Is this old man loosing it, or what?

Poppy · 08-15-2016, 04:50 PM

My wife and I go camping in a Jayflight 24FSB, currently being pulled by an '06 chevy CC 6.0 gas 4x4. I was entertaining the idea of going to a Dodge Ram 2500 laramie with the cummins and automatic, and loaded. The problem was 225,000 miles made me shy away from it, but they only wanted 14 G's for it. How crazy am I for doing this? Some are telling me I really don't need a diesel, just stay with the gas.
I see pro's and con's both ways.
Poppy

BTW,
Someone else bought the truck.

A2Z_Adventures · 08-15-2016, 05:12 PM

225k Miles... and you could be buying into someone elses problems. You know what is going on with yours. A lower mileage candidate would be better, unless you are pretty handy and do not mind turning that wrench.

drk98 · 08-15-2016, 06:00 PM

You didn't mention the year of the Dodge??

I wouldn't give up a solid chevy 6.0 for the hassle/expense of a diesel to tow that size of trailer. If you tow a lot and in the mountains then maybe..

I've had diesels and gas trucks and the simplicity of a gasser is my preference.

Jhowemca · 08-15-2016, 06:45 PM

Yep. You're loosing it!

The gas engine pulls the 24SFB just fine. The diesel would be overkill.
You could buy a whole new gas engine for the cost of a repair on the diesel.
The fuel mileage of the diesel is nice but it would take hundreds of thousands of miles to appreciate any savings.

Although if I were to get a diesel truck, it would be a Cummins.
Dodge is what 9/10 over the road hauling company's use. They use the Cummins to pull 3-4 car carrier trailers. Way heavier than your travel trailer.

I have a friend with a 6.0 power stroke. The hpop went, the EGR cooler, oil cooler went costing $6,000 to fix. Then a couple of years later the EGR and oil cooler went again... -$3,000-$4,000. Having turbo problems now.

Same guy, didn't learn a thing, went out a bought a used 6.4 power stroke dump truck. 1200 miles after he got it the rockers/pushrods failed, -$3,000. Then a few months after that the engine blew up. Spun main bearings. New engine installed -$17,000!
He had to have the diesels (status thing) to drive around town in. He starts them up, drives down the street a mile to get coffee then shuts it off. Starts it up goes back home and shuts it down.

A diesel needs to run. They want to haul all day long. And if you don't give em what they want they'll make you pay!

Seann45 · 08-16-2016, 07:00 AM

Keep what you got.. a chevy gasser beats any dodge any day..

Camper_bob · 08-16-2016, 08:16 AM

+1 for the "keep what you got" camp.

Is the '06 paid for?

Yeah, the Cummins engine may go 1 million miles or more, but the truck around it won't. 225,000 is definitely a deal breaker IMO.

It doesn't sound like you NEED a diesel, and the gas motor works fine for your needs. I'm all about getting a diesel if that's what you need, but there's no point if you don't need it. That's one of the reasons I didn't go with a diesel when I bought my new truck last year; my usage pattern just doesn't support it. I have a short commute, the family has another vehicle that's better at "road-tripping", and my RAM gasser has more capacity than I'll ever need. Would it be nice to have a diesel? Sure it would, but I don't NEED it, and would likely spend more time and money working on it because Jhowemca is right, a diesel needs to RUN.

IMO, park the ego that tells you you need a diesel, and stick with the right tool for the job.

homer1959 · 08-16-2016, 08:36 AM

Dont touch it, keep the devil you know :-) diesel are much better for the ego than anything else !

doo800XRS · 08-16-2016, 10:22 AM

I tow my 24 RBS with my '02 2500hd gasser. It has close to 300k on it.. for what I need it's fine but I admit I get bit by the diesel bug now and then. I'm currently on the lookout for a 06-07 lbz duramax.

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TWP723 · 08-16-2016, 10:40 AM

Stick with your Chevy.

Poppy · 08-16-2016, 11:56 AM

The diesel in question is a '06 with a 5.9, but it's no longer part of the equation now.
The reason I'm considering making a trade is because it is getting more difficult to climb in and out of the 4x4. In my looking I came across the Dodge that I mentioned. My wife will soon be retiring, and we plan to spend a lot of time camping and sight seeing and I thought the diesel would be the best choice. Now that I put that all out there to read, I see how bad a choice it would have been with possible breakdown at every town.

doo800XRS · 08-16-2016, 02:04 PM

I wouldn't necessarily write off a diesel based on mileage alone, If you find a well maintained, highway miles truck that wasn't running high hp tunes it's whole life I would pick one up. The towing experience is much more relaxed pulling up hills at 1600 rpms vs 3000 +.

Some people want you to believe a diesel can't make it from point a to b without a breakdown but it's simply not the case anymore. If I had to pick the most problematic out of our 800+ diesel fleet it would be the Powerstroke.

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**norty1** · 08-16-2016, 02:07 PM

What year was it?

I don't think I would be starting out in one with that mileage anyhow unless it was a work truck.

Camper_bob · 08-16-2016, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Poppy

The diesel in question is a '06 with a 5.9, but it's no longer part of the equation now.
The reason I'm considering making a trade is because it is getting more difficult to climb in and out of the 4x4. In my looking I came across the Dodge that I mentioned. My wife will soon be retiring, and we plan to spend a lot of time camping and sight seeing and I thought the diesel would be the best choice. Now that I put that all out there to read, I see how bad a choice it would have been with possible breakdown at every town.

The 5.9 Cummins are very popular and sought after. One user on here recently found one that was babied with only 70K miles. If you want one, keep looking, you might just find that jewel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by doo800XRS

I wouldn't necessarily write off a diesel based on mileage alone, If you find a well maintained, highway miles truck that wasn't running high hp tunes it's whole life I would pick one up. The towing experience is much more relaxed pulling up hills at 1600 rpms vs 3000 +.

Some people want you to believe a diesel can't make it from point a to b without a breakdown but it's simply not the case anymore. If I had to pick the most problematic out of our 800+ diesel fleet it would be the Powerstroke.

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My dad runs fleet trucks, and would completely agree with your Powerstroke comment.

And I would agree with mileage not being an instant deal breaker in some cases. But you still can't get around the rest of the truck having 250,000 miles (everything from the radio controls to the seats to the air vents to the suspension...) and so THOSE are the problems I would be worried about. As far as the drivetrain, I wouldn't worry so much about that if it was well maintained. And I agree that if you can find that "jewel" that's been maintained and has a lot of highway miles, it might be worth pouncing on. Especially with the OP's potential for more extensive travel in the near future; a change in usage pattern might reveal more advantages for a diesel.

**Crabman** · 08-16-2016, 02:25 PM

As the old saying goes ...''Its cheeper to keep her''

TWP723 · 08-16-2016, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Crabman

As the old saying goes ...''Its cheeper to keep her''

I'm tellin' your wife.

Poppy · 08-16-2016, 03:17 PM

The truck was an '06 with a 5.9 and an automatic. was listed as having 3.73 gears. When I asked him what tranny it had, he said it was a 5 speed. All I seen was P R N D 2 1. It did have more minor issues than I wanted to deal with, and a few bigger issues, too.
I thought it kinda of funny how he kept telling me the tranny was the weak link of the drivetrain on a Dodge. Probably told me that 6 times.

**Crabman** · 08-16-2016, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TWP723

I'm tellin' your wife.

I`m keeping her too.

2500hd · 08-16-2016, 05:30 PM

A cummins would surley be an upgrade from a gasser. But it would not be an upgrade in this case for a quarter million mile 10 year old truck. The 6.0 you have is a reliable truck and it's hardly working pulling the trailer you have. The earlier ram trucks had front end issues too.

nwminnesota · 08-16-2016, 06:03 PM

I don't think I would do that deal. Keep the 6.0 gas save some $$ and get a newer used diesel under warranty and sell it before it runs out if you are worried about repair costs. Also any one who has research diesel trucks know the ones to stay away from. I will warn you that once you tow with one you'll never want to go back to gas.

TCNashville · 08-16-2016, 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doo800XRS

Some people want you to believe a diesel can't make it from point a to b without a breakdown but it's simply not the case anymore. If I had to pick the most problematic out of our 800+ diesel fleet it would be the Powerstroke

I'm assuming your referring to the Navistar made 6.0l/6.4l. Of course the Navistar 7.3l was one of the most reliable diesels ever made and the Ford produced 6.7l seems to be holding it's own. Diesels are not grocery getters and should never be put away cold.

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