# Diesel Mileage ??? HELP!



## FishlakeElkHunter (Sep 11, 2007)

..I need some help!

I am looking at buying a "new to me" new pickup! I need a Diesel and I am sick of my gas truck pulling my 30' trailer.

What I need to know is how many miles is TOO MANY miles when looking at a used Diesel truck? I have been looking a lot of them and I have seen what I want from anywhere from 60,000 to 110,000 miles on them. I am looking at some Dodge Mega Cabs and also some Fords.

So would I be crazy to buy a truck with already that many miles on them???

Also....I hardly ever drive my truck. I have a 05 Chevy that only has 40,000 miles on it....so putting a lot of miles on is not a worry......

Help!


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

100,000 miles on a diesel truck is just getting broke in so don't worry too much about it unless you start to look at some with over 200,000. Depening on what brand you prefer just about all of them are good trucks but some do take a beating better than others. I have a 96 Ford with the 7.3 engine witch is a good truck and I have put it through a beating. I plan on keeping it at least another 5 years and have no doubt that it will make it. As for years of trucks to look at, for Fords I would look at any 2001-2003 with the 7.3 in it. Stay away from the 6.0 like the plage. Chevies you have the Duramax diesel with the Allison transmission witch is a very good truck. On the Dodges I would stick with the 5.9 inline 6. It is a great engine and is just about bullet proof. All of the newer ones are having some kind of a problem one way or another and once you get into the 2009+ years the emission equipment is more than the truck if you need to replace it.


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## yfzduner450 (Dec 28, 2009)

60,000 to 110,00 on a diesel is nothing. Like said above i'd look at the 01-03 ford 7.3 but only get the manuals. If ya need or want an auto. Chevy is the way to go. The 06-07 is the best chevy to get. 6 speed auto without all the new emissons garbage. The dodges' are great trucks also but stay away from the auto trannys. If you do get and auto in a dodge or ford. Take it in and have a larger tranny cooler installed. You will thank me later if you do.


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## highcountryfever (Aug 24, 2009)

I understand that the diesel engines can run a long time, but what if you get a truck with 150,000 miles on it what are the chances that some other piece on the truck is going to break down? Like ball joints, suspension, etc. Is that a major concern? I also would love to get a diesel, but my price range gives me trucks that have high mileage.


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## nickpan (May 6, 2008)

Ball joints and stuff like that are just regular maintnance on any vehicle, no matter what you buy you'll probably end up replacing stuff like that sometime. I've got a 2001 7.3 that has been driven hard, on it's second motor and third tranny and has 200k miles. The motor and tranny were destroyed by the previous owner because maintanace wasn't done. Maintainance is key to having a diesel run forever. Get a 2000-2003 Ford 7.3L or a 2000-2002 Dodge Cummins for under 150k and you'll be very happy, as long as the truck was taken care of before hand. if you do deciede to look at some 7.3L's shoot me a pm and i'll tell you some important things to look for when you go look at em.


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## Windage (Mar 11, 2010)

honkerfool said:


> Get a 2000-2003 Ford 7.3L or a 2000-2002 Dodge Cummins for under 150k and you'll be very happy, as long as the truck was taken care of before hand.


+1 All the brands have their ups and downs, the ones listed by honkerfool are mentioned time and again as the good ones.


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## flyfisher117 (Jun 29, 2009)

our dodge ram 2500 has a 150,000 and no major brake downs to date. small stuff but nothing major. right now only problem is a hose that goes to the turbo is leaking so turbo aint engaging at the right RPM not bad just dont pull the 27' trailer up grades in 5th gear anymore gotta drop it to 4th

dad used to work for a farmer down in UT when he was a teen and they had an old dodge with 750,000 miles and only problems it had was dropped the tranny around 600,000 and small repairs as stuff wore out. great farm truck he said


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## greatwhitehunter (Nov 16, 2007)

Got a 2001 dodge diesel with only 53,000 miles on it. Looks brand new, runs like it is brand new. It's paid off, I always get people trying to get me to sell it. I'll never get rid of it because the cummings motor is bulletproof! Everything is stock on the engine as well and it has pleny of power for towing. Only problem I have had with it was an air bubble in the hydaulic line going from the power steering pump to the brake master cylinder. I lost my brakes and steering for a day while I tried to figure it out. It drove fine and then I parked it for 3 weeks. Got in it and found I had no steering or brakes when I fired it up. Probably caused from not driving the truck enough :? . Love the truck, go with the cummings.


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

My bro has an '01 Powerstroke with 220k miles on it. Has not had any repairs outside of maintenance until just recently the starter has been hanging up on him. Let me restate that, tranny was replaced under warranty when it was only a month old. 


greatwhitehunter said:


> Only problem I have had with it was an air bubble in the hydraulic line going from the power steering pump to the brake master cylinder. I lost my brakes and steering for a day while I tried to figure it out.


I am no expert, nor a novice, but I have not ever heard of any connection between a power steering pump and the master cylinder. The P/S system uses what is essentially non-dyed transmission fluid while the master uses brake fluid; how could that be related in having one bubble in one line fault both systems? Is this just a Cummins thing? Just curious.


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## BRL1 (Sep 12, 2007)

Huge29 said:


> greatwhitehunter said:
> 
> 
> > Only problem I have had with it was an air bubble in the hydraulic line going from the power steering pump to the brake master cylinder. I lost my brakes and steering for a day while I tried to figure it out.
> ...


The hydro boost for the brakes on the diesel's use the power steering pressure. Still have brake fluid in the master cylinder. But if you don't have steering you don't have boost pressure for the brakes.


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## Renegade (Sep 11, 2007)

I have an 07 Mega Cab with the 6.7L in it. I'm going to roll through 110,000 pretty soon, and the truck purrs along at 70 burning around a gallon of diesel every 20 miles. When I put a trailer on her, it gets 13. Doesn't matter if it's the 8X20 enclosed cargo trailer, the tandem boat trailer, the car hauler, or the 7x12 flatbed, still gets 13.

Love the truck. Replaced upper & lower ball joints at 60K and thats about it.


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