Semper Fi

gmhdfan,
If you look at my post, it had NATIONAL AVERAGE FUEL PRICES, so if you use the NATIONAL AVERAGE FUEL PRICES, you still save alot of money in fuel. I'm willing to bet those prices are right off the highway. Gas/ diesel prices are always alot higher right off the highway. Here in California I buy diesel at a local station not too close to the freeway and I have been paying $1.48 a gallon for diesel for awhile now and if I go to the stations right off the freeway it's usually $.15 to .30 cents higher a gallon. When I go on the highways and stop at the truck stops/ travel centers for diesel, I usually pay $.10-.25 cents LESS per gallon than usual prices.
You have your opinion and I have mine, but the fact is that a diesel saves you alot of money in fuel costs.......you have no argument with that, do the math

OH....by the way..I did run the #'s from your last post with the gas/diesel prices, a DIESEL would still save you approx $233.!!!!

Even if you spend more for the DIESEL it has a much better resale value--if you keep it for a short time or a long time.

gmhdfan

OK, I just looed through my Jan. fuel tickets and the best price I found was $1.56 for diesel and $1.36 for gas. And NO that was not off the highway. I don't see 11 MPG with my big block much but maybe it's just my driving habits But really without me killing any more brain cells (remember I was a party animal in the 70-80's) Can someone tell me how much a diesel option is. And than what % of the miles on most guys trucks are really towing something? Being a Tow Truck mine is most likely 70% but I'm sure that is not the norm for most people. I think a 4X4 option holds its value better in a truck and more people are willing to buy a used gas motor truck. Am I the only one that thinks this way?

Tinkerer

gmhdfan---- What I want to know is what are all the extension cords for??? You live in florida-- I live in Michigan ( 10 deg. ) I don't plug mine in at all and it fires right up after sitting all week. ( If sits outside ) I have been a FORD man all my life untill I decided to buy a DIESEL and was turned onto a CHEVY. I will not go back to a FORD. The CHEVY rides and drives like a car. And the only problem I have had with the truck other than maintenance that any truck ( gas or diesel ) would have was self inflicted from ignorance.

gmhdfan

I was just joking about the cords. But it did get into the low 30's last night. And those diesel motors do start a lot harder when it's cold out. It sounds like the pistons want to swap holes I still want to know what a diesel option on a Ford costs. I went to Kelly Blue Book but only saw gas motors. I will have to look at at my window sticker off my F450 when I get to work on Monday.

Semper Fi

GMHDFAN,
I am really surprised of your reluctance of the facts here. Even if you use the fuel prices in the picture you posted, the diesel saves you money. Those figures I posted were just driving ---NOT towing, if they were with towing, the savings in a diesel would be even greater. I don't care which diesel you buy, hell the Duramax is supposed to get better mileage than the PSD (7.3 PSD)
The diesel option in the Ford PSD is approx $5,600. over the stock Triton 5.4 litre. The V-10 is approx. $2,200. over the stock 5.4 litre. The stock 5.4 can only tow 8,700lbs, the V-10 can tow up to 12,800lbs. and the PSD can tow up to 14,000lbs on the hitch--fith wheel is even more weight. Let's face it, alot of us who buy these trucks are towing something, so you really need to at least pay the extra $$ for the V-10 or the PSD.
Something alot of you OSO guys should really try to remember is that alot of you guys have rigs (boat and trailer) that weigh in the 12,000lbs-14,000lbs range. Say you have the V-10 and you're towing a rig approx. 13,000lbs and you have an accident--you are screwed because if the other clients attourney figures out you were over you trucks rated weight--you're done. I have seen it happen to a friend of a friend of mine, so that is another benefit of a diesel.

gmhdfan

OK, so how much can a Big Block Chevy tow? I'm not trying to get in a pissing match here but using your numbers $478.00 a year savings that is still less than $10.00 a week. For what to drive a sluggish stink motor? And using your numbers the PSD cost more than $3400.00 over the cost of a V10. so how many years will I have to own it before the fuel savings pay off. Man I'm liking my Chevy more and more now. And one more thing how much more is a 5 year old PSD worth than a V10 motor if they even have been around that long. Has anyone used a V10 motor in a boat yet. I'm not being a smart ass just wondering.

outlawinil

gmhdfan- i'm trying to look at it from your perspective here. Ive been to Orlando, Clearwater, Tampa and south to the Keys. But i fail to see any long hills, steep inclines. I travel to the ozarks with boat in tow (19750 ave gross) and the sound the last gas 454 that I owned made going into second gear and reving to 4500 or so while the speedometer drops scared me more than the rattle of a cold diesel. I'm just saying it's cool to set your cruise on 80mph and leave it in overdrive on the fourlane and never here it even kick out of overdrive. Not to have to do 85 downhill to keep the minumum speed (45) uphill is worth something to me. I'll pay that extra up front for that because I know i'll get it back on trade-in. My buddy had a (and I'm not going to be brand specific) 95 extended cab long bed 454 3/4 ton truck which was in excellent condition sold it for $11,000 and another had a 95 diesel xcab long bed with the same equipment sold here for $18,000 all within a week or two of each other. I knew each truck real well. You call them stink motors and powerjokes but you fail to tell of the breakdowns these MOTORS had. If you are pulling that much weight why not get the manual trans which is rated for more?

P.S I farm so I do pull some weight around and the loads don't start off on pavement sometime. And for a second hobby I restore and show old JD tractors and I haul two or three on my trailer all the time which is about 22,000 lbs gross. It's an automatic but there is a drain plug and a filter down there too.

Semper Fi

gmhdfan,
Obviously to you $478.00 a year savings is nothing, but alot of people would rather save the money. I'm just pointing out facts here, no need for you to get pissy. The facts are the facts!! Yes those prices are correct, the PSD is approx. $3400. over the V-10--I called a dealer and got those prices directly from them. Call them yourself and you can see those prices are correct.
A '99 PSD has a value of approx. $4,300. over the V-10 comparing apples to apples. I put in 75K miles (same options exactly) I used the Kelly Blue Book to get these numbers.....so keep wasting your $$$ on your gas----so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

gmhdfan

Bro, I m not getting pissy. I 'm just running numbers here in my head (real #'s here in Fla) and I just really don't see the big savings here. I'm not all that proud of this but I'll spend more than your savings in one night out at the gentlemen clubs. I work hard and don't mind having a little fun once in awhile. Boy you guys are tougher than talking about God with Catman. We had manual transmissions in other F450 trucks we had and had problems with them too. I really never had problems pulling up hills with my Big Block. I make trips to N.J. to bring cars to family members and use the wallymo with 3 cars on it. We do the Corvette reunion in Bolwing Green and don't have problems pulling the hills there either. I had a Chevy 6.5 turbo diesel ext cab dually that pulled the hills good going to Bowling Green but the temp sure did rise more than I liked by the time we got to the top of the hills. I'm not bashing you Ford guys, just would rather have a gas motor with good power when I want it. Now is the resale value not so good for the V10 because it's not that great of a motor? I don't know anyone that has one other than a buddy with a motor home, and he wouldn't know if it was a good motor or not. He drives a Saab everyday. And did anyone do a powerboat test with the V10 motor yet?

Now can someone tell me how much a big block crew cab dually can tow?

I'm not trying to piss you guys off just debateing the pros and cons. I'm sure thier our other guys reading this and saying good points on both sides. What works for you might not work for everyone else.

Semper Fi

gmhdfan,
Everyone has their own opinion and I can respect that. I respect your opinion, but the facts are the facts. You were bashing the diesels pretty hard(read your posts)--that's fine like I said, you have your opinion, but when I lay out some serious proof of how superior the diesel is, you seem to try to discredit the diesel every time. It's obvious you don't like diesels, but the true fact is that they are superior. You don't see 18 wheelers on the road with gas motors! I just want alot of people to know how awesome the diesel is and the maintenece really is quite inexpensive. Alot of people think the diesel is costly, expensive to run and that is so far from the truth!! Over 75% of the Ford Super Duty's produced today are diesels. I am a TRUE believer that when you buy a big truck, the diesel is the only way to go. To me, and alot of other people, there is NO comparison of the gas to the diesel. When I buy a new Ford this year, it will most definately be a diesel. We do like our diesels!!!

By the way, I knew someone who had an older Ford 1 ton with the 454. It was a beast! To be honest with you, it could pull just as weight as my PSD around town, not quite as good as the PSD on the hills. The fuel consumption was another story--holy ****, that thing could suck down some fuel! It would literally use 3x the amount of fuel as the PSD. It also had to be rebuilt after 100K of heavy pulling. It's nice to fill up your tank and go 600 miles on a tank before looking for fuel again.