What truck?

[jhall]

Well, Ford stopped for a reason, I guess? Surely sales weren't what they expected. That said, I think it would have been a good move for Chevy. Probably won't be long before they put a diesel in their Tahoe/Suburban lineup, but I'm guessing it'll be an 'eco' model aimed at fuel economy rather than towing.

 

[Greg Perryman]

From my understanding the Excursion was just to big and a gas hog for some customers. Im in the same boat, Im heading towards a 3/4 ton crew cab short bed chevy. Big enough to haul loads and roomy enough for the family. 3/4 ton truck is a right in the middle can still do the job.

 

[zogger]

Well, Ford stopped for a reason, I guess? Surely sales weren't what they expected. That said, I think it would have been a good move for Chevy. Probably won't be long before they put a diesel in their Tahoe/Suburban lineup, but I'm guessing it'll be an 'eco' model aimed at fuel economy rather than towing.

You can get older burbs with 6.2 or 6.5 turbo diesels.

 

[boxygen]

You can get older burbs with 6.2 or 6.5 turbo diesels.

If you can find one that is still running

 

[sunfish]

I'm 53 and have had a pickup (not the same one, but many) since I was 14 years old. Man's gotta have a truck!

 

[zogger]

If you can find one that is still running

I have two of them. Not burbs, regular pickups, with 6.2s. See them around here now and then and replacement engines can still be had surplus for relatively cheap, compared to any other more common diesel. I wanted best mileage at cheapo budget in a full size pickup.

Vehicles down here just last longer, gas or diesel.

 

[svk]

You can get older burbs with 6.2 or 6.5 turbo diesels.

I decent one will be about as rare as hen's teeth but you never know what may show up

I know there was quite a following of the old 6.5's Wouldnt get you there very fast but could drag a battleship with if needed. Same with the old Dodge Cummings and Ford Internationals.

 

[zogger]

I decent one will be about as rare as hen's teeth but you never know what may show up

I know there was quite a following of the old 6.5's Wouldnt get you there very fast but could drag a battleship with if needed. Same with the old Dodge Cummings and Ford Internationals.

There's quite a following of those because of the CUCV ones that were used, then the hummers have the same (family) engine. All the gotchas have been worked out by the enthusiasts.

You can make one, a diesel burb, not too hard, they bolt up to anything that has or had a smallblock chevy in it, and the switch over wiring isn't that difficult.

My 1/2 ton with the 700r4, when the dang tires were still working, got a scosh over 20 mpg (finally verified that when I put a new speedo cable on..). Still on the CL and local shops lookout for some tires that could hold me over until I can get new ones....grumble. I think I have two out of 8 that hold air (another one went flat over the last two days...) and don't have major tread separation now..guys run these truck tires into the ground, down to baldies around here. Anything decent used is so close to new, meh. It's about cheaper to just buy a truck with good wheels and tires and a blown engine. Looking at that, too.

From what I have read, the 6.2s have similar horse to a 305, but a lot more mule. The 6.5 turbos, obviously more of both. Ya, they ain't powerstrokes or cummins or duramaxes, but still, v8 diesel got enough for weekend warrior wood duty, that's for sure.

edit: here's a fun one, an eco mod vette

http://www.thedieselpage.com/readers/vet.htm

 

[nathon918]

I decent one will be about as rare as hen's teeth but you never know what may show up

I know there was quite a following of the old 6.5's Wouldnt get you there very fast but could drag a battleship with if needed. Same with the old Dodge Cummings and Ford Internationals.

whats a "cummings"?

 

[KenJax Tree]

Cummings is the diesel motor Dodge uses

 

[svk]

Cumming is the diesel motor Dodge uses

He's trying to throw a jab at me because it is supposed to be Cummins.

 

[Bob95065]

I have a 1997 Dodge 2500 4x4 with a Cummins diesel in it. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. It is an extended cab so I can use it for family trips. I will NEVER buy a gas truck again. Empty I get 23 MPG. This thing has tons of power. The engine is all mechanical - no computer control ,no smog tests. It is the best truck I have ever had.

I pulled this load of green eucalyptus over a 1500' mountain this afternoon no problem. It is a great truck, but the old Cummins engines are hard to find.

 

[nbouley010]

Looking to save some money (though it's a dodge), I've had an '02 dodge dakota 5.9l V8 that hauls a loaded cab, loaded bed, and 16' mostly loaded flatbed trailer (with OD turned off) with not much issue at about 12mpg. I average approx. 16 mpg unloaded. You can find decent deals on them for around $5k. The 5.9l I have is an AWD which is nice for winter and being able to lock the hubs in 4WD is great for the nasty mud pits here on the Nat'l Forests in WI. Be happy to spill all the good/bad bout the truck if you want

 

[CRThomas]

For junk trucks I call them I buy those ford 1999 area standard shift trucks with 150 thousand miles on them the help destroy them befor they wear out. I always put brakes on my trailers. We don't have to do that any more my wife fired all the help so it's just me and her doing the business. there is a lot of those truck setting around for a couple thousand dollars and I have always got fair mileage on them

 

[GeeVee]

My 2004 Tahoe get 16 mpg commuting 250 miles per week, and pulls my dump trailer and ASV on weekends. 200k on the orginal everything. 5.3. You can put 4x8 plywood in it and close the gate. Small electrical bugs suck in this era of chevy, but none keep the vehicle from running. I get 50k out of cooper discoverer AT's, the orginal brake pads went 125k, replaced rotors at 175k. Water pump at 180 k, and a power steering pump fluid cooler. I haven' even touched the trans dipstick, but one time I added a quart- my mechanic said why mess with it now? (at 160k)

Beyond that, rode hard and put away wet. Washed once in ten years, never waxed- and I live at the beach- see photo, Wife and I can put four longboards and four shortboards in the Tahoe and lock it up, can't do that with a pickup. at retail 5-600 per board, you get the idea. We are sponsored, so we get them gratis.

I too had always been a truck owner, but now can't see going back. I have a 6x12 enclosed trailer I put carpentry type tools in, the dump ttrailer, and an open 5x10 i can use. Lumber? Any trailer.... Reality of the truck bed is it sits there worthless and unused the rest of the time, the area behind my front seats is where I have locking storage, when I'm too lazy to take tools out and return them to garage or trailer.

I believe I just saw a Tahoe for 3950 on a lot here, prolly has 200k on it, but I'd jump on it if I was needing a vehicle, considering the use I get out of mine.

Truck still looks good, rides super smooth, BIL who is a bit snobbery about vehicles and is expert in all good things, says it rides and drives as well as his late model caddy, he is not an easy person to impress, but he has used it for a couple of 150 mile rt's.

I'm not going to be buying a cheap replacement when I need one- prolly if the trans fails, but I will buy a one to two year old Tahoe or suburban

 

[olyman]

Well, Ford stopped for a reason, I guess? Surely sales weren't what they expected. That said, I think it would have been a good move for Chevy. Probably won't be long before they put a diesel in their Tahoe/Suburban lineup, but I'm guessing it'll be an 'eco' model aimed at fuel economy rather than towing.

sales weren't good....but guess what?? since discontinued,,try and buy one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[olyman]

From my understanding the Excursion was just to big and a gas hog for some customers. Im in the same boat, Im heading towards a 3/4 ton crew cab short bed chevy. Big enough to haul loads and roomy enough for the family. 3/4 ton truck is a right in the middle can still do the job.

if a dsl excursion was hard on fuel..something was wrong....

 

[zogger]

I have a 1997 Dodge 2500 4x4 with a Cummins diesel in it. It has a 5 speed manual transmission. It is an extended cab so I can use it for family trips. I will NEVER buy a gas truck again. Empty I get 23 MPG. This thing has tons of power. The engine is all mechanical - no computer control ,no smog tests. It is the best truck I have ever had.



I pulled this load of green eucalyptus over a 1500' mountain this afternoon no problem. It is a great truck, but the old Cummins engines are hard to find.

Those era dodges with that engine and tranny are Farmshow "best buys" for years and years now. Word got around, can't even find them used cheap, even with half a million miles on them.

Which model military trailer is that?

 

[loadthestove]

Back to the OPS original question.what truck.I'm not going to start a "Brand War" Personally I would look for any of the three major brand trucks In the 3/4 ton extended cab range with gas engine.You should be able to find one in your price range

A 3/4 you can handle a 16 foot trailer easy enough and still be a daily driver.I personally love my diesel truck.but plain and simple there are not worth the cost for us typical weekend warriors ,upkeep is higher than gasser and here diesel fuel is 70 cents high per gallon than gas.

 

[92utownxh]

I've had my Jeep 11 years now, and since I got my car 6 years ago I only drive the Jeep about 3,000 miles a year at most. It will just be working on the farm and pulling. I'd like to get as nice as possible while staying in the budget. I don't want to buy a bunch of problems. I've seen good used trucks around. The truck will be the only 4 wheel drive in the family so that's the main reason I need the back seat. If it wasn't for that I'd get a regular cab long bed.

The Tahoe/Suburbans are nice, but I'm leaning towards a truck. Other than being able to pull more and having more interior run I'd be in the same spot I'm in now with the Jeep. I can fold down the back seat and have room, but I can't throw some firewood in or stuff like that. Pulling my 5x10 trailer for stuff that could fit in a truck bed is a pain. I'm tired of it.

I'd love to have the early dodge cummins, but people want an arm and a leg for them around here. They can be beat to death and they still want 8-10,000. Besides, with the amount I'm going to use it I can't justify diesel at all. My Jeep with a corrected speedometer gear running the bigger tires and gears gets 12-14 mpg if I'm lucky so a bigger gas truck won't be much different.

Right now I'm getting some big round hay bales to finish out what I need for this winter. It's a pain with the Jeep and small trailer. I can only haul one bale at a time between the size of them and the weight. Luckily I'm only going 5 miles from home for them. Every time I dream of a big flatbed trailer...