Are diesel trucks getting cheaper?

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I took a look online and the prices are all over the place. Looks like a lot of prices are back to around 25-35,000 for a vehicle 1 or 2 years old.
 
Not sure, but the 3.0 diesel option on the Jeep Wrangler just became available and it is $6,000 in addition to the $2000 built in for the auto transmission. That's 8 grand over the 3.6 with the manual. Ouch! They can crow about gas mileage all day but you'd have to drive it a long time to even break even, especially when maintenance costs are figured. That said, the torque on that thing would be a lot of fun in a Jeep.
 
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Yea A lot of fleets are switching to large gas motors now. Higher maintenance/repair bills and much higher purchase price new large gas motors come out better now.
 
Liquefied Natural Gas is also getting popular, They make class 8 diesel blocks converted to natural gas, for depot to depot runs they are much lower operating cost. Engine last over a million miles, 25 to 50K oil and spark plug changes, no particulate filters, no urea, just egr and catalyst.

Rod
 
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
Liquefied Natural Gas is also getting popular, They make class 8 diesel blocks converted to natural gas, for depot to depot runs they are much lower operating cost. Engine last over a million miles, 25 to 50K oil and spark plug changes, no particulate filters, no urea, just egr and catalyst.

How do they handle the venting of methane when the vehicle is parked? Surely you can't park such a vehicle indoors?

Never mind, here is the answer:

https://afdc.energy.gov/vehicles/natural_gas_safety.html
 
You are going to see a flood of 2010 and older diesel F450 and up trucks coming out of California soon. They either have to be re-engined to a SCR compliant diesel or taken off the road for commercial use in the next couple years. This would include anything with a service body or horse towing body. Basically any chassis cab truck and not a pickup.
 
Originally Posted by Jimzz
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Yea A lot of fleets are switching to large gas motors now. Higher maintenance/repair bills and much higher purchase price new large gas motors come out better now.


Yup, with all the DPF and associated fluids plus burn off cycles, the cost of operating (and maintaining) diesels has gone up, not to mention the increase in fuel costs. This is making gas engines more popular.

Ford's new HD cycle 7.3 gas engine should be a moneymaker.
 
Originally Posted by motor_oil_madman
I took a look online and the prices are all over the place. Looks like a lot of prices are back to around 25-35,000 for a vehicle 1 or 2 years old.

SCR is the problem. DPF is still OK, but when SCR parts go wrong, not only that it can be pricey, but diagnosing what is causing higher NOx emissions can be hardship. Is it pre CAT NOx sensor? Post CAT NOx sensor? CAT mixer? DEF injector? Bad DEF?
And that is just one issue. DEF tanks can have issues, metering valves etc.
That is why you can find diesels with prices all over the place.
 
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I just quoted a DPF assembly on a 2016 F-350 just out of warranty. It was $3178.11 plus tax and a $150 core. These are giant pieces where the catcon and DPF are all one piece. I watched a video from Powerstrokehelp on Youtube about these and they cannot be cleaned. The place that does their cleaning said they would have to cut each "section" and clean them individually. Then TIG them back together which at that point the cost would be close to a new one.
 
You couldn't give me a modern diesel truck! No thanks! Injectors that cost $800 a piece and can't be easily replaced, emission system components that can run five figures if there's a complete failure (either user error or soemthing went wrong). With how much power and torque gas engines are making in the 1 ton trucks now, 6/8/10 speed automatic ... I just wouldn't be able to justify one unless I was towing >12K daily. The variable valve timing systems are great in that they can allow a gas engine to have a nice, broad torque curve and , if needed , move the truck aroudn with 4.10 or 4.30 gears and not get single digit mileage empty.

I think people are finally realizing that these newer diesel trucks just aren't worth it unless you are working it at 100% capacity 100% of the time.

"Deleting" is an option, but the EPA has really started to crack down on it. I can make my gas engine work reliably with all of the factory emissions equipment.

I tow a lot, but I don't have the need to pull my Jeep 90MPH up the steepest grade on 81 with black smoke shooting out the back of it and modern pop country blasting full volume; I'm perfectly fine hanging with the 18 wheelers with my 4 ways clicking away and John Prine on the radio.
 
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Sure. Relative to petrol engines. Because most of the 'stuff' that was expensive and had to be attached to a diesel, is now required on petrol engines. Such as direct injection.

All you're really paying for these days with a diesel is a strengthened block and perhaps a strengthened transmission.
 
I drive a MB v6 diesel from the last year before they put on the blue fluid injectors which everyone of them fails at some point. I have the egr which I would love to get rid of and the dpf. I love the truck and it hasn't given me many problems in 108k. That said, I wouldn't have another one. They have added too many electronic systems to give you problems and are too expensive to fix.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Sure. Relative to petrol engines. Because most of the 'stuff' that was expensive and had to be attached to a diesel, is now required on petrol engines. Such as direct injection.

All you're really paying for these days with a diesel is a strengthened block and perhaps a strengthened transmission.


FWIW the new Ford 7.3L gas engine is port injected. Remains to be seen if it will eventually transition to direct injection, but they designed it for port injection. I haven't see a cylinder head up close to know, the Coyote engine had provisions for the direct injecting in the Gen 1 and 2 head castings.
 
Originally Posted by ragtoplvr
Liquefied Natural Gas is also getting popular, They make class 8 diesel blocks converted to natural gas, for depot to depot runs they are much lower operating cost. Engine last over a million miles, 25 to 50K oil and spark plug changes, no particulate filters, no urea, just egr and catalyst.

Rod

The trash haulers in my area have switched over - Waste (mis)Management is a huge fan of those. xNG powered trucks are popular down in LA. Buses have been running xNG for a while too.

SCR-equipped trucks seem to be more expensive to operate - from what I've heard they are more transparent for regens. But still.
 
Originally Posted by pitzel
Sure. Relative to petrol engines. Because most of the 'stuff' that was expensive and had to be attached to a diesel, is now required on petrol engines. Such as direct injection.

All you're really paying for these days with a diesel is a strengthened block and perhaps a strengthened transmission.

Direct injection is not required. My god.
 
Originally Posted by motor_oil_madman
The issue is a stock diesel gets the same mpg as a gas engine.

That depends on two engines and vehicles you compare.
 
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