# Diesel **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [July 10, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207 "2009-07-10T23:47:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bedrock](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bedrock/32/868_2.png) [@bedrock](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bedrock)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2009, 11:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/1 "2009-07-10T23:47:36Z")
thinking about buying a diesel pickup,what are the good and bad thing about a diesel. ---
**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GreasyJack)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 12:15am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/2 "2009-07-11T00:15:26Z")
The good: Higher towing capacity. Better mileage and performance while towing. The bad: More expensive to buy and maintain. That’s it. Unless you’re using it primarily as a tow vehicle, stick with a gas truck. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 12:21am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/3 "2009-07-11T00:21:02Z")
You don’t buy oil by the quart for a diesel. You buy it by the gallon. And the oil filters aren’t cheap either. Tester ---
**Author:** ![Whitey](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/whitey/32/24680_2.png) [@Whitey](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Whitey)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/4 "2009-07-11T00:29:34Z")
In addition to what GreasyJack said: Additional good: Diesel engines are more robust than gasoline engines. Diesel engines typically last a million miles if you can keep the rest of the truck going. Additional bad: The diesel engines they use in domestic pick-up trucks are usually quite noisy. These aren’t like the Mercedes diesel engines they use in the Dodge/Freightliner Sprinter, which operate quietly. To me, it really depends on the kind of use you have planned for the truck. If you don’t plan to put many miles on it, or only plan to use it for recreational boat use and occasional do-it-yourself projects, get a gasoline burning engine. If you plan to pull an RV across the country for months on end, or use it every day commercially, you might be better off with a diesel. ---
**Author:** ![texases](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/texases/32/862_2.png) [@texases](https://community.cartalk.com/u/texases)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/5 "2009-07-11T01:05:16Z")
Reliable, yes, but there’s so much added stuff on the modern ones (turbos, intercoolers, pollution controls) I’m not sure it they still have any advantage. ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/6 "2009-07-11T04:09:14Z")
HIgher compression ratio = higher thermal efficiency. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 11:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/7 "2009-07-11T11:25:39Z")
How heavy a pickup. Some are little more than cars with an open trunk and others are just short of being a semi. What kind of use are your planning for it? Towing a large heavy trailer in the mountains or just going to the grocery? Every day driving or once a year vacation trip? For light use it is not worth the added cost. For heavy use I would go for it. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 11:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/8 "2009-07-11T11:59:21Z")
You may want to check fuel prices in your area also. The new untra low sulpher fuel has erased the fuel cost advantages of diesel. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/9 "2009-07-11T17:59:58Z")
``` [i] The new untra low sulpher fuel has erased the fuel cost advantages of diesel. [/i] ``` Not exactly. Diesel cost went up before ULSD was required and it has stayed high with out any apparent reason other than oil company greed. Right now it is about equal in relative price at a time of the year when it should be cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/10 "2009-07-11T18:14:37Z")
Here is the U.S. it was significantly cheaper before the ULSD mandate was enacted last year. At that point it shot up beyond gasoline. My point was that there is no longer a fuel cost advantage. That used to be the motivation for buying diesel pickups in my area. ---
**Author:** ![Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joseph_e_meehan/32/21_2.png) [@Joseph\_E\_Meehan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joseph_E_Meehan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2009, 10:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/diesel/33207/11 "2009-07-11T22:29:05Z")
``` I am in the US and around here the price for diesel went up well before ULSD was mandated. I drive a diesel so I watch it. Maybe it was different in your area. It does vary somewhat from area to area and time to time. Mostly with other uses for diesel (Winter heating and spring plowing around here) I do agree with you about the lack of a meaning full cost advantage for most drivers. ```