The Gun Counter

So if I can get some info, I'd appreciate it.

Long story short, my 2002 Avalanche is showing its age. Fuel pump went out two months ago, and now the alternator is going bad (12.54V at the battery while running). I did myself the displeasure of looking up just how much my truck is worth-maybe $8 grand on a good day. I won't trade it in, but instead would keep it as an additional vehicle, since it's been paid off for 3 years now. She's at 147K and I just put new tires on her, so I can imagine that I should be able to hit 200K if I'm lucky. If the tranny goes out, I'm not sure I'll get it fixed. Ask me how many times I've been on a family trip and we got stuck returning in 1st or 2nd gear. I think that the answer's 3...

I want another truck, definitely a crew cab. I also think that I want a diesel. More power, better torque curve, alternative fuels, and I can always reprogram the computer for efficiency. I really did like Chris' MegaCab. I'm from a snowy place and plan to move to a snowier, rockier place, so I want a big(ger) truck. The Avalanche was awesome, but I think that I want a step up in size, in the 2500/250 realm. An 8 foot bed would be a plus, after all, that's what length lumber is mostly sold in. Also, it would give me room for an external toolbox or gas tank.

After owning GMs all my life, I think that I'm going to depart from them since they're now Government Motors. And really, I'm willing to spend the money now for a good vehicle that will last me 300K miles. Granted, I probably won't buy new, since I'm still a cheap bastard. I'm not sure about this urea tank thingy, since I really don't want to have to store yet another thing for zombie doomsday. Is there a urea removal option?

I'll probably never do a lot of towing, but I may on occasion. Actually, I pulled a kid's SUV off the road last night in the rain, since his transmission went out. By the way, who stops in the middle of the road? I also don't need a backseat DVD player, as my dogs don't really care about that, but I do want some creature comforts, notably heated seats, tinted windows, power mirrors, etc. Shift-on-the-fly 4 wheel drive mandatory.

So what should I look for or look at?

A) Current diesels have plenty of power, but terrible mileage.

B) The new Fords are quite comfortable.

In light of that same advise when I was looking at a new truck, I went with the dodge. I had one before and it was tough. I found one almost a year old still on the lot and they knocked 14K off the price. It is the 2500 diesel, crew cab is huge, 8' bed, now with topper, SLT model with manual 6 speed tranny and 4 WD. I am at 6000ft and have a driveway of .7 miles ranging from dust and rocks to mud and rocks. I tow a tandem axle trailer to haul furniture every week or about 70% of the time I'm driving it. Mileage ranges from 14.7 when I'm towing with a lead foot and 20.3 when I am not towing and not driving like a madman. Next time I get tires, I am going to step up to the 285's from the 265's that are on it now because it has more power than it realistically needs and I would like to drop the rpm's a bit. Overall, I would do it again.

PS - The only drawback to driving the "USS Guppy" is having to pick your parking spot about a block in advance. Frikkin' thing is LONG..........

I have the dodge non crew cab in the 95 vintage. 216k on it. Other than a broken bit here and there it has been a great truck EXCEPT for the Transmission. Looking at #3 . They go about 115k behind the diesels.

That aside, I get about 17-18mpg in mixed driving and up to 21 on the highway and mine is a 4x4.

To do over again I would get a manual 6 speed, but I would not get a Ford or Chevy diesel.

CByrneIV wrote:The Dodges have the best motor but the worst transmission and interior, and an indestructible, but rough suspension.

The Cummins is a great motor, and the trans isn't bad if you're not towing a lot, but yeah, the interiors leave a lot to be desired and they do ride pretty rough. But then again, it's a truck not a luxury vehicle.

CByrneIV wrote:The Fords have the best interior, and the smoothest suspension (though not as tough as the dodge or Chevy), but a middling engine and transmission.

Depending on the year, the Ford could be had with a solid suspension. Remember, Ford through the late '90s-early 2Ks had a simple straight axle/leaf spring set up. The 7.3 PowerStroke diesel was a very good motor but the transmission is in serious need of an auxiliary cooler and reprogrammed shift points. Regular maintenance of the trans is also important. Steer well clear of the 6.0 diesel, nothing but problems.

CByrneIV wrote:The Chevys have the best transmission, the worst engine, and a middlin interior and suspension.

Maybe that should be their sales slogan, "Hey, it may be weak and have a cheap interior but atleast we have an Allison transmission".

CByrneIV wrote:The Dodges have the best motor but the worst transmission and interior, and an indestructible, but rough suspension.

The Fords have the best interior, and the smoothest suspension (though not as tough as the dodge or Chevy), but a middling engine and transmission.

The Chevys have the best transmission, the worst engine, and a middlin interior and suspension.

Yep.

Too bad Ford can't put a 5.9 Cummins w/Allison in their trucks. Would be real nice....a "Cowboy Cadillac".

Like the other guys said, parking is a real bitch w. an 8' bed and a crew cab. Forget about parallel parking and get used to parking in the boondocks when you go to the supermarket. And invest in a backup camera if the truck doesn't already have one.

Too bad Ford can't put a 5.9 Cummins w/Allison in their trucks.

I'd be the first in line for one of those.

Something to consider would be one of the new EcoBoost V6 gas motors in a Ford. Just bought a used 2011 Platinum SuperCrew (wife's truck), and love it. Make sure to get one of the limited slip diff options, what I've seen on the forums is that the 3.73 with the max-tow package is probably the best tradeoff for towing capacity and mileage. We've got the 3.31 gears and they're a shade too tall to allow good mileage on hilly terrain. Flat and straight, and the mileage climbs significantly. Still does better than my 5.3L X-cab Silverado did, and everything works. I would have preferred the 6.5' bed, but given the price we got, and that I can still get the bike in the back with the tailgate down, I'm not complaining.

Edit: I just re-read your first post and realized I missed the 250/2500-class bit... oops. Given that, I would recommend making sure you look at the 350/3500 class while you're searching, especially used. I was looking for a 250/2500 back when I left DC, and couldn't find anything in my price range. Opened the search aperture up to include the 1-tons, and found a 3500 that a Dodge dealership was basically giving away, because they hadn't been able to sell it for months. Walked out for under trade-in value, OTD. Just a thought.