diesel or gas

[Spaceman Spiff]

spaceman you know what they say about dodge trucks with a Cummings engine.  a 10k motor in a 10 cent truck.  highdesertranger

HDR: you actually brought a smile to my face; hadn't heard that one before   

The body work is easy enough (for me) to keep up on.
Maybe it's where i live, but it seems stuff just starts breaking at ~200,000 miles: door latches freeze up, power windows stop working, upholstery foam starts breaking down, etc.  It is just starting to cost a lot to repair (even with me doing the work).  I'm getting old enough and the cars are getting more complicated (tracing down a bad ground is a PIA), that I don't want to deal with.

But personally, I won't buy a gas engined car with 100k on it.  I'd have much less reservations about a diesel;
I don't know if I would buy either, not because of the motors or drive train, but because of the electronics.  Having electrical problems is more of a PIA (and  a higher probability and cost more to fix) than fixing the @#*^% motor    

 -- Spiff

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

As for manufacture, a man who likes Ford will buy a Ford. A man who likes GM, will buy a GM. A man who likes Dodge, will buy anything. *grin*

I actually looked at Ford and Chevy (and Toyota :huh: ) when I bought my '12 Ram last year.  But the brand loyalty developed in my impressionable teenage years was hard to overcome.

 -- Spiff

 

[Canine]

Gas longevity:

Used 2005 Ford E-250 and Econoline 250 Extended. $3,000
541,643 miles
Stock No. T7552 VIN 1FTNS24L05HB41384 AT Car ID AT-10E78F6F
Exterior:
Oxford White Clearcoat
Interior:
Medium Flint
Gasoline

Seller Comments
I suppose you gasped when you saw the miles. Relax folks, it is only 500,000. This one was run seven days a week, 24 hours a day by a major pharmaceutical company who routinely runs all of their cargo vans 500,000 plus miles before they are turned in and no one maintains their vehicles better. You will be surprised how nice this unit looks and runs. There are lots of miles left in this one for not much money. This 2005 Ford E250 Cargo Van has a 5.4L V8 Engine, Rear Wheel Drive, Automatic Transmission, Air Conditioning, Tilt Wheel, Cruise Control, Power Steering, AM/FM Stereo with Compact Disc Player, Cassette Player, Trailer Hitch. Large inventory to select from! Call today or you can also visit our website at www.glendivesales.com for more great vehicle deals. Glendive Sales was selected as Montana Quality Dealer of the Year by the Montana Independent Auto Dealers Association. Largest Inventory in the Region. We have been serving our region for over 30 years. While we strive to portray our vehicles accurately, please call to verify pricing & equipment.

 

[Canine]

And for a Cheby:

Used 2004 GMC Savana 3500
436,126 miles
$2,995
Oklahoma City, Ok

Stock No. 12512 VIN 1GTHG35U641182265 AT Car ID AT-17C0590D  
Exterior:
White
Interior:
Gray

Gasoline
8 Cylinder

 

[Canine]

So, unless both vans had replacement engines that the sellers (auction?) didn't tell them about, the longevity of newer gas motors rivals the diesel.

Remember there's a Ford E250 that went over a million miles on a 5.4...

"Million Mile Van dead!"
Piece of crap Econoline died at 1,286,000 miles.

He even changed the oil every 10-50K and the plugs every 200K. What more does a guy have to do?

http://www.millionmilevan.com/

Last edited by SilverE350; 12-13-2011 at 06:24 PM. Reason: added link

"ENGINE: 1,299,986 Miles and it has died. The motor lost oil pressure. I turned off the motor about a dozen times and restarted it and the pressure came back but for only a mile or two and then dropped back to nothing. It finally just dropped out and died. R.I.P Million Mile Van.

The radiator cracked and was replaced in July 2004 but the hoses were still the originals. My first serpentine belt reached 502,979 miles before I changed it. I still have it as a trophy belt. ) I used Valvoline 10W-40 motor oil and change it every 10,000 to 20,000 miles. The longest I’ve went between oil changes is 55,000 miles. It used a quart of oil or more every tank of gas. I usually waited for the oil to turn black before changing it.

TRANSMISSION: The million mile transmission finally called it quits on June 9, 2010 in Chicago. Reverse gear went totally out and drive gear would slip over 45-50mph. I was able to slowly limp it home 250 miles from Chicago to Toledo at 40-45mph. It went 1,211,650 miles before losing reverse gear. 1,211,950 miles to make it back home to be rebuilt.

REAR END: Still the original rear end. It screams at me going down the road so I’m sure it’s life is coming to the end also but she’s still holding out for now."

 

[Seraphim]

Spiff

If your vehicle waited 200k miles for those problems to occur, you WERE fortunate! At least in my experience lol. Electronics: one reason our car has manual windows and door locks. Can't find those much, anymore, though. Door locks on my truck froze up when new, in winter time. But only on the driver side; must be something with direction the trucks parked. But all those things happen regardless of the engine type.

 

[greg63]

Great info thanks