Well im buying a vehicle real soon, my dad hates diesels just becasue well im not towing anything with it and they are more expensive used than an 08 f150 king ranch.y
I have wanted a diesel for like three years now but now when im actualy looking to buy it seems like it isn't practical at all.

I thought about the mpg being better by lets say 5 mpg on the highway and about 1 or two city. But to get higher fuel mileage you have to upgrade all kinds of stuff and lets say I spent 2 grand on upgrades to make it fast and fuel efficent? thats a years worth of gas in a cheaper brand new truck.

I have found an 07 fully loaded expedition for about 26,000 so why would I buy and 06 mega cab for 26000..with 50000 miles and no warrenty and then have to upgrade a few things and bring the overall cost to 28,000.

Plus everything in a diesel cost more...oil, filters, if something breaks..everything is more

could anyone help figure out if its worth it still..its almost like im buying a diesel for the power and sound..that im never going to use...  

Andrew,

You can use the reasoning diesel engines last longer, arguably 500,000 miles is not unrealistic whereas 250,000 is pretty typical for a gasoline engine these days. Simplest way to calculate this value is using some fuzzy math and dividing the additional cost of a diesel, say $5,000, amortized over the additional with the 250,000 miles the long term additionalcost to you would be $.02 mile. Even if the diesel engine only lasts 50,000 more miles than gas, that cost is only $.05 mile. And a replacement gasoline engine to get you the additional 25,000-250,000 miles is going to cost you something like $5,000 if you keep the gasoline vehicle or significantly more if you have to replace it. (See how the additional cost now matches or exceeds the long term savings?)

Your dad or anyone can knock holes in the details of this argument especially about the additional cost of diesel fuel and maintenance but the fundamentals are sound- modern diesels last much longer than gasoline engines and typically offset the additional cost over the life of the vehicle.

One final point. Can you afford to pay the difference in acquiring a diesel vehicle at this time?

If the answer is yes, then realize that there is some intangible value/satisfaction in owning a vehicle that you really want vs one which someone else (dad) thinks you should have.

Somethings you just buy with your heart.

Good luck  

Buy what you want and don't look back and by the way you can find better deals on some diesel trucks than that.  

Go to autotrader.com and look at the Dodge Ram 2500
1994-1997 12 Valve Cummins these are the best for MPG
and the engines will last for 500,000 miles or more.
Good luck.  

Andrew,

I picked up a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 QC with under 30,000 miles for under 25 grand ..... with the diesel.  It's Blue Book is over 30 grand and I've not seen anything sell within 4 grand of Blue Book.  I've still got some factory warranty left and it's getting great mileage.  It's in my gallery if you want to see it.

Just look online and find one, and then make the dealer drop the price.  Trucks right now aren't market friendly so you can almost write your own price.



Kris  

Yeah, now is definitely a buyer's market for trucks, especially diesels. If size isn't a consideration, I'd say you'd get a lot more versatility out of a Mega Cab than an Expedition. It can tow a lot more, and if you need enclosed cargo space, just get a camper shell for it.