Jay Gadsby

I gotcha man. Yeah, its about 50 cents more per gal down in TX. Emissions... what are those? lol. It will all come down to what I want when I get back from deployment I guess. I know one thing for sure, its gotta be an HD, dont want to put any extra stress on the drivetrain. We do plan on traveling with the boat (in Texas, thats 5-6 hours easy, but we plan on out of state, so double that lol).

soldier4402

but if you go to a 3/4 ton definitely diesel, gas will be a waste. If you go Ford check out Spartan technologies for a dpf delete, they might be doing chevy now too. Otherwise thorughbred diesel is another descent spot.

Also make sure you do the math on diesels. Your talking no mods probably getting best case 15-16mpg city,realisticaly 13-14, towing probably 11-13. Do a yearly fuel cost, two oil changes at 100 bucks a pop, and one or two fuel filter swaps at 60-70 a pop, air filters are about 75 bucks too(recommend just buying a K&N and being done with it) Me personally I would never have a diesel out of a powertrain warranty, labor cost more, parts cost more, thats just me.

Jay Gadsby

Lucky for me I am a diesel mechanic in the Army I always do the normal mods ( filter, exhaust etc).

soldier4402

Good luck

Jay Gadsby

Thanks man. Only time will tell what I end up with. All vehicles are inherently expensive, just the nature of the beast, but at least doing my own work cuts down on a lot of the cost of repair, maintenance, etc on all vehicles. Boat included. I like the diesel for the reliability while towing all the weight, I dont like the gas prices. Those I am not trying to justify. If I buy another truck, I want something that lasts. Gas engines, yes, cheaper to run, cheaper to repair. Towing thousands of miles with them will take their toll. Can I replace an LS based engine cheaper than a diesel, you betcha. Is that something I want to do every 100k, probably not. But if it works out that way, well, there are more 6.0L engines out there than a person can shake a stick at if you look hard enough.

Someday, I believe gas and diesel will come down. Maybe it is when the tree huggers all die of a vegetable born disease and we can drill our own stuff, but someday they will.

Thanks for all the comments and advice Soldier. Who knows, maybe by the time I get home, the Ecoboosts will be a bit more affordable

soldier4402

No problem. Its all on your tow miles and what your grand plan is. Can you keep a gas engine to 200k sure, but not as likely as diesel. So you have to weigh keeping a diesel for years upon years and will the fact of having that diesel and not having a car payment cost you less? or will that diesel be more costly to run and maintain. Either way good luck and be sure to test out all models of the big three, personally I am not a dodge fan and think they have the worst history but everything is worth a look.

I went through a lot of pain and time trying to justify my diesel. I towed 10k but it was maybe 60mi round trip and was from June to Sep here in NY. So maybe 12 times. THE EB came out and looked at it and was quite skeptical, but researched and asked questions and finally took the dive. Depends on what your towing, If I was towing 5-6k nothing above a 1/2 would even enter my mind, i had a crownline that weighed 5 and towed with my silverado I had and it was cake walk.

JD Dearden

I will vote diesel especially if your making long road trips with the Nordic in tow. However my opinion is not really a fair shake, I have a love for diesel's even more than boats. I am on a diesel race team with a diesel powered dragster and a pre street diesel truck. My last truck made a useable 750HP and 1600 ft pounds of torque. Did I need that NO but it sure is fun. I have since downsized to a fairly stock Cummins with a tuner and all the goverment BS removed. Enjoy these video's!

My truck.


My truck BIG Boost!

My triples on another truck...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fAcgK1KaWo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZviZuIdP8jI

JD Dearden

Our race truck!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTMj8efiGfU

The was the very first pass on the truck, detuned...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw0cX9hvohY

In Cab video, on our way to a low 9 but broke and coasted to a 10.1, thats me lining him up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-xK8OQwMlA

JD Dearden

Jay if you get a duramax and need any parts at all let me know and I will get you a great deal. I am also freinds with a few of the very best duramax tuners around. Rob Coddens has some tunes that are stock trans safe and really run well, better egt's, power, and mpg...

Jay Gadsby

I will def keep that in mind bro, thanks!