chsu74

Hi Everyone,

Love the forum and content. I am looking to buy my wife an used certified GL to replace the family truck. While looking at the price between the 320 diesel and 450, there is about an average of $10,000 difference in the 07 to 08 models.

If you compare the cost of fuel to run both of these vehicles, $10,000 would buy you an extra tank of gas every month for 8.3 years provided that every fill up is around $100.

What would the market value of a GL 450 vs GL 320 be after the 8 years? The two trucks' values would narrow between the two engines but by how much? I am trying to justify buying the diesel but the numbers seems to be leaning in favor of the GL 450. Maintenance cost advantage in the diesel engine vs gas perhaps?

I also have a good indy that will be working on the truck after the warranty runs out.

Thoughts?

Fourdiesel

Since no one really knows what the used truck value will be in 8 years, the only way to get an idea (and this is far from perfect) is to compare the value of an 8 year old MERCEDES (any model) diesel with the same model 8 yr old gas powered vehicle. Use that ratio (diesel $ divided by gasser $) as a multiplier in your current calculation. Mercedes diesels have always been popular - even in the older car markets - because the engines have always been strong and reliable. Also because Mercedes is virtually the only manufacturer with a LONG history of producing diesels for the US market.

chsu74

^ Good point. I looked up the E320CDI vs E320 value of 05 and 06s as indicators. The spread of $10,000 still applies to low mileage 4-5 year old examples. However, high mileage examples have a $5,000 spread.

Max Blast

I think at that point a higher mileage diesel will have more life left in it vice a higher mileage petrol version and be the better buy. Buying a diesel won't make financial sense unless you plan on keeping the car a long time. You can probably get a new 450 for about 5k less than a new 350 but I refuse to live with a car that returns mid teen mpg figures.

lkchris

The diesel burns cheaper fuel and less of it without doubt, but it sure gets a lot more fuel filter changes. (The GL450 requires premium.) Spark plugs, of course, are only changed at 100K mile intervals.

I wouldn't expect less maintenance with the diesel and your "indy" better be really good, as this diesel is far and away the most technically sophisticated engine sold in the USA with the possible exception of the BMW diesel. No turbo on the GL450 and no 25,000 PSI fuel pump and certainly not piezoelectric injectors. No diesel particulate filter, either.

8 years is a long way out, but tradition would suggest the diesel will hold its value better. That depends a lot on their reliability, however, which, frankly is unproven at this point. I say unproven because this diesel has almost nothing in common with diesels of, say, the 1990s and earlier. May be a new "tradition" coming, that is.

43221B

Your question is tough to answer because I think you would need to know what the price of oil will be when you go to sell your GL. If oil goes over let's say $120/barrel, your diesel GL will be worth a lot more than if the price stays under $100/barrel. I know that probably doesn't help you a whole lot but IMHO, I think that is what it comes down to. Keep in mind, the cost of diesel has been higher lately than it traditionally has been when compared to reg unleaded in part due to the change over to ultra low sulfer diesel (I know there are other reasons). Later this year, all diesel pumps for highway vehicles will be ultra low sulfer diesel. I'm betting that change over will drive the price down further as the supply chain will be streamlined for distributors and retailers.

BJ021

But you need to compare to premium in this case as the 450 requires it. Right now diesel is cheaper than premium where I live...which results in large mpg savings.

I have not seen a pump yet that has not been converted to ULSD. It started in 2007 and is mandatory this year...most pumps have already done it as demand was high.

43221B

I agree, I was just using reg unleaded as a reference for the price of gas in general. I think there will be a greater demand for all types of diesel vehicles if the price of oil rises and diesel doesn't rise at a faster pace than unleaded. I think it is conceivable that you would have buyers looking to own aa GL320 that otherwise would be buying a domestic suv simply because of the fuel savings or because the fuel savings would offset some of the maintenance costs.

I was at a truck stop a couple months ago to purchase DEF and half of the truck pumps were still LSD. They might have been converted since, I just know that the epa mandate is later this year. I agree though, I have yet to see a pump at a retail station dispensing LSD.

Fourdiesel

Just because a pump is still labeled LSD doesn't necessarily mean it doesn't dispense ULSD. The EPA website identifies labeling errors as something that requires improvement although they found NONE where LSD was being dispensed from a ULSD labeled pump.

scottybdiving

The fuel distributor where we buy our off-road diesel has had nothing but ULSD since 2007. I called them a couple years ago and they said it was not feasible to stock both. They supply a good portion of the diesel in this area.

43221B

I'm not sure if I'm really disagreeing (if so, it's friendly) with anyone here because I'm sure that whatever part of the country you're in, your experiences are accurate but, there are still many truck stops selling LSD and ULSD. I have heard that at a few, even the retail pumps have both LSD and ULSD so you still need to be careful if you stop at one. At the truck stops that I have seen that are still selling LSD, the majority of their truck pumps are LSD. It is cheaper.

http://pilottravelcenters.com/Locati...DieselType=All

StevethePilot

It's clear you are right, and not that I ever trust Wikipedia, but in this article they seem to imply that ULSD is a requirement (scroll down to "North America"/"United States") by December 1, 2010, for all on-the-road use, and that LSD (500ppm) could only be used in some certain applications with termination dates kind of all over the map. Did truckers get some kind of stay of the rules, I wonder?

43221B

I believe that it is illegal (not to mention damaging) for any truck, commercial or not, manufactured in model year 2007 or later to use LSD per the EPA. 2006 and earlier trucks are allowed to use LSD until December of this year as you mentioned (some states including CA are exceptions and had earlier deadlines). From your Wikipedia article, it appears that refiners are still allowed to produce 20% LSD until December 1, 2010. I would assume that fuel is primarily going to all the 2006 and earlier trucks out on the freeways. Hopefully for all of us diesel users, when that 20% LSD is out of the system, the price will drop. Still though, it shouldn't drop more than the current price of LSD as ULSD is more expensive to refine and requires additives to improve lubricity.