Half ton pick ups diesel or gas

[lbhsbz]

Notice he didn’t say what he had before

Getting a perspective and an opinion from someone whom has only owned 1 truck for 24yrs does not give a true outlook on what’s available today.

What’s the point of advising someone on what to buy when the recommendation you have is of a vehicle that isn’t available and finding. A used one in serviceable condition is very rare and when you do it has no features that people will want currently.

Everything has pluses and minus pick your poison. Shit I’m a glaring example. Bought my gasser to avoid the diesel fuel pump issue. Then I loose a fuel pump on the gasser which no one suspects. lol shit happens.

And the one truck has an engine from IH in it…

 

[hallett21]

I’ve been happy with the 5.0 in this F150. But I’ve never had a problem with a modern diesel either? And I’m not very nice to trucks lol.

 

[mash on it]

And the one truck has an engine from IH in it…

Best motor ever put in a Ford truck says International t444e all over it.
The idi's were pretty reliable but way under powered for an NA diesel.

Neither compares to the new half ton diesels with HP and torque and fuel mileage.

Dan'l

 

[rivermobster]

Notice he didn’t say what he had before

Getting a perspective and an opinion from someone whom has only owned 1 truck for 24yrs does not give a true outlook on what’s available today.

What’s the point of advising someone on what to buy when the recommendation you have is of a vehicle that isn’t available and finding. A used one in serviceable condition is very rare and when you do it has no features that people will want currently.

Everything has pluses and minus pick your poison. Shit I’m a glaring example. Bought my gasser to avoid the diesel fuel pump issue. Then I loose a fuel pump on the gasser which no one suspects. lol shit happens.

This cracks me up...

I've owend this truck for 24 years, cause I've never had a reason to replace it!

And this is far from the first truck I've owned. I think this one is the 4th or 5th? And one was actually a GM product! And I've owned a few GM cars as well.

When one actually works on cars/trucks for a living, and have had your hands on literally Thousands of different engines and vehicles, you have a whole different perspective than the average consumer does.

And from what I've found, listening to hundreds of different customers in my working career (as a dealership shop foreman), most people prioritize dependability over everything else.

But there are also those that want the latest and greatest, regardless if it's a big POS, or not.

Different strokes.

 

[riverroyal]

Thought you said you replaced the cam phasers on 2 of them.

Not me. I'm on my 3rd F150 with 3.5.
4th one is on assembly line this week. Only took 8 months! Lol.

No issues with all 3.

 

[CLdrinker]

This cracks me up...

I've owend this truck for 24 years, cause I've never had a reason to replace it!

And this is far from the first truck I've owned. I think this one is the 4th or 5th? And one was actually a GM product! And I've owned a few GM cars as well.

When one actually works on cars/trucks for a living, and have had your hands on literally Thousands of different engines and vehicles, you have a whole different perspective than the average consumer does.

And from what I've found, listening to hundreds of different customers in my working career (as a dealership shop foreman), most people prioritize dependability over everything else.

But there are also those that want the latest and greatest, regardless if it's a big POS, or not.

Different strokes.

So if you bought a new truck now what would it be?

 

[rivermobster]

So if you bought a new truck now what would it be?

I wouldn't.

But in the Sprit of your question...

If for some insane reason I Had to own something off a showroom floor, I'd lease a new diesel one ton from Ford.

Keep it for a few years and turn it back in. To Own anything new these days is insanity to me. WAY too much shit to go wrong, far too many nanny features and the cost is just asinine.

I'll happily be poor somewhere else.

 

[CLdrinker]

I wouldn't.

But in the Sprit of your question...

If for some insane reason I Had to own something off a showroom floor, I'd lease a new diesel one ton from Ford.

Keep it for a few years and turn it back in. To Own anything new these days is insanity to me. WAY too much shit to go wrong, far too many nanny features and the cost is just asinine.

I'll happily be poor somewhere else.

But the OP is asking about trucks today. So that’s what we are here discussing.

 

[CLdrinker]

For what it’s worth. If I didn’t need my 3/4ton gas guzzler for towing. I would without a doubt have a TT V6 Tundra. Yes they are blowing up left and right but Toyota is stepping up and making it right. You know damn well they won’t screw it up twice lol.

 

[NIKAL]

For what it’s worth. If I didn’t need my 3/4ton gas guzzler for towing. I would without a doubt have a TT V6 Tundra. Yes they are blowing up left and right but Toyota is stepping up and making it right. You know damn well they won’t screw it up twice lol.

But the mpg on those Tundras seems pretty bad. I was surprised when my Brother in Law told me his mpg, I thought no way! But a few on this forum confirmed they too have pretty bad fuel mileage.

 

[CLdrinker]

But the mpg on those Tundras seems pretty bad. I was surprised when my Brother in Law told me his mpg, I thought no way! But a few on this forum confirmed they too have pretty bad fuel mileage.

I have a 7.3 Gas F250. I promise you I would love to have the Tundra fuel mileage lol

 

[rivermobster]

But the OP is asking about trucks today. So that’s what we are here discussing.

You are correct.

Now look back and see who changed the subject?

 

[lbhsbz]

For what it’s worth. If I didn’t need my 3/4ton gas guzzler for towing. I would without a doubt have a TT V6 Tundra. Yes they are blowing up left and right but Toyota is stepping up and making it right. You know damn well they won’t screw it up twice lol.

They very well might....Toyota has lost their way. They've even switched to euro style lug bolts on some of their new models.

 

[Loo Dog]

But the OP is asking about trucks today. So that’s what we are here discussing.

Actually the OP was specifically asking about HALF ton diesels. So there’s that. But this is RDP, no thread ever stays on the rails.

 

[hallett21]

DEF never bothered me in a 1 ton. How are the 1/2 tons doing with it? Refilling every 5k miles?

 

[Mikemo_SDS]

I love my Chevy 3.0 LZO. On 35’s with Kings. Riverside County to Havasu and back on less than one tank. Disable auto stop (because that shit kills engines) Def is cheap, and has more power than most gas engines. And it doesn’t have to rev over 2300 rpm to make it like some TT engines which helps engine life.

 

[Loo Dog]

DEF never bothered me in a 1 ton. How are the 1/2 tons doing with it? Refilling every 5k miles?

I only have just over 4K on mine, but the gauge read a little under half. Threw in a box and it was full.

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

I love my Chevy 3.0 LZO. On 35’s with Kings. Riverside County to Havasu and back on less than one tank. Disable auto stop (because that shit kills engines) Def is cheap, and has more power than most gas engines. And it doesn’t have to rev over 2300 rpm to make it like some TT engines which helps engine life.

Seems counterintuitive to have auto stop on a diesel.

 

[Tamalewagon]

What are everyone thoughts on diesels in a half ton? I'll newly be in the truck market shortly and am doing research. The heaviest thing I'll have to pull is my schiada to the lake house about 3 hours away. The rest of the time it'll be around town or to the bus stop commuting to work.

Following...I've done some decent research on the 3.0 diesel versus the 6.2 gasser. I like both options in the GMC and both tow the exact same now which is 13300. The MPG is better on the diesel but diesel is more expense than gas. Both have the same torque but the diesel makes it at 1500 RPM versus 4500 for the 6.2. For me I guess it just boils down to the old adage that there is no replacement for displacement. I was hoping @DuttonDave could chime in as that's where I'm headed for my next truck.

 

[spark2678]

Wife wants a new Cad Escalade next year, I want the 3.0 Diesel but they aren't an option anymore in the Cadi only the GMC Yukon.

 

[spectra3279]

I'm sorry, but if you do any real work with these 3 liter and less engines, they are gonna pop.

 

[lbhsbz]

I'm sorry, but if you do any real work with these 3 liter and less engines, they are gonna pop.

Gas yes, diesel…likely not. Are they gonna have the same longevity as a sub 200hp 4BT?….no, but they’ll be OK.

The problem is cooling and lubrication. Power makes heat. Big block power concentrated in a wee little V6 puts a hurt on the oil. While oil has gotten a lot better, I’m not sure it’s up the task of keeping these things together for 2-300k miles.

I’ll stick with my detuned underpowered last century tech shitboxes that will still be running long after I’m dead.

 

[Mikemo_SDS]

I'm sorry, but if you do any real work with these 3 liter and less engines, they are gonna pop.

Im glad towing my Howard is play and not “Real Work”

 

[Your ad here]

I would go gas on a half ton. Diesel in a half ton goes over my head. They don't seem to last to many model years before they get dropped or a major change and that makes finding parts tough and expensive if you keep your vehicles longer than 10 years. Diesel doesn't always mean its a tow beast. Diesel in a half ton is more for fuel economy. Its not meant to tow a 30' 5th wheel up the grapevine going 60mph. The cost to replace a fuel system and turbo in a diesel half ton you could probably get a new engine with warranty in a gas half ton.

 

[oldman]

Reading through this thread, hearing guys own three or more trucks with what I would consider new design motors and saying they have had no issues makes me ask the question. What is their turnover rate on trucks to give some perspective 50K and trade in?? 100K?

How long do you plan on owning this truck, up to the warranty and sell it? Or long term, more than ten years? The answers I'm reading here are most likely from guys with less than 100k and still under warranty, and flipping them for a new truck.

Also I think your question originally was Gas or Diesel, I lean toward Diesel, as much as I hate the DEF, and late model emissions.

Truck wise I stayed clear of def and on the gas front I have 300k Toyotas, neither are relevant to your questions though.

Knowing your lifespan for the vehicle really makes a difference though. I may have missed you answering that.

 

[BingerFang]

Reading through this thread, hearing guys own three or more trucks with what I would consider new design motors and saying they have had no issues makes me ask the question. What is their turnover rate on trucks to give some perspective 50K and trade in?? 100K?

How long do you plan on owning this truck, up to the warranty and sell it? Or long term, more than ten years? The answers I'm reading here are most likely from guys with less than 100k and still under warranty, and flipping them for a new truck.

Also I think your question originally was Gas or Diesel, I lean toward Diesel, as much as I hate the DEF, and late model emissions.

Truck wise I stayed clear of def and on the gas front I have 300k Toyotas, neither are relevant to your questions though.

Knowing your lifespan for the vehicle really makes a difference though. I may have missed you answering that.

Great questions!

For me- I had my last truck 12 years and put 300k on it. Loved that truck but after the 2nd engine blew it was time to say goodbye. I plan on keeping this 3.0 for 10 years but we’ll see what happens. These baby Duramax engines haven’t been out long enough to gauge what their lifespan is but there are a few guys on Reddit with minimal issues up to 175,000 miles and counting.

 

[farmo83]

8-9 years is normally what I get out of a car before I start to want a newer one.


I’m not overly worried about towing as my 2006 Silverado with 275 horse 335 torque with a 4 speed pulled the exact boat to the exact same lake house with 0 issues. I don’t really see this changing anytime soon as my wife would shoot me if we bought a bigger boat. 98% of it’s life will be commuting and maybe 8 times a summer we’ll go to the lake with the boat.


It sounds like gas is cheaper and has less emissions stuff to go wrong and gets worse mileage. My 15 Ram with a 5.7 got 9mpg towing the boat and 15-17 driving around.

 

[Bigbore500r]

This cracks me up...

I've owend this truck for 24 years, cause I've never had a reason to replace it!

And this is far from the first truck I've owned. I think this one is the 4th or 5th? And one was actually a GM product! And I've owned a few GM cars as well.

When one actually works on cars/trucks for a living, and have had your hands on literally Thousands of different engines and vehicles, you have a whole different perspective than the average consumer does.

And from what I've found, listening to hundreds of different customers in my working career (as a dealership shop foreman), most people prioritize dependability over everything else.

But there are also those that want the latest and greatest, regardless if it's a big POS, or not.

Different strokes.

You skipped over my question . . .predictably!

 

[CLdrinker]

Following...I've done some decent research on the 3.0 diesel versus the 6.2 gasser. I like both options in the GMC and both tow the exact same now which is 13300. The MPG is better on the diesel but diesel is more expense than gas. Both have the same torque but the diesel makes it at 1500 RPM versus 4500 for the 6.2. For me I guess it just boils down to the old adage that there is no replacement for displacement. I was hoping @DuttonDave could chime in as that's where I'm headed for my next truck.

13,300 with a half ton. Guess I can get rid of my F250 after all

 

[rivermobster]

You skipped over my question . . .predictably!

View attachment 1425690

And the thread crapper is back!!!

There could be a thread about aquariums, and ol Jerry will find a way to bring my 7.3 into it!

And then his minions will dog pile on, completely unaware they have taken the bait.

Jerry's Stringer must weigh a ton!

 

[Bigbore500r]

And the thread crapper is back!!!

There could be a thread about aquariums, and ol Jerry will find a way to bring my 7.3 into it!

And then his minions will dog pile on, completely unaware they have taken the bait.

Jerry's Stringer must weigh a ton!

Thread crapper......or factual Rivermobster example of Ford supremecy seeker?

 

[Floaterboat]

And the thread crapper is back!!!

There could be a thread about aquariums, and ol Jerry will find a way to bring my 7.3 into it!

And then his minions will dog pile on, completely unaware they have taken the bait.

Jerry's Stringer must weigh a ton!

That’s because if there was a thread on aquariums, you’d be in it saying your 7.3 boat anchor makes more bubbles.

 

[rivermobster]

That’s because if there was a thread on aquariums, you’d be in it saying your 7.3 boat anchor makes more bubbles.

Now I'm gonna have to go get me one!

 

[Racedirt]

Wife wants a new Cad Escalade next year, I want the 3.0 Diesel but they aren't an option anymore in the Cadi only the GMC Yukon.

@spark2678 have you seen the interiors on the 2025 Yukons? Very nice interior upgrades for 2025