Advice On Buying High Mileage Duramax Truck

jonaddis84 · August 28, 2009

Im in the market for a 2500hd. Im trying to trade my custom harley chopper for one so Ive been calling around dealerships to see if any have interest in it.

Havent had too much luck so far, but the one truck thats in the pricerange, has all the options I want, and the dealer has interest in trading... is this truck:

2005 Silverado 2500hd

duramax/allison

power windows, locks, power extending mirrors

cloth, power seat

cd

etc with the LS package

291,000 miles

Western plow frame that appears to have never been used, Im trying to work in the whole plow with the deal.

Heres the catch. The truck looks like it just left the lot! The one owner hauled papers from desmoines to omaha 7 days a week so basically all highway miles.

My question is what kind of stuff would I be worried about with this high of miles?

What questions should I ask about the injectors? I know those are a big issue with the dmax, what injectors do I WANT in the engine?

The allison should be good to go right? They claim it never towed anything either, judging by the hitch I believe it, it looks the same as the unscratched plow frame.

I will use the truck mainly for a daily driver, but will plow with it as well. Usually have about 10 pushes a season average here in Ohio.

Thanks for any advice.

davzog · August 28, 2009

291,000 miles on almost any diesel is pronbably not too many....but it is a lot on the rest of the truck: bearings, hubs, axles, tranny, etc. Might be you could find a much lower mileage truck with a gas engine for the same price????

terryk · August 29, 2009

If you can get it for $5000 then buy it but I agree with HD, the engine might be just broken in but the rest of truck could be due for some major rebuilds.

It's just hard to say really but 291k is a lot for the drive train.

Unless you have a specific need for the towing ability of the Duramax, I would suggest you find a really low mile gasser and enjoy it. The premium of a Duramax isn't worth it in any way shape or form unless you are towing and generally towing big. You can buy an awful lot of gas for the Duramax premium price.

But if you are going to tow, then spend more money and get a lower mile truck.

die hard · August 29, 2009

i agrea with terryk if you can get it for $5,000 get it.. that is probly more than the dealer gave the guy for it when he traded it in ..they don't want a high millage truck like that on there lot ..at 291,000 you will defferently have some worn out parts

jonaddis84 · August 29, 2009

I guess I forgot some info.

The truck is listed for $14,900 . surprisingly though the bluebook is over $16000. KBB must have some kind of linear scale for rating mileage, where it should drop off significantly after 100k it must just be a straight line.

As I said Im not looking for a duramax, I dont really want one. But Im having trouble finding even gassers for sub $15000 with any less than 100k on them. And if Im going to buy a high mileage truck I would rather it be diesel.

Thanks guys, I will probably shy away from this truck unless they offer me something spectacular with the price.

96chevy7.4L · August 29, 2009

291,000 isn't alot of mile for a DMAX there first schedualed tune up isn't till 500,000 I think. The allison tranny should be okay as long as it was serviced. Ask for the service records on the truck. See if it atleast had its warranty services done that will tell 50% of the tale. As far as wheel bearings hubs etc. That is normal wear and tear but you should be able to drive it and check that stuff out yourself. Just my opinion.

Z45 · August 30, 2009

If you are not looking for a diesel then let this one go. Book value means nothing IMO on a vehicle with that many miles, if you must buy then find out what wholesale is and pay no more than that, say $12,000.

Roofer · August 30, 2009

I'm a big believer in, break it in as you are going to use it. I wouldn't expect a vehicle with that many miles of daily driving to be a good plow truck.

Although if you can get a good enough price, it may be worth the risk. I still think the price is way too high. I sold my truck for $12,500 with only 125,000 on it.

Everything on a HD is more expensive, so remember that. Brakes and rotors alone are $700 at discount, just for parts.

terryk · August 31, 2009

Pull and hold the ODO reset button in until it shows the hours. How many hours on the truck?

TSpeedy · September 1, 2009

I have a Bud that used to haul newspapers, and they weigh a lot. Even with no trailer, you can bet it was loaded heavily. Just something to keep in mind.

timowen1 · September 1, 2009

I'm a big believer in, break it in as you are going to use it. I wouldn't expect a vehicle with that many miles of daily driving to be a good plow truck.
Although if you can get a good enough price, it may be worth the risk. I still think the price is way too high. I sold my truck for $12,500 with only 125,000 on it.

Everything on a HD is more expensive, so remember that. Brakes and rotors alone are $700 at discount, just for parts.

WOW! $700, I need to get into the parts business. I just bought lifetime replacement

pads front $59.99

pads rear $64.99

2 yr rotors front 36.99 each

rotors rear $53.99 each

total $306.94 plus tax $19.95 = $326.89

I drive a 2006 2500 HD 4x4 duramax with 6 speed allison. I know what it cost to maintain. The biggest cost over and above everyday maintainence is the oil change. I have added a 2 qt. extra oil filtration system to help remove soot from the oil. It works very well but increases my oil capacity to 12 qts. The BIG plus to this is you can go 10k -12k very safely between oil changes. So you don't have to change as often. I do not do recreational oil changes at 2,500 or 3,000 miles like some guys do.

It is hard to justify the cost of a "new" d-max unless you pull 10,000 lbs. or more on a regular basis, and I do. BUT I also drive 35,000 miles a yr. I know, not a big deal, but I traded a 2003 2500 HD 8.1 allison 5 speed gasser for this d-max new in 2006. I spent $210 a week on gasoline and when I went to diesel it went to $97 a week. Same mileage and diesel was .35 per gallon cheaper.

To get back on track..I think that is a little too much money for any truck with that kind of mileage. Dollar for dollar mileage all being the same I would pick a d-max anyday. I will never and I mean never go back to a gasser.

For a four year old truck, mileage and everything else being equal I would guess the d-max would be worth 2k-3k more.