Well I went and did it again, I purchased a new 04 GMC 2500 HD\ ext cab \ 6.0 \ auto.

I have now owned 4 new GM pickups over the last 5 years and I have been very happy with all of them, I think I have tried all the combinations and can report my opinions on all of them.

I owned....
99 2500LD Ext cab 6.0 \ auto \ 4.10 - pulled a 10,000 lb car hauler
01 2500HD Crew Cab 8.1 \ Allison \ 3.73 - pulled a 36' 15,000 lb gooseneck car hauler
03 2500HD Crew Cab Duramax \ Allison \ 3.73 - pulled the same 36' gooseneck car hauler.
and now 04 GMC 2500 HD Ext Cab 6.0 \ Auto \ 3.73

I sold the car hauler and no longer own a trailer and don't plan to own another one other than maybe a flatbed and possible borrow the inlaws small camper for a couple trips a year.

Both the 8.1 and the Duramax were great engines although I was never overly impressed with the Duramax mileage (although much better than the 8.1) :D

After I sold my trailer the 03 just sat in the garage and I was offered as much as I paid for it (after owning it for 18 months) so I let it go but after several months we are finding we need a truck for other things (going to start building a new home soon) so with the current incentives we decided on the GMC, so for those of you that say "once you own a diesel or a crew cab, you'll never go back", well here's one guy that did :D

I just searched GM Buypower and found the "exact" truck I was looking for about 200 miles away, made a phone call and came up with the following deal....

$36,685 - MSRP
$32,550 - Invoice (what I paid for the truck)
-$5000 - GM Rebates
-$2000 - GM Card
$25550 + taxes is what I bought the truck for

The truck is an SLE with
Locking Differential
Snow Plow Prep
Power Seat
Power Camper Mirrors
HD Trailering Equip.
Aluminum Wheels
Electronic Transfer
Steering Wheel Controls
CD \ Cassette
Roof Marker Lamps
OOR Tires


The mods will start soon, I just ordered a set of painted fender flares which will be painted to match the truck and a set of painted door handles, other mods will include...

Westin Oval Step Bars
Spray In Bed Liner
Truxedo Low Profile Bed Cover
GM Molded Mud Flaps
Painted Tailgate Handle
Bed Rails
Grill Guard
XM Radio, Speakers, Subs, and Amps.
And who knows what else :D

I'll be updating my website soon with more pictures and details of the mods..

http://www.rtol.net/scornell/o4gmc1.jpg

AWESOME TRUCK!!!


What does GM call that shade of RED?????





Simply stunning!!!


Take care





WIll


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Thanks http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

GMC Calls it Fire Red, Chevy calls it Victory Red, I "think" its the same color, the GMC paint code is 74

Thanks....... I prefer the GMC look to the CHevy. Awesome truck!!



Will


http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gifhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

Good looking truck http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif

Yes to the above, and I am jealous of your backyard with creek also.





Also, you said flatbed. Are you hauling for a living or extra cash?

Nice Steve. After seeing Tony's truck (GMC-2002-Dmax) in person i must say the red with chrome wheels really looks sharp. Good luck with it. The deals are incredible.

Thanks for the comments guys!

brazos,
Nope not towing for a living, just the occasional trip to Lowes http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif (getting ready to start building a new home in the spring)

Steve,
Thanks for pointing out the obvious. I have a 1500 silverado and am contemplating the HD-D/A upgrade, but I also only occasionally will tow an as yet unpurchased Airstream trailer. The truck would also need to be a daily driver for me, thus my hesitation on the D/A. I know this is a diesel board, and that is why I'm here, but it's healthy to hear other opinions. I do not want to buy a $50 k truck (list) and start doing mods.
So thanks again, and before I get flamed, I really would like to go D/A, but with current $ status, justification for a non-tow-pro like me is tough. Luke

Luke,

Since I've owned and towed (heavy) with all the combos I feel I can give an "unbiased" opinion.

I was very happy with the Duramax but since I sold my car hauler I really no longer had a need for it, I probably would have kept it but this was a $47,000 truck that I purchased for $39K less the $1500 rebate at the time and after a year and a half sold for $37,000http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

If I was towing more than 8000 lbs on a regular basis I would own either an 8100 or the Duramax, the diesel had better takeoff and held overdrive much better than the 8.1 however it did not "out pull" the 8.1, yes it got better mileage and pulled at a lower rpm but the 8.1 would go "faster" up a long grade, yes the 8.1 was "screaming" and sucking gas but it would run.

The diesel was a great running truck both loaded and empty and I've never "complained" about the mileage on any truck I've owner (it's a HD truck, if I wanted economy I would have bought an import)http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/HiHi.gif but ........ it never got "twice" the mileage as the gasser as you see posted so many times on these forums, I got 16-18 running around empty and 8-9 towing (grossing 22,000 lbs) the 8.1 got 11-13 normal driving and 6-8 towing the same trailer.
These numbers are from actual mileage calculations at each fillup, I can't find the spreadsheet from my 99 ext cab with the 6.0 but I recall the empty mileage was 13-15 and towing 10,000lbs was 7-9, I'm on my 4 tank of gas with the new GMC and the first three were 14.9mpg, 14.7 mpg, and 15.1 mpg.

I have a company truck (04 Ford Power Stroke Crew)http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Dead.gif that I can use for many things but we are planning on building a new home and the wife will need a 4WD this winter so we decided to purchase another truck, the crew cab was great but my oldest is now off to college and the shorter truck is easier for the wife to get around so we decided on the ext. cab this time.

It is hard to justify (cost wise) the diesel unless you are towing a lot or just "want one", many people with diesels will never pull anything but this is America so if you want one and can afford it I say "Go For It", the 6.0 is a very good running engine and I think I'll be very satisfied with it for my current needs.

Good Luck with your decision.

Steve

Man that is a nice looking rig... Nice price too. Congrats.

Congrats on the new truck Steve! Here's my deal. I was about to sign the papers for a 50,000 DMAX Crew before I was wooed over to the 5000.00 rebate. I tried calling dealers with 2004.5 DMAX's and they pretty much wanted list because it is such a hot item. Along with the puny 2500.00 made me say Hell, just get an 05 and be done with it. Then the 5000.00 rebate came along and made me think. I ended getting a 2004 SLT crew fully loaded with a plow package(I plow snow) for peanuts. Truck listed at 42,300 got supplier pricing from a friendhttp://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Wink.gif, 5000.00 rebate,1600.00 GM Card Earnings, 1250 bonus GM Card Earnings. 29,650 plus taxes and tags. It worked out to be 11,200 difference between this and an 05 DMAX. I am sorry guys, I would LOVE to have a DMAX but this offer was too good to pass up. Maybe next time, but for now,I am EXTREMELY happy!!

I haven't had a red GMC yet and am getting ready to order an 05 tommorrow.


May have to get red this time or the new dark blue or yellow http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Confused.gif

Being a dyed in the wool Ford man, I never thought of owning a Chevy, but the rebates were just too good to pass up.


I needed a new plow truck since I store my 2003 Lariat LE for the winter, and drive a winter plow bomb. So off I went to shop. I was intent on buying a Supercab short box because anything longer won't fit in my garage with a plow attached.


I made the mistake of stopping at the local Ford garage, and that put the wheels in motion and I decided to buy brand new.. The biggest reason I bought a GM this time is the size of the rear seat of the extended cab. I firmly believe the Ford Superduty is a much tougher, better built truck, but the supercab interior is too small back there, and downright sucks for my kids..Ford dropped the ball on that cab design...


So, I bought the Chevy. List was $35,746.00. I bought the truck for $300.00 under invoice, $5,900.00 in GM rebates, and they gave me $2,000.00 for my old 1987 plow beater.


Add another $500.00 bucks from my citicard rebate, and I was in a brand new truck for a incredible price.
The truck is a 2004 Silverado LS. Power camper mirrors, 6.0L auto, Polished aluminum wheels, 4:10 limited slip with trailer package, Roof lights, Tinted glass, Snow plow prep, Auto 4X4 yada yada.


The dealer tossed in a bug shield, window ventshades and molded flaps.


I added a set of Luverne S/S running boards and some custom paint and pin striping to the Arrival blue color. The color is just beautiful. The front end look will take some getting used to, but I have to admit, it is a very, very nice truck, and a pleasure to drive. We'll soon see how tough it is.


It just blows me away how great the rebates were this year. If you guys are looking to buy new/clean, now is the time!





Edited by: George C

very sharp truck!! Good luck with the new rig!


Dpower

Nice truck, looks similar to mine.http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/2/web/686000-686999/686810_1_full.jpg