used 3500 need opinions

[moloss]

here's the add......

 

2004 GMC sierra 3500 SLT 4x4 crew cab with 34,000 miles. It has the vortec 8.1 engine, alison trans. and is the single rear wheel. It has a brake controller box and a hide away gooseneck hitch already installed. It's black with grey leather interior. The inside is the SLT package with onstar, Bose sound, climate controll, and rear DVD player. It has a gibson 4in exhaust, airaid cold air intake and throttle body spacer. Email me if you want pics price is $22000/obo but i am looking at any trades

 

is there something I should be looking for? any known problems? how bad can the MPG really be? any and all suggestions are needed.....thanks.

[GetMore]

First of all, he modified the truck, so he probably likes to drive it like he stole it. Maybe, maybe not. You might appreciate that, maybe no.

Second, it's got a gooseneck hitch installed. That means it has been used to haul heavy trailers. This also means extra wear.

Both of these things are like looking at a truck with a snow plow in it. (More the hitch than the mods.) The truck has had a harder than average life.

 

Fuel economy is below 15 on the highway and somewhere around 10 or 11 in town. When towing it is probably 8-10.

 

I'd find out why the truck is being sold. It could be because the owner doesn't want to be out of warranty. Maybe he doesn't need to tow any more, or the truck is too big. Maybe the trailer was too heavy for a single rear wheel. Maybe he got tired of paying for the gas or being passed by diesel rigs when towing.

 

Some of the 8.1 engines like to burn oil, but I haven't heard of any side effects to that, yet.

 

Try getting the VIN to the dealer and see if they can give you a history on the truck. If all the work has beend done at the dealer you should be able to get an idea of whether or not the truck has been problematic.

[mmmikkke]

Yeah, if it were my money I'd try to find an 8.1 CC without a gooseneck hitch and with everything else pretty much left factory. Those are harder to come by, because that's what everybody else wants too.

 

Along with the mods you mentioned, it's easy to imagine that it also had a chip installed.

 

On the other hand, just because the owner had a chip installed and a performance exhaust, and a goosneck trailer, doesn't mean the truck wasn't taken care of. If it's never been overheated, and if the oil was changed regularly, that's more important than whether it has performance mods.

 

So if you like the truck and it looks clean, then maybe its an honest good deal, it's just going to be a gamble and you have a few red flags already.

[asilverblazer]

I don't see a probelem with the hitch, especially on a one ton truck, if it were a half ton big red flag, diito for the brake controller. As for the performance stuff, My truck has performance items on it, that doesn't mean its a hot rod...

[moloss]

I did a car fax and everything so far has checked out.....is there a way for me to check maintence records (you know put the vin # in and out comes how often it's been to the gmc dealer)......thanks Chris