2001 Gmc 2500hd Diesel - Possible Good Buy?

arcticcat132 · December 19, 2009

I have been a traditional Ford guy, but it's now time to retire the '98 F-250 and I want to upgrade to a diesel. All manufacturers have their pros and cons, and this truck sounds pretty appealing. Plus the price is right. I'll get the test drive and inspection tomorrow. Now, what I know about the truck:

2001 GMC Sierra 2500HD Duramax 6.6L Allison 5-speed Automatic. Regular Cab, long box, 4x4 with 7'6" Western Snow Plow. 145,000 miles, body is in good shape. Was used as personal work truck. Not commerical use. The transmission was replaced with a Jasper rebuilt transmission at 105,000 miles. Truck is currently owned by the 2nd owner.

Having been a Ford guy since I could drive, I don't know a lot about the newer series GM trucks (newer than 1999).

What problems do these trucks have? What are the known maintenance issues? Diesel guys, how well does the Duramax hold up? What is known to go out, or needs to be addressed at what time interval? I follow the diesel truck market a lot, so I'm very familiar with what these engines are capable of, but I don't know very much at all about this chassis. I know the ins and outs of basic used car inspection, but I'm curious about what other points on this truck I should be looking for.

I appreciate any information you guys can pass on to me about this particular model.

Chris

02silveradols · December 19, 2009

Biggest issue known to that year is the injectors. Have a dealer run the vin and see if they have been serviced before.

hockeypro1411 · December 20, 2009

I'm not sure about diesel specifics, but something to take into consideration is the plow. This means that it has been used to plow, which takes a hefty toll on the truck, especially suspension. This also means that it was exposed to salt more than the average vehicle. There was an article around here somewhere that addressed a specific part of the frame on GM trucks that would crack when plowing. I'll see if I can dig it up.

arcticcat132 · December 21, 2009

I checked the truck out yesterday. The plow is beat to crap, the body appears decent, but the owner refused to wash it before I saw it, and I noticed rust starting to come through on the body so I don't think this was a well maintained vehicle. Truck has the new injectors, but also has a new trans, because the old one was blown out early on in life...possibly from plowing. I decided this was not the truck to buy based on that info, and a lot of other small things I noticed. I'll keep searching...