Which truck?????????????

[Bogger]

Looking to get rid of the old Chevy and move into a diesel pusher.

Not sure what I need, right now I run a 1989 chevy 3500 4x4, 454 4-speed.

Most times in the summer we haul our 1700lb camper and an assortment of trailers (horse trailer & 2 horses) (20' flat deck with a variety of cargo) and now will be the new boat approx 6000lbs.

Seem to be a lot more 3/4 tons available than 1 tons. I like the idea of a 1 ton because it can basically handle anything, how much do I lose going to a 3/4?

I'm looking to spend in the 5-8K range so it won't be anything new and fancy, I only put about 10K Km's on my tow vehicle a year....my 1989 only has 148K on it. Never had a diesel before but by most accounts the cummings are the best in the 93-99 years.....

Anyone have any advice or know of a good truck for sale let me know...

Thanks

Ian

 

[Wise Mechanical]

I'd put a 12v cummins in the truck you got, I think theres a place in olds doing quite a few of them

 

[goodngrubby]

There are quite a few guys doing this. I highly recommend it too. There's nothing cooler than a chevy with a cummins.

 

[Summitric]

I'm looking to spend in the 5-8K range

HEY BOGGER...... YOU WON'T FIND A DECENT DIESEL TRUCK FOR LESS THAN 20K........THE CUMMINS INTO YOURS MIGHT BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR YOU?
THERE ARE MANY GAS 1 TONS PROLL 2002 OR NEWER FOR AROUND 8K-10K...
CHECK THE ONLINE AUTOTRADER, AND YOU'LL GET AN IDEA WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO FIND OUT THERE, BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT, RIGHT?:d

 

[Bogger]

HEY BOGGER...... YOU WON'T FIND A DECENT DIESEL TRUCK FOR LESS THAN 20K........THE CUMMINS INTO YOURS MIGHT BE A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR YOU?
THERE ARE MANY GAS 1 TONS PROLL 2002 OR NEWER FOR AROUND 8K-10K...
CHECK THE ONLINE AUTOTRADER, AND YOU'LL GET AN IDEA WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT TO FIND OUT THERE, BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT, RIGHT?:d

I've been looking around, not sure any other gas pusher is gonna be THAT much better than mine to justify a purchase anything can be better but the nice thing about mine is it's mechanical condition, problem is before I could justify the extra gas as my trips get longer and more often I find it harder and harder to justify the extra fuel example..... we took Sledderdocs truck to penticton and back $420 for fuel, My truck would have been at least $1000 more than likely 12-1300.... my buddies got a chevy 6L and he figures his sucks on fuel, and if I go 5.7 it just doesn't have the umph...
I've found a couple of mid 90's 3/4 diesels with 250-300K one in particular comes with a recent mechanical inspection and clean bill of health...
I know that you get what you pay for but I'm rather careful in my used purchases and it has worked out well for me to date, people say you can't get a decent car for under 5K.... I looked and looked and looked and finally found my little 1995 BMW 318ti with full records and under 160Km for $4500, 2 years and 70K and she's still running strong, so I'm hoping if I'm patient and careful I can get a decent diesel truck within my prefered price range...

I'VE GOT AN EDIT BUTTON!!!!!!!!!

 

[Summitric]

we took Sledderdocs truck to penticton and back $420 for fuel, My truck would have been at least $1000 more than likely 12-1300....QUOTE]

MY DODGE WILL GO EDMONTON TO VERNON ON ONE TANK OF DIESEL(NOT LOADED).... JUST SAYIN'

 

[magnet]

the early to mid 90,s dodge diesels were awesome on mileage but then everyone got into the whos got more power d--k measuring contest and fuel mileage on diesels went to he--. sound like your old chevy should be capable of better numbers though than what your claiming. maybe a few mods could help in both power and mileage.

 

[ttpowersports]

diesels are reliable , and usually good for a couple hundred thousand miles,

if your truck is good other than fuel economy, torque - i would look into the conversion costs as there seem to be lots of people doing it, as long as ur truck is good otherwise, get a price cant hurt maybe a better way to go in the long run.

just my 3 cents

T

 

[new24stroke]

Bogger I just traded a 2002 ford superduty f250 i at Jerry ford in Edson alberta and they gave me 10 000 for it.I would think they would not want much more than that.It had 217000 km on it and get 1250km to a tank and that's no lie.It had the 7.3l in it.It was an awsome truck.I would have kept it except I wanted a crew cab for the kids.It was in awsome shape as well

 

[Cyle]

Find a good 12v Cummins and you couldn't be happier. They are towing beasts. In the hills, they will keep up or blow by any newer diesels, and get a ton better mileage. The best thing is you can double their HP output without barely doing anything, and nothing cost wise, and they have the best torque/hp ratio of any diesel pickup. The best engine ever put in a pickup, hands down, even the newer Cummins do not compete. There are SO many over a million km's and still run like the day they drove off the lot.

The only thing to watch out for with the 12v is the KDP, as long as that's done they are pretty much indestructable. That and the tranny if it's an auto, and regular things with an older truck. But you'd get one for 5-8k easily.

It doesn't matter if it's a 89-98 really, they didn't change much drivetrain or engine wise. Many of the 1st gen's are still selling for big money if they are in good shape and run good. 300,000km is nothing for them.

Everyday I regret buying my 04 Dodge and not getting a 12v, they are 100x the truck the newer ones are, sure don't make em like they use to.....

 

[shawnmcgr]

I agree, tought to beat the 12v cummins but if you liked your 454 the newer ones (96 and newer) had more hp and better mpg than your '89. I got rid of a 98 2500 454 srw last year, 15 mpg empty and 10 mpg pulling 6000lb trailer or 2 sleds on a deck @ 120kph. A 1 ton dually would likely get less than that though.

For the money though your probably better off with a cummins.

 

[bigdaddy35]

You can pick of a 1999-2003 ford superduty with the 7.3L PSD for under $10grand. I've seen a few on Kijiji.

 

[kamikaze cat]

just like to throw in my 2 pennies agree with everyone else go 12v cummins or 7.3 ford don't get a 6.0 ford. I have 320k on my 6.0, on my second motor, front axle is worn out, brakes wear out quick, electrical problems, head gasket leaking, just a basic p.o.s

 

[Catman10]

I have a 2004 quad cab longbox 2500 dodge that has a 24v engine with a 6 speed manual tranny that is fully loaded with a cloth interior for $11000.00 an it has 260000 kms. Truck is in excellent shape and it got 17 mpg pulling a car trailer with a Sprinter Van on it. If your interested let me know.