I am considering purchasing a 2005 3500 4x4 crew cab, Duramax, srw. I presently have a 1997 GMC 3500 SLT dually ext. cab, 454 2wd. After todays test drive I am having second thoughts.

The 97 does everything that I need it to do. It has low miles paid for and is in excellent shape. I have been wanting a Duramax every since it has been available. I want an every day driver as well as a towing vehicle, and the dually just doesn't seem practical for an every day driver.

The 2005 looks great and seems to have all the bells and whistles, however I wasn't overly impressed with a few things. The interior seemed pretty generic, not nearly as nice or functional as the 97. The 05 and my 97 are both SLT's. The engine performance (without a load) seemed unimpressive, especially compared to a neighbors 2002 LB7 (60,000 miles) as well as a friends 2004 6L powerstroke (4,000 miles), both stock, no mods to either vehicle.

I was offerred the opportunity to take the truck home and hook it up to my enclosed trailer and test it with a load. With the new truck only having 100 miles on it will this be a realistic adventure seeing how it is not broke in yet and won't offer a true test of it's capabilities?

I seemed to have been be more impressed a few years ago when test driving the LB7, maybe I have a short memory and am expecting too much.

Any thoughts? :confused:

Kevin

My company has both (my LLY and my partners LB7) and I don't find a whole lot of difference, I actually think mine pulls harder up top and it's quieter.

I think you'll find that the new body style rides nicer and handles better than the old '97, doors shut nicer, fit and finish is a little better, and probably has a higher towing capacity. You'll also have more Hp and torque and better fuel mileage than the 454. I don't know what kind of weight you're pulling but the clincher for me is the Allison transmission, this makes the heavy Chevy a great total package especially if you tow a lot.

If they offered you to take the truck home and hook it up; do it! If you're thinking of spending 40 or 50K on a vehicle, you deserve to try it out, and the low mileage is not going to hinder it's performance enough to give you a false impression compared to a truck that's broke in. Remember though, it's a diesel, they behave differently, but you will come to appreciate it and there are lots of aftermarket products that make these things fly.

Good luck

I just bought an 2005 Chev. D/A crew cab dually. I traded in my '01 8.1/alli, ext. cab dually on it. I was a lot more impressed with the new LLY than I was the LB7. When you were test driving it was it warmed up to running temps yet? When I was test driving my new one, and still today, it's not impressive until it warms up. I only have 1,500 miles on it so far and I'm happy. That 8.1 was very impressive but very hard on fuel. I've pulled a couple light loads with it and I'm happy with how it pulls so far. I'm trying to get the break in miles on it before I start chipping it. As far as the interior, I have an SL, it's fine with me - I hate leather seats -:t !!! If you think that chevy looks cheap inside look at a new Dodge. If you got any more questions let me know.

Thanks for your replies. Yes, it was warmed up, (I also own a diesel suburban and know that they tend to run much better when warmed-up). I don't tow on a daily basis, just a few times thruout the spring and summer, both an open trailer (w/antique tractor) and an enclosed car trailer (w/drag car). Estimating the weight fully loaded is upwards of 17,000lbs. My 97 does this easily, however I know that the durmax will out perform it.

I guess my situation (and decision), just depends on the fact that I want and have wanted a duramax. What I have does all that I want it to do and again it is paid for. The issues pretty much seem to be the fuel mileage, gas vs diesel, the fact that I would be able to drive the duramax (non dual rears) vs the present 97 w/duals on a daily basis. What I want in a durmax, (option-wise), is not available at any of the dealerships in town. I was told that I would need to order one, (which is fine), I don't mind the wait if it means getting what I want. Still, even going top of the line, (I prefer cloth vs leather), it still seems like the interior is a little generic considering the final price tag. I am very impressed and satisfied with the exterior.

I have researched the after market options available for both my present 97 as well as the duramax. I could just stick a supercharger on the 97 and open up the exhaust to increase it's power for far less $$$....but still it's not what I would call a daily driver due to the duals. If I did get a durmax, I would also add aftermarket options, just because :ro)

I did notice that on the test drive the durmax was noisy. I have read quite a few posts here about others thinking the same thing, is this a common problem that is "normal" or is there something to it? Nothing compared to my 6.2L but different than what I had expected. The amount of noise doesn't bother me, just curious.

Thanks again,
Kevin

My dealer told me to NOT pull a trailer until after 500 miles were on the truck... Said it would do a lot of harm... If you pull a load on your test I would make sure I picked out another truck to take home :)

As for going ahead and buying the Diesel , I would...

Steve