Diesel 3/4 ton as a daily driver?

[birddog2you]

I'm in the " buy what you want" group. I have an 03 f250 6.0. it's not my only vehicle so it sits for weeks sometimes and then I use it for a mail run approximately 2 miles round-trip. Towing is what I bought it for. Mileage on the truck is 114000 now. Regular maintenance and no issues. I don't baby the truck when I drive it. Again get what you want and drive it!.

[Whitewolf]

Originally Posted by Wild Card

OP your fine, just make sure you take it on the highway once in a while.

I agree. I was in the quandary the OP is currently in back in '14. I went to the dealer and said I wanted to drive a 2500 and a 3500 and I want one of them to be a diesel.

As it turned out the 2500 had the diesel and the 3500 had the gas. The base price difference between the two models was a little over $800. As Cumminsfan pointed out, that made the decision for me. I went with the 3500 diesel. Now I can pull pretty much anything I need to.

I live less than 2 miles from work. Between going to work, bank and home for a late breakfast and home after work, I might have between 5 - 6 miles a day. Now, once a week I make a 30 mile one way trip to the church we attend and make a couple of trips to town about 15 miles away.

We do take long trips every once in a while and tow our camper when we can get away. I let the water temp get over 80 before I take off in the morning.

I HAVE had problems with the catalytic converter and am on my 3rd one. But the dealer tells me it's not from short drives. One fail was from a computer malfunction, and the other was from the Ammonia sensor.

I never know when it regens, I just keep an eye on the DEF gauge and add when it's in the red or when I get a light.

[Mark D]

I have a 2011 F250 lariat diesel and wouldn't trade it for another. Rides great, quiet the works. It warms up quick engine temp is there in 5 miles or less. I do have electric heat also so it does blow warm air by the end of the driveway. I have never had to wait to start or use the glow plugs I live in North West Connecticut. If it caught on Fire today I would go get a new one without shopping aound. I did have a dodge before this one. Great engine but everything else was bad....very bad.... can't speak about GMC I haven't owned a GMC truck.

[ralphie]

Yeah, two miles each way is no good for any engine. Not enough heat, at all, especially with a diesel. Walk or bicycle?

[shane wood]

Just sold a 2007 GMC 3/4 Ton CC 4x4 with 58000 miles on it in 10years and no issues with the engine or tranny

[Army Nurse]

I noticed most of the guys saying the short trips don't matter have pre-DPF/DEF trucks. For them and their pre-emission trucks, I would kind of agree. Others say they had some emissions related issues, but the mechanic said it wasn't related to their short engine run times. I'd have to toss the BS flag at that mechanic.

The newer trucks' exhaust needs to warm up in order to work. Otherwise, it will eventually clog with soot. I know, there is always someone who drives three miles a month and will proudly proclaim their engine and exhaust is as good as the day they drove it home. Give it time...

My last truck was a 2009 Ram 2500 with the 6.7 in it. That engine used a DPF, which can be an issue if used exclusively for short trips described by the OP. I dropped a few bucks on a new exhaust and tuner, and was VERY happy with the result. The performance was amazing, and the economy averaged around 22 mpg when running empty on the highway at 70mph. I sold that truck when I bought the bigger 5th wheel, but I still miss it.

My current truck is a 2014 Ram 3500 dually. DEF and an SCR system is an entirely different animal than the older DPF technology, and it will tolerate more short trips and idle times. At 19 mpg (empty at 65mph), it also gets better mileage than I got with the 2500 when it was stock. However, nothing is without limits. If it weren't so darned expensive, I'd delete this one too.

Bottom line is this... In a perfect world (free of EPA regulations), I'd drive my open turbo-back-exhaust truck whenever I needed to make a lap around the block. In the real world where we have a ton of EPA crap in the way, newer trucks need to warm up a bit to get the SCR to work. Otherwise, you're probably going to have issues.

[birddog2you]

Let's be clear about short trips. First off anyone who just jumps in starts the motor and goes is wrong from the get go. 2 -3 minutes warm up and drive is ok. I have never driven more than a mile after that short warm up until the engine was up to operating temp. Short trips will not hurt the motor and operating temp once attained no matter how short a distance makes no difference to the engine. My 03 6.0 ( bad motor to some) has had zero issues since new. Proper maintenance and operation is the most important parts to a diesel motor. Now go out a drive it like you stole it.

[ajohansson]

I have two 7.3s, An excursion 225k, F350 295k.

not getting a diesel motor up to operating temp over an over or extended low rpm idling can cause "wet stacking", thats why rigs that idle for long periods have a hi idle switch to bring the exhaust temperatures up to avoid coking of the valves. SO like others have said drive it like you stole it and get a some real gauges, EGT, Tranny Temp at a minimum.

Wet Stacking.mp4 - YouTube

[ElvistheKing]

I don't know about the 3/4 Ton pickup part but as to the diesel as a daily driver, 80% of Europe use diesel cars (ish) as their daily drivers and seem to manage fine........

[wandering1]

Its not a bad idea at all. I drove a 3/4 ton diesel to work and back for 15 years. Those that have never had a 3/4 ton diesel daily driver dont have a clue.

[Scratch]

I sure miss the ole F-150 when it comes to everyday driving & parking ease, but otherwise, the F-250 performs quite nicely as a daily driver. It's those doggone tiny crowded parking lots that chap my hide...