Now come on, ask yourselves...Did I buy a 3/4 or 1 Ton pickup with a 6.6 Liter engine for fuel economy? I would have to say it was probably far down on the priority list...would a gas pull a 10,000 lb trailer down the interstate at 80 plus mph and still have plenty of power? Or up a mountain and not lose speed? Come on guys.. buy a Cavalier if you want mileage, not a diesel pickup that could pull your nieghbors house over if you could get traction?

If you calculate what it cost to buy a diesel, up and beyond the gas truck, you will never save enough in mileage to get it back unless you pull a trailer alot or work it in some way. Diesels are for power and yes you will only get 8-10 mpg pulling a large trailer but some of us remember how that gas struggled to get 5-6 and couldn't pass someone unless it was down the mountain with a 50 mph tailwind!! :cool: I figure 16-18 mpg empty is a hell of an accomplishment when you really stop and think about it?

I for one will continue to drive my Diesel when gas hits $5.00 gal and smile while I pass the leg cramping, deathtrap,call me a nerd Hondas & Vw's, and goose it when I go by just to give em a taste of that expensive fuel! :rant:

Now don't get me wrong,.... I hate the price like the next guy, but we drive these trucks because we love em, we love the feel of Torque and their ability to take us places pulling those heavy toys, and that my friend is just my two cents!:blahblah:

When gas hits $5 a gallon I will be scooting buy you on my bike (motor not pedal) I am may be crazy but I aint nuts, I better invest in some better cold weather gear too, Filled up on tuesday cost me $3 ):h

jnieberlein,

I'm with you on the scooter! Ride mine all winter, weather and roads permitting. Try Gerbings heated jackets, they work great.

Mileage did figure into why I bought a diesel, but the power was the overriding true reason. I had talked with lots of folks who had LB7s and they bragged about 22 MPG daily with 18 towing. I was tired of taking 8 hours to drive to Lake Powell stopping twice for gas at 10 MPG when It was taking my BIL 6 hours with no stops in his cummins. Thought I'd be conservative and guess 14 MPG towing.
I thought diesel would stay 15 cents per gallon less than low octane gas instead of the 20 cents more than premium it is out here and used that as an argument with the wife.
My hidden agenda was to use the money I'd save in fuel bills to pay for the desired upgrades and power adders, instead she's still stock and the gasser that gets 1 less MPG, but saves 40 cents a gallon is my daily driver in bad weather and the motorcycle is the fair weather commuter. The diesel is used almost exclusively for towing or when I want to be able to get folks into the back seat easier than an older extended cab, without swing out doors.
I do love the power of this truck and it has made the trip to Powell enjoyable. I figure the $6000 upcharge was worth it from that perspective and I'll never go back to gas as a tow truck, but still wish the mileage were closer to what the LB7 guys were claiming.

I bought it for the power and pulling ability. It does get a little better than my 5.3 did, it got 12.5, my duramax gets 13.5 most of the time. Normal driving for me involves a lot of throttle. If I take a trip I can get 16-18. Not bad I figure. Sure pulls trailers a lot better than the 5.3 did.

I look at it like this. If you don't trade vehicles very often, like my family, the Diesel is the way to go. Lets, for argument sake say the Diesel averages 15 mpg over the span of 200k, and the Gasser gets 10 mpg.

200,000 miles/15mpg = 13,333.33 gallons of fuel

13,333.33 gallons * $2.25/gal = $30,000

200,000 miles/10mpg = 20,000 gallons of fuel

20,000 gal * $2.05/gal = $41,000

$11,000 difference over 200k, minus the $6k for the diesel = $5k savings.

That's assuming all other things being equal, using current fuel prices, etc. Plus you get to drive the diesel, which I think is more fun to drive, and definately has the pulling power when you want it. Obviously the quicker you trade, the less you save.

mine hardly ever sees a trailer ):h mine was for truck pullin :thumb:

I moved up from a 5.3 1500 for lots of reasons...no one thing was really the only deciding factor.

Power. I like the usable diesel power. Feels quicker than the 5.3 and I don't have to rev it up and scare my passengers if I need a little extra. Diesels have come such a long way. I took a couple coworkers to lunch today and when I got on it a bit, they asked how much hp it had. I said 310. One asked what mileage I get, and I said 18/20. He looked puzzled, and I said it's a diesel. He said "really?". And, I had started it as he was stepping into the passanger's seat.

Resale. The diesel holds its value better than a gasser. This alone will offset most of the extra cost. Being honest, I do not drive vehicles forever. I'll probably sell this at 100,000 - 150,000 miles. I take clients to lunch and cannot drive a whupped POS.

Towing. I don't tow for a living, but I do have a big enough boat to tow around that strained the 5.3. Only a few times a year, but enough that it's a factor. When I do need to tow, I want it to be easy.

Mileage. The better mileage is a factor, but not a big one. I like the cab room and load capacities, and the fact that it's got power without getting 12 MPG, and the associated short range. This winter has been an anomaly with diesel prices. Even if they're both expensive, diesel will eventually return to being cheaper than gas. The more expensive they (both) are, the more I save with diesel. The 1500 HD, with the extra power is rated for 9C / 12H. The 9 is below even my lower limit.

Upgradability. I'll soon be putting on some fuel computer or program. I like the fact that I can go to 400+ hp without killing mileage or reliability. Can't do that with a gasser at any price. I'm still reading here as research on what to get, and waiting for it to be fully broken in.

I really only do driving that requires this truck maybe 10% of the time. The other 90% could be done in a Honda Accord. But, I bought it for that 10%.

I am with towsaboat, I too was looking at the high fuel mileage that the LB7 guys were getting. Don't get me wrong that was not the only reason, in the summer I pull a 19' bass boat and sometimes a travel trailer and in the winter I pull a three place snowmobile trailer. The gasser would do it but not near as easy as the duramax. Gotta love the power.:ro)

Im with cit1991 (http://dieselplace.com/forum/member.php?u=13304)<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_527945", true); </SCRIPT> well said man!!! I too could use a civic or such for doing my job, but we tow a 8K trailer about 10 times a year and that my friends is where its at! <SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_527945", true); </SCRIPT>

I bought it simply because it was what I wanted. You only go around once so why not select what you wish for rather than setteling for a less expensive alternative when the means are at hand?

I've bought GM diesels since 1982, and you can see by my sig I have had your share and my share. There has been constant improvement in the engines and service since then, with a few bleeps. The 82 & 83 had bleeps with a injector pump sleeve that wore quickly and caused probs; the 94 & 95 had severe electronic injector problems until we figured out why; the 01 DMAX had a few probs (not many), and the 02 was as perfect a truck as I have ever owned, with the exception of the injectors at 70K. Even then it let me drive it home 3500 miles with a crankcase full of diesel with no engine damage and no breakdown. Fuel consumption has been all over the map over the years - 82 was the absolute best with a 1500 2wd 6.2 Suburban getting 29 city and up to 34 highway - unbelievable, but true. Most of the 6.2 trucks (most 3/4 4X4 automatic) got 17 to 19 mpg. 93 6.5 Turbo manual injection got 17 average. 94 through 99 6.5 turbo got slightly less. 02 DMax got 16 to 17 average, with a worst of 11 mpg at 33,100 GCVW, and the best at 19.5 downhill with a wind at its back. 05 gets 9 to 11 towing at 13,000 gcvw and 13 to 15 at 65 mpg. I could care less whether diesel was 95 cents a gal (Guatemala in 03) or $6.75 a gal (Drandriga, Belize, 2005) (try filling up 120 gals at that price!!) - it is what it is and is not going to affect my driving no matter what the cost. BUT, and this is my point after this long winded disertation, GM has improved their pickup truck vehicle generally in almost all areas as to ride, comfort, etc, and has done a lot of things (light weight bodies, frames, plastic, etc) in the name of weight savings to increase fuel mileage, but they still have NOT build a fuel efficient powerful engine - neither has Furd, neither has Cummins. It cannot be that hard. We go to the moon, we have electronics that will do anything you can can dream up, and area 51 ran a hell of a lot of vehicles
( Blazers, to aircraft support vehicles, to heavy over the road semi tractors) on hydrogen since the 70's for next to nothing for cost before it was dismantled.
So what gives? It is possible, plausible, and very necessary. Power, politics, the oil industry, and money in corporate leaders and politicians person pockets is what gives and what makes us held hostage to the oil producing world.
And no, I am not going to buy a fuel saving tin can that gets 50 mpg and can be opened with a penknife - and unfortunately, the powers that be know it!

I bought mine specifically for towing my heavy boat. The extra MPG I get over a gasser is simply a bonus. The additional upfront cost is mostly recovered on the back end at trade in time.

I got it for towing power. Mileage is a bonus and I am not concerned about the extra upfront cost.

I'm with AKA108, I bought it beacause it's what I wanted. Big truck with serious power on tap and get's good mileage to boot (for what it is anyway). What else could you want? I suppose I coulda got a little sports car but they can't carry my toys and other stuff around. SUV? nope too slow and probably would have got worse mileage. This truck just made sense.

I find it interesting, all the high miliage claims that guys are supposedly getting or got with the LB7 over the LLY. I never got over 18 with my LB7 if I babied it, now with my LLY I have 10,000 miles on it and get maybe 17 but I'm sure it will climb as I get more miles on it. I to fell into the trap of the "diesel gets so much better mileage" and all the claims of getting 15 plus mpg pulling a bigger trailer, that added to my reasons for my first diesel purchase. I quickly found it was mostly BS, but after experiencing what they are capable of, I would never look back.
I think we all have to take these high miliage claims with a grain of salt!
These are amazing pieces of inginuity, not miricle workers.

I've been wanting a Duramax since 2001, because for the power, and mpg. I finally got mine this past October and love it. It's worth the extra money from the gasser, but I was a little disapointed about the mpg, but the power of this monster over comes it. My old 5.7 gasser would only tow my 5er at 60 mph (8mpg), and the duramax 80+(11-12mpg) and don't even know it's back there. Yes I only tow about 20 times a year, the rest just 10 miles to work, but best of all I got my dream truck

I really bought it for the Economy of having a truck big enough to tow our trailers without sending me to the poorhouse.

Unfortunately, I am a bombaholic. But that is ok in my book.. nothing wrong with trading Miles Per Gallon into Smiles per Gallon!

I bought mine because...well I dont tow much of anything....and I dont know how to save money....so yeah I just bought it beacause its the baddest truck GM has!! :hail: Oh yeah and I forgot to say I only have to support myself!):h

Did you really buy it for the MPG?No, I have a boat for that.

i got mine for mileage old 5.3 got 330 miles to the tank the diesel gets 450-500 i drive 500 miles a week to work and it saves about 20$ a week even with diesel at 15 cents higher. more power and better resale when 3 years old and a 100k were the bonus to me. plus the 100k warranty that i dont have to pay 1500$ up front like i would on the gasser

I bought it simply because it was what I wanted. You only go around once so why not select what you wish for rather than setteling for a less expensive alternative when the means are at hand?What aka108 said, I had a Dodge1500 and it struggled with any weight (engine and soft suspension). My fleet dealer had a 2500HD 6.0,but for some reason I wanted a diesel. I scrounged to two months until I found the exact model. I didn't even realize the sick power you can get out of these things for relatively little money and effort. Now I have the Predator, MBRP exhaust, RS9000's and gauges and am hooked.:D

Yes, a gas model can pull a big trailer.. and I used to have one of those too. I sold it and purchased the new style truck with the D/A combo for all the MPG and durability it comes with. Increased capacity for the truck. Also, a new and much better dynamic brake system with large disc brakes to help me stop better. New interior with great extras like heated seats, sat radio, onstar (which is now intigrated into my Verizon plan)

So it is not just buying a truck for a diesel engine... it is a total package.

VR :)