But today, with even "cheap" fuel nearly $4/gallon, The diesel trucks STARTING at nearly 60k, the mpg being significantly worse and the true cost of ownership of a diesel being much, much higher, how does diesel make any sense for anyone not burning gobs of fuel?
The reality is that the supposedly lower cost of ownership of a diesel in fuel savings can be entirely wiped out for a decade or so with a single major repair event. You lose your aftertreatment? Pop a turbo or wipe a cam? If so, your fuel savings of buying diesel instead of gasoline are gone for nearly a decade.
Sometimes vehicle ownership it isn't purely about the $$ bottom line.
@6.7 CTD is in the same boat. He doesn't really need the diesel but he likes the truck for...reasons. Sometimes it's just $$ spent on a hobby.
Our 2014 Cummins, Megacab 3500 SRW...
Get a free TSD fleet card or use other discounts and our truck has been running on $2.60 to $3.20 fuel since last summer. I buy DEF at the pump locally for $3.75 and I get about 1000 mpg, so that's a noise in the data. The truck will get 20mpg on interstate cruises depite weighing 8500 pounds with me in the drivers seat. The additional maintenance vs gas involves fuel filters ($100 every 15k miles) and big/expensive oil changes. With rebate synthetic oil and the best filter I can buy (Fleetguard Stratopore or Donaldson)...my oil changes are $50-55.
The truck maintenance and upgrades became a hobby for me on our last truck, so my labor is free and it gives me something to do. I do lots (excessive) of PM since we travel far out of town with it. Shopping for deals on parts is part of the hobby.
Tires, suspension parts, and brakes are the same as a gas truck. Other parts aren't that bad despite my tendency to by fancy/OE parts. Cummins water pump was $56. (I think a 6.4 water pump is >$200.) $30 gates fleetrunner belt. Fancy big rig coolant was $50. Continental upper radiator hose was $20. Mopar lower was $50 (two hoses). Fleetguard air filter, $30. I carry a spare DEF injector ($100), water pump ($56), transmission thermostat ($30), my old belt, and set of fuel filters in the camper/truck. Expensive things like CP3, injectors, or DPF get covered under warranty or amortized across many miles. It only has 82k on the odometer so anticipate those items to be far out. Our truck got a turbo actuator right before we purchased it so fingers crossed not needing to do that again. Yeah, the first EGR cooler, NOx sensor, or DEF pump/heater module will sting if/when it happens.
My last truck had 320k on the factory head gaskets, injectors, and CP3. I suspect the turbo had been replaced. We nursed the slippy torque converter for years. I had the transmission upgraded/rebuilt ($6k) and we lost it in a crash two months later, but that $1700 upgraded Goerend low stall torque converter was awesome while it lasted.
Beyond maintenance/repairs, the truck itself is more expensive and breakdowns are a larger $$ liability, but the extra power, range (55 gallon tank), and extra space to maneuver at truck stops makes travel days easier. It is not my daily driver. For me, the truck provides our family vacations and the additional $$ to reduce my stress while towing so the money spent is a luxury. It's quieter and the family doesn't get uneasy everytime we power up a hill in 2nd gear at 4500 RPM. Granted, a smaller camper would do the same...
If we had gotten a gas truck, I'd add a 15 gallon saddle tank in the bed and try to limit fuel stops on tow days. The transmission would shift more often and I'd be slower on the hills but I'm sure we'd get to the campgrounds just fine.
and I can drain a little fuel from the filter into a dixie cup when it's time to start a campfire...
