New Tow Vehicle

This morning I was looking at the 4.5L Cummins diesel that will be an option in the GM 1/2ton trucks. The thing is so quit, it's hard to tell it's a diesel. They figure 310hp and nice torque. It gets about 23mpg. Niiiiice
It was in a test truck from the local proving grounds.

Steve

bkhallpass wrote: There are many reasons to buy a diesel, but for most people, economics is not one of them. Assuming everything else is equal, you will still have to drive 147,300 miles before you recover the extra cost of owning the diesel. Most people will not keep a vehicle that long. BKH

The diesel is the smart way to go IF you do a lot of HD (10,000 lbs. or more) towing. If not then you are correct that it isn't a economical choice.

I'm sure there are lot's out there that simply buy a diesel for the macho factor!! I wish I had that kind of money to just waste!!

Two big things have changed since I bought my 95 diesel. The higher cost per gal. for diesel and the higher cost for the engine upgrade have made it a choice I would no longer consider. I'm happy that I did get it back in 95 but I also have long since paid for the extra upgrade. I will be hitting the 200K mile mark next week and will be driving it till it drops!!   

azeus17 wrote: Like BKH said, though, I imagine most people don't buy diesel for the extra MPG's and I guess I won't either.

   Nah,buy them for the towing power.I'd love to have one for towing,but I don't do enough to justify it.I think with the fuel economy creeping up in gas trucks,there isn't such a gap in the mpg anymore.Some guys I know claim 18-20 mpg in their deisels,is that accurate??I get 16-18 average in my Dodge.

   Mike

There are many reasons to buy a diesel, but for most people, economics is not one of them.

Assume a diesel motor costs $5000 more than a gas motor. Assume diesel is $4/Gallon, and gas is $3.50/gallon. Assume diesel gets 17 mpg, and gas gets only 13 mpg.

Assuming everything else is equal, you will still have to drive 147,300 miles before you recover the extra cost of owning the diesel.

Most people will not keep a vehicle that long.

BKH

I have been tossing around the idea of getting a new tow vehicle. Have been looking at F250 with the V8 desiel or the Chevy 2500HD with the desiel. Does anyone have one and can you tell me what kind of MPG's you are getting? I am trying to decide if going for the desiel is worth it or not.

That truck may seem big now Rob. Just wait till you start carrying 2 tons of baby stuff with you everytime you leave the house. Nice ride. BKH

Nope Steve... Bud is even a little pricier than normal lager...

Someone said ADVERTISING here... Lots of commericals (even funny too) for Budweiser on TV...

It catches on...

Oh, Randy,
Congrats on your new vehicle. You're okay in the book of my parents in law... They have had Toyota's since... well their first car!

Rob
Nice ride. Your going to love the stow-away rear seats on road trips.
My wife has an '04 Eddie Bauer with the 5.4. It's a great pull vehicle for the BFN.
Let me know what you get for millage. My buddy has an '05 EB and gets 15.5mpg. My wife gets 13.2mpg. She's either on the gas or on the brakes, no in between.

Steve

87BFN owner wrote: Randy you went way further then most people would have in your truck selection.I commend you for that, and hope you get every one of those ten years you want out of that truck. That way more of your money can be spent on the boat.

I have a tendency to "over-analyze" things.

I took the boat for a "test pull" with one of the Tundra's I test drove. It was amazing, pulled it like it wasn't even back there. Better than the Chevy and much better than my old Tacoma. Too bad I didn't get to pull with mine before it got cold.
If I make it out to GL this summer I'll let you take it for a test drive James, Don't worry, we won't tell the guys at Ford.

The more I drive this truck, the more I love it, it really is fun to drive.

I think the above truck would look a little more appealing in a different color in my opnion. I know the intent of the color is to make it look tough, but I think a color that is a little glossier would be better. Randy you went way further then most people would have in your trucl selection. I commend you for that, and hope you get every one of those ten years you want out of that truck. That way more of your money can be spent on the boat.

James, I totally respect your opinion and loyalty to your union and employer. And I agree with jbear and you are very fair and mature. I also agree that Ford and GM have improved quality as of lately. like I said, I looked at all of the trucks out there. I read countless reviews, visited forums, and test drove every one of them at least once and a couple of them more than once. I plan on keeping this truck for at least ten years, so I wanted to make sure I was making the best informed decision I could.

I decided on the Tundra because it was the best truck I could find for the money. I seriously considered the Silverado but I didn't like the way the doors were set up and there wasn't as much room in the back seat as in the Tunrda and by the time I added options like power windows it was costing as much as the Tundra would and the Tundra still had more power and towing capacity.

Maybe the fact that I had great service out of my '98 Tacoma had some effect on my decision too. I bought that truck in 2002 with 60,000 miles on it for $15,000 drove it for over five years with not one problem and sold it with 128,000 miles on it in less than a week for $9,850. I didn't even have to advertise it, just parked it at the end of my road in the evenings. The guy who bought it paid exactly what I was asking, he didn't even try to get me down in price.

I seen the new F150 while watching coverage of the Detroit auto show on TV the other night, and It looked pretty cool.

jbear wrote: Very fair and mature James. john

   Agreed.I also agree about the quality as of late seems to be getting much better.


   Mike

I am still not jumping back into this debate, but let me say this Randy. I work for the uaw and I refuse to support the purchase of any ford made anywhere but here or canada. It can be from canada, because they are CAW. That is my way of telling Ford Motor Company I am not happy with them building cars or trucks in other countries. Notice I said nothing bad about what you chose too purchase. As you said you shopped around and looked at all the options. At this juncture in time all I can ask is that, but in the future keep an open mind about the big three. Their quality has been improved greatly, as it is the imports that are starting to slip. Just not possible to build millions of cars in one year and not have some lemons. Not making excuses for any company, just stating a fact. The import companies are starting to have those troubles now. I wish you the best of luck with your truck, as no one likes to feel like they wasted their hard earned money.

Randy_in_Ohio wrote: When I'm going to spend 30k on a truck I'm going to buy the best quality, value, safety and "bang for the buck" I can,

I gotta agree w/ Randy.
My blood flows red, white & blue forever (and right now I've got (4) Ford & (1) Jeep), but if I was out shopping for a new rig, I'm going to compare apples to apples and go with the best value.
I will always buy "well made" USA first. However, I work too hard for my money to give it away on lesser quality just because it says USA.
To those who don't agree with that I say -
Maybe more Americans need to get off their ass and make sure that everything labled "made in USA" is premium quality. This Country is great, but no reason we can't be even greater!