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Need some advice (What truck should I buy)

Dominik

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Dominik Enthusiast

Dominik

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Hello from faaaar far away , more specifically from germany. :) I am looking for a truck. I don't need it immediatly, but I would like to gather some advice. And since I haven't found a general buyer's advice group I have to open two threads. one in the gmt 400 forum and one in the gmt 800. 

So now : what am I looking for ?  I need a truck which is:  reliable , able to tow at least like 8000Ib (3/4 or 1 Ton ) My price range would be  5000-6000 Dollars. ( because of shipping and stuff ). , I would like to have 4wheel abs , It should't be total gas hog ( in Europe we have LPG (Liquid Pressurized Gas), and this stuff is quite cheap 0,60 cents per litre (2,20$ per gallon) )  So I am aware of the fuel economy of v8's , but as always , the better mpg, the more money I have left :D 4x4 is a must have, single rear wheel, long bed, no crew cab. 

I am looking forward for some helpful advice :)

diyer2 Senior Enthusiast

diyer2

Posted
Posted

Reliable is tough.

You never know with used at at that price and the miles on it IMO.

Here's an example:

https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2008-gmc-sierra-2500hd-ext/6354582497.html

This is HIGH mileage.

You can figure 12 to 15 thousand miles per year as an average. 10 year old truck, 150 thousand miles.

More trucks:

https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/1998-chevrolet-chevy-c3500/6340816138.html

 

https://denver.craigslist.org/ctd/d/2000-chevrolet-silverado-2500/6351166744.html

 

:happysad:

Dominik Enthusiast

Dominik

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yeah I know, that's what I feared. I mean i can do almost all of the work by myself, so this shouldn't be an issue. Nevertheless whenever I would buy such a high miler, I want a service history. As long as it was maintained properly, it could be a better option than a 100.000 mile truck thats never been maintained. That is the reason why I have opened two threads. 

Realisticly I think I will get either a gmt400 or gmt 800 truck.  Everything more expensive will kill me on import taxes .:D 

Next question, since you have just sended me cars from dealers : who is more trustalbe ? dealer or individual? ( know this depends on the person but what kind of experience do you had in the past )

 

Thank you for your help :)

aseibel Senior Enthusiast

aseibel

Posted
Posted

You need to find one with low miles that was owned by an old man on a farm, who never modified it at all. Any modifications will indicate possible problems down the road.

 

I know that's not easy to find. I don't know how to find it either. But the internet is your friend. If you are serious about this, I would start looking on craigslist for big cities in the south: around Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, etc. Those areas should have less rust since they don't get salted roads in winter.

 

If you are interested in shipping it, you can buy from anyone, anywhere. Dealers should be more trustworthy, but not always on used cars, and since you don't live near them they don't have to help you out. Buying from a private party will probably give you a better deal, unfortunately the search is the hard part.

Dominik Enthusiast

Dominik

Posted
  • Author
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Thanks, the 2002 HD and the white regular cab is nice :)  I would never buy a modified truck since you never know how the truck was treatend and how well the modification is. besides that, it would be impossible to register it in germany since our registration process is hidiously complicated ( you need documents for every modification you make on the car and it must have a cetrificate that says: "this modification is allowed on that car" and you need a document about the quality of the material... so no thanks ... I will never buy a modded truck. Funny thing is, that I must modifiy some things, like the tail light. Because the german law says you cannot have red blinkers, and they have to be seperated. (because the people could be confused) ... :D Germany :D 

Currently I am looking around los angeles, because there is the shipping company... and as I said, I have a limited budget... which leaves me with another problem..  is it cheaper to fly to the states, buy the car and drive it to the shipping company... or is it cheaper to pay somebody to buy the truck and ship it ... these are the next things i have to figure out. since i have no relatives in the us :( 

Problems Problems problems... glad i have quite a lot of time to do this.

As always, thanks for yout reply :)

4bycamper Enthusiast

4bycamper

Posted
Posted

We tow a 8000 pound 5th wheel with our 04 Silverado 2500 Hd, 6.0 gasser, 4.10 gears.

It does the job really well. If it was stolen we would get another one just like it.

 

About shipping, generally everything you can do yourself will save you money.

Labor is the most expensive part.

Best of luck with this...

  • 3 weeks later...
buzman78 New Member

buzman78

Posted
Posted

Just an FYI re towing capacity, we tow our gooseneck horse trailer with a 2003 2500HD 6.0 4.10 rear and the weight is in the 11,000 plus range.  Know others doing the same. Only additions are airbags in the rear, an additional trans cooler, and an additional fan (electric) to use on hot days.   In the flat lands and rolling hills it does great.  Steep hills slow things a bit.  This is in VA and NC where we have both.  Good Luck with your hunt.

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