2500 Hd Duramax Or Keep What I Have?

wjackson91 · June 17, 2009

Hi all! First post, but been reading a lot!

I am thinking of getting a 09 2500 HD Duramax to replace two vehicles I have currently. I am looking for the durability, better diesel economy, and long use from the new truck.

I currently have an 05 1500 suburban and an 08 Silverado 1500 and am looking at trading those in on the new truck. I needed the extra vehicle the last year and half but no longer need two vehicles (in addition to my wife's suburban).

Is my assumption about the Duramax being more durable/longer lasting correct? any major issues with the duramax/Allison that I need to be aware of?

Thanks for the help!

Walt

Draenor · June 17, 2009

Nothing I am aware, just the increase in maintenance cost.

dewfpo · June 17, 2009

Unless you tow, your not going to get much better mpg from an '09 diesel. Since they went with particulate filters the economy has gone to crap. Almost the same as gassers when empty. Towing, they still get better mpg's but empty, their no bargain. Now if you get a '07 or earlier, you'll see better mpg. If you need a pickup I'd sell the suburban and keep the '08. If you need a people mover I'd dump the pickup. If you really need the torque, then get the diesel. They all have pros and cons about them.

If you maintain the '08 well it will be just a reliable as the diesel. Many folks are getting over 200k miles in their gassers with regular maintenance. I've gotten as high as 240K (on an 85 with a manual transmission) and then sold it because we needed something else, otherwise I'd probably still have it.

Just my 1 cents work.

DEWFPO

ss502gmc · June 22, 2009

Well on gasser longevity my 94 k1500 has 308,000 and running strong and my 88 k2500 had 442,000 when i sold it and it was original motor and ran decent with burning a quart of oil every 800 miles but who cares. Anyway if you dont plan on working the truck every day id stick with gas.

Daniel T · June 25, 2009

I just recently bought a brand new '08 Crew Cab D/A and love it. I looked for the '08 because of the great rebates Chevy was offering on left over '08s. Was able to find a truck with the main options I was looking for, locker rear end, and IBC.

Mileage is better than my 5.3 burb with 4:10s and it pulls my 8,000# RV so much bettter I can't believe it...especially in the mountains.

I am very happy moving from the gasser to the Duramax....

Doomsday · June 27, 2009

I would trade for the diesel, you may not tow a lot now, but maybe later. Even if you don't have a motor with the potiential to outlive a gas motor twice over. Theres a lot of guys that get tons of miles out of gassers but I think a good average lifespan is probably about 250k. Take care of your diesel and you can expect a lot more out of it than that. If you can afford it, go diesel!

wjackson91 · July 2, 2009

Thanks for all the replies! I was intrigued by the 2500 HD initially because the dealer here had one with a Rancho 4" lift, 35" tires, new rims, an RBP exhaust, new bumpers/grill guard sprayed and the bed sprayed. Looked incredible! I really wanted a truck like that and figured the D/A would handle the lift and tires well.

After I did some more reading here and over at dieselplace, I realized that I had about zero chance of keeping my powertrain warranty with the lift, the tires, and a hypertech.

But I did find a promo 2500 HD LTZ with everthing I wanted minus the lift, tires and programmer. It does have 285's on it but I may get those replaced to keep the warranty intact, not sure yet.

Hopefully I can get it tomorrow or Fri. Will let you know how I like the new truck!

Thanks again!

wjackson91 · July 3, 2009

Hey guys. Haven't gotten the truck yet. Quick question....what is the fender height on a stock 2500 HD with the stock tires on 17" rims? Originally the dealer said they didn't crank the torsion bars at all, but after I got a closer look, they are running 285/75 17's on the stock rims. So I asked the question again, and they have aftermarket keys on the torsion bars. I've seen some rubbing in the rear of the front fender wells.

I would lile to measure the front fenders on this truck to get an idea of how much they cranked the torsion bars. The tire calcualtor at Discount tires has the stock 265/70 17's at 31.61" in height and the current 285/75 17's at 33.83" for a 2.22" difference.

Do I subtract the tire height difference from the fender measurment from stock to figure out how much they cranked the torsion bars? With the rubbing I may ask them to put on some 285/70 17's which are only about 1" taller.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Walt