How long will a new diesel last?
 

I've got a 2002 duramax that I bought new, it has 135,000 miles and needs a seat cover, tires and a windshield. The truck has served me well hauling boats, snowmobiles and whatever else fits it the bed or has a trailer hitch.
The question is if I buy a new truck do you think it last 20 years? The emission systems give me pause for the long term life expectancy and trouble free service. I'm thinking I may just address all the small issues and keep driving what I have.

I had a 2003 Duramax crew cab, bone stock and drove it 175K miles buying a pulley (sheared off), a water pump (106K miles) and front wheel bearings (132K miles). Truck was great, I did re-do the seat bottom twice.

The TVM (time value of money) will be your best option: Put 60K away for the next 10 years and suddenly your 2002 looks like a genius move to keep it and drive it while your 60K grows. I personally like the 2019's way way better than the 2020 and newer ones.

Yes, I do think a 'new' diesel powered truck, any of them from the Big Three, can last 20 years...but you have to realize that you haven't put ANY sort of "miles per year" on your existing truck. I now guys with trucks similar to yours but more Ford drivers who have driven their 3/4 and 1- ton trucks for 300,000...400,000 miles with only relatively minor repairs...other than turbochargers...to deal with. The turbos seem to have a life of 200,000 miles give or take 50,000...but even if you have to shell out $10K for the repair, you aren't adding a lot to the total cost of ownership.

I tend to drive vehicles a LONG time...15 - 20 years, and have found that, as Jupiter Sunsation points out, investing the money typically spent on a new vehicle is the far better move. There is of course the inevitable point of diminishing returns; and eventually you simply have to replace the vehicle.

The new diesels are so nice. Just so, so, so nice.

That's all I can add. You will just have to decide for yourself, based on your financial situation, what makes sense. If I'm Jeff Bezos, im buying a new one every year. If I'm a middle class American, I'm probably a little more thoughtful in going out and dropping 85k on a new truck.....

Outside of the known Duramax injector problem, your engine is just broke in. It has a nice Allison trans to go with it. Only you know how you maintained it.

Tire stores here have great sales on now. My F250 SD needs 4 now. Your windshield is about $300 installed. Ebay has seat sets or covers. So for the cost of 2 truck payments, your up and running.
Good luck .....

Seconded!!! The new diesel is so nice!

I bought a new F-150 in January, really debated on getting a F-250 instead, drove two...one with the 6.7 Powerstroke diesel and one with the 7.3 Godzilla gas engine. The 1050 ft/lbs of torque from that 6.7 simply has to be experienced, it is damned impressive, as was the 7.3 (and oh did that Godzilla sound SO good...). But I don't NEED that much truck, my 252 is just under 7,000 pounds with trailer and the 5.0 Coyote in my Lariat pulls it with no problem. But still...there are times when I remember that INSTANT torque of the 6.7...

@ 97k on the clock my 05 f250 started eating coolant ( head gasket ) so with these crazy truck prices I decided to spend the money, tear it apart and stud it, and it like a new truck with power it hasn't had in a long time.


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They almost always last until the warranty expires.

I think the real question would be... do you think diesel will be a thing in 20 years...



I understand for towing, 'gas' might be around longer, but for a passenger vehicle, it's going to be harder and harder to justify a gas sucker each year.

In 20 years, a 'gas' vehicle might be as valuable as a black and white TV.
besides, the less gas we use on the road, the more for the boats ;)

SabrToothSqrl make a good point...the automotive world will be FAR different in 20 years. While I truly believe there will still be a large number of ICE powered cars, the various governments will probably by that time have something like a $5.00 per gallon tax on fossil fuels...making it prohibitively expensive to use it. This gets discussed more and more on the various boating forums I am on as recreational boating will just get SCREWED if this comes to pass.

What I would love to see is a Hybrid 6.7 powerstroke - instant torque of the electric, motor, followed by the endless pulling power of the diesel. Would be killer......

Thanks for the input, I don't think that i asked the question correctly. I'm curious if a new truck with all the bells and whistles, emission systems and gadgets will survive the test of time . A new truck would be nice but I really don't need a new truck but I certainly don't want an albatross that lives at the dealership or consumes expensive parts .

The Ram Cummins still is a relatively simple motor as is the Duramax. The Ford is complex, multiple coolers/fans. Just read through this thread on head studs/turbos/death wobble and they all seem to have a blue oval theme.

So if you buy a tradesman cummins you probably have a lot of trouble free miles ahead of you in the next 2 decades.

That F150 lightning is a great looking/performing truck as long as the price doesn't get stupid. I'd buy that truck to daily drive.

My take is they all at this point are pretty complex and really pretty good. The base models of all have the less amount of stuff but lets face it, because of the modern electronic on vehicles and all they do you will never again see 30-40 year old vehicles running down the road. Just not going to, I have went through the same and its time to replace my truck.

It is just too old, so I went with a new one but gas. Modern Diesels are way more capable then I need, if I can not tow something with the new F350 7.3 gas and 3.73 rear end, it means I have enough money to buy a new tow vehicle as well.

Not likely to happen.

I have a 2017 Ram 2500 TD w/ 6 speed manual. It has 215K miles and runs great. I’ve replaced batteries, clutch and an alternator so far. This setup is spectacular!

My 07 3500 Classic LBZ Crew SRW long bed is serving my needs well. 140K now since i got it new. There have been a few issues- biggest is new turbos. Im with some of you guys just cant see spending close to 100K on a new truck that wont be driven that much. Still got the F6fiddy if I have a house to pull.
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Saw a buddy today at the post office. He had a Platinum F450 that was gulping oil at 110K miles. He traded it for a new 7.3 F250 Lariat. He regularly does a 400 mile trip 3-5 times a month and said the F450 was 13 mpg and the F250 gasser is turning 16 mpg so it has been good but the 450 did tow better. Best part: used F450 and $3000 was all it took to walk out with a brand new F250 and a title.

The F450 had wobbled a couple times on him during his trips so I think he was done with it and the oil consumption just pushed him to the dealer faster.

Once again, thanks for the inputs. Sadly I dont think we will ever see a truck as simple as a mid 70's 454 turbo400 truck but in hindsight they sucked to tow with. I've got a city car/ daily driver so that box is checked. A hybrid diesel would be awsome , battery power for driving to the store and diesel power for hauling but then once again all that complexity that causes a short usable life span . Maybe a bicycle and inflatable raft is the answer

It's hard for me to trust the new technology....not on the same level of a new diesel, but my 2 year old dishwasher just crapped out. Control panel is backordered.... when/if it comes in, it's a $375 repair! It's 2 years old...I'm gonna just go buy a new one. I hate to throw away a 2 year old appliance but they have no clue when the part will come in.

I'll add this to what you all are already saying. Can Bus is gov required on all new vehicles. That technology was developed by bosch in the late 80's, I believe MBenz was first to put it into production. Can Bus is not one of those electronic things that stands the test of time because of corrosion or conductor degradation. Because of this I agree with Wildman_Grafix about these new trucks not being around in 30-40 years. Our position currently is to buy the most capable truck we can afford and plan to trade it before the tech is out of date. It is a crazy world out there right now in the auto industry.

Lol, every time I work on a newer truck….I keep wanting to go back to older…..all the time I spend on my older diesels the more I want a newer one, then I get the the sticker shock. Living in the extreme rust belt, I just can’t justify it for myself, hell even my wife’s 2016 Cummins is starting to get rust bubbles. Just can’t justify 50-80k for a truck that’ll be a rot box, that’s loaded with crap I could care less for (stability control/traction control/touch screens etc) before it’s paid for…..Currently collecting parts to build my next daily driver/tow rig, 86 chev cucv military truck, swapping it to a drw truck with a 24v Cummins an a g56 6 speed,

I had a 7.3L PSD CC 4x4 LB DRW, 2000 model year, the best year for the 7.3L based on it's internals. It was also the Lariat LE, the predecessor to the King Ranch, with 4 bucket seats, and the nicest interior of the era.
I changed it up a bit over the years, and always said they'd bury me in that truck.

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And then it broke down on me. I was 5 hours from home, towing Monsoon, at a Poker Run. That was in the 2016 time frame. I took it to a shop that said they could fix it; alas, they didn't know crap about the 7.3L, wasting $1500 of my money. It turns out it was the fuel injector harness under the valve cover, a common problem on 7.3Ls, and pretty much their only weakness. But I didn't know about it. And the whole thing soured me on the truck.

I borrowed a 2014 F350 for the tow home, and that comfort level difference steered me toward a new truck. I knew that tow home in a more modern truck was going to 'cost me money.' That's when I started looking into the new offerings. The quietness and refinement of the newer trucks really makes them more pleasurable to drive; enabling oneself to drive longer per day on road trips.

Eventually, I ordered a 2018 Ram 3500 Cummins/AISIN SRW CC LB; Laramie LongHorn trim with the 1-year only SouthFork Edition option package.

I couldn't be happier. I got a 10 year/100K mile powertrain warranty (free from dealer) on top of the factory 3 year/36K bumper to bumper warranty; and purchased a 7 year/60K bumper to bumper warranty as well. I have upgraded it to my tastes, and I wish I had more occasions to drive it; as it's a treat to myself when I do.


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My Chevy 8.1l/Allison dually quit halfway up the hill from Performance Center , had to put in 4x4 low and crawl up the hill.
My Dodge Cummins 2012 would make it up but it seemed like it would hurt the trans so also 4x4 low.
All of these trucks I used 4x4 low to pull boat out of ramps.
The new 2021 Dodge doesn`t give a $hit about any dumb hills. Performance center hill it pulls it up no problem.I put in 4x4 low at the ramps and it starts to pull out the boat with no gas input. I guess 1100tq will do that.
The thing is a beast , super comfortable and I love driving it but it did cost more than my first house. Glad I got it before Lets Go Branden prices went into affect . I actually got $7k off sticker. Now I think they`re $7k above sticker.

The 12"Tesla screen is cool , I turned it into a TV for long trips.
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Not sure where you have heard CAN bus is required on all vehicles. You may be referring to the OBD port which is a standard and from what I get a CAN Bus. But internally there are a lot of different protocols used and even within each there are variants. Do you have some different information?

I checked with some friends that are still in the OEM biz and that is not correct. You are right that Benz was the first to use CAN. From what I understand GM is moving to Ethernet since there are a lot more programmers available.

that RAM is sweet! If Tesla didn't exist, that's what I'd have.
The Ram Rebel in slate grey or whatever color they call it.

Hoping to get my CyberTruck in 2022. My buddy has a new corvette on order and we plan to race both 0-60 (both have similar times). should be good for some $hits and giggles.
Before they removed the specs from the website, it said it tows 14k. No idea what the new quad motor one will tow, guessing the same. So I no longer have to rent a 2500 pickup 2x a year.

Ford has closed pre-orders for the F-150 Lightning after getting 200,000 orders...

You can just decide to address all the small issues and keep driving what you have or get a new one, it all depends on your financial situation. Let me add that the new diesels are so nice plus they almost always last until the warranty expires.

Let me add that the new diesels are so nice plus they almost always last until the warranty expires.[/QUOTE]

And There you have it lol

And There you have it lol[/QUOTE]

For my weight I decided on the ford 7.3 gas motor. the $9800 difference in price lets me get a lot of nice little add on's I wanted, and the payback of better mileage would take a LONG time for me. I mean my 25 year old truck only has 151K on it.

No DEF.
No higher fuel price.
Little less mileage,

The problem with new vehicles is all the electronics and so much of the engineering is done over seas. I have a 2003 Suburban with 360k on it and the only thing I've really had to deal with is the transmission. I just finished redoing the entire brake system with the best of everything for a $1000 and everything still works. I have a 2015 Yukon Denali with the 6.2 and this thing is killing me and most of it is due to bad engineering. I have to replace complete wiring harnesses, torque converter, AC condenser, GPS antenna, Magnetic ride struts, tail lights, transfer case shift motor, And I have a list this long on stuff I have yet to fix. I just don't trust the engineering in new vehicles. Just read up on the Ford SUV issues, that stuff scares the hell out me. The programming errors in my Yukon were obvious any one with real experience would have caught them. My next vehicle will be an early 2000 something that I do a restomod on. I can build twice the vehicle for half the money. Hell, by the time I'm done with the Yukon there won't be much left original.

My BIL and Sister have a deposit on a Rivian, that they should get in mid-2022. It's rated to tow 11K lbs. From everything I've watched and read on the Rivian, it's the real deal.
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Edit, just published:

Yeah, the Rivian is bad ass. Bought RIVN stock a few weeks ago. It's on my list of possibilities, I plan to drive all the new EV Pickups, but the CyberTruck would be the 6th Tesla between me and the wife. Might as well just sign over all my paychecks to them anyway lol.

Love the offroad videos of it. Very exciting time. Seems like a great company. Shame they didn't make the deal with Lincoln happen. Seemed very win/win to me. Let Ford build the car, and Rivian do the drivetrain. win/win. But what do I know.

I was thinking the Cybertruck but wanted to know real world range pulling 10 to 11K.

Are the charging stations set up that you would not have to disconnect the trailer to charge?

Charging with a trailer will be a challenge. I don't know how they plan to tackle that yet. My use case has me hauling the boat about 70 miles, then empty trailer another 70 home. (Flipped in fall) So I shouldn't need to charge, for my twice a year boat move. I'm hoping there will be chargers specific to trailers in the future.

Gonna be badass looking, a stainless Steel bulletproof truck hauling my 292!
can't wait to get drone pics of it rollin' down the road. With all the stainless on the boat, can't wait to have a truck made out of it. No rust, no dents, no paint chips, bulletproof so I can drive through Baltimore safely.

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