RE: Let's refuel America
Folks, the price of fuel is the smallest of worries when you look at the costs of owning big trucks and campers.
Get over it.
Okay, prices are way down now. But just 1 year ago folks went out there and bought $40k trucks that they financed so it ended up looking like $50k over the loan. Add insurance and in some states - vehicle property tax!!
Add a camper cost, and the rising fees at camp grounds.
Fuel for getting there remains the smallest portion of costs...
Oh, and Sierra Neveda Pale Ale is now $8.99 at the Kroger near here!
RE: 2005 GMC Sierra 2500HD Tire wear
I have a 2006, bought it used. Original tires at 43,000. The front one are at the wear bars, back ones have about another 10k miles. Whata gonna do!?!
Are your front ones suffering the most wear?? Alignment? Inflation??
How about a 4 wheel alignment, (don't know if they do that though...)...
Good luck
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
Not mellow. Mallow!! Marshmallow...
Wiki says: "The traditional recipe used an extract from the mucilaginous root of the marshmallow plant, a shrubby herb (Althaea officinalis), instead of gelatin; the mucilage was used to soothe sore throats."
Mucilaginous, hmmm, maybe I won't buy them after all...
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
I have yet to see a gasser getting 18 MPG, but whatever.
From Houston to Memphis, and then again on the way back I got 18+ mpg in my '98 K1500 5.7l gasser. Kept her at 65 mph and enjoyed the music.
Pretty flat here to there of course.
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
You forgot the $24,500 I got for selling my 2003 6.0 PSD Excursion in 2007 when diesel was cheaper than gas then paying $7,900 in March 2008 for the loaded 2002 3500LS 8.1 passenger van. I now have enough money left over to pay for gas for many years. I also had over 20 quarts of 5w-40 Mobil 1 left over from the Excursion since I sold it just before the PSD 30,000 mile fluid changes were due and that is good for three 8.1 oil changes. BTW gas is $1.11 cheaper than diesel here in NJ today.
Okay, $1.11 difference gas vs diesel. That figures to a whopping $69 a month in fuel savings from the previous calculation.
That seems a nice amount if one is talking about a paid for vehicle, but to my way of thinking it is just noise if one is stradled with $600 payments, $100 insurance, and $50 property tax/license per month on the thing.
And I again stand with you in your decision to dump the Excursion and buy the used van - That was a wise financial move. Even prescient given the today’s state of the economy, jobs outlook, used prices of big SUVs, etc.
But the continual blather about saving money on fill ups gas vs diesel is noisome, well, at least annoying anyway - because nobody does any math to quantify the argument...
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
Try doing the math at 22 MPG in my diesel truck. This is what I average on my 40 mile round trip to and from work, in my diesel.
Okay. I'll give you 22 mpg and the gasser 18 mpg through the whole 15,000 and the delta cost per month goes to $31.69.
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
...snip
Okay, for the simple minded - a difference of $59.67 a month.
If I may quote myself, for some people have more credit than brains... (which is quite different than having more money than brains!)
Some folks make a $40k truck purchase. NO, make that $50k if you add financing and license fees...
So $50k and they worry about 60 buck a month fuel cost delta, gas vs diesel.
Parents - teach your kids some math! Financial math. Save your kids from repeating YOUR mistakes!!!
Okay, I am off my soap box. And off to get another fine Pale Ale, good night...
RE: Dropping like a stone
A working man can't afford to buy a new truck any more unless he plans on paying for it for 7 years!! They have priced themselves out of the market along with the price of gas.
To my way of thinking, a working man should have never purchased a new truck at any time in recent history.
Working folks should hold the hard earned dollar and manage it carefully. That does not include buying an overpriced luxury item, paying interest on the thing, and then driving off the cliff of the first 3 years of depreciation.
A $15,000 3 year old truck goes a lot farther than a $40,000 brand new one. To my way of thinking...
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
I only had 8 people last week on our vacation at Seaside Resort in North Myrtle Beach SC. BTW diesel finally is under $3 here in NJ but gas is still more than $1 less.
Blah, blah, blah...
I am glad you got a USED gasser - used is were you win, (though with the coming 40% off fire sale in Dec/Jan that for this one time might be debatable...).
But give up on the incessant, never ending, Ad nauseam blather about gas vs diesel ...
Consider: At 15,000 miles per year, say 12 mpg gas vs 14 mpg diesel average over all, and a $1.99 gas vs $2.99 diesel costs and WHAT YA GOT?? A whopping $716.07 difference per year!
Okay, for the simple minded - a difference of $59.67 a month.
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
I'm buying a 31 ft 5th wheel (weight 10,500#) and will need a 3/4 ton pick-up.
I've read all the posts,but I'd like some specific advice.
I will use this as a daily driver and will put about 15,000 miles a year on it. I will pull the trailer once or twice a month on a 300 mile round trip. I will probably trade the truch after 3 years with under 50,000 miles. So which is the most cost efffective for me, diesel or gas. I know the diesel PU intially costs more, but the salesperson said I'd get more for the trade-in!
What say you ??
Here is a thought - buy used, whether BB or diesel.
There are a bunch of folks that have over spent, even bought big trucks just last year, and find themselves upside down in life. They need to get rid of their vehicles.
Downside - you need to take care that you get clear title. Those folks likely will need to add some of their money with your money in a big check to a finance company...
Or look for used on a dealer lot. Then look at a new one. Then back to the used one. Like that for about 2 hours...
Good luck!!!
RE: Diesel vs gas......................
I always love reading opinions regarding diesel vs gas.
Consider if you drive 15000 miles a year at an average 15 mpg diesel and 13 mpg gas, and at $2.99 diesel $1.99 gas the difference -- a whopping $700 a year cost difference.
Spend $30,000+ on a truck, finance it costing another $5,000 over the life of a loan - and yet worry about $700 a year fuel costs...
Sure, others will have different numbers, but these work for at least 80% of us...
Lucky for us, my commute is only 4 miles, so I worry about just $400 a year...
RE: When do you NEED to trade vehicles...
This thread took an interesting direction.
I'll pile-on: Consider the lost opportunity costs of making auto payments all the time.
Conservatively - $350 a month for 20 years at 8% = $206,000!
That 3 year old HEAVY DUTY truck driven around by some tie wearing dude who loads up on mulch every spring makes one heck of a deal for those of us who buy used...
RE: new fifth wheel
We still pull the fifth wheel that we once pulled with a chevy 1/2 ton pickup - and the old K1500 with its 5.7l engine 3.73 rear end did very well!
But it had a factory installed extra leaf spring and heavy duty front torsion, like the old 'heavy half'.
Pin on the fiver is about 1000#.
Of course, the 2500 HD D/A pulls it so hard, I rolled the TV and chair from their usual place to the back of the camper...
Good luck
RE: Thoughts of Towing 5er W/1/2 Ton (Neewbie)
I have only come across two models/brands that are under 1,000 lbs. pin weight.
KZ Spree = 870 lbs
FR Surveyor = 970 lbs.
Both are the smallest 5th wheels they make. Everything else exceeds the payload capacity.
=============
I recommend one look at those noted above.
I towed our camper for 3 years with a 1998 Chevy 1/2 ton 5.3l with success and for great family fun.
BUT: The truck had a manufacturer installed additional leaf spring and heavy duty torsion bar, like an old timey "heavy half". And the camper pin weight is 970#, confirmed with an actual weigh in at a commercial scale. (A 1992 25 foot Prowler).
I pull it with the diesel today and nearly broke the TV showing off its acceleration to my wife. Got one of them tight smiles, eyes looking over the glasses response...
Good luck!
RE: Towing with a 1/2 ton truck?
Pin weight! Consider the stuff you take you'll have some 1,400# of pin weight, (1200 to 1600 pounds, call it 1400...).
Add the kids and stuff in the truck and you will be over the GVWR of the truck.
Most likely.
We pulled a 5er for near 3 years with a 1/2 ton PU and loved it. But actual loaded weight of the 5er was 6000# with a pin of 950#.
Consider carefully. Maybe get the thing ready to pull the trigger on a 3/4 ton PU after your first pull???
RE: What programer would you get???
I drive a GM Duramax/Allison so I don't need a gadget that might or might not get more HP. I have plenty of HP and Torq. GBY...
:R:R:R:R
Then why do so many diesel owners pipe and chip their diesels??
Gotta do the 12 step thing, maannnn...
My name is Tex, and I am a HP/Torq-aholic. Been stock for 3 years now. The way I see it, the money I save I just put into the kid's college funds.
Still, there are nights that I gets the blood-burn, hot as an out of control EG temp. Can't sleep, heart pounds... Wrenches, programmers, 5 inch exhausts haunt my thoughts.
I call my 12 step friends for help. Takes a week or two. But when they talk me down I can be satisfied with just 350 HP, 625 ftlbs of torq.
Day at a time man, day at a time...
RE: Ford said "NO" to K&N Air Filter
Too many variables. How did you 'test' the thing? Track ambients, pressure, temp, humidity? Tire pressure, grade, actual weight? Pulled an old air filter for a new K&N? Multiple tests to remove variability of warmup, fluid temp?? Etc...
I like the smoother, better bent intake tubes, but too cheap to spring for the marginal at improvement. I'll stick with OEM filters and just give the truck an occasional wax for the extra 'power'...
It isn't really that complicated. You obviously have some bias about this type of filter, imagined or otherwise. It is really easy to prove with an exhaust temp gauge. I did a couple runs up a hefty grade(Cajon Pass I-15)with a paper filter, changed it and nothing else. Put in a K&N(5 minutes)did a couple more with the same trailer, bingo, 90 to 100 degree drop. Mileage and performance don't really change, just lower temps, which engines like. The big benefit comes when I add a mild fueling/timing box(40-50 hp)and 1 to 2 mpg increase. The added fuel from the box does raise exhaust temps a bit, taking back about what I lowered it, zero sum. Better performance, improved mpg, and stock exhaust temps. This, from an air filter I only have to buy once and will last as long as the truck, and air as clean or cleaner than your restrictive paper element. Since you probably doubt how well they filter, see my oil analysis a couple a pages back in the thread.
Remember, science over perception.
Sam
Bias? There are more 'science over perception' reports by objective and third party folks that shed more light on wet filters than your personal experience.
Oil analysis?? By the time dirt and dust reach the oil system, what has happened to the turbo??
But for me, in the end: Today's engines are well engineered, produce more than I need to pull what I have. I am not biased, I just have no interest.
Pursue better performance in the most costly portion of the curve - where diminishing results are ever more expensive??? No interest.
Consider cost, time, risk to vehicle, and don't forget - need. Does one really need to spend another $4,000 to get to the top of the pass 10 minutes faster or 4 times a year?!? And with 100 degree cooler egt?? Wow. You have fun now...
College funds, retirement funds, etc., that's where much of my extra money goes.
Maybe though, you have more extra money than do I, good for you! Use it as you wish...
RE: over or under?
Over, least that's what I did on the old truck, will do on the current one.
Always getting scratches on the rail and little folks put things and pull things out of the bed...
