1500 vs 2500 Diesel or Gas

[Goshawk]

So when shopping I noticed some patterns emerged in the used vehicle market.

1) low mileage 1500 gasoline truck $15000 with less than 100,000 miles

2). High mileage Diesel 2500 truck with 200000 miles is still $25000. (Many say that's low for a Diesel).

Any price less than or greater than this is suspect as having repair issues. Or hidden factory issues. Finding some older cheaper means lots of warn out parts.


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[ArtW]

Apples to Oranges

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

My issue with high mileage diesels is the engine may be fine for another 200k but everything else on the truck wears out just the same as a gasoline engine.....tires, shocks, struts, exhausts, tie rods, ball joints, transmissions, etc etc. I'mm always shocked at what used trucks go for, that's why I bought new. However, now I wish I went with a 2500.

 

[Goshawk]

My issue with high mileage diesels is the engine may be fine for another 200k but everything else on the truck wears out just the same as a gasoline engine.....tires, shocks, struts, exhausts, tie rods, ball joints, transmissions, etc etc.  I'mm always shocked at what used trucks go for, that's why I bought new.  However, now I wish I went with a 2500.

agree.  am willing to go the gasoline truck with less miles, and then know I may need to rebuild at half the miles of the diesel.  But with a $10,000 price difference I can afford to rebuild.

 

[OutdoorFT]

I got my 2011 F350 lariat cc long bed with 85k miles for 17k, before loan and after trade in. 21k out of pocket. Buying new (i dont drive that much locally) for 3-4x the price is not worth it to me. YMMV

 

[masterplumber]

As a confirmed diesel lover, only buy a diesel if you really need one. I do, so that's what I drive. But my truck is usually about 11,000 lbs going down the road, and I regularly tow 10,000 lbs plus on top of that. And used diesels are now crazy expensive. Shoot, they gave me more for a trade in on my last one than I would have wanted to pay for it retail. If you're only towing a smallish trailer or hauling a light weight camper you're better off with a gas motor from a strictly monetary point of view, provided you get the right motor and the rest of the drivetrain is mat her to it.

As for 1500 vs 2500, you'll most likely never regret buying a 2500 as they are just but tougher, but personally I have never been happy with a 1/2 ton, even when I didn't intend to load it very much.

 

[Hermes1]

I have to agree with masterplumber. Also when considering gas vs diesel, specifically with a 3/4 ton truck, consider payload capacity which will be less on a diesel, than a gasser because of the significant weight difference. So if payload capacity is going to be of concern and are in a situation of needing to gain the most, you do not want to overlook a gasser.

 

[wagoneer]

Most people I would recommend gas at least 3/4 ton for the hardier bunch a 1 ton diesel pre 1997 . I get 500 miles per fill-up.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I agree with everything said here.  A few people, with heavy truck campers or heavy trailers, may actually NEED a diesel for it's greater torque.  Everyone else is better off with a gas engine.

I guarantee you that whatever you save on fuel with a diesel, you will MORE than spend on maintenance and more expensive repair bills.

 

[Ballenxj]

I agree with everything said here.  A few people, with heavy truck campers or heavy trailers, may actually NEED a diesel for it's greater torque.  Everyone else is better off with a gas engine.

I guarantee you that whatever you save on fuel with a diesel, you will MORE than spend on maintenance and more expensive repair bills.

I agree. Diesels are great for hauling heavy loads like stock trailers etc, but most of us don't fall into that category. I have seen first hand when diesels need attention, you had better have a really fat wallet. I'm quite happy with my little 318 that pulls my 3/4 ton van along nicely, and gets better than 17mpg on the highway.

 

[Goshawk]

Also consider your speed when looking at MPG and the engine sizes. Have seen many want to go 60 mph constant without realizing you are loosing MPG at that speed. Think the 2500 pulls more and can give better MPG.


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[Grizzly708]

I agree with everything said here.  A few people, with heavy truck campers or heavy trailers, may actually NEED a diesel for it's greater torque.  Everyone else is better off with a gas engine.

I guarantee you that whatever you save on fuel with a diesel, you will MORE than spend on maintenance and more expensive repair bills.

I have an 8.1 Chevrolet suburban 2500 and it's ratings meet or exceed most diesels. It is close to 300,000 miles and has never needed major surgery. Best part is no diesel noise!

 

[Grizzly708]

agree.  am willing to go the gasoline truck with less miles, and then know I may need to rebuild at half the miles of the diesel.  But with a $10,000 price difference I can afford to rebuild.

But there is no way to rebuild the metal fatigue of 200k miles on the frame, the suspension mounting hardware,  etc

 

[highdesertranger]

"But there is no way to rebuild the metal fatigue of 200k miles on the frame, the suspension mounting hardware, etc"

while true most of the time some vehicle frames can go well over a million miles, also on some vehicles almost every part is available still, including suspension mounting hardware. highdesertranger

 

[tripper]

I have a 1500 Silverado Gas 4x4 and a 2500 Silverado Diesel 4x4

The diesel gets much better MPG, and has a much better transmission (Allison). For very heavy loads it is a dream to use, for my lightweight trailer it does not even notice it towing. The diesel is also a PITA to work on, it has hydroboost system for power steering and brakes, expensive and a pain. It has crazy expensive injectors that are very hard to replace.

The 1500 has a very basic 5.3 liter engine, it runs well and reliably, parts are everywhere for it and even replacing the whole engine is cheap. Gas mileage is OK as long as you don't use all terrain tires. Transmission works just fine, but does not have the cool braking modes like the Allison.

My recommendation is a gas burner 2500 truck (or a 3500 if you want a slide in truck camper). 1500 suspension even on 4x4 is a little too bouncy for towing and the 1500 frame is significantly smaller. The Chevy gas engine is reliable and proven older technology, unlike most of the major diesel manufacturers who change the diesel engines often, Ford has some really bad diesels in the 2002-2009 range or so.

A 2500 4x4 with a gas engine will get 12-14 mpg and 10-12 towing. A 2500 Diesel will get 18-20 mpg and 13-16 towing.

My personal favorite 3/4 ton truck is the old 96-98 Dodge Cummins diesels (12 valve version) they are super easy to work on, get great gas mileage and are not too expensive to find, very reliable, and the transmissions are just ok as long as you aren't towing ultra heavy loads.

 

[Goshawk]

Was looking at a truck with a 2500 emblem on it that also has the 5.7 liter emblem too. So effective very are they the same engine size?


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[Ballenxj]

Was looking at a truck with a 2500 emblem on it that also has the 5.7 liter emblem too. So effective very are they the same engine size?

The 2500 represents the load capacity of the truck, which is three quarter ton in this case. The 5.7 liter represents engine size, 350 cubic inch.

 

[Goshawk]

The 2500 represents the load capacity of the truck, which is three quarter ton in this case. The 5.7 liter represents engine size, 350 cubic inch.

So a 5.7 liter is a 350 cubic inch. Just did the calculation and it’s actually 347 cubic inches. And my 4.7 liter is 286 cubic inches.

Yes I️ understand the 1500 and the 2500 and the 3500 mean load capacity. But seem to recall they used to mean engine size; when we were talking ford 150 vs 250 vs 350 at one time. But now they mean load capacity. Got it.


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[Ballenxj]

So a 5.7 liter is a 350 cubic inch. Just did the calculation and it’s actually 347 cubic inches. And my 4.7 liter is 286 cubic inches.

Yes I️ understand the 1500 and the 2500 and the 3500 mean load capacity. But seem to recall they used to mean engine size; when we were talking ford 150 vs 250 vs 350 at one time. But now they mean load capacity. Got it.

The 150, vs 250, vs 350 always referred to carrying capacity. Chevy called it 2500, vs 250, but they both indicate the same thing. Dodge switched from 3 digit to 4 following suite with Chevy, in other words, what used to be a D300 is now 3500. The confusing part is that the engine size sometimes matched those numbers.
All the major names tended to round up when referring to engine size. 350 sounds better than 347. It's hard to pin those folk down to an exact anything.

 

[Goshawk]

When the claim is a big block 350 eight cylinder engine it was confusing.


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