Diesel VS. Gas Trucks....

[riverrunner1984]

Looking for a new to me truck. Mostly used for towing the boat or a trailer/5th wheel toy box.
Looking for something that will tow up to a 30-35 ft boat or toy box.

What are the pros and cons of Diesel vs. Gas?
7.3 Ford/6.6 Duramax or maybe 8.1 chevy gas.....What are your thoughts???
If you were buying something for general towing purposes from So Cal to the river, what would you buy?

[Welldigger00]

In one word; Cummins.

[Skav]

I've had all three. The 7.3 is a great motor, just keep the oil clean. It's loud and won't get great mileage. Probably around 12 in town. 10ish while towing. There are a lot of aftermarket parts to make more power but you'll need to deal w the tranny if making more than 80hp more than stock. Also the 4r100 is a good trans but I always wished it had another gear. I either had to tow at 55 in third or 75 in OD. I usually picked OD The 8.1 gas was cool and fun to drive but mileage sucked. I swear I could see the gas gauge drop as I drove. It got about 8 around town or on the road. Towing was worse. I have a 6.6 now and like it a lot. It's quiet and smooth. When I first bought it I was seeing around 16.5mpg. Now it's 15 in town. If I didn't have the warranty I'd tune it because I've heard that will improve mileage and you should see around 17-18. I haven't towed w it yet but looking forward to it. The 6 speed trans should be nice.

Hope this helps.

[Sharp shooter]

I have an 8.1 and It gets 10 mpg around town and 6-7 towing with 4.11 gear and 6 speed Allison trans. I went gas to avoid spending big bucks on maintenance over the long term.

[riverrunner1984]

I've had all three. The 7.3 is a great motor, just keep the oil clean. It's loud and won't get great mileage. Probably around 12 in town. 10ish while towing. There are a lot of aftermarket parts to make more power but you'll need to deal w the tranny if making more than 80hp more than stock. Also the 4r100 is a good trans but I always wished it had another gear. I either had to tow at 55 in third or 75 in OD. I usually picked OD The 8.1 gas was cool and fun to drive but mileage sucked. I swear I could see the gas gauge drop as I drove. It got about 8 around town or on the road. Towing was worse. I have a 6.6 now and like it a lot. It's quiet and smooth. When I first bought it I was seeing around 16.5mpg. Now it's 15 in town. If I didn't have the warranty I'd tune it because I've heard that will improve mileage and you should see around 17-18. I haven't towed w it yet but looking forward to it. The 6 speed trans should be nice.

Hope this helps.

Great info!!! Thanks! 👍

[riverrunner1984]

I have an 8.1 and It gets 10 mpg around town and 6-7 towing with 4.11 gear and 6 speed Allison trans. I went gas to avoid spending big bucks on maintenance over the long term.

So the cost of ownership is higher on a diesel? I thought/heard you can get a lot more miles on the engine on a diesel opposed to a gas?

[Ziggy]

I have a 2000 7.3 PSD ......won't be trading it anytime soon. Towed a 40' 5er with it all stock and with 35's on it no issues.
Downsized to a 30' 5er and 34's.
100k miles. No oil leaks anywhere. Original trans, etc. Have boosted the hp with a tuner.

[Sharp shooter]

So the cost of ownership is higher on a diesel?

Based on what I've heard I would say yes, but like I said this is a long term assessment. You'll likely find people that will have a different view this is just mine based on the world around me. My next door neighbor gave his 2004 Ford to the junk yard after so many problems.

I thought/heard you can get a lot more miles on the engine on a diesel opposed to a gas?

I think that's true, but at what price? If you're like many and have to buy injectors, injector pumps, head gaskets etc is it worth it. I didn't want to take the chance considering I knew I would have my vehicle 10 years or longer. If you can buy new and keep trading in so your truck is always new then no worries.

[riverrunner1984]

Based on what I've heard I would say yes, but like I said this is a long term assessment. You'll likely find people that will have a different view this is just mine based on the world around me. My next door neighbor gave his 2004 Ford to the junk yard after so many problems.
I think that's true, but at what price? If you're like many and have to buy injectors, injector pumps, head gaskets etc is it worth it. I didn't want to take the chance considering I knew I would have my vehicle 10 years or longer. If you can buy new and keep trading in so your truck is always new then no worries.

I am looking for something that is going to last me for the long haul 10+. I do not really drive the truck too much and would quesstimate around 6-8k miles per year.

[HotWater]

If your only driving 6-8k a year just get a gas rig.