in general flex fuel is cleaner for the environment, but does it povide better gas mileage and do you lose engine power ? I'm looking at buying a 2004 Dodge Ram V-8 pick up

the main benefits are that it helps the farmers and it is usually cheaper than regular gas- the down side is you lose 15-20% fuel economy and your car needs to be equipped from the factory specifically to run ethanol- otherwise it will turn on all your emissions lights on the dash and rot your fuel lines out from the inside out. If the price isn't at least 40cents per gallon cheaper, you are better off running regular fuel. the cost of all our food has been going up because corn that was used for cattle feed, and various food products is now being used for ethanol, so more farmers plant corn and not wheat or other things we need for food, thereby driving up prices (supply and demand). I hope this helps.

Buying a gas powered pickup is in general bad for the environment, for the power they make they dont get any fuel mileage. I drive a 05 ram 3500 cummins turbo diesel i get 18 around town and almost 28 mpg on the highway, all while making a dyno proven 700hp. if you want to be good for the environment, a proper diesel engine gets better fuel mileage (i do double the mpg highway and city than my moms hemi durango) they last longer, and run much cleaner.... on the other hand theres nothing to gain with flex fuel and only things to lose, E85 has only 75,000 BTU's of heat compare that to 123,000 BTUs of heat in gasoline and upwards of 140,000 BTU's in diesel fuel. the more BTU's of energy the better the economy, and better the power potential of the vehicle. Also ethanol in the gasoline attracts water, and causes the fuel to break down. your typical gallon of straight run gasoline has a shelf life of nearly 3 months in a proper container, while E10 (the new gasoline used across the country) has a shelf life of roughly 2 weeks before it begins to break down into inert (non usuable) compounds.