Lets talk Duramax's

[DRAGOONRANCH]

I am in the market for a Dmax myself, but have to sell the ford first. I will be looking for a new cc dually though (a direct replacement for the ford but w/ the 6spd manual). Let me know who you end up talkin to, I have a few places to start and would prefer to go local for service reasons, but as always, cash talks.

[Graystroke]

I don't think you'll save much in fuel cost it takes lots of miles to make up the initial price difference....do the math the only reason to do it is for the extra towing power

[agjohn02]

The 6.0 gets 12-13 mpg empty and I dont know what it gets towing, I imagine its similar to my current crewcab (98 with vortec 454) at 7-8 mpg.

bingo! 15.5 mpg on the highway if you drive like a grandma.

[davido]

I have a friend that just sold a (I think) '04 Chevy 1/2 ton CC 4x4 and bought a '03 Chevy DMax/Allison (I think 4x4) for $23k, only $1500 more than he sold his 1/2 ton for. He said it tows 8k better than the old one did 3k. I love mine. Diesel has been considerably more expensive lately (20%+).

[davido]

If you're buying new, I would recommend Tom Ezel at Tom Light. The guys at the dealership in downtown Houston were also great. Starts with a K I think. No haggle, no games, great pricing.

[eight]

Yea you have to remember the price of diesel is even with or higher than premium gas now. And I'd expect it to go up with the new year, and the winter price increase hasn't hit yet (yankee heating oil competes with diesel). As for price, they're about like anything else in that year range and diesel. $10-28K. Try Eagle Diesel in San Antonio. They have auction trucks and sell them cheap. Just don't believe them when they tell you the truck is in perfect condition, they say that on all of them, so are, most arent.

[JB]

If you're buying new, I would recommend Tom Ezel at Tom Light. The guys at the dealership in downtown Houston were also great. Starts with a K I think. No haggle, no games, great pricing.

Knapp....went to highschool with his son....good people

[fbronco86]

I find this pricing very hard to believe, maybe for a gasser i doubt you could get into a used one for that much.

Lets just say I made more than 5k when my truck got wrecked. This lady gives good deals on trucks.

[jerryg79]

Let's just say invoice on that truck with no options is $35k.

[AgDieseler]

01-03 LB7 Duramax is an awesome engine. There aren't flaws to avoid in hard components, but rather subtle changes of which you may want to take note.

Some 01s and 02s had issues with busy downshifting from 5th to 4th when towing. The problem was fixed in 03. Previous years can have new programming uploaded. This was the problem with Higg's 01. A free trip to the dealer is the fix.

A few 01s had issues with injector grounding, but 02+ got the fix.

California emissions gets you a cat = soot trap.
04.5+ LLY Duramax has an EGR with a cat - no bueno.
2500 HD comes with 245 tires; 3500 come with 265s
03+ have a cool center console
Bose sound is awesome
ZF6 speed manual is a good tranny, but is nowhere near as strong or as capable the Allison
The leather is real nice.

My opinion on the best deal is exactly what Dave O and I have - 03 2500 HD crew cab short bed. You get all the significant benefits of the later model upgrades without any of the pesky little problems common in earlier year models.

That's all I can think of for now. Like anything else, look for low miles, right color, and the right interior.

Our truck:
http://www.oliverdiesel.com/vehicles/dmax.htm

..

[Graystroke]

only down side to short boxes is tank capacity(and that you loose 2 ft worth of bed)...what is it 24 gal? the long beds get a 34 gal I believe

[davido]

That has only been a problem on long trips. Otherwise I go over a week, often two, without filling up. Even with a heavy trailer, it has usually been enough as long as I'm diligent about filling up every 2 - 3 of hours (when I'm ready to stop anyway). The worst part about that whole thing is that the gauge is not accurate when towing and the low fuel warning light leaves much to be desired. I still don't know why it acts to weird. Sometimes when I'm empty I can run it down to the bottom side of the red. This last time in CO, I ran out with it showing 1/8 still. Sometimes the light doesn't even come on. I don't get it. I've just resorted to carrying two extra diesel cans when I travel with a load. The frequency of me running out of fuel has more to do with my procrastination habit than the carrying capacity of the truck. I don't tow enough to get used to how fast the last 1/4 of the tank burns off. Combined with lack of planning, it often catches me off guard. For every time I've ran out, I've had 10 close calls, often empty.

As a long term report, I have almost 70k on mine (not that much for a 2003 I know) and have had very little in the way of problems. One door handle spring. Zero problems with engine parts or accessories (injectors, pumps, alternator, etc.). A 4x4 servo in the first 300 miles. The batteries lasted just short of 3 years (not quite as long as I would have hoped). The oddest and most severe issue is that both front wheel bearings went out. Evidently they're expensive, but the extended warranty covered them. Although the mileage is not what I hoped, I would buy one again. Oddly enough I got 19.3 MPG doing 75+ (on my speedo) from Austin to Houston on Sunday. I was cookin' for over an hour down 290. Still by far the most comfortable truck I've driven or riden in.

[Graystroke]

yeah, my Dad has over 80k on his '04 and has had zero problems except for a recall on the seatbelts in the back seat. Something really minor that had to do w/ child seats or something. He's gotten as much as 21 MPG in his but I think he avgs 16-18 mpg

[davido]

There was a loop in the seat that I think some people were attaching baby seats to. All they did at the dealer for the recall was sew it closed with some fishing line.

[Graystroke]

ask jimmy and fred about their first diesel ownership experience way back when......funny!