in reference to building a NEW rig the cost difference out the door for a Diesel v Gas, means the rigs need to be driven about 100,000 miles in the first 4 years... to break even. most people dont drive that. instead of making larger payments they would prefer to use the money for trips.
Uh, what? How did NEW rigs come into this picture? I though this was about old broncos??
And what is this about payments? Who the hell pulls a loan for an old bronco? Or even used diesel.
You have no business whatsoever being on the road or on an expo instead of working 9-5 if you cannot pay cash for a used rig. Sorry.
when it comes to old trucks, sometimes the cost gap closes, and sometimes it expands greatly. look at late model e350 oil burners vs the same rig and gas, and you'll be stunned at the premium people want. not only doesnt the gap close, but it becomes a greater % of the rig budget. oh... and lets not forget the cost of repairs on used rigs. nothing like the joy of buying diesel parts.
Your forgetting the obvious. Diesels hold their value for a reason. They last longer, are tougher, and get much better mileage than their gasser counterparts.
FYI, I picked up my powerstroke for $3k And the market for 7.3 powerstrokes is ripe for the picking right now. You can find sub 200k mile 4x4 7.3s all day long for less than $10k
As for parts, who cares? The life span of a diesel + 50-80% better fuel mileage more than makes up the difference in repair parts cost.
Dont believe me?
How about a 100k mile comparison?
100k miles @ 10mpg (460v8 gasser) @ $3.50 per gallon = $35k
100k miles @ 17mpg (going easy on you, I routinely see 20) @ $4 gallon = $23.5k
In just 100,000 miles you just SAVED about $12k On a truck you payed $10k for instead of $6k (for gasser) JUST IN FUEL.
I know for damn sure it doesnd cost $12k to maintain a 7.3 PSD for 100k I know Ive put about that much into mine since purchase.
And at nearly 300k, I still dont have that much into my truck in purchase AND repairs/upgrades. SORRY!!
deisel is great. if your rig is massive, or you rack up miles like a trucker, or you happen to drive some german autos where the engine cost recovery isnt as great because the buy in isnt so dear.... or youre a delivery truck driver.
so what i dont understand, is why diesel owners compartmentalize costs to skew the numbers towards diesel. they only hurt themselves.
Actually, diesel is the future of the auto industry. its damn near the present for the european market. Rigs large and small. And for good reason. Diesel simply has more BTU per volume. That makes it more efficient, no matter how you slice it.
Sounds to me like you are only trying to justify your fuel hungry gasser. Funny to see so many little sport-utes getting worse fuel mileage than I do in a full size truck.