as far as what it really cost to own one, I did a little reaearch...the same research I did before I bought one.

same LT Crew 4WD

'01 Dmax dealer trade, add $5100 for Diesel over 6.0

'02 add $5400
'03 add $5600

now come again on how much more it costs, over the average term of ownership, to own a diesel?

The diesel which costs additional ~5K new (real money here...not retail) pays you right back, anytime.
Like I said you can drive a diesel for nothing more than a negligible amount of additional loan interest over gas...and enjoy the power in the meantime.

That BS about how long it takes to pay for itself, is just that BS. The value is right there in the truck everyday.

keep in mind those numbers are Kelly dealer trade. There is more of a + spread for the diesel PP or retail.

Well I guess that sums it up...bn you should buy a diesel because Rippem says so. As a matter o' fact I can't really even understand why they still currently produce gas trucks. Apperently, they haven't read all of Rippem's useful information.

OMG!

The truth is spreading!

Quick!
To the bullsh*tmobile!

So I guess you don't consider Blue Book values to be useful information?

I never told him to buy one.

just responding to those who are misinformed about the realities of diesel vs. gas

BTW...wake up. The future is diesel and/or hybrid... period.

There will be diesels in mid size trucks, SUVs, and yes, even compact cars soon enough.

get your box of Kleenex ready...you're gonna miss your peaky, gas hog gasser.

I can tell.

I have already decided to keep my existing truck. My original question was regarding keeping my current truck or purchasing an Avalanche. Although I may consider one in the future, there was no diesel in this equation.

Here's the answer to the riddle. If you prefer the Avalanche, buy used! They are dirt cheap right now and I mean dirt cheap and there are a bunch of them everywhere. If you want a diesel, you can't go wrong buying new.

...don't want to get involved in the pissing contest... ....but I towed my boat close to 300 miles this past weekend and got 12.3 miles per gallon. Boat and trailer weigh 11,993 lbs. (that's for Sydways) and the truck is an '05 duramax/allison 2500HD.

Either those were the worst running Cummins/Dodge ever or you have THE most exceptional 8.1 ever built. I think I could puruse truck forums for a lifetime and not find a claim this fantastic! BTW- alot of these guys just have diesel envy and try to rationalize why their gas motor is just as good....do all the math you want, my 01 "old tech" 7.3 will easily fetch the $3700 more in resale that I paid for it.....therefore the the diesel option cost me nothing, not to mention the superior fuel economy, less cost per gallon,and pulling power that is NOT matched by the gas engines! The "new tech" diesels are all the more powerful and quieter.Did I mention that all the big 3 diesels have a 100K engine warranty? Buy the 2500HD with the Duramax, you won't regret it, and you'll be money ahead. Good Luck, Chuck

The Duramax is a great Diesel. It does as a matter of fact beat the Cummins in every aspect. As far as my post goes I did in fact run with two new Cummin diesels. One had the 410's one had 373's. We trailered on very hilly terrain going up and down hills for six hours. Toward the end of the day I started frogging around and decided to mess around a bit. I pulled up right next to my bud (towing a boat at least 3000 lbs LIGHTER than mine..center console with outboards on aluminum trailer) going up a very steep hill with the cruise control set at 72mph. I looked over and punched it and pulled away up until I hit about 85 at which point I didn't want to risk a ticket. He disappeared in my rear view. Shortly after this little stunt we pulled off to a service station to get fuel. We put almost the exact same $$$ amount in the trucks within a DOLLAR. He has a 37 gal. tank as do I. At the current time, diesel and gas were with pennies of each other. We also filled up at the same time before we left. I really don't know how else to explain this unless of coarse we did indeed get similar mileage. As any one of us would do,(I like doing this) I asked my bud what the hell was wrong with the diesel (During the first part of our trip, I was getting ribbed pretty hard). He stated and I quote "I just didn't have anything left" in a rather melancholy tone. O.K. he looked like five year old that just found that Santa wasn't real. Take it for what it's worth, perhaps I misunderstood what he was trying to say. He also stated..and I quote "that thing is a towing *****". I do not doubt or question the fact that the duramax is a great truck. It is a superior towing vehicle. In my original post I simply was stating that I was able to hang with the boys in the diesels. Never did I mention a negative statement about a duramax.
One of the small details no one has actually stated are the h.p. numbers of both trucks. The 8.1 liter produces 340 h.p at 4200 rpms and 455 ft lbs of torque at 3200 rpm's. Where as the duramax produces 300 h.p. at 3100 Rpm's and 522 ft lbs. at 1800 Rpm's. I think the Cummins is only like 270 h.p. at 3200. (Not Sure). Obviously in the particular scenario that I took part in, the "peaky" gas truck was able to produce more h.p. when I kicked it down going up this very steep hill. If we started from a dead stop the Diesel would have left the gasser without a doubt. So before everybody starts busting my chops lets remember that me and my gasser have feelings also Now lets go grab a goose and seven and tell stories about how Baja is actually built better than Cigarette!



1) Oh by the way the ribbing I was getting at the beginning of the trip ended after that little episode.
2) I certainly would have absolutely no objections buying a diesel.
3) For what it's worth I THINK emphasis on THINK, OSO member Offshoredrillin' tows his 42 Tiger with an 8.1 . Now that is some serious Weight!

4) We should give the bad bow tie a serious cheers for building the meanest motors available.

my LLY is 310/590. The new LBZ is 350/660 I believe.

Love this diesel power war. The only deterent to total madness is all of the transmissions. Even the Allison, which is at it's operational limits with the new engine. The six speed is the same trans as the 5 speed, just with an extra gearset, and different electronics. The Allison 1000 was designed from the ground up to be multi-use, multi-speed.

it'll be (LBZ) defueled on the shifts pretty good I'll bet, and no full power in 1st and 6th of course.