I've owned and/or driven a lot of different pickups over the years. I still love my diesel, but like with everything else it comes with its own drawbacks. The cost of oil changes and fuel additives is not trivial, nor is it in the significant figures of total vehicle ownership costs. I have 109k on my 2009 F250 and outside of a couple of radiator hoses it hasn't cost me boo in repairs yet, so maybe I should dump it sooner, rather than later. Granted, that $99 air filter sucked.
The biggest advantage to having a diesel is still there in that it's a pleasure to drive when pulling something, for hunting or a commuter I would take the gas driven, smoother riding half ton pickup any day of the week and twice on Sundays! However, even for pulling my modest Lund Fisherman, I'd take the diesel despite all the raving about how the new half ton gas trucks pull. It's superior for pulling, period.
Do I need a 3/4 ton for pulling my boat, or my boat + camper, or for hunting? Maybe, maybe not, I guess I'm a poser to some when they see me out at the grocery store in it. Who gives a crap though, do you really want me to sit in judgment of if you need that Swarovski spotting scope or Kimber rifle when I can spot and kill things with my Nikons and S&W 1500? Probably not, it's neither of our damn business what grade of tool the others use.
SDMF is spot on though, it's a 20 minute drive from home to work for me and I rarely take the pickup. It is just getting heated up to normal operating temp when I get to the office. I've several times over the years had to take a spin around the country block to finish a DPF regeneration cycle. That pisses a guy off! I wish they'd install a feature to let a person push a button to regen. I seem to often hit a regen cycle the day AFTER coming home from a long trip when I'm merely on my way to Menards, and it won't do a regen cycle on that trip without taking the scenic route.
