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Old 03-11-2015, 10:13 PM   #2
dietz4ibanez
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I am assuming you are looking to snag a used truck as the new ones are like a second mortgage... If that is the case, what is your budget and I ask this to see what kind of mileage you would be looking at on a used vehicle?

I think I could better answer your questing just a little more information.


Just for example,

When I search for trucks like Chevy/GMC, I mainly look at 2007-2010 2500 or 3500HD. Reason for this being, these trucks are prior to the Urea burning whale piss exhaust additive. I had a 2007 LMM and I liked the power it produced compared to the older trucks, the chassis was stronger and the tranny was stronger then previous years. That being said, the 2011 with all that urea had a even stronger frame and I'd say would be the stronger frame/suspension of the 3 trucks in my opinion. The Transmission is yet a little stronger and if you are willing to go all the way with deleting the emissions it can be a fricken awesome.

As I read and learn more, I would gladly take a LBZ Duramax as it is virtually a de-tuned version of the LMM without the DPF.

The more I read and people say, stay away from a LLY I finally did a little research on it and if I found a good deal, I wouldn't stop from snatching it up! They are known for having head gasket issues but not on all of them! If you find a truck with 100k+ miles it is pretty safe to say that you might not have any issue with the head gaskets! It will be a reliable truck for thousand of thousands of miles. Even if you considered the cost of a head gasket versus a LB7 that might have injector problems. Both jobs are very labor intensive BUT! The injectors/glow plus are a million times easier to get to on the LLY VS LB7.

LBZ can be easily made into a 550hp work,DD or just hauling machine with a transmission upgrade.
One other thing, if you look for a truck that has the LGH, don't get it. It was more of a fleet engine, while it is very reliable it's basically a de-tuned LML and I'd rather not get a truck that offers the lesser of the 2 in HP!

Most people will say that a IFS setup on GM truck is the biggest downfall but t-rod sleeves only costing 200-300 max can make a nicer riding truck even more reliable! I've had my 07 for 70k miles and other trucks for 200k and one I still have with almost 400k. I've never had to replace a t-rod!

IF either of the 2 trucks were not available I would much rather get a 2012 or newer Cummins. They really beefed up the factory performance as in comparison, I've always felt like the factory performance of the Cummins was lacking but definitely up-gradable. Right now, the newest model Cummins and Ford offer the beefiest of factory performance engines right now. I think that will change in 2016 with a bigger Duramax.

Anyways, IF for whatever reason I was looking to buy an older truck with a cummins it would have to be a truck that came from the factory as a Cab and Chassis truck. The reason being, when they did not know the possible bed choice of buyer after purchase(utility,service bed, roll back, ect.) They equipped these trucks with a stronger transmission. I do believe it was a Mercedes produced transmission.

I have found that you can experience blown head gaskets, transmission seal problems, transmission and weak axles from Dodge so these are good things to look into as far as maintenance records.

If I was looking to get into a Ford, I would love to have a SuperDuty with the 7.3(wouldn't we all) ha ha! I let one of these slide by me as it was in a f450. Looking back, it was the perfect truck for my business, I just needed to look past the fact that the impractical dump bed that was on it could have been sold and replaced with something better.

On another note, I would drive the piss out of the new 6.7 but who has that kind of cash lying around??? lol I will say, that the transmission in the 6.4 and the 6.7 will hold it's own to some horse power and if it's not better it's pretty close to being the best of the 3 transmissions in the Ford, Dodge and Chevy.

I could draft a list of a million scenarios of which truck to buy over the other but what it really boils down to what you are looking for in a truck. As you look at trucks, look for things you like/dislike. And then when you know what you want from either of the trucks it comes down to bargaining and getting what you think is the best deal for you and your needs.
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