[Rhodes22-list] Diesel Powered Trucks

[Gardner, Douglas L. (LNG-DAY)]

Joe, 

I have a Dodge 3500 with the Cummins, and love it.
Data says that the average miles between an engine rebuild for the Cummins
is 300K.  My understanding is that the new GM diesel (Duramax) is excellent
as well. If I recall correctly, the Duramax is built by Isuzu (also known
for their diesel engines).  

I've heard mixed reviews on the International engines in the Fords, but have
no data to back it up.  Like Brad, I have spoken to a lot of Ford diesel
owners who swear by them. I'm sure that all 3 motors are far superior to
their gasoline counterparts.  My guess is that opinions on them are largely
influenced by brand loyalty/hatred rather than true quality concerns.  Many
truck owners have the "I wouldn't own a Chevy (or Ford or Dodge) if you paid
me" attitude. Today, my wife is anti-GM.  Who knows what next year will
bring.  

  Worth the extra cost?  A friend of mine pointed out that you can buy a LOT
of gasoline for $4K. It really depends on how you use it. I like to drive a
vehicle until it dies, so the plan on the truck was to have it for many,
many years.  

--Doug




-----Original Message-----
From: brad haslett [mailto:flybrad@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 13, 2002 2:39 PM
To: The Rhodes 22 mail list
Subject: Re: [Rhodes22-list] Diesel Powered Trucks


Joe, I know of at least 20 guys at work that have Ford
F-250's with diesels and they swear by them. Dodge
uses a Cummins diesel which is good too. I don't know
much about GM's because I'm just not a GM kinda guy. 
Pretty good mileage for the size and the engine is
good for 200K.  The downside is that they are
expensive (about 4k more on the front end) and you now
can't pull into any convenience store for fuel.  I
drove a Mercedes diesel for 200K miles and my son
drove it another 75K. The car was getting rather tired
but the engine was still going strong, typical of good
diesel engines.  Going down the interstate is no
problem, just look for Ric, and follow him to fuel. 
Around town, especially in a strange city, it can
become a major PITA to find fuel. For me personally,
the extra front end expense and convenience has kept
me out of returning to diesel but they do last a long,
long time. If I did a lot of heavy towing (heavier
than the R-22) the diesel would definately be the
ticket.  If your current truck is in good shape other
than the miles, you might consider running it until
the engine dies and then repower with a rebuilt Jasper
engine.  They are not cheap but Jasper's are probably
the best rebuilt engines on the market.

Brad Haslett
"CoraShen"
--- "Ware, Joseph W." <joseph_ware@merck.com> wrote:
> Any one have good information on the longevity of a
> diesel motor in a pickup
> vs. a regular gas motor?  I'm in the market and will
> be putting on about
> 20,000 miles a year for the next 8 years.  Either I
> run my current gas motor
> to death, (it already has 120,000 miles on it), or I
> pickup a new diesel
> which I hear can handle the extra miles.
> 
> Joe
> 
>
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> Notice: This e-mail message, together with any
> attachments, contains information of Merck & Co.,
> Inc. (Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, USA) that may
> be confidential, proprietary copyrighted and/or
> legally privileged, and is intended solely for the
> use of the individual or entity named on this
> message. If you are not the intended recipient, and
> have received this message in error, please
> immediately return this by e-mail and then delete
> it.
> 
>
============================================================================
==
> 
> _________________________________________________
> Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help?
www.rhodes22.org/list


__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
U2 on LAUNCH - Exclusive greatest hits videos
http://launch.yahoo.com/u2
_________________________________________________
Use Rhodes22-list@rhodes22.org, Help? www.rhodes22.org/list