Hi. well im looking in to buying a truck. The problem I have is deciding witch truck is going to run longer and be cheaper to maintain/use. I understand not all engines are maintained and ran equally. looking at a ford 150s and dodge ram 1500s (ford 5.4 dodge 5.7) with on average between 50-60k mi. On the other hand there are diesel trucks for the same amount of money but have 70-90k mi and usually 2-3 yrs older. I am a diesel fan but i am not really sure on these terms whats going to be the cheapest rout. diesels usually run longer but the gas motors have lower miles....diesel burns more efficiently and the diesel trucks get about the same if not better mpgs...?? Diesels also hold there resell values higher. Not really sure what out weighs the other. Thanks for your time and i am open to any suggestions.
BigJames

 

Important question in this situation is what are you going to use the truck for? I have a 6.0 vortec and love it, but if I did any serious driving or hauling I'd have to dump this bitch quick (10 mpg downhill with a tailwind!) There are diesel lovers and gas lovers so unless you give specifics on what your main use will be you'll probably get personal opinions instead of the objective opinions you need.

 

I know it isn't on your list but you need to seriously consider the Chevrolet/GMC 5.3 motor. It gets real decent mileage and has good power. They are also very long lasting. A good friend of mine is a GM tech and sees them regularly with 250K and still running strong. I just bought a 2001 with 150K and it runs like new. You seem like you are looking to spend more than I did so a low mileage 5.3 will be good for a VERY long time. Just my opinion.