Diesel for overlanding- are you happy with the choice?

[Adventurous]

The fueling challenges are real for sure. That said, we've traveled through 44 states and 3 provinces so far and always managed to find diesel. I carry a spare 10 gallons in Jerry cans when we dive into more remote areas but have never had to tap into those reserves.

It is true that people do love to clog up the 1-2 diesel pumps getting gas.

 

[Dalko43]

"-It would be my daily driver for now. Work commute is 70 miles round trip at 90% highway
-I drive 15,000-20,000 miles/year"

OP's Words.

Buy at vehicle that "meats" your needs for 70 miles a day commute, 90% highway and 15K-20K miles a year. Not the other 10%!

You don't need a DIESEL to that.

You already own a vehicle that will do far more than the 90% discussed above AND the other 10% can be a compromise when you need it. You already know the 3 Jeeps you had/have are far more capable vehicle to do what you want than you really need for that commute and 90% highway driving.

Sounds like once again you want something NEW and the idea of a "Bigger Vehicle" is a good way to justify in your mind that change to a diesel powered vehicle and the costs that go with that change.

Stay with a GAS vehicle set up for your 90% driving needs!

I look at the same scenario (70 mile commutes @ 90% highway, 15k-20k miles annually) and I have the exact opposite opinion that you do. I think a diesel truck is perfectly suited for that kind of driving style. Diesels, with or without emissions controls, fare better when they have longer drives (as opposed to shorter, stop-and-go trips). That 20k miles annually, while it's not the same mileage that a hot-shotter would see, will realize a tangible benefit with the diesel in the next 5-6 years.

If the OP were doing daily commutes of less than 10 miles and drove less than 10k miles per year, I'd totally agree that diesel would add no value to the OP's experiences. But for his current situation, I think a diesel would work out just fine. That's not to say that he couldn't make a gasoline Ram or Ford work for that same scenario...it comes down to user preference.

OP, my only recommendation is to do your research on the different brands, model lineup's within those brands and different engine options. Pretty much all of the 3/4 ton diesels, and gassers, are well proven at this point, though each one has its inherent quirks. Some of the 1/2 ton diesels have had some hiccups, and honestly so have some of the 1/2 ton gassers. Diesel maintenance will cost slightly more, but if you're considering a 3/4 ton in lieu of a 1/2 ton or midsized truck, that extra maintenance cost will be close to negligible in the grand scheme of things. Repair costs can be higher for a diesel, but the thing of it is if you don't act like a fool and tune the crap out of your diesel, it should last a very long time before any major work is required. People use that issue as a scare tactic, but the trucking and transport industry will see many of these engines get to 400k-500k miles (consisting of hard towing and work) with little to no problems.

If you're planning to keep the truck for a very long time and anticipate lots of long distance trips, the diesel makes a lot of sense. If you're going to trade this truck in a few years and focus more on short-range/local driving, the gasoline will work and can still offer good performance for the occasional overland trip. Drive a diesel and gasoline variant of which ever truck you're considering and see which one suits you better.

 

[chet6.7]

Another big plus with the diesel, at least for me, is the exhaust brake. Works like a charm both on and off road to help keep things in check.

I like the EB as well,I also like that diesels are allowed to fit an aux fuel tank,I am not sure a gas vehicles can still do that.
If you are considering an aux tank look into what is available for the different brands,the location of the DEF tank appears to be a factor,as well as wheelbase.

 

[dreadlocks]

INFO: Do you use your truck for work or are you just commuting in it?

If its not a work truck a 70m per day commute might be better served by a small beater car.. You can pickup a #dieselgate vw for under $10k they are giving em away with unlimited mileage warranties, it'd cost you like $35 a week to drive to work including tires/maintenance and then your options for a comfortable long haul expo rig would be wide open.

 

[Dalko43]

INFO: Do you use your truck for work or are you just commuting in it?

If its not a work truck a 70m per day commute might be better served by a small beater car.. You can pickup a #dieselgate vw for under $10k they are giving em away with unlimited mileage warranties, it'd cost you like $35 a week to drive to work including tires/maintenance and then your options for a comfortable long haul expo rig would be wide open.

Unless you're talking about an absolute beater, it will almost always be cheaper to own/run one vehicle as opposed to two (weekend truck and commuter car).

 

[dreadlocks]

maybe, even if its an absolute beater just tossing it out there.. its not like diesel trucks are cheap, and its not like burning big mud terrain tires off on 90% driving to work is cheap either.. putting $500 in tires on a lil beater every 2-3 years vs $1500+ tires and then a fraction of the fuel costs and stuff starts adding up fast when your pounding the same path 350 miles a week, month after month, year after year. didnt sound like OP was gonna keep 30in tires on his truck.. if he's just sick of commuting in his jeep, mebe he can just keep what he has for overlanding and start commuting in a beater.. but I got impression he's not happy with his jeep comfort, which I get.. with big tires they brutal to drive thousands of miles in a short time and with that kinda commute its gotta be costly in fuel/tires.

I've had long commutes and I work with some fellas with trucks and long commutes.. its easy to spend thousands a year coming into work, one guy admitted he spends near $10k/yr commuting from boulder to centennial (~84m a day) in a Nissan.. but he's stuck in traffic for most of that and probably paying a few tolls.

 

[IdaSHO]

Yep

Though for many people it just doesnt make sense to have more than one vehicle.
Sucks, but its common.

For the rest of us.... we have beaters for daily driving duties.

I jump back and forth between an 80MPG moto and a $300 Explorer, depending upon weather.
All in the name of keeping miles off of the "travel" vehicle

 

[Explorerinil]

I’ve been driving diesel trucks for the last 15 years or so... I haven’t had a problem finding a place that has diesel fuel, nor have I ever been stranded. Somewhere is a truck stop or area where work trucks are fueling up. I know in remote areas it can be hard to find, I have an aux tank, mainly for the high Canadian fuel prices when traveling up there. I love driving my diesel truck, just went and got some groceries and filled up with fuel at the local Kroger for $2 per gallon with the Kroger card.

 

[Highlander]

Have you looked into Nissan Titan XD diesel?

There are relatively cheaper and pretty roomy inside.

 

[GreggNY]

The second beater car is an option but only to save wear and tire items like expensive tires. I don’t think it makes financial sense even if it’s something cheap. After insurance and gas, not mentioning initial buying cost, it’s a wash aside from just putting that extra cash into the primary vehicle. And I really think most cars- gas and diesel- do better when they get driven a ton. I’d also much rather drive a nicely built rig rather than a POS but we’ll see. That can be decided down the line.

 

[Explorerinil]

Have you looked into Nissan Titan XD diesel?

There are relatively cheaper and pretty roomy inside.

Your right that is a good option you don’t see allot of. What steers me clear is the lack of aftermarket support. I have talked to one person with the Nissan Titan cummins and he was happy.

 

[Highlander]

Your right that is a good option you don’t see allot of. What steers me clear is the lack of aftermarket support. I have talked to one person with the Nissan Titan cummins and he was happy.

Yes, basically it got no after market. However it comes with a factory locker. Also, its seats are exceptionally comfortable, which apparently were designed based on a NASA research.

 

[BPD53]

What steers me clear is the lack of aftermarket support.

Not always a bad thing. It’s kinda nice not seeing the same bolt on catalog-flipped mods on the same stuff all the time.

 

[F350joe]

Your right that is a good option you don’t see allot of. What steers me clear is the lack of aftermarket support. I have talked to one person with the Nissan Titan cummins and he was happy.
[/QUOTE]
I agree with you guys on the Nissan. Seems to be a good truck with a great warranty. Don’t know if it’s transferable but that’s a lot of bang for the buck. A new one cost less than a used 6.7 diesel.

 

[Chorky]

Heres some .02 if you haven't made a decision.

If I can make 2 complaints about full timing with a diesel, it's noise and weight. Noise because, well, I'm already down by one ear, and have an older 7.3. So cruising around with the window down isn't really a thing. People turn around when I'm still a mile off... It does get frustrating. Weight is another consideration. I'm pretty heavy all the time. 8K now, but will be 10K easily with my future plans. That does limit you based on road surface and soil type, or road conditions (ice/snow). Lighter is usually better. Being a Jeep guy I'm sure you already know that. But aside form those things, I would still do diesel again (even if I had to convert an older SUV). This is simply because diesel gives you one huge potential option gass doesn't. Diesel heaters (for cold environments).

Some of the arguments here about fuel and cost, and what you actually 'need' in terms of pavement driving. Sure those are considerations to make. Myself, I drive a true 30/70 on/off highway. Maybe even a tad more heavy on the off highway side. Knowing I have the right capability in such remote areas all the time, regardless of road surfacing type, is critical to me. Even if I drove 90% highway. Not saying you need a 20" lift for highway, but you get my drift. Never know when a bridge turns into a ford (low water crossing), or a culvert turns into a 30" deep 4' wide washout, and something happens to prevent backtracking. Personal experience there.... Having a TJ myself, and still recovering from a back injury I also totally understand the comfort aspect. This is super important if one is going to continue enjoying the outdoors with comfort and mobility issues. The key here is to select the vehicle based on what you really want to be doing, but remembering not to go the 'all show no go' route.

One consideration, or rather a compromise, is consider a smaller rig? Maybe not a huge truck, but a SUV of some sort? Something that will still do what you really want to do. To me, if a vehicle won't accomplish what I want to do, even if it's only 10% of the time, but accomplishes the other 90% very well, it is still worthless. But that being said...in my particular case, a SUV would have been able to accomplish what my truck does that I 'need' (with some difficulty), and all of what I 'want'. So maybe some sort of ranking of importance to that 10% needs to be figured. But with this in mind, for me, if I didn't have to tow (live in a trailer), then I wouldn't even have a truck most likely. But instead have a SUV for a smaller footprint on those high elevation roads.

For another bit of info, my dad has had for a year (and 20K some miles) a 2018 Ram diesel. He loves it, even though its frustrating that the dome lights can be operated 20 different ways... If you are only considering new rids, personally I would not go diesel.