I'm looking at a new 2500. Love it and was set to purchase the 6.4 but was crunching the numbers and am having second thoughts on engine choice. I live in bizarro world ware diesel is always .50 cents cheaper than gas. I would save $20 a week assuming a 12 vs 16 mpg. I love diesels and the fuel savings help offset cost plus the increased resale. One caveat of my micro-enviorment is I never drive over 50mph. I don't tow often but want payload capacity. I know diesels excel in longer commutes. I mostly drive 5-15 miles, never really getting engine to temp. I worry that I could have emission issues under these circumstances. Looking for some opinions.
I've owned a 2007 Chevy 2500 Diesel, a 2012 2500 Dodge Diesel, a 2014 3500 diesel and now a new 2014 2500 diesel. If you want a suggestion, don't buy one. Not saying their bad ~ I love all that I've owned. I say it because of the way you drive. A diesel is not designed for a DD, their designed to work them as hard as you can.
You are correct. You will have emission problems by "lugging" the engine at your slow driving speeds. Additionally at those speeds, your mileage is going to suffer so their goes any savings on fuel. Where I live now, diesel is going for $3.95 a gallon. Try filling up a 32 gallon tank and see where that leaves your bank account.
Also factor in the UREA. At my dealer it costs me $11.95 a gallon. Cheaper though if you get it at truck stops. When the UREA tank reads half full you are to add 2 1/2 gallons. However the way your driving habits are, I doubt seriously if you will have to fill that tank up to often. Basic rule is open road, towing, you refill around 1,000 miles.
The owners manual states there is really no "break-in" on the engine. So with each diesel I bought, I hooked up my 32' travel trailer and ran it up and down mountain passes and by no means did I baby it.
Your mileage will be poor until you get about 20,000 miles on the truck. By then you should be running in the range of 17-18 mpg. Maybe a tad more - tad less.
Based on what I have read, towing ~ you might be replacing the tranny at around 120,000 miles. And again, that will vary.
You will have three (3) filters to change and they don't run cheap.
Payload capacity? You will need to be hauling a very large load and quite often to justify buying a diesel just for that.
Needless to say, exterior and interior Dodge trucks can't be beat. The workmanship that goes into them has, for the most part, surpassed other diesel trucks on the market. It's more like driving a car. You have your "jake break" to slow you down while towing a trailer and going down a mountain. You havee the six or eight speed manual shifter which is also great for slowing the truck down or helping you get up mountains.
I can sit here and list many more good things about a diesel. However, having owned what I have, my recommendation to you is to buy a gas 2500
Yes, I owned one of those if I remember correctly lol.
It would be your choice but don't get the long bed diesel or even the long bed gas 2500. As sit was posted on here, you'll have a real ball trying to pull one of those into a shopping center parking space.
My current 2500 is a short bed and I love every short inch on it. I can rip through the corners, running with TOYO tires and it again feels as if you are driving a car. Then again, you might get the same feeling with a gas truck. Diesels are heavy and just my opinion, that's why they corner so good and ride really smooth.
MODS? You can trick out a diesel just as well as you can a gas truck but it's going to cost you a lot more.
Diesels have to be warmed up before starting and there is a cooling down period depending on how you drive it ~ hauling, towing or just regular driving. And you want to cool it down!
My 2500 sits in my shop with a engine warmer plugged into it when the temp's get to low. My DD is my 2014 Rubicon. However, don't let a diesel sit there. I take mine out of the shop once or twice a week and have a certain road I take and just blow the crap out of it which keeps interrnal parts lubed.
Well I see I done it again ~ my usual rambling. Sorry about that! But seriously, for what you want and your driving habits, please go with the 2500 gas truck. There is just a lot more maintenance on a diesel vs a gas truck and that equates more money.
Good luck. Either way you are buying a "Dodge."
P.S. Take a 2500 6.7 for a test drive. NO, don't just drive it four or five miles. Tell the salesman you are going to be darn sure you will like the truck. With 370 hp and 850 lbs torque, it will throw you back into the seat. But don't let little things like that be your deciding factor in buying it lol
Okay I said there was an awful lot of information on this forum. However I see that I need to engage brain before letting fingers do the talking. 
