Daily cost of diesel vs gas?

[SFBayArea]

Like many of us, I am waiting for the diesel Gladiator to get my first Jeep truck. However, I must say, the only diesel I ever had was old Nissan Maxima and even then it was a beater that I bought for $1k and killed it completely after a year of use .
At this point I don't want to consider how and why diesel better than gas model (torque, 0-60, towing, etc) My question is how much more and why diesel would cost on a daily basis?

1. Diesel is more expensive than gas. In some states diesel more than gas by 70 cents to a full dollar.
So if I fill up 20gal tank every time I pay around $20 more for diesel than for gas. Well, if diesel indeed gets 30mpg it will still be cheaper or on par to fill up diesel vs gas.

2. I've heard people saying maintenance is so much more expensive for diesel then for gas? Why? I always been changing oil, brakes on vehicles on my own. Is oil and filter for diesel really that much more expensive?

3. DEF fuel cost some say, but it is only 5gal of additional tank and I think I saw DEF cost came down to $5/gal. So in big schema another $50 for 10k miles is nothing.

4. Lift kits? Do they usually run more expensive for diesel then for gas because of the weight? Are we talking about a $100 more or close to a 1k more?

What other costs? Please list why you think diesel is more expensive and let me know if my observations above incorrect.

Thank you.

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[kclendaniel]

1. your mileage may vary.... but it will be better than the gas option. How much? We will have to wait for the EPA numbers. Actual is usually a bit better on diesel.
2. Dealers charge a lot. List price for mopar filter and 9 quarts of oil is a lot. My last change on my grand cherokee was $54
3. Find a truck stop/fuel station with DEF pumps. I think the one near my office is like $2.50/gal right now. Much easier than those stupid bottles in a box.
4. Nobody will know what the spring rates need to be until we know what the stock springs are. Too many variables to consider when trying to make assumptions on a truck nobody has their hands on.

 

[Oilburner]

This is why I plan to have additional fuel capacity in my JT of some sort = so you can shop smart for fuel, the prices vary so much.
I am really really having a hard time not pulling the trigger on a diesel JL
Also, Stock Up! Local diesel is $1.91 today. Oil tanked another 18% today, fuel will go down even more.

 

[RH 67]

Like many of us, I am waiting for the diesel Gladiator to get my first Jeep truck. However, I must say, the only diesel I ever had was old Nissan Maxima and even then it was a beater that I bought for $1k and killed it completely after a year of use .
At this point I don't want to consider how and why diesel better than gas model (torque, 0-60, towing, etc) My question is how much more and why diesel would cost on a daily basis?

1. Diesel is more expensive than gas. In some states diesel more than gas by 70 cents to a full dollar.
So if I fill up 20gal tank every time I pay around $20 more for diesel than for gas. Well, if diesel indeed gets 30mpg it will still be cheaper or on par to fill up diesel vs gas.

2. I've heard people saying maintenance is so much more expensive for diesel then for gas? Why? I always been changing oil, brakes on vehicles on my own. Is oil and filter for diesel really that much more expensive?

3. DEF fuel cost some say, but it is only 5gal of additional tank and I think I saw DEF cost came down to $5/gal. So in big schema another $50 for 10k miles is nothing.

4. Lift kits? Do they usually run more expensive for diesel then for gas because of the weight? Are we talking about a $100 more or close to a 1k more?

What other costs? Please list why you think diesel is more expensive and let me know if my observations above incorrect.

Thank you.

Your in Cali and so am i. Our state is adding another diesel tax here shortly and then another, diesel will be well over $5 a gallon in no time, in my area today i paid $4.19 a gallon at Costco, regular gas is $3.15 a gallon. Cali also has every two year inspections on diesels soon to be annual at $90 per inspection.

Diesels have fuel filters that need to be replaced along with oil filters. A proper service on a diesel includes inspection of the EGR and exhaust systems along with the cooling system. The bottom line is that you have more than 5 times the parts that can fail as compared to a gas engine. The diesel is great when all is working well but when something goes bad it`s going to cost time and money. More to go wrong is not what i need in remote places.

The Govt. and greenies would like to see diesels disappear, diesel exhaust has a bigger negative effect on crops, trees and plants as compared to gas engines, years ago it was not considered an issue but now with the popularity of diesels in HD trucks the Govt. has come down hard on diesel pollution during the past 15 years.

Currently i own a 2019 Ford F250 diesel and a MB Sprinter 4x4 crew van diesel. I have been driving diesel trucks since the late 70`s and the experience today with the new diesels is nowhere the same as what it used to be, diesels used to be strong and bullet proof the same cannot be said now.

If the JT diesel proves itself in reliability and performance i might consider one when it comes time to trade my current JT in, but i`m not paying the 6k up charge to do Jeeps R&D work.

 

[kclendaniel]

Your in Cali and so am i.

And that changes everything...

 

[HuskyTaylor]

I have had diesel work trucks for twenty years. 4x4 van and utility body trucks. I can tell you from my experience that they are not worth the extra expense. I know that they get better fuel mileage but when you compare mileage of gas versus just Diesel engine cost it’s not worth it.

 

[SFBayArea]

Thank you guys! Sounds like CA or not diesel may not be the best choice out of the box.

 

[kclendaniel]

Thank you guys! Sounds like CA or not diesel may not be the best choice out of the box.

I would put it up to personal preference. I wanted torque and towing capacity of the hemi in my grand cherokee but with the ecodiesel I ended up with double the MPG and more torque. I was either going to buy a diesel or a hemi when I made that decision so the price difference was much less as I was not even considering the base V6. V8 is not an option here so to me this is the closest you will get to getting a hemi in the wrangler platform from the factory.

As far as maintenance there are a lot of 'what-ifs' but many of the components are covered under the emissions warranty. I have over 100k of problem free miles so far with a lifetime average of 28.3 MPG. If I had gone with the hemi I am sure that it would have been closer to 16 MPG. Calculations based on current prices near me come out to a $4,900 savings in fuel costs, combined with an additional $1,200 cost of the diesel over the hemi makes me $3,700 ahead at this point (less maybe $300 in extra fuel/oil supplies over the gas option and not including the $3k I got from the diesel settlement). Obviously the comparison to the V6 would be different but like I said, it comes down to personal preference and what you are willing to spend for transportation.

 

[RH 67]

I have had diesel work trucks for twenty years. 4x4 van and utility body trucks. I can tell you from my experience that they are not worth the extra expense. I know that they get better fuel mileage but when you compare mileage of gas versus just Diesel engine cost it’s not worth it.

This is the reason Ford came out with the 7.3 because diesel owners have been begging for a diesel alternative. Fleet owners also have been complaining for years about diesel maintenance costs. I belong to all of the major diesel truck forums and most people just put up with the diesel BS because they need a towing rig, this Gladiator forum is the only forum where i see people wanting a diesel mostly just for everyday driving. At 6k max towing capacity for the diesel i do not consider it a towing rig, if towing is the goal get an HD truck.

 

[WXman]

Like many of us, I am waiting for the diesel Gladiator to get my first Jeep truck. However, I must say, the only diesel I ever had was old Nissan Maxima and even then it was a beater that I bought for $1k and killed it completely after a year of use .
At this point I don't want to consider how and why diesel better than gas model (torque, 0-60, towing, etc) My question is how much more and why diesel would cost on a daily basis?

1. Diesel is more expensive than gas. In some states diesel more than gas by 70 cents to a full dollar.
So if I fill up 20gal tank every time I pay around $20 more for diesel than for gas. Well, if diesel indeed gets 30mpg it will still be cheaper or on par to fill up diesel vs gas.

2. I've heard people saying maintenance is so much more expensive for diesel then for gas? Why? I always been changing oil, brakes on vehicles on my own. Is oil and filter for diesel really that much more expensive?

3. DEF fuel cost some say, but it is only 5gal of additional tank and I think I saw DEF cost came down to $5/gal. So in big schema another $50 for 10k miles is nothing.

4. Lift kits? Do they usually run more expensive for diesel then for gas because of the weight? Are we talking about a $100 more or close to a 1k more?

What other costs? Please list why you think diesel is more expensive and let me know if my observations above incorrect.

Thank you.

You live in a different country. So the rest of us will have different results. But, here diesel fuel was always running $0.30 to $0.40 more per gallon up until this virus panic struck. Now, gasoline has fallen and diesel hasn't. I'm seeing $0.70 per gallon difference here too. It's not fair. But, eventually diesel will come down also because winter is almost over and demand for heating oil is decreasing. I'm actually still saving money on fuel now vs. my gas Pentastar engine in the Gladiator.

Maintenance is a LOT more. On my Pentastar, I did oil changes for $20. 5 quarts of full synthetic and a Mopar filter from Walmart. Job literally took 5 minutes. On this EcoDiesel, the oil is $56 at Walmart and the filter is $43 online at dieselfilters.com. If you go to the dealership, they will use Pennzoil Euro oil which is over $100 for the oil alone, and $92 for the filter (same filter you can get for $43 online). It's WAY more expensive. Why? More quantity of oil, different spec for the oil to handle the emissions of the diesel engine, and the filters have to be better at filtering with a lower micron rating. Don't forget the fuel filter that has to be changed every other oil change...that's another $50 or so. You're looking at hundreds of dollars annually.

I'm going to suggest spacer lifts. That way you don't lose the load rating of the factory coils. And you'll save money. And you'll keep ride quality intact. And you'll know exactly how much lift you'll get in the end.

 

[biodiesel]

2. I've heard people saying maintenance is so much more expensive for diesel then for gas? Why? I always been changing oil, brakes on vehicles on my own. Is oil and filter for diesel really that much more expensive?

The oil filters for the new 2020 Ram EcoDiesel are around $45 bucks currently. The fuel filters are also expensive.

3. DEF fuel cost some say, but it is only 5gal of additional tank and I think I saw DEF cost came down to $5/gal. So in big schema another $50 for 10k miles is nothing.

I pay $7.88 per 2.5 gallon jug. DEF is cheap.

What other costs? Please list why you think diesel is more expensive and let me know if my observations above incorrect.

The cost to repair a modern diesel outside of warranty could cost more than a crate Pentastar engine. Modern diesel engines are not for poor people. Injectors, turbo, CP4 pump, etc. are not cheap. If everything works out, you might get 400,000 miles out of your engine with no problem. Or, you could be paying $9,000 to replace your CP4 pump and injectors at 105,000 miles.

Don't get me wrong, every vehicle I own is a diesel. I love diesels, but I also have the money to maintain and repair them.

 

[biodiesel]

This is why I plan to have additional fuel capacity in my JT of some sort = so you can shop smart for fuel, the prices vary so much.

In-bed fuel tank!

I am really really having a hard time not pulling the trigger on a diesel JL

That's what I'm planning to buy my wife next year!

Also, Stock Up! Local diesel is $1.91 today. Oil tanked another 18% today, fuel will go down even more.

Is that your trailer and tank?

 

[biodiesel]

I can tell you from my experience that they are not worth the extra expense.

I can tell you that my 2006 Cummins was flawless for the 10 years (154,000 miles) I owned it. I can also tell you that it was worth $24,000 when I sold it. Let's do the math. It was $43,000 NEW. Subtract $24,000. That leaves me with $19,000, right? $19,000 divided by 10 years of ownership (120 months) = $158 per month. So, it cost me $158 dollars per month to own that truck over a 10 year period. You can't rent a go-kart for that price.

 

[biodiesel]

At 6k max towing capacity for the diesel i do not consider it a towing rig, if towing is the goal get an HD truck.

There are a lot of people who tow loads between 2,000 - 5,000 lbs. I would rather tow loads with a EcoDiesel than a Pentastar. I can't speak for everyone, but I'm planning to do a lot of towing with my Gladiator EcoDiesel.

Also, the driveablity of a diesel, in my opinion, is much better than the Penastar. The Pentastar downshifts much more going down the interstate than the EcoDiesel. When TFL tested the two, they said they would choose the EcoDiesel option.

 

[Oilburner]

That is my new tank I bought this week, but I will be mounting it on a small double axle trailer. Just use the aluminum trailer to haul stuff behind the GC because...
No diesel JT yet.

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