Well as most of you may or may not know, I still havent found that perfect truck. So I decided to broaden my options and look at 2500's.

Does a diesel engine get better mpg vs a 5.2 or 5.9? And is it worth paying the extra money in gas or should i stick with a gas engine. I mean, im not going to do much hauling. More or less take it off road here and there and drive it around in the snow and it'd be my daily driver. Any advantages disadvanteges to the gas/diesel that you guys can tell me about. Thanks!

 

the diesel will get better mpg, even though its pushing around the 2500 instead of the 1500.
2500 will have dana 60 axles, and there's all kinds of locker options for it.

diesel will cost more to buy and a little more to maintain.
diesel also brings in really expensive parts like turbo, injector pump, etc.
diesel fuel used to be cheaper than gas, now its more expensive.
if you get a diesel, research what a "53 block" is, and don't get one of those.

 

the diesel's gets about 22mpg highway.. you can tweak them very easily and get some massive Hp. I have a buddy that work's for a Cummins repair shop and he has dynoed at 800hp 980tq at the same time he can change some settings and get 24mpg highway... they will out last any gasser with no major engine work needed until 250,000 miles... cheap to rebuild.. just take to any truck shop.. the engine will out last the body.. if maintained properly.. I would go with a diesel... you can get a used one anywhere from $6,000- $16,000 with anywhere from 80,000-120,000 miles (hardly broke in)

 

I asked myself the same question, and ended up with the 5.9 cummins with the 6speed. And its just absolutely amazing. Its got more power stock than ill ever use, and even though the price of diesel is more than gas, the coolness factor pushes it over the edge.

 

I agree with the hardly broken in part, but those are some pretty cheep figures with that low of miles from what I have seen.

Most diesels I see are rarely below 10 grand. Heck, I have consistently seen older 2nd gens (94-96) with over 200k miles for 10 grand or more. These things are like buying a truck with 1500 lbs of gold under the hood.

But yes... the cummins diesels are very powerful (even completely stock), get great mileage and hold a very respectable retail value. Plus you get a 3/4-1 ton truck which is much stouter than the half ton (drivetrain wise).

The only downfalls I see are the initial added cost to purchase (which seems to be nearly double what the same setup in a half ton would be), slightly more expensive to maintain (and repair), and how they now charge more for fuel then ever before (although it has come down quite a bit recently).

If I had the extra cash I would purchase a diesel, but thats just me.

 

But be careful with a 2nd gen diesel. Research all the fuel pump issues and you'll have to test the pressure before you buy. If the pump is weak or goes out, it can take out the injection pump which is big money. Also avoid the 53 block. And the front issues on ours are the same on the diesels but magnified. I've been looking for my perfect diesel since about 2004 and cannot find one yet. But I'm still content with my gasser and since it's a DD it serves me better than a diesel.

 

buy a cummins! I wish I could have .

 

Get diesel. Spend any time behind the wheel and youll never buy another gasser again. Easy to get power out of. Best engine on th market. Mileage. Im over 500 and got 20mpg on a trip this last summer...

Sorry, but I gotta wave the BS flag on the "800hp/980tq" statement. Sounds like a truck right around 450hp to me. Theres no way in hell to have numbers that close. An 800hp truck would have roughly 1600 ft-lbs torque. 450hp would be around 1000ft-lbs. Theres no Cummins in existence that makes 800hp and 9xxtq...

General rule of thumb for diesels is torque is roughly twice what the horsepower is. 200hp/400tq 400hp/800tq etc.

What years you lookin at? Trans? Cab?

 

"Slightly" more expensive to maintain?

It is rare for something to go wrong with a Cummins, but if it does... big, big bucks to fix.

Not a bad engine at all, not bad-mouthing it, and I ain't saying something will go wrong with one. All I'm saying is that if you by chance have something happen to it, it'll usually cost you your firstborn to fix.

 

Contrary to what people are led to beliecve, they aren't as reliable as stock when turnin the boost up to make those 800hp levels, but I bet they sure are fun. I forget what the power level is, but at a certain hp they start to lift the heads. Scatpack seems to know these things failry well, maybe he can attest to that