I have a Diesel question for the daily drivers
I live less than 5 miles from my work
will daily driving a diesel around in the city cause problems to the truck over time? (lack of fully warming up)
I am also in LA where it is only really cold (40*?) a few times a year

Thanks

I had a 07 dodge 2500 4x4 with the turbo diesel, cummins 6.7 with bluetec. I only lived like 3 miles from home to work. Had all kinds of problems with catalyst. The computer would tell me 80% full. At that point, I had to get to I5, and drive for 3-4 hours, for it to burn out. The truck also devoloped the dodge death wobble.

I have a Diesel question for the daily drivers
I live less than 5 miles from my work
will daily driving a diesel around in the city cause problems to the truck over time? (lack of fully warming up)
I am also in LA where it is only really cold (40*?) a few times a year

Thanks

More info needed, Year, brand, engine, Miles one it.

Thanks guys
I am looking at a 2001 F-250 7.3
truck has 175k on it.

no cats needed

to be honest the #1 reason I want a diesel is for the experience. I really like diesel trucks
for towing I will only tow maybe 4 times this yr and hopefully more often each year for trail runs.
towing to Tahoe would be great!! 9hr drive
Johnson valley and big bear are both 2.5 hrs away
for wheeling I would probably only tow max 8-10 times a yr

diesels are fun, i have had all three domestic flavors at this point and most people talk about the towing power and the great fuel mileage (in the older ones anyways) but it would be wise to look at maintenance cost and possible repair costs. injectors need replaced, trans, oil cooler, HPOP (for fords)  all can cost thousands. the cost of repair is much higher on a diesel than a gas truck. some need repair more often than others and that also depends on the previous owner but i think it is always smart to research the common failures of any vehicle and asses the cost associated with the risk.

on my 7.3 i replaced the oil cooler seals twice, HPOP once, glow plugs, HPOP lines and wiring harness under the valve covers and then at about 275k it broke a rod and ruined the motor. they quoted me $15k to replace with a 100k motor.  if that were a gas truck i could have had that motor installed for a 3rd of the price.

not trying to bash because i still drive a diesel just making sure you know that variable in the equation.

Tell us about the other Diesel trucks you have owned?
 

Ryan
thanks for the info. Definitely need to think about the cost to benefit and if its worth it in the long run.
My budget is $15K. The truck i was looking at the deal fell through and now we are thinking about getting a 7.3 excursion.
we test drove a gasser and loved the space and possibility of doing family trips in the man van. Our Rubicon trip isnt until September for this years round up. We have some time to figure it out.
If i dont go with a 7.3 I might just get a F-150 w/ 5.4l

well damn

I daily my 96 7.3 powerstroke , motor is getting close to fully built and I'll say after owning about 6 of these trucks I've really come to know how to work on them and any older diesel for that fact , they are all the same in a sense and fairly easy to work on , I get about 17-20 mpg on a low tune setting , it'll tow my wheeler when needed but you either gotta know how to work on them or want to learn or have deep pockets to pay for someone to because stuff will need to be replaced. I tell this to most people looking into getting a diesel as a dd , but you seriously can't go wrong with a 7.3 or 5.9 cummins. They don't require much warm up time and you can get a chip or tuner with a high idle setting for cold mornings to help with faster warm up

When it comes to new diesels I  am at a loss , it's old design trying to merge with today's electronics and I think diesel motors and electronics and smog and purification don't belong in the same sentence , today's DPF systems is killing diesel trucks and it will be hard to see high original miles outa them like the older ones .

More info:
my budget is $15,000 for a tow/ family/ DD rig

I live in the LA area (Downey) 2.5hrs from Johnson valley and Big bear

as I said before I live about 3 miles from work

I will tow my rig maybe 5-10 times a year

i am some what mechanically inclined, I would do as much work to the rig as possible with the tools and knowledge I have or have access to.

#1 reason I want a diesel is for the experience (turbo!!)

we test drove a gas excursion and loved it



thanks again guys

Which engine?

6.0 is a good towing engine I've used a few of them that belong to friends. They like their juice though. A dd that mildly tows(a few times a year) a light object like a toyota on a car trailer or 30' camper. I would say you can't go wrong with a gm truck or yukon with a 5.3. Personally I would lean towards a dodge with a 5.7 hemi. A friend has drug his toyota all over with his 03 for the last 8 years. He just sold it to another of our friends and got himself a newer 15 model. He said it tows his camper and car hauler just as well.

7.3 excursion can't go wrong due to the fact they are kind of sought after and when you sell it you'll be able to move it easily. 7.3 is a reliable diesel but that doesn't mean they don't have failures. Not all engines can be like Toyota 5vz and go 400k with nothing more than a few timing belt replacements every 80k. Over all the 7.3 is a good engine. Most failures I have witnessed on 7.3 would be fuel filter housing leaking due to corrosion by water in the fuel, quite a few with failed turbos. Turbos aren't teriiboy expensive though. I believe you'll be happy with it but don't buy into all the fools that claim these highly exaggerated fuel numbers. Realistic 14-18 mpg would be my numbers on an excursion.

I appreciate the accurate information. It drives Me nuts When I hear the "I get 25 MPG as a daily with My 7.3L".
I will give a second vote for the Excursion. 
Hard to go wrong with this option.

I have always wanted an excursion but my wife doesn't like the idea because she has to drive it...lol

here is one for you to tow with:
https://sacramento.craigslist.org/cto/6083996461.html

lol

as for MPG I had a 99 CCLB with the 7.3 and a 6 speed and it was 14-18 unloaded in the summer but never over 18. winters always made it 10-14 with winter fuel and more warmups.

I'm glad to see more accurate fuel claims. Thank you! Best fuel economy I have ever gotten was in an 89 non intercooled ve pump 12v cummins. Getrag trans, 4.11 gear and 285 tires it got 23mpg consecutively. Always wondered what it would do wother a 3.07 gear... probably not much different but anyhowe back to the point.

7.3 excursion all the way. If the factor of it being a land yacht is a problem then maybe a tahoe/Yukon would be a smaller option. I dig the excursion.