[360ci]

No more diesels for me. My experience are modern diesels are unreliable, expensive junk due to the emissions standards. Any fuel savings will go out the door from repair costs plus the initial purchase price.

My uncle, a diesel mechanic for over 40 years, repeats the same thing. Stay away from diesel trucks.

This. Plus, I service many properties close together, 4 on one block for instance so the constant start/stop cycles are hard enough on a gas engine, even worse on a diesel that relies on certain operating temp for max efficiency and fewer problems. The only plus with the 6.6 diesel is the 10 speed automatic. I hear it's great on the mpg front but for $10k+ up front purchase price over the 6.6 gas with the tried and true 6 speed auto the diesel is a hard sell if you don't pull more than a few tons.

 

[360ci]

6.6 gas over diesel for sure if you don't plan to tow more than a few tons regularly. The 6.6 is incomparable to the 6.0 that preceded it. The new 6.6 gas has direct injection, may need more frequent oil changes, etc, and the 6 speed auto is a proven design. In back to back testing with a Ford 7.3 gas with the 10 speed both trucks were nearly identical in MPG under the same load.

For me, I have clients that are close to one another for regular weekly service. On one block I have 4, and another block I have 3, etc. The truck is only running for a minute or less at times which isn't good for any engine, and especially bad for a diesel, so gas engine is the best option for me in terms of long term ownership/durability.

The Ford 6.2 is nearing the end of it's lifecycle for emissions, but is a solid engine and comes with a 10 speed auto in the F350, but only a 6 speed in the F250. I have a Ram now but will probably go GM next. HEMI maintenance is the highest of all the gas V8's. Copper core spark plugs that need replacing every 40k - 16 spark plugs! I was lucky to have an extended warranty as I had problems every other year with the exhaust manifolds coming loose from the block which saved $1600 each time thanks to the warranty. Only have 178k kms on the truck now and it's ten years old. Had a head gasket done at 168k kms and extended warranty covered that at $2500.08 CAD. Reliability is one thing, down time is another. I'm religious with fluid change times and the like.