Anybody know about used trucks?

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 10:29 am

The GMC/Chevy 1500 or 2500 has a flip up console between the seats. I have both models and both could carry 6 people. The 5.3 v8 in the 1500 are pretty much bullet proof with nearly 20mpg. The 2500 6.0 gas motor is also pretty well bullet proof with slightly less miles per gallon, but still think a 6.0 will get 16mpg. The 6.0 gas motor in the 2500 P/u has got some great pulling power as well for its displacement.

jimbo&rooster · Post by **jimbo&rooster** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:00 am

to the OP if all you are after is room and that is why you are considering the 3/4 ton truck I would probly look another direction. Especially if you are only looking to haul 4H critters around for a couple of weeks out of the year.

I have ridden in most of the 4dr half ton offerings from the big three as well as toyota, and they are all fairly comfy, and will more than haul a couple head of beef to the fairgrounds. Unless a person has a need for a 3/4ton truck it is really hard to justify the added cost of maintenance and the limited fuel mileage that is generally associated with the bigger gas trucks. I have owned a couple of 3/4ton gassers a dodge with a 5.9 and a chevy with a 6.0 and neither one ever topped 11mpg and it got sufficiently worse as soon as you hooked a trailer. both were 4.10 trucks.

Jim

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:42 am

mcbosco wrote:Yes, it is a unibody vehicle but so what. It is rated for 5,000lbs. A Camry has a 1,000lb tow rating.

The OP's needs seem pretty modest as stated. That is my point.

Sorry, I missed your point when you said that the Ridgeline towing capacity was pretty close to the F150, when my f150 can pull roughly twice what the Ridgeline can pull. There is a 4000# difference between the Camry and the Ridgline, and a 4500# difference between the Ridgeline and my f150. That was my point.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 11:58 am

The 6.0 in the gm 2500's gets significantly better than 11, most have 3.73 gears. Ive got two friends with them and 15-16 is the norm.

JakeDD · Post by **JakeDD** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:06 pm

birddog1968 wrote:The 6.0 in the gm 2500's gets significantly better than 11, most have 3.73 gears. Ive got two friends with them and 15-16 is the norm.

This depends on what year the truck was made. I had an '02 2500HD with a 6.0/4.10 combo. 12mpg whether I drove 85 or 55. When they went to Active Fuel Mgmt (AFM) in 2007 (I believe) and changed gearing, mileage jumped considerably to 16-18.

dog dr · Post by **dog dr** » Thu Aug 18, 2011 12:20 pm

jimbo&rooster wrote:to the OP if all you are after is room and that is why you are considering the 3/4 ton truck I would probly look another direction. Especially if you are only looking to haul 4H critters around for a couple of weeks out of the year.
Jim

i always have some kind of project going throughout the year that i wish i had a pick-up for, so it will get used regularly. but the wife is always concerned with how much room they have. she likes my brothers Toyota because of that.

deke · Post by **deke** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 12:55 pm

Where are all the duramax fans. Our duramax's tow anything and everything we put behind them, and get better mileage than dodge or ford. Plus, the dogs love leather heated seats in the winter. You cant go wrong with an allison tranny either.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 1:20 pm

I been biting my lip deke

....since the OP didnt ask about GM diesel.

dog dr · Post by **dog dr** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:27 pm

birddog1968 wrote:I been biting my lip deke ....since the OP didnt ask about GM diesel.

hey, i am open to any suggestions. i dont care what it says on the tailgate, i just need a crew cab that can tow somehing and wont kill me on gas mileage.

Post by **kninebirddog** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 2:51 pm

For room the ford is hard to beat but stay away from 05 & 06...for hauling min the 250 the 350 is better

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:03 pm

birddog1968 wrote:
Ahumphers91a wrote: Oh, and a 2500 or 3/4 ton isn't that great for hauling realy heavy stuff, obviously its better than a half ton but a 1ton or 3500 with a diesel would be best for that.
Really? I regularly tow a 12,000 lb bumper pull TT with a 1000 lb dog box in the bed. A 2500 (mines a GMC) will tow 15,500 lbs + off the gooseneck/5th wheel, think the newer ones are up to nearly 20,000 off a gooseneck.

Yes a dually will tow more but to say a 3/4 ton isn't that great for hauling heavy stuff isn't quite accurate. A SRW 3500 is only rated for 600 more lbs GVWR.

I also get 20+ mpg in the 2500, not gonna touch that with a dually. Heck i doubt the Toyota trucks get that per gallon.

Not saying it won't tow, just saying 3/4 tons and anything for that matter with continuous towing will wear out say the wheel bearings considerably more than say a 1 Ton. I and my father have towed accross the united states racing sprint cars with 30'+ trailers loaded down, trust me, you will be kicking yourself when you have a wheel bearing or something to that extent go on you when you could have spent a little extra and bought a 1 Ton which is more stout and take more punishment.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:07 pm

dog dr wrote:
birddog1968 wrote:I been biting my lip deke ....since the OP didnt ask about GM diesel.
hey, i am open to any suggestions. i dont care what it says on the tailgate, i just need a crew cab that can tow somehing and wont kill me on gas mileage.

hard to beat the Duramax's after 06 (The 1st generation (01-05) had some injector issues). 20+ mpg and will run till you drop, literally if your over 50

The GMC/Chevys seem to ride nicer IMHO. The 08's thu new are just plain awesome trucks, again IMHO. Might be worth just stopping by a dealer with a used one for a test fit/drive.

The 11 Fords have a new diesel and i drove a friend to buy one today, 6.7 l , sounded nice!!! and quiet. Time will tell if thats a good motor but the truck was very nice, Just so doesn't seem like im too bias. I do like my Dmax, pushin 23mpg long open highway driving tho....

Not had any wheel bearing trouble....I did change them at 175,000 when i did my brakes, preventative maintenance is a wonder thing, wheel bearings were 40 bucks, no brainer.

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:12 pm

The problem with GM is who want's stock in Gov't Motors

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:14 pm

can we all say "Cummins"

Inline cylinders equal more Torque....

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:15 pm

NO WE CAN'T

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:17 pm

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:NO WE CAN'T

LMAO

markj · Post by **markj** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:32 pm

can we all say "Cummins" Inline cylinders equal more Torque....

Haha, fords v6 eco boost has it beat, watch the torture test on you tube and I have put 300 thousand miles on a dodge too

Prairie Hunter · Post by **Prairie Hunter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:36 pm

If you are planning a lot of towing in the future, I would go with a ¾-ton pickup. That eliminates Toyota, Honda & Nissan. Even if I was towing with a ½-ton, I wouldn’t pick Honda or Nissan. They just aren’t built for that kind of work. As far as engines, diesels definitely have the advantage for towing. My choice would be a Chevy or GMC with a Duramax. They get the best fuel economy, and they’re durable. Plus, they are mated to Allison Transmissions, which is the best performing, toughest trans on the market. If you’re only doing occasional towing, I would stick to a V8, unless I could get a good price on a diesel truck.

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:37 pm

markj wrote:
can we all say "Cummins" Inline cylinders equal more Torque....
Haha, fords v6 eco boost has it beat, watch the torture test on you tube and I have put 300 thousand miles on a dodge too

3000 or 300,000....I have put 350,000 on my 1996 12 valve. Sold it, still runs like a champ. still gets about 24mpg in town i was told and goes just a hair over 500 miles per tank 32 gal!

Prairie Hunter · Post by **Prairie Hunter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:39 pm

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:The problem with GM is who want's stock in Gov't Motors

I do. A great truck is a great truck whether the Gov. owns a piece of the company or not.

dog dr · Post by **dog dr** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:41 pm

how many miles is a duramax diesel engine good for?? found a 230,000 mile GMC Sierra that has had a 100,000 mile motor put into it. new tires, brakes, shocks, ball jts.

deke · Post by **deke** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:45 pm

problem with cummins is the tranny. Dont get me wrong i used to drive a 99 cummins but was manual. Now if you wanna spend some cash stick a allison in a dodge, that is the way to go. Or i guess you could drop a cummins in your chev.

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:46 pm

Yep I'm sure some people will BUY Anything the Gov't is selling.

Prairie Hunter · Post by **Prairie Hunter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:56 pm

dog dr wrote:how many miles is a duramax diesel engine good for?? found a 230,000 mile GMC Sierra that has had a 100,000 mile motor put into it. new tires, brakes, shocks, ball jts.

I've seen them go 250k miles in commercial work vehicles. Most fleets will not consider getting rid of them before 200k miles. What year is the motor?

Prairie Hunter · Post by **Prairie Hunter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:59 pm

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:Yep I'm sure some people will BUY Anything the Gov't is selling.

I'm more concerned with buying a quality truck that will perform and last. The rest of that Gov. Motors crap is, well, just crap to me.

Ahumphers91a · Post by **Ahumphers91a** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:07 pm

If I were to put a truck together, I would put a cummins with an allison and ford ruuning gear (chassis etc.)

nj gsp · Post by **nj gsp** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 5:23 pm

When it comes to trucks, buy American. You couldn't pay me to own an Asian car or truck, especially a Toyota. Now that Fiat owns Chrysler I wouldn't buy a Dodge anymore either. Yes the US government own a piece of GM, but that means WE own GM - it's OUR company. I have lots of friends who are very happy with their Fords too. I own an '02 Duramax 2500 HD, bought it new, and I have 170,000 miles on it. I get 16 mpg driving around town and 19-22 MPG highway, and that's with BFG's two sizes over stock, leveling kit, and +65 hp performance tune with tire size correction programmed in the computer. I can tow anything I want with it, and yes if you are towing anything over 5000 pounds with any regularity a diesel is best.

Dog Dr.: if you like the truck, it's clean, and a mechanic checks it out and says it's OK, then look on some of the auto trader websites and dealerships to see what they are going for and use your best judgement to make an offer. I'd bet there's a lot of wiggle room in the price. Offer the seller what you think it's worth and are comfortable paying, and if the seller doesn't like your offer walk away. Plenty of used trucks out there.

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:08 pm

Ahumphers91a wrote:
still gets about 24mpg in town i was told and goes just a hair over 500 miles per tank 32 gal!

That comes out to about 768 miles per tank......

I get hand calculated average of 19 or so urban highway/city(22 open road) and am happy if i get 600 miles per 32 gallon tank......

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 6:15 pm

Duramax: 250,000 miles
Power stroke: 300,000miles
Cummins: 400,000 miles although there is a million mile club and a 500,ooo mile club.

nj gsp · Post by **nj gsp** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:37 pm

Ruffshooter's post got me wondering about what I can expect from my Chevy. So I did some poking about and found "What mileage can I expect from my (truck name here)" seems to be a fairly popular question to ask, and plenty of people on various discussion forums say they have over 250K on their Duramax without problems. I found this too: http://www.thedieselpage.com/duramax/750kduramaxc.htm

There is also plenty of commentary on the web affirming that Cummins is one of the longest lasting diesel engines made.

Prairie Hunter · Post by **Prairie Hunter** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:48 pm

I know you're not looking to buy a new pickup, but here are some of the reasons I would buy Chevy or GMC if I were going to buy a new one:

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/11/ch ... ckies.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uyuo2nBUBus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksvZDSXq ... re=related

jimbo&rooster · Post by **jimbo&rooster** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 7:49 pm

[quote="deke"]problem with cummins is the tranny. Dont get me wrong i used to drive a 99 cummins but was manual. Now if you wanna spend some cash stick a allison in a dodge, that is the way to go. Or i guess you could drop a cummins in your chev.[/quot

You can be sure that the allison isnt a whole ton better than the trans that they put in the dodges, or fords. Anybody who disagrees hasnt been around very many HOT diesels. Any of them in stock trim will last forever if treated right. You dont have to put much added power behind a stock one of any of them to gut a trans.

Dollar for dollar the dodge trucks can be bought a little cheaper than the fords with the chevys/GMs being a little higher yet. My next one will be bout an 05 chevy 2500 DMax with a manual behind it.

JIm

gotpointers · Post by **gotpointers** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 8:42 pm

In our area kbb value is a dreamland price. Not even a dealer can get that. Nada.com is very accurate even for older stuff. Phoenex is a good place to buy cars. It would be well worth a plane ticket to and drive it home.

Vision · Post by **Vision** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 9:15 pm

nj gsp wrote:When it comes to trucks, buy American. You couldn't pay me to own an Asian car or truck, especially a Toyota. Now that Fiat owns Chrysler I wouldn't buy a Dodge anymore either. Yes the US government own a piece of GM, but that means WE own GM - it's OUR company.

Yup BUY AMERICAN cuz it's the edjumakated thing to do. Buy a GM where the motor is milled in Korea, the tires made in China, the fenders in Mexico, the axles in Canada, the glass in Indonesia, the seats in Bangladesh. Yup buy American. Never buy a Toyota cuz the plants in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky are not in America and beside an unemployed dock worker in California, an unemployed truck driver, and all those unemployed mechanics and sales people that sale Toyotas are OK.

Tejas · Post by **Tejas** » Fri Aug 19, 2011 10:17 pm

Vision wrote:
nj gsp wrote:When it comes to trucks, buy American. You couldn't pay me to own an Asian car or truck, especially a Toyota. Now that Fiat owns Chrysler I wouldn't buy a Dodge anymore either. Yes the US government own a piece of GM, but that means WE own GM - it's OUR company.

Yup BUY AMERICAN cuz it's the edjumakated thing to do. Buy a GM where the motor is milled in Korea, the tires made in China, the fenders in Mexico, the axles in Canada, the glass in Indonesia, the seats in Bangladesh. Yup buy American. Never buy a Toyota cuz the plants in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky are not in America and beside an unemployed dock worker in California, an unemployed truck driver, and all those unemployed mechanics and sales people that sale Toyotas are OK.

Uhh, the Toyota plant in San Antonio was specifically built for the assembly of the Toyota Tundra.

Post by **Greg Jennings** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 6:21 am

Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:Yep I'm sure some people will BUY Anything the Gov't is selling.

It isn't owned by "The Gov't". It's owned by the United States of America. That's *us*. Plus, the workers are our friends and neighbors. I didn't like the mechanics of the bail out, but I'd much rather try to get that last portion of stock out of public ownership rather than trying to sink the company.

nikegundog · Post by **nikegundog** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:36 am

Greg Jennings wrote:
Vonzeppelinkennels wrote:Yep I'm sure some people will BUY Anything the Gov't is selling.
It isn't owned by "The Gov't". It's owned by the United States of America. That's *us*. Plus, the workers are our friends and neighbors. I didn't like the mechanics of the bail out, but I'd much rather try to get that last portion of stock out of public ownership rather than trying to sink the company.

You want the Gov't to buy out the remaining stock and run the company?

Vonzeppelinkennels · Post by **Vonzeppelinkennels** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 9:41 am

Greg I agree it would be bad for any of the car Manufactures to go down but when does it stop? This country belongs to us also & we are supposed to be the Gov't but do you feel that the people are running this country because I sure don't.The people in Washington go on about there business everyday does their way of living change? I can tell you mine & millions of others sure has.

orbirdhunter · Post by **orbirdhunter** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 11:12 am

KInda back to your original questions.......if your looking for 4 doors and gas mileage then realistically your talking duramax diesel which are very spendy.....I have a buddy that has a 1/2 ton 4 door dodge with hemi...don't remember the year now but early to mid 2000's i believe that gets mid to high teens in gas mileage....thats about the best your gonna get.

Personally i would ask myself how much towing i am really gonna do.....do you really need a 3/4 ton??? 1/2 ton pickups can do alot, generally ride better and generally get a couple mpg's better and are usually slightly cheaper to buy. Obviously i have no idea what the truck market is like in your neck of the woods, around here in the PNW trucks in the used market are plentiful and cheap, i have a hard time thinking about paying over KBB for a pickup.....

I would suggest taking the family and test driving a bunch of different pickups, all brand bickering aside they are all fairly similiar, diesels generally do better on fuel but diesel also costs more, diesels last longer but are more expensive to buy and maintain...Fuel mileage is basically the same on all of them....figure mid teens on the gas engines and mid to high teens on the diesels with the 5.9 cummings and duramax possibly sliding into low 20's.

Actually that is the saddest thing about modern pickups, you can buy a nissan frontier,ford ranger,toyota tundra,ford 150, chevy 2500 .....all gas engines and they all get about the same fuel mileage....

birddog1968 · Post by **birddog1968** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 11:54 am

GM actually has developed a 4.5 duramax for the half ton trucks, government red tape , state of the economy and the bailout put that motor on the back burner......when it comes out , if it comes out , it will be the hot lick.

fordman · Post by **fordman** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 5:45 pm

I have had 6, 5.4s never a problem with any of them, the 04s and newer ran better with more power. Now I have the ECOBOOST

, for a gas motor it has plenty of Stump pulling grunt, and decent mileage if you stay off the pedal. Doc if your buying a new Ford let me know.

mcbosco · Post by **mcbosco** » Sat Aug 20, 2011 5:48 pm

I was talking to a guy today with a brand new Dodge Ram Laramie....sweet machine

Ruffshooter · Post by **Ruffshooter** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 8:33 am

[quote="birddog1968"]GM actually has developed a 4.5 duramax for the half ton trucks, government red tape , quote]
I believe both Ford and Dodge have them in the works also.

I would be willing to be this Govt. (Like Maine) does not want the smaller deisels because they will get better fuel mileage and the new ones burn cleaner. And they want to push technology towards energy other than Oil. :roll:

ACooper · Post by **ACooper** » Sun Aug 21, 2011 9:12 am

Ruffshooter wrote:
birddog1968 wrote:GM actually has developed a 4.5 duramax for the half ton trucks, government red tape , quote]
I believe both Ford and Dodge have them in the works also.

I would be willing to be this Govt. (Like Maine) does not want the smaller deisels because they will get better fuel mileage and the new ones burn cleaner. And they want to push technology towards energy other than Oil. :roll:

Bingo

markj · Post by **markj** » Mon Aug 22, 2011 10:03 am

I think just about anything you can buy will be a good choice, but make sure the oil changes been done and other maintanance the vehicle needed. Carmax report is also a good tool.