, just retired.

please excuse my DUMB questions. i am willing to learn!!!!

OK- I have for many years thought about getting a diesel vehicle. interesting concept.

I have NEVER owned a truck. for the first time ever, I bought an SUV an Acura RDX. got in august, love it on trips to my daughters house. can carry lots of stuff, quite comfortable.

I never thought of myself as a "truck guy". I just retired and drive 10,000 miles a year, mostly to visit and help my daughter. My Acura says it gets 24 miles a gallon for about 400 gallons of gas a year. I am NOT a billionaire.

near me, premium gas is $2.79 diesel is $2.89

extremely dumb questions: especially from diesel owners who know diesels.

1. i NEVER had a diesel. my garage today was about 45 degrees. outside was about 7 degrees and windy. (Massachusetts) do I need to "plug in" the diesel in my garage?

2. can you recommend a GOOD diesel SUV or SMALL truck? not sure I want a HUGE truck.

i welcome ANY and ALL advice. i like to learn new things. I do NOT change my own oil, have a great honest mechanic nearby. I change oil with Mobil 1 synthetic around every 5,000 miles.

3. is diesel maintenance difficult? i try to really take care of my vehicles. I do ceramic coating myself, etc.

thank you for your time and not laughing at me!! haha.

best regards,

bob

 

[OVERKILL]

A modern diesel with all its emissions equipment can be an absolute financial nightmare to own. If you are trying to save fuel, just get something that burns less gas, it'll be cheaper in the long run.

 

[MParr]

Maintenance of a diesel vehicle is much more involved than a gasoline powered vehicle. You have more filters, glow plugs, DEF fluid and usually two batteries. Have you thought about a hybrid vehicle? There are several hybrid SUVs in the market. Ford has introduced a hybrid F-150 for 2021.

 

[JC1]

And when you have a diesel engine with problems and the associated repair costs you'll wish you had a gasoline engine instead.

 

[supton]

You drive 10,000 miles a year. How much would you save with a diesel? as opposed to a gas powered truck? I'd wager, not enough to pay for the premium.

Also: how often do you "need" a truck? Once a week, then ownership makes sense. Once a month, it sure would be nice, no doubt. Once a year? best to rent IMO. I would start by determining your need level, want level, and determining if a better way may work (rent a trailer, buy a trailer, or rent a UHaul). Then figure out a budget for it. [Of course, if you simply want one, then go for it, I'm just playing devil's advocate here.]

Not sure about the mid sized trucks today but the full sized trucks are pretty big and typically have a high tailgate. I'm starting to look forward to trading out of my truck because of this. Lifting multiple heavy things up to chest height gets old. Living a semi-rural area I find trailers to be easier to work with, plus I don't care if a trailer gets scratched up in usage. I also don't mind loaning one out.

 

[KJSmith]

I like Diesel's.
Drove a '02 F250 7,3 for 9 years... until it was stolen.
Bought a '11 F250 with a 6.7.
Nice truck, only kept it 50k.
Once the EPA got involved with the Diesels, they became way to complicated.

 

[Passport1]

Agree with the above comments. I've had two early 80's diesels (VW&Volvo). They were pre-emissions complexity and were reliable, efficient and easy to maintain. Back then diesel fuel was also less than gasoline. While I really love the sound of diesel clatter, the market for them has collapsed in the US. Diesel cars and pickup trucks is a small niche today. Re: Your question about cold starting. Even at 7F. a modern diesel running winter fuel should start outdoors. Block heaters help a lot.

I'd say you missed train. Diesels today, except where heavy towing is a requirement, aren't worth the trouble and extra expense.

 

[totegoat]

I've owned 4x4 diesel pickups since 1994 to haul loads and tow trailers. 10 to 12 mpg towing 10K. If I were buying a pickup today it would be gasoline. The new high horse-power gas pickups sound like fun and I don't tow heavy any more.

 

[Donald]

good afternoon!

I hope you all are staying safe from Covid. If I was confident before, I am NOT now. my friend, younger than I just died from Covid. shocking. he was very very strong, just retired.

please excuse my DUMB questions. i am willing to learn!!!!

OK- I have for many years thought about getting a diesel vehicle. interesting concept.

I have NEVER owned a truck. for the first time ever, I bought an SUV an Acura RDX. got in august, love it on trips to my daughters house. can carry lots of stuff, quite comfortable.

I never thought of myself as a "truck guy". I just retired and drive 10,000 miles a year, mostly to visit and help my daughter. My Acura says it gets 24 miles a gallon for about 400 gallons of gas a year. I am NOT a billionaire.

near me, premium gas is $2.79 diesel is $2.89

extremely dumb questions: especially from diesel owners who know diesels.

1. i NEVER had a diesel. my garage today was about 45 degrees. outside was about 7 degrees and windy. (Massachusetts) do I need to "plug in" the diesel in my garage?

2. can you recommend a GOOD diesel SUV or SMALL truck? not sure I want a HUGE truck.

i welcome ANY and ALL advice. i like to learn new things. I do NOT change my own oil, have a great honest mechanic nearby. I change oil with Mobil 1 synthetic around every 5,000 miles.

3. is diesel maintenance difficult? i try to really take care of my vehicles. I do ceramic coating myself, etc.

thank you for your time and not laughing at me!! haha.

best regards,

bob

If you are not towing a big trailer needing a 3/4 ton pickup then get a gas or hybrid or EV.

 

[sloinker]

Get a Honda Ridgeline and dump the other vehicles. Diesel's are a life choice or load dictated choice. Not for the average bear.

 

[Greasymechtech]

1. Thats not cold enough to worry about.
2. None are good... Dodge has an ecodiesel and GM has the 3.0 diesel in the yukon and 1/2 ton truck.... either will run $50k+, which will buy enough gas to drive that Acura for 400,000 more miles.
3. Not difficult... just more to worry about more often

Maybe you can find a new Titan XD 5.0 diesel leftover.. make sure you buy whatever super extended warranty from the Nissan dealer to that you can drive a few months without breaking down.

 

[skyactiv]

Take a look at what an air filter cost for a Chevy Colorado with the diesel vs the gas engine if you want to be shocked.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FIL200427

 

[skyactiv]

Look at what an oil filter from Napa cost for an F150 with the 3.0 diesel.

https://www.napaonline.com/en/p/FIL107490

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Diesels make large amounts of power much more efficiently. They make small amounts of power much more expensively.

 

[Best F100]

And now for a contrarian opinion to the masses.......

Life is too short. If you want to have the diesel truck experience, you should go for it - especially before the EPA (and California legislators) decide to outlaw light duty Diesel engines, outright! And limit your options for you.

My rational is based on, believe it or not, the purchase of a lawn mower. After around the 2003 year, the EPA banned the two cycle mower, for emissions reasons. Having never owned one, I kept hearing stories from owners, raving about 1) the light weight and 2) the excess power they had, without stalling in tall grass. Since they were recently banned, I had to buy a used Lawn Boy mower. Long story short, I fell in love with it, and lived with it’s quirkiness. Over the years, I would up buying three high end 2 cycle push mowers of different brands. I sold two of them for double what I paid for them, when I moved to a condo (I still own a 2 stroke Toro).

Fast forward to today, I own a midsize, 2016 Chevy Colorado pickup, with the 2.8L Diesel engine. I love it. I do a lot of short trip in town, driving, in addition to hauling around a pair of kayaks. It has not been back to the dealer for anything other than routine maintenance. On the highway, my real world mpg is in the 30 - 33 range. I will also add, that on the Colorado Diesel forum, there are a couple of Canadian owners, right about at 200,000 miles for the 2016/17 model year truck. They also seem to be holding their used vehicle value, better than their gasoline engine counterparts. If you stay within your budget, you are “good to go!” My understanding is that the 2.8L Diesel engine is to be discontinued for the 2021 or 22 model year. Hopefully to be replaced by the 3.0L Diesel engine in this truck (I hope).

I plan on keeping my truck, until someone makes a good “affordable“ midsized pickup .

 

[Best F100]

I meant to say an, electric, midsized truck.

 

[Skippy722]

Personally I’d go for a pre-SCR diesel.... which pretty much is only 3/4 or 1 ton pick ups.

But I’m going to agree with Best F100 here... not everything in life is about what you “need” which is BITOG’s favorite thing to point out when it comes to vehicles, especially trucks. If you “want” a diesel, go for it. But you need to understand that they’re significantly more expensive to fix when they break and they have a bit more involved maintenance requirements as pointed out.

To answer your question about the cold... the guy who parks next to me at work has a Ram 1500 eco diesel. It fired right up the other day in 20F temps like nothing.

Edit - my good friend has a Jeep Liberty that has a diesel.... yes it’s actually a thing! He loves it.

 

[carviewsonic]

At my employer we have 40 something pick-ups, a mix of 3/4 and 1/2 tons. Total annual miles for the fleet would be approx. 700,000 miles (1,100,000 kms). Not a diesel among them. It was determined for this company that diesels aren't worth the additional costs.

 

[Cujet]

A modern diesel with all its emissions equipment can be an absolute financial nightmare to own. If you are trying to save fuel, just get something that burns less gas, it'll be cheaper in the long run.

The key word is "CAN". There are some that are very reliable when properly maintained and not filled with junk fuel. Furthermore, the warranty on diesel engines and their associated emission controls can be quite good. As always a factory extended powertrain warranty is available online from discount dealerships. I've done this with great results.

One vehicle that stands out as superb is the mid sized Colorado ZR2 Diesel. It's 2.8L 4 cylinder turbodiesel is known to be quite good, extremely efficient and very quiet. I'd not normally recommend the Colorado, but the ZR2 package is a comprehensive rework of the truck, with stunningly good component quality. Amazing suspension and believe it or not, it's been selected as a platform for US Military use. It's that good.

Before the BITOG guys completely discount what I'm saying above, take a careful look at the package, it's suspension components, the drivetrain setup and capability and it's very reliable engine. It's a smaller truck that is just the right size, gets 30mpg, can tow a healthy weight, is not full of stupid luxury things, but is very comfortable and quiet. It has a great ride.

I drive 3ea, F150's and this may be my next truck. It's that good.

In MA, you will not need a block heater or have to plug it in. It won't have any trouble in that climate.

 

[wag123]

If you are OK with the higher maintenance, repair, upfront, and fuel costs (and possibly lower resale value), Mazda has a turbo-diesel available in the CX5. BTW, the increase in fuel mileage over the gas engine does not come close to covering the higher cost of ownership.