You're too stupid to... own a diesel small truck

[ducpainter]

Ass end is way up there. I’d need a pogo stick to get in it. 

That's the way they make trucks these days,

It's the only thing I don't like about my F-150.

[ducatiz]

I just saw the new Chevy Colorado ZR2 with a 2.8 turbodiesel.

I am stoked!  It's a very nice truck...

[Bick]

Lucky Aussie bastards!!!

[GK]

Ranger sells like hot cakes here!

[He Man]

while i would love to have the need and $ to splurge on a hopped up diesel midsize, the reality is that I could live with a $2000 handme down pickup, if it werent for the fact that so few exist out there that it just doesnt really exist (a reliable one that is).


So I test drove the Z71 Colorado, 2018 model year in both gas and diesel back to back. The colorado is an awesome car, but the interior is nothing when compared to a toyota, and Im not to keen on the driving position of the toyota, so its out of the questino for me.

Back to the colorado, I thought the diesel would have a lot more grunt, but the reality is that it doesn't. The only instance I could see the diesel torque (about 100 ft-lbs more) come into play is from hauling a heavy load. But lets face it, who hauls that much crap on a regular basis and needs a diesel midsize? Very  few people is the answer. Especially with that premium overhead of ~$3500.

Back on topic, I'm in the market for a vehicle, and I could pull the trigger on the new colorado, 2018 for is $36,000 Z71 with leather seats to be exact (leather seats is a new 2018 option). OR, i can buy the 2017 with 45,000 mile, cloth seats and all else being equal....for $26000.

Bare in mind, the power train warranty is 5Y/60K. Which means that I have 15K of powertrain warranty on the used, easy to gobble up in a bit over a year.

Is it worth the extra $10K? Its a hard pill to swallow and seems like I'm just throwing away money.

The used Diesel 2016 Colorados are also within the realm of affordability for me, and while I love the thought of it, i dont know if its actually worth the premium both in the upfront cost, and at the pump. Is it worth it to capture some resell value? Given the fact that I am not going to tow anything more than my bikes? Any thoughts?

[ducpainter]

If you're not hauling/towing anything heavy, a diesel engine isn't worth the added cost IMO.

[Popeye the Sailor]

I don't think diesel is worth it.

Someone buy mine 

[Bick]

In all honesty, I don't care that much about the diesel.

I do want to see the Raptor come to the US.  I would hope that it would be more than the 200 hp diesel the downundsrers are getting.  Not necessarily the 4xx hp of the F- Raptor, but something insanely fun, proportional to what the Cyclone was back in its day.

[He Man]

its not a whole lot of room and all diesels need a turbo to have decent power.

Heres the new update.

2018 Gasser is the same price as the 2018 Diesel with incentives!

What then if the prices are the same? The premium only comes at the pump (for a measibly 4mpg gain), but chipping the diesel can easily put it at 250HP, which is a lot closer to the 300HP rating of the v6.

[Popeye the Sailor]

You might want to pencil out anticipated maintenance costs. Diesel will typically run more.

My oil changes are $80 or so.

[He Man]

Ive never owned a diesel truck and I thought that these modern cars cant really be maintained by even a decent shade tree mechanic because of all the electronics on them and the special tools needed to communicate with the sensors and computers.

So the downside of a diesel is

1) higher fuel cost
2) extra cost of DEF
3) more oil used per oil change
4) the extra cost of potential repair if the turbo goes
5) higher component costs since they are not in common use

I guess I am too stupid to own a diesel small truck because a diesel small truck is a novelty item!

[ducatiz]

Ive never owned a diesel truck and I thought that these modern cars cant really be maintained by even a decent shade tree mechanic because of all the electronics on them and the special tools needed to communicate with the sensors and computers.

So the downside of a diesel is

1) higher fuel cost
2) extra cost of DEF
3) more oil used per oil change
4) the extra cost of potential repair if the turbo goes
5) higher component costs since they are not in common use

I guess I am too stupid to own a diesel small truck because a diesel small truck is a novelty item!

1.  Higher fuel cost but higher MPG and longer maintenance cycles.  You can expect 20-30% better mpg.  Maintenance cycles are usually 2/3x longer across the board.
2.  DEF has gone way down in price.  I put in about a gallon every 5-6000 miles.  That's $10-12 by me.
3.  More oil, but oil changes are 1 per year.
4.  Same price as any other turbo. 
5.  This is the only real issue -- not enough of them on the road to bring the cost down.

Plus they are charging premiums for entry.  A diesel model should not be 25% more just because it's diesel. 

[kopfjäger]

[koko64]

while i would love to have the need and $ to splurge on a hopped up diesel midsize, the reality is that I could live with a $2000 handme down pickup, if it werent for the fact that so few exist out there that it just doesnt really exist (a reliable one that is).

Thats me. I love my ol' POS '94 Ford Courier/Mazda BT50 4x4. Underpowered but ok 2.6 12 valve injected petrol motor with small cab for luggage or little passengers. Did a river crossing in it. It's great.

[Bick]

Not diesel  If you take the battery out it won’t run so I will call it a hybrid