Picking the best budget tow vehicle

[Jshopes81]

Originally Posted by williet34

For sure - I agree and know that a diesel isn't necessary for this weight. I have found a few vans, but they are roughly the same price as the DMax listed above, which brings me to the point that's making this a bit difficult for me. It's not that I haven't been able to find some other gas trucks/vans that are capable of handling the weight, but rather that they are roughly the same price and mileage as the DMax above.

I think the part I'm getting hung up on is that, for a similar price that I can get a lot of these gassers, I know that there's a DMax for the same price that's only a few years older with similar mileage.. I know the diesel is overkill, but I know I would always have plenty of margin and probably wouldn't have to consider another TV for a very long time unless the Chevy does just fall a part first.

The second reason the DMax seems so appealing to me right now is that it has an immaculate Carfax on it. It's a one owner vehicle that was a fleet/commercial truck so it has always had regular maintenance, which I can see on the Carfax.

The other problem I'm running into with the vans are that most of the ones I'm finding are cargo vans and not passenger vans. I'll be hauling a growing family for years with whatever I get.

Anyone have any other thoughts on the Ram with the 5.7 HEMI listed above? It's a really clean truck with low miles and it's newer.. Would the 5.7 be comparable to the 6.0 in the Chevy? That truck is rated to tow around 11K, according to Ram.

Thanks for all the great feedback

If you keep waiting around that duramax is going to get snapped up.

[williet34]

Originally Posted by shane_the_ee

It doesn't sound like you need one tomorrow. Why not consider something out of your area?

Well I was considering going to look at some of these this weekend.. I'm not opposed, but looking outside of my area just involves a bit more with having to fly or travel somewhere else.. etc..

Mostly I'm just going to try to explore all my options locally before branching out too much..

[williet34]

Originally Posted by Jshopes81

If you keep waiting around that duramax is going to get snapped up.

That's what I'm afraid of..

Any reason to be too worried about 189k miles on one of these trucks? I know this is nothing for the engine if it had normal maintenance, but any reason to worry about the rest of the truck at this mileage? The body looks like it's in great shape - the bed isn't lined so its all scraped up, but rest seems to be in really good shape.

[kdauto]

I'm not a huge fan of the Ram 5.7 for towing but will do OK for the intended weight. They feel a bit weaker than the GM 6.0 gas. The rest of the RAM though, not the toughest thing on the road. If you take care of it they do OK. More maintenance needed on RAM vs any GM or Ford, 16 plugs to change, and often on those model years.

The GM/Duramax is a tough truck. The thing is, it is old and anything can be going wrong. Just one bad run of fuel, a bit of water in the tank and an injector job is several thousands of $$$. You can fix a LOT of stuff on a gasser with that, even replace an engine. The rest of the truck is surely wearing out, which is normal.

I wouldn't touch the Ford. WAY too old, lots of parts will be discontinued, mostly electronic modules, and they DO go bad. Underpowered too.

Maybe if you gave us an idea of your location someone has something?

[jjackrash]

Originally Posted by williet34

That's what I'm afraid of..

Any reason to be too worried about 189k miles on one of these trucks? I know this is nothing for the engine if it had normal maintenance, but any reason to worry about the rest of the truck at this mileage? The body looks like it's in great shape - the bed isn't lined so its all scraped up, but rest seems to be in really good shape.

You need to assess the general condition of the truck and make an educated guess as to how it was cared for. And having a mechanic inspect it would not hurt. I agree the body is going to fall apart before the engine does, but if it looks like it in good shape, that is not per se too many miles for a diesel truck that you are going to use part time.

[Jshopes81]

Ill definately second that. Its worth 100$ to have a mechanic check it out. To make sure you dont miss something. Kdauto is right though, on these commonrail motors if you have an injector fail open it can wipe out the whole motor. Just something to be aware of. If it checks out with a reputable mechanic i wouldnt be afraid of those miles.

[tuffr2]

The OP does not have a very good selection of used trucks. As a matter of fact either do I. I can find dozens of trucks 5 to 7 years old then wham, anything older is not on any dealer lot.

So, where is the best place to look for 10 to 15 year old trucks? When I look the OP is right, they are all over the country.

My advice to buy a 2011 or newer might be out of the budget. Again, I like the 2011 F-250 with the 6.2 gas engine.

[Normal_Dave]

-Oldie but a goodie, V10 Excursion 98K miles, Jackson, TN, just traded in:
https://www.serrajacksonmotors.com/V...-TN/3549602413

-Bit of a road trip, but with your stated needs and budget? I'm thinking 2500 Burb...Hmmm.
2500, 4x4, 6.0L, factory tow package, fleet maintained.

https://www.countyautonetwork.com/de...urban/59849030

[williet34]

Originally Posted by Normal_Dave

-Oldie but a goodie, V10 Excursion 98K miles, Jackson, TN, just traded in:
https://www.serrajacksonmotors.com/V...-TN/3549602413

-Bit of a road trip, but with your stated needs and budget? I'm thinking 2500 Burb...Hmmm.
2500, 4x4, 6.0L, factory tow package, fleet maintained.

https://www.countyautonetwork.com/de...urban/59849030

Thanks for the links.. Both of those look nice - I didn't realize that GM still made the 2500 Suburban in 2011- I've seen older ones (early 2000's) and looked into those a bit, but haven't seen many later model ones like this.

I really like the Ford V10 because it makes it's torque so much lower, but the payload capacity of the 2500 suburban is way higher than the excursion.. That's the only negative I've read about the excursions - they're basically a 3/4 ton with the payload of a half ton.

These are some nice looking options - they are a little bit further away from me, but certainly two options that I can keep on my radar

[shane_the_ee]

Originally Posted by williet34

Thanks for the links.. Both of those look nice - I didn't realize that GM still made the 2500 Suburban in 2011- I've seen older ones (early 2000's) and looked into those a bit, but haven't seen many later model ones like this.

If you really want to find a unicorn, GM made the 2500 Suburban up through 2017. The 2015-2017s were fleet-sales-only, so they do show up used every now and again. Expect them to be well out of your price range, though.


https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...ckType=listing

[Desert Flyer]

OP, you mentioned you will take the occasion trip out west. That means mountains and passes. And I mean MOUNTAINS! If you bought the gasser, you will end up wishing you bought the diesel.

[williet34]

Originally Posted by Desert Flyer

OP, you mentioned you will take the occasion trip out west. That means mountains and passes. And I mean MOUNTAINS! If you bought the gasser, you will end up wishing you bought the diesel.

Yes, exactly.. this is part of what's making the decision difficult for me.

While we will be doing a lot of trips close by, our plans are to be able to take the occasional long trip out West to the mountains, etc. Since we both work remotely, it's very feasible for us to take extended trips and work as we go, which opens up the door for us to go and stay somewhere a week or more.. I don't think we would stay somewhere longer than a couple weeks, but we would have the option.

With that said, this is one of the other reasons the Duramax (or other diesel) seems so appealing to me. I've read so much about how much more comfortable they are for those inclines and for long haul trips thanks to their low end torque..

The biggest holdup on the diesel is that I keep hearing about how much more they are to maintain. I'm just not familiar enough with diesels to know all that that entails - I know that injectors a very expensive and will likely have to be changed at some point. I know they take a lot more oil, but the DMax only have to be changed every 10k miles vs 3-5k on a gasser. I've also read a lot about the increased cost of maintaining the truck (i.e. brakes, drivetrain, etc.), but wouldn't those components be the same on an HD truck, regardless of whether it's gas or diesel?

The only other maintenance item I know of are additives for the fuel, but that doesn't seem to be too expensive.

As far as I can tell, a diesel that's had regular maintenance will last a really long time. If that's the case, then it could be treated as a long term investment which helps some of the big expenses that may or may not be an issue at some point. With the DMax listed above, I also really wouldn't have any limitations if we decided to upgrade later or if we just decided to load a ton of stuff in the bed and not have to be too worried about our payload..

I've always had gas vehicles and am much more familiar with them so getting into a diesel would be exciting to me, but a little bit of uncharted territory. Kind of makes me wish there was a super duty with an ecoboost in it - sounds like they run a lot more like a diesel than an NA gasser - I'm sure that would be way out of my price range too, though

[Normal_Dave]

"Fly and Buy"... V10, XLT Crew, low miles, Arizona rust-free. Hire a local ASC certified mechanic to do a pre-purchase inspection. Have dealer send pics/short video. Hop on a plane, drive it home, make it an adventure.

https://www.peorianissan.com/used/Fo...gurus_listings

[tuffr2]

Those old diesel trucks were not comfortable. They were noisy, rough riding and trouble prone. They started to bake refinement into the 150/2500 series trucks in 2009 and the 250/2500 series trucks in 2011.

And for towing you can not beat the back-up camera.