[Mac]

Im in the process of purchasing another pickup and wanted to do a last minute check prior to taking delivery. First, I wanted to see if anyone has any warning against purchasing a GM 2500hd. Im asking since I know there have been issues with Ford's trannys and didnt know of any issues with GM's trucks. (this will be 6.0 v8 with manual tranmission)

Also wondering if anyone knows the difference between the 2500hd and 3500 srw. On the skin they appear the same, however the 3500 has an additional 700# gvw which could come in handy in the winter months. Is there anything else different between these two?

Any words of warning or praise for these vehicles?

Its amazing what waiting 6 months will do to the price of a truck. I was going to purchase last december but decided to postpone. Now the price has fallen, and sales tax will go down .5% as of Friday. Life is peachy. Now, if we could just get some rain.

[Bill Schwab]

Mac:

My personal pick up is an 04 3500 4x4 with Dmax/Allison. 38K on it since August of last year, averaging 18MPH hwy, 13 around town through the mountains. Suspension is different from the 2500HD and will ride harder to prove it. 3500 comes standard with E rated tires, and you cannot get a single rear wheel Dmax without getting 4x4, which, I really could have done without. I took it in for what the dealer calls the 30K, flush all fuilds, put the injectors on that yuppified piece of technolgical marvel that costs an arm and a leg to do, sent me down the road. Brakes were at 15/32 and 13/32, projected life left is 50K. 85K on a set of pick up brakes, what a breathe of fresh air! Mine has the Allison tranny, which, has a spin on filter just like an engine. Bulletproof....
I cannot find one bad thing to say about this truck, except when you get yours, get it with the yuppy knob on the seat back, and if you go leather, get them heated. The small amount you pay for that convenience group is well worth it...Our temps drop to the 50's every night and I hit the button for the seat and come home refreshed. The standard seats that don't have the yuppy knob were a little harder on my back. You will have to rotate your tires every 5K or so with the 3500, because the E rated tires filled to 85PSI will wear in the centers from light loads in the bed. If you get a pregnant cab as I did, the turning radious is not favorable to plowing, nor to park in the ridiculously small spaces that Southern Cal lots have to offer.. I also had the idiot beepers installed on the rear bumper. The good side is they tell me what I'm going to hit. The bad side, if you are backing up and the tailgate is down, or you have a trailer on, it will beep solid producing an near earshattering noise that makes coyotes howl and spit green. I wish there was a switch where I could turn it off because in those instances, it is annoying.

Power wise, there is no end. Laugh if you want, but I blew a Subaru WRX 300HP off the road from a standing stop at the foot of a 7% grade. Proof positive that there are no substitute for cubic inches, and my 400 was no match for his 223, even though I was twice his weight. I did the same thing to some poor guy in his AMG55 Mercedes on a near flat road..

I have riden in a 2500HD and while in the shotgun seat, I could feel no difference between a 3500 and the 2500HD. I went 3500 because I felt it gave me that little bit of cushion in case I have to load to the limit.

That's about all I can tell you, except you can't get a K&N filter for the 04 or newer GM Dmax yet. Would I buy another one? A 2005 is in route for my superintendant right now.

Based off Fords track record of transmission and engine woes, you are making the wise choice.

[Lanelle]

Mac,
If you are planning on plowing with this truck, you might want the automatic tranny. The manual creates more driver fatigue.

[GLAN]

If you are going manual tranny Ford has not had any problems with their sticks

As for the automatic tranny......the auto 5 speed that "had" all the problems.........it's been taken care of.

The V10 gets the same mileage as the V8. I don't know what the numbers are yet. I only have 300 miles on mine, not broken in yet.

I have a 2005 F350 XLT - V10 - 4x4 Off Road......Ordered with everything except the back up warning sensor.......would be useless when plowing and having a 2 yard salter on the back.

Ordered the Camper package which superceded the plow prep package. Awesome truck.......The auto shifting is so smooth. Haven't had a chance to try the tow/haul mode yet.

So far it's been the truck I expected.....and much quiter inside than the 95 F350 I have

[Hamons]

I have a 1999 2500hd silveado witht he 6.0.

It has 32K miles on it. Bought klast year on ebay for 17,500. I LOVE it. The 6,0 gives it all the power you would ever need.

Gas mileage is not great because mine is geared so low. 12 - 15 with or without the trailer.

Also, I have found it's turning radius, even as just an extended cab short bed is horrible comapred to other similar sized trucks I have driven.

[Mac]

Lanelle,
I even proof read my post, but I missed that. The truck will come with an auto tranny. I wouldnt dare get a plow truck with a manual.

Bill, is yours a srw? Id love the duramax, however a truck doing 7000 miles a year doesnt justify the cost IMO.

Jeff, Im certain the power will be there and Im not too concerned about gas milage as the old one this will replace typically gets about 12 mpg.

Glan, I appreciate the feedback on the Fords, however I simply can not afford to chance it; especially since it will see plowing duty.

Its a work truck 2-door 4x4, which are very easy to locate in 2500hd form. However, I think im gona have them attempt to locate a 3500 srw. It should be better in the long run.

[Bill Schwab]

Mac:

Single rear wheel, Dmax, Allison, 3500, 4x4.

I understand the thinking with diesel/gas, and cost recovery. 7K a year, no way you would pay for one in that small amount of milage. There are other reasons for going diesel as well. Smooth dependable power band is a big one for me. Less maintenance than a gasser is another. Typically, I run my person trucks until they won't roll anymore, and, 10 years from now, when I have 500K on the thing, then I might buy another one. Actually, the plan is, I run them for a year, then turn them over to a crew chief and get a new one to break in for myself.
The 3500 will provide a little more stabilty on the road. I'm not exactly sure how many hills and valleys you have but, out here, it's all we have. Even if I drove a small amount of miles a year, I would go diesel for the power.

The little door behind the first one was the perfect cab for us, because if we needed to get any more bodies in there, that option was there for us. It makes all the difference in the world for toting plans or people or both. It's also nice to be able to have a spot for groceries without having them slide all over a bed.

GM has an option that I am trying to get on the new 3500, its called rear steer. You hit a button on the dash and the back wheels turn at speeds under 10MPH. On a 3/4 ton Suburban, I was able to turn the truck 180° around on a 2 lane road without having any wheels go off in to the gravel.

That's pretty impressive, but, it is a $3,000.00 option....GULP! More for the clients to pay for.

[Pelican]

My trucks are all diesel even though I put relatively little mileage on them. The fuel savings is nice, but I bought them for the TORQUE!! One tows my mowing equipment trailer, another hauls bulk material and tows my skid steer. These trucks will walk away from a gas powered truck when under a load.

Another benefit is the application of this torque as Bill mentioned. The power comes on so smoothly that traction in snow is improved. I've been able to walk my trucks out of situations I couldn't dream of with my old gas powered trucks.

I'd give the diesels another look.

By the way, my Ford stories are way different than Glan's, I've got an '01 and an '02 Super Duty,I doubt I'll buy another.