“At what point will you give up your Cummin’s, Powerstroke or GMC?  The average cost of the diesel engine upgrade to a 2500 or 3500 is now $6500.00 The Diesel engine warranties are up to 100K with most manufacturers, same as a gas engine. Toyota comes this fall with their own Diesel, no pricing yet, but speculation is under $50k for their largest, most loaded, 4wd. Diesel (ULSF) fuel is now an average of .10-.15 higher per gallon, in 75% of the country.(Cummin’s burns bio-diesel and corn/frying fat, but good luck finding it at the corner pump. The future of bio-diesel may include some species of algae which are ideally suited to biodiesel production due to their high oil content (some well over 50% oil), and extremely fast growth rates. Algae farms would let us supply enough biodiesel to completely replace petroleum as a transportation fuel in the US.) Yes, there are many who swear the engines last longer, Cummin’s 1/3rd less moving parts, GMC/Ford say theirs are quieter due to smoother internal component movement. BUT REALLY, isn’t the total operating expense including fuel, insurance, registration and service over the life of the vehicle, what drives our buying (or not) decision?  OR, is it the HP? Torque? Design? What’s going to make your next truck buying decision?                               Love to hear from you. Sarah lee… MYCARLADY.com]]>