There is a very large road construction company in my area that has a very large fleet of pickups, approx. 150 of them.  Most of these pickups are used to get to job sites, bring fuel to road equipment, that sort of thing.  They run these vehicles to approx. 120,000 to 150,000 miles.  They seldom use these pickups to pull a trailer however.  They run all Fords, and most are predominately super duty F250's.  In the past they have run a mix of diesels and gassers.  They keep an excellent history of each and every vehicle, keeping track of any cost associated with that vehicle, all the way down to light bulbs.  Starting this year, they will no longer buy any diesel pickups, because they can't justify the expense of them.  It costs them more per mile driven to have a diesel than it does a gas engine.

I think a diesel is a great engine for pulling a trailer, and if you want one, by all means you should have one.  I think there are many positives to be had by having a diesel such as more power and torque.  I just don't think that you can justify one by claiming you will be money ahead with one, especially if you aren't pulling a trailer constantly.  That's the great thing about the good ole USA; we have a choice of not only different brands, but different power plants to put in them.  In the end, do what is best for you and you alone, because you're the one who has to make the payments. 

It's just a matter of preference, I've done cross country travelling in both Fords & Chevy's.  Personally, I find the interior of the Ford much more comfortable and so does my husband who is 6'4".  Also, in my opinion, the fit and finish in the Ford is nicer than in the Chevy.  Our Fords are 7 and 4 years old, and the exterior and interiors look great.  My sister-in-law's Chevy truck is a year old and already has things breaking on it.  Both side view mirrors are broken, the doors on the passenger side have wind noise (since it was new) so loud it sounds like the window is partly open (the dealer has tried to fix it with no luck).  And lastly, the hinge on the lid for the center console is broken.  My sister doesn't abuse her truck, it's happened under normal use, I wouldn't expect it to happen in a truck so new.

Hey I am no expert but when I go to buy a truck, I buy what I like. If she likes the ford better, even if she thinks the chevy has "wimpy" tires, thats her business. I like nice, well placed cup holders and I am no interior auto designer. My pal has a nice Chevy,slick number it is. She loves it. I have a Ford- I love it. They both do the same job but we just perfer different things about them.

I'm not talking about hearsay, I'm talking about my experience.  When we went looking at diesels in 1999, we looked at all three, Ford, Chevy and Dodge.  We were most impressed with the Ford, that's why we chose that brand, and we've been really happy with both of our trucks.  I agree that you'll find happy and unhappy truck owners no-matter which brand you buy, and that the quality of the big three trucks isn't always what it should be.

you may notice the gmc dmax at the bottom of my sig, but when i had the trailblazer it got 13.5mpg pulling the same trailer.....and it was gas.

Occasional towing only, you'll never make up the initial expense of the diesel/Allison option.  Maintenance is higher on a diesel, and if diesel is more expensive than gasoline in your area then you're really probably better buying a gasoline engine.

NOW, having said that, I prefer towing with a diesel over gas any day.  I owned a '91 F-350 IDI diesel and now own an '06 Ram 3500 diesel WITHOUT an automatic transmission.  Best truck I have ever owned, bar none.  The Dmax/Allison are a great combination but are very expensive, and you'll need to consider rebuild costs on that Allison.  My opinion is that all automatics are getting too technical nowadays, too expensive to rebuild, and manuals are better for pure towing.  Just my opinion.

Get the gas engine, go lightly on the throttle, and enjoy reasonable mpg and lower maintenance costs.

One final thought.  Posts on this topic have mentioned Ford and Chevy, but very little about Dodge.  I come from a 10+ year background of driving Ford trucks, but defected to Dodge when I bought my new truck this month to replace my '91 F350 diesel.  Ford would not make me a good deal on price.  The Ram 3500 I ordered is TIGHT--not a rattle over ANY bump.  I could have gotten out of the dealership for $30,000 even until I started adding options such as side airbags, nav system, Jake brake, tow package, etc.  I'm totally impressed with the quality of the truck and wouldn't feel right if I didn't push it just a little bit.  This ain't your daddy's Dodge... so to say.

My wife's 2000 Silverado was falling apart when I met her in 2003; by this year, the tailgate latch trim had fallen off in my hand, her driver's side mirror had broken from just normal use, her turn signal relay would not shut off, the thing leaked coolant into the engine, and her front end was making noises.  Interior carpet had faded badly, and the seats had broken down.  SO... take the kind words on Chevy trucks with a grain of salt.  ALL the Big 3 have their problems, and you'll just have to 1) take a chance and 2) decide what you can/can't live with.  I'd say the best all-around gas-powered truck would be a Ford.  The quad cab Dodge would be my choice in a diesel--smaller than a crew cab but bigger in the back seat than Ford's extended cab offering.  The $4000 difference in negotiated price between the diesel Ram and the diesel F-350 made my decision relatively easy.

I didn't even consider Chevy due to experiences with my wife's truck and my 2001 Impala LS, which lost its transmission at 40,000 miles (and GM would not step up to help with any of the $3000 replacement cost), then lost its catalytic converter at 41,000 miles, and at 41,500 is starting to need front end work.

 Are you SURE you're getting the same mpg towing and unloaded?  That's the first time I've ever heard that, from ANY diesel pickup owner.  Most folks I know are getting about 12-14 towing 10,000 pounds with their diesels, maybe 20-22 when unloaded on the newer trucks from the Big 3 makers.

I got 12-13 with my '91 F-350 pulling a 30' long 3-horse gooseneck grossed out at 10,000 pounds.  I got 18 on the 800 mile drive home with the brand new Dodge--and that included miles of driving up the Smokies through TN/NC-- but expect 21-22 by the time it is broken in sometime after 20,000 miles.  Mileage has been constantly improving... most other Dodge owners I know are getting 13-14 with trailers anywhere from 10,000 to 14,000 pounds.  The Ford guys seem to be doing about the same.

Reg:

 I said the Chevy 2500 had LESS head room, leg room and the interior was narrower than our Ford F-350. The tires were wimpy, on the Chevy we test drove.  They sure didn't look like they belonged on a 4x4 truck, more like a sedan. The rear seats were like sitting on a stadium bench, not good in my opinion. As far as your "hip room" remark, your probably right. I'm sure you've never had hips in your truck, so you wouldn't know. 

You guys talk about Quiet like it is a good thing.

Boy, where have the real diesel enthusiasts gone.... 

 "I said the Chevy 2500 had LESS head room, leg room and the interior was narrower than our Ford F-350. The tires were wimpy, on the Chevy we test drove.  They sure didn't look like they belonged on a 4x4 truck, more like a sedan. The rear seats were like sitting on a stadium bench, not good in my opinion. As far as your "hip room" remark, your probably right. I'm sure you've never had hips in your truck, so you wouldn't know. " Quote by KYhorseychic

My '04 Dmax has those so-called "wimpy tires" you saw on a Dmax and I have 40,000 miles on them with no problems and I tow a 3 horse slant LQ gooseneck. They are wearing well and still have decent tread on them.  They are rated for towing and I'll probably go the 50,000 miles on them before I replace them with the same.

  P.S. Kyhorsechick,  please send more info on the Ford C.C. you have for sale, if it's a 4x4. I may be, I mean.... I may know someone that is interested!  What color is it?