GAS VS. DIESEL
I’m considering buying a new diesel pickup. I have friends who say I shouldn’t. The truck will only be driven about 5 days a month when I tow our toy hauler to the dunes in central Idaho from our home in Salt Lake City during the warmer months. During the winter the truck could sit for much longer periods, although I really like the looks of the new Dodge Rams and may drive it a lot more than I am planning now. Would letting it sit create a costly mistake?
Joe Mallory Via Email
Great question. It’s harder nowadays to make an economic argument for buying a new diesel pickup. Diesel fuel is generally a little more expensive than gasoline. Current heavy duty diesel pickups are producing fuel economy in the 14-18 mpg range while driving unloaded, depending on how the truck is driven. Equivalent gas-powered
trucks are producing nearly the same fuel economy numbers. However, the difference in loaded fuel economy is more pronounced—perhaps a 5mpg difference, with the advantage going to the diesel.
Second, the diesel powertrain option is not cheap in a new truck. Expect to pay an $8,000 (or more) premium for the diesel. The cost will largely be returned to you when you sell or trade the truck on down the road, so the option cost can’t easily be factored into the economics of a gas/diesel comparison.
Third, the biggest advantage to a diesel powertrain is the power/torque. New diesels have the ability to power over hills with a heavy trailer in tow, which simply can’t be matched by a gasoline engine. While it’s hard to assign an economic advantage to power, the added towing ability of the diesel makes owning it a lot more enjoyable.
Straight #2 diesel fuel can sit for months and sometimes even up to even a few years without significant deterioration. Gasoline can’t. Bio-diesel blends are available at selected areas all across the U.S. and Canada. Bio-diesel does have a somewhat more limited shelf life when compared to petroleum diesel fuel—a few months at most. So if your truck will sit a lot, try not to buy biodiesel, but do keep the fuel tanks full otherwise to help prevent moisture in the air from interacting with the fuel.
We use a battery tender (batterytender.com) to maintain the batteries on our project trucks when they’re not being driven during the winter months. Keeping the electronics alive presents constant low-amperage draw that will run batteries down over a couple of months without a battery maintenance program. Other than that, nothing special needs to be considered to maintain the health of a diesel pickup that sits for long periods.