"GeekBoy" <abuse@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:47e8c1f5$0$30514$4c368faf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Phyloe" <scott_lindemann@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
>
news:e3a8f192-b7e6-471b-ae8b-4ab439f75e7e@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>> I have a 2000, 1500 extended cab truck with a 318 EFI automatic with
>> overdrive. I would like to use my upcoming tax rebate to do some
>> modifications to try to get better gas milage. With $600 in hand what
>> would be the best way to accomplish my goal? Headers? Is there an
>> electronic modification I can make? I only get about 15 mpg no matter
>> how conservative I drive.
>> Phyloe
>
>
> Trade it in and use the extra $600 for a down payment on a diesel and
get
> 25 MPG
a diesel is not a money saving vehicle anymore unless you are using it for
towing heavy loads almost daily. first you figure in the extra 6k on your
purchase price over a gas burner. then you figure in the extra cost to
service. 12 quarts of rotella, fuel filter and such for every service is
much more expensive than the service costs on a gas burner. then add in
an
extra 50 cents a gallon for fuel, this is going to stay that way due to
the
new low sulphur requirements, then the addition of a decent lubricant to
the
fuel to make up for the lack of sulphur. for daily driving a diesel is
just
not as good of a deal as it used to be even with the extra fuel mileage.
i have been considering a new truck. i did the math to see where the
break
even point on the diesel over gas burner would become advantagous. after
figuring the additional cost of purchase, service and fuel compared to the
little tad of extra fuel economy the calculator said that the diesel would
not save me a dime until somewhere in the 250,000 to 300,000 mile range.
that was compared to a 1500 with a 360. when i did the comparason to a
dakota then the diesel was never going to catch up economically.
i have a 2500 4x4 diesel and when i filled it up last week it cost 140
dollars. of course it does get 19mpg on average. my wife drives this
truck
as her daily driver. i have a 1500 4x4 with a 360. at 285,000 miles on
the
clock it gets an average of 12 mpg. it is my personal daily driver. i
use
it for short to medium length trips. when i have a longer trip i have a
4x4
dakota with a magnum v-6. it gets 19 mpg just like the diesel does. but
the gasoline costs much less and the service cost is less than half that
of
the 2500's.
on days where i am just taking myself somewhere i ride a motorcycle. my
three harleys average over 40 mpg between them. sunday i had to drive 80
miles round trip to visit my mom for Easter. it would have cost me 16
bucks
in the diesel, 23 bucks in the 1500, or 14 dollars in the dakota. i rode
the harley and when i got back home it took 6.50 dollars worth of fuel to
fill it up. the proper tool for the job... you don't use a slegde hammer
for driving finish nails in trim. you don't necessarily need a ***mins
powered diesel for a passenger vehicle.
michael
p.s. remember all this is coming from a guy who likes everything jumbo
sized and my wife is worse than i am. she was a long haul trucker for
over
a decade and then spent about 5 years driving a tandom dump truck. she
refuses to drive something small so i don't worry about the cost of
keeping
her in the ***mins. if economy was a primary issue she would be in a v-6
dakota.
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