If you are thinking about purchasing a new or used pickup truck with a diesel power plant then there are some things you need to be aware of. The advantages of the diesel engine are numerous. It burns considerably less fuel than a gasoline engine doing the same work. It has no ignition system to attend to. It can deliver much more of its rated horsepower on a continuous basis than can a gasoline engine. It's fuel economy is greater than gas powered trucks of the same size and make. In fact some Dodge truck owners with the Cummins diesel are reporting 22 - plus mpg highway. The same trucks with gasoline engines are turning in around 14 - 16 mpg highway. With the cost of gasoline and diesel almost the same you cannot underestimate this advantage.

Planning to haul a trailer or a boat? This is here a diesel engine really comes into its own. The typical Ford F250 / Chevy 2500 three-quarter ton trucks with diesel power plants can pull four tons with ease, yet fuel economy barely suffers. The same trucks with gasoline engines experience fuel economy dropping by half or worse. Also if you plan to do alot of hauling keep in mind a diesel holds up better than a gas motor. In fact a gasoline engine's life span decreases exponentially while pulling heavy loads for extended periods of time while a diesel is hardly affected.

Todays diesel also enjoy much improved performance in the area of driveability. No more do you step on the accelerator an wait for the engine to wind up. Todays PowerStrokes, Duramax and Cummins diesels have plenty of get up and go right off the line. Merging with traffic is no longer the white knuckle experience it used to be.

Some disadvantages to diesel engines are that they're very heavy for the horsepower they produce, and their initial cost is much higher than a comparable gasoline engine. Repairs cost more, but diesel generally require fewer repairs than gasoline engines. Where you purchase the truck has some bearing too. Diesel powered pickup trucks bought in Florida and other parts of the south for example generally hold up better than those purchased in the harsher northern climates.