I currently don't own a diesel truck but have been looking at getting one. If I was going to purchase a used one (new are just too much $$) what would you suggest I focus my search on? My use will mostly consist of commuting to work, weekend trips to home depot, and 4-5 long trips (24+ hours of driving) pulling a trailer with about 2500 lbs. I also expect to purchase a boat in the next year or so and expect the weight of that boat to be between 5 and 6K. I know that diesel is overkill for this kind of use but I just like the look of these trucks, and am thinking the gas milage for this size of truck will be better then what it would be for the gas version.

Thanks!

Run the VIN thru Carfax. Have a reputable shop, not associated in any way with the seller, do a buyer pre purchase inspection and make sure it is within the mileage and time limits of the factory warranty. Should have a verifiable record of maintenance that has been done. Don't get in a rush to buy as there are a lot of cream puff trucks on the market so you don't have to get one that's been ragged out.

check the VIN through techs here, they are gracious enough to help. Also check mileage versus the hour meter, shows the usage. Not sure how, but check for signs of power adders, not that this is bad but if you find one inside of warranty and a dealer found it, warranty could be voided. As for record of maintenance, that is iffy. I maintain my truck myself, religiously, only way to tell is what I have/have not written down myself. keep an eye on this board in the For Sale section, might be worth consideration.

Buying used trucks is very different then it used to be. Used truck prices are very low. No used vehicle is holding any kind of value because of the financing you can get on a new one. Right now if you can find a new '04 Duramax you can get 0% for 72 months! In a few more months they will probably have 0% on the '05.

My father in law just sold his '03 CC-LB 4x4 LT Duramax for $27k with only 40k miles. If you have the cash or can get a low interest rate from a bank you can find plenty of low mileage Duramaxes for well under $30k.

Other than cosmetics the biggest thing on a Diesel is the maintance. Try and buy one from someone who kept a maint. record. You can give your local Chevy dealers service dept. the vin# and they can tell you about any dealer service or other work done on the truck at any Chevy dealer in the country.

I don't think it is overkill, there are many advantages to owning a diesel besides the ability to tow/haul heavy loads.

What kind of mileage is normal for a couple year old truck now? I have a 96 Z71 and the owner that had it must have not drove it alot because it had almost 57k on it when I bought it in 2000. Now it has 90k. Is it ok too have over 50k on an 04.5 Duramax?

To me that sounds like a lot, I feel like I have quite a bit, I got mine in April of this year and I have 17k on it. To me 50k seems pretty high for a 04.5. When did the truck come off the car lot new?

Go With The Diesel, You Won't Be Sorry.:ro)

I'm not looking yet and won't be for probably a year or so but was just checking what people thought. Hopefully I can find one with lower miles on it. Reading on this forum it's like some of you guys drive to California and back ten times a year.

Buying a '96 in 2000 with 57,000 miles on it gives it an average of 14,000 miles a year. The averag for a vehicle is approx 10,000 - 15,000 miles a year.
Maintance is not that overwelming. The only part that is more time consuming is the fuel system. Once you get it down it's a simpe routine. Everthing else would be the same for a gasser as well.
Diesel trucks are becoming more and more popular these days and now the manufactures are cashing in on it. The price of fuel is still above regular unleaded, the trucks are high priced and fuel is not all that easy to find somtimes. But that is the pesimistic view point. Don't let that scare you away.
The optimistic view is these trucks can and have outlasted many gas vehicles, they hold their resale value better, they get better fuel milage, more power to boot, and somtimes they make people role there windows up and back away.):h

Oh I know about the fewer fueling areas. We have a truck stop in town and next town over has biodiesel too. My friends Dodge has 94k on it and he bought it new in fall of 01. I printed out that maintenance schedule that GMC2500HD posted. I'm going to have this next truck for many many years so I'm going to keep it clean and do really good maintenance on it. Isn't it true most of the time with a diesel that people nowadays tend to have more than average miles on there trucks?

Make sure the truck is not modified and take it to a Chevy dealer and ask them to look it over for you. It will cost you a few bucks, but they will let you know if you found a good truck or a problem, especially if the truck is out of warranty.
The trucks seem to depreciate about 10% for every year or 10,000 miles inside the 3 year bumper to bumper warranty period - then they take another dip once they are outside the warranty. The duramax engines have a longer warranty separate from the truck. Several significant improvements were made to the duramax in 2004.5 - called the new LLY motor. You can look at the options list in the glove box. If it says LB7 it is the old motor, if it says LLY it is the new motor. They started building them around January 2004.