Oh the diesel limp mode problem is really not very common at all. In all seriousness, you want to weigh up what you'd like to spend on fuel, combined with what you'd like to do with the car.
If you want more mileage from your tank, OR if you want to do water crossings, then the diesel is it. Both petrol and diesel can tow, the petrol has more torque but develops it at higher revs so that's a tradeoff. Petrol service costs are less - the diesel does cost more to service, and parts are more expensive too (example: diesel fuel pump (and just the pump) is about $4,000 and the petrol would be a couple of hundred dollars tops). These components don't often fail though - so budgeting in one fuel pump a year is going to skew the results in favour of the petrol engine unfairly.
I've got a diesel - had it since new, for just over 4 years now. Apart from the diesel clatter (sometimes have to turn off the engine when ordering food at a drive-thru) the car's been superb. Ended up with a surprise creek flooding one day, had the car in the middle bonnet-deep and on she went, didn't miss a beat. I wouldn't do that in a petrol even if I'd prepared the engine, because faults happen and the last thing I'd want is a short from a HT lead while the car's immersed - it's bye-bye car.
In the end though, it's your call. If you don't want to do water crossings (or deep mud puddles) and you don't mind the extra fuel bill, the petrol might be the car for you. Aussie Frontier has one and swears by it - they are NOT a bad car. There's just some things you can't do with them. With the diesel, you'll spend more on maintaining it, but you'll do more with it too.
