I was thinking about betting a 05 2500Hd Dmax thanks to the GM incentives. I currently have an 03 Sierra 1500HD, but I wanted to downsize to an extended cab, id still get a 4 door. The dealer only wants to give me $18000 for my truck with 30000 miles on it, what do you guys think? or should I what for the 6 speed Allison in 06, or just what for the new 07s. I haven't even seen a pic of the new trucks.

I just bought my '05 and the incentive to buy now is a Killer Deal! The way GM tells it is they want to get away from incentives in the next couple of years (we'll see, since they are the ones upping the bet this time around!).

Not sure the 6 speed will be worth the net difference in cost once this deal is gone.... Some models of Dmax/Ally are getting scarce around my area already...

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

I just registered to this forum and I too am looking a getting a Dmax because of the incentives. I wanted to get one when I got my Z but couldn't justify the price. I have a 24' toyhauler that probably weighs close to 5000 when loaded and my truck pulls it fine down here in Southeast Tx where it is flat but I'm afraid it won't do so well up in the mountains. I've never owned a diesel before and I'm wondering how it will differ from my gas 5.3. Sorry to hijack the thread but I was wondering the same thing. http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif

i was in the same boat when i bought my truck. there were huge rebates on the 03's which i probably wouldve bought but i waited too late to find what i wanted so i got the 04. it cost me about $4000 more but i have been told that the depreciation difference is the same amount. if it were me i would have to wait for the 06, sure sounds like it will be a totally different animal. wil

I cant believe that there are not even spy photos of the new 07s GM is really keeping the new trucks under cover. Its also a mystery what they will do for the new emissions?

I had 5.7 and 6.0 and there is no comparison to the muscle found in the diesel. I will never have another gasser.:cool2:

I currently own an 8.1L 2003 Sierra. Thinking about selling or trading for a 2005 6.6 because of the GM deal. I've been reading on this forum about the pros and cons of the 6.6 for the past month.


Any suggestions or advice is appreciated.

here's my experience about diesel vs. gasser.

My buddy has a chevy 1500 Z71 ext cab shortbox with the 5.3 in it. He bought it about 2 months before I got my truck which is in my sig.

We both are like JJ a little anal ;) so we've been keeping close tabs on our fuel mileage and usage.

both our trucks are daily drivers and hardly haul anything around and our normal driving loops are very similar. Turns out he's been getting almost the same fuel mileage that I have. We drive very similarly by the way. His is actually a bit worse than mine because of some super low mileage tanks due to towing. We've both got about 15,000miles on the trucks now.

This weekend will be the first time that my truck will get to pull anything which will actually be the same boat over the same mountain pass that he pulled last year so I'll be able to see how much better my truck does (hopefully!) than his did. Not that his truck didn't do well but I have this feeling I won't even feel the boat back there. That's when his mileage dropped from around 19mpg on the highway to 14mpg over that entire trip (2 mountain passes and crazy headwind...)

All in all neither one of us have had any problems, knock on wood, with our trucks and they've been running great.

But then again my truck weighs about 2000# more, goes faster, smells better, makes cooler noises (although his dual gibson system does sound nice), gets just a little better fuel mileage, will tear through rear tires at a rate he can only dream of, and can blow smoke at unsuspecting (sorry: deserving ;) )drivers :ro) I have never one day felt like I should have saved the money and got a 1/2 ton gas truck because the diesel is just so much better in my opinion. Plus is theoretically should last a lot longer.

I too had a gasser that was fine in Texas, a 2003 HD2500 6.0 with 4:10 gears. I pulled a 16 foot cargo trailer to CO and back and it just wouldn't do the job in the mountains. I had it loaded (probably overloaded) coming back I25 to Raton, and I got down to around 35 mph there. I haven't taken the Duramax there, but have been through the Smokies with the same trailer loaded, and she never slowed at all. In fact, with the Tow mode engaged, running the cruise control at 70 mph, it never shifted out of overdrive. I have found short steep hills here in East Texas cause a lot more shifting than the long inclines.

'03 GMC Sierra - 1st Diesel
'95 Chevy Silverado 2500HD - 'LAST' Gasser!

I want a diesel and will most likely get a 06 just because I a tired of spending big $$$ on repairs under 200K and the power, oh the power. If you wait until 06 you could end up spending a lot more $$$, but that's a risk I am willing to take. I would never give the stealer a trade-in, because that's what your doing giving it to them.

I pulled a 16 foot cargo trailer to CO and back and it just wouldn't do the job in the mountains. I had it loaded (probably overloaded) coming back I25 to Raton, and I got down to around 35 mph there. I haven't taken the Duramax there


I pulled my 25' 5er over Raton pass last year elk hunting and the dmax was great. I ran 80-85 all the way up. That was before I put the Edge and K&N filter on it. I can't wait to see what it does this year.

Interesting thread? :D JJ's .02 cents worth! ;)

ccg789 states "The dealer only wants to give me $18000 for my truck with 30000 miles on it, what do you guys think?"

Check out KBB.com or Edmunds.com and get a feel for what your truck is really worth and what the invoice on their truck really is. IMHO KBB has better numbers. ;) With the markup on these trucks they can play a lot with the numbers. Bottom line is to get the truck off the lot with your pants still above the knees! :sheephump :D

Wait for the 06 or 07's, why not? But then you'll be asking yourself why not wait for the 08 or 09's. :o: These trucks aren't likely going to get any cheaper, plus with each new model year your trade-in just takes a deeper dive. :rolleyes: If the 6 speed Ally is first year production I'm not sure I would want to be the "test bed" for GM on those.

The incentives do help, especially if you are upside down in your truck. Just have good numbers when you walk in there and "take it like a man"! ):h

Trotorx2 states "I have a 24' toyhauler that probably weighs close to 5000 lbs when loaded"

You might want to get that toyhauler weighed, you may be in for a big surprise. ;) These types of trailers tend to run heavier, especially if you are taking toyz to play with. Most truck stops have certified scales, load the trailer, fill the truck up, throw Mama and the kiddies in there and get er' weighed. ;)

As for towing in the mountains that 5.3 doesn't have the balls to tackle any serious mountain climbing, much less with a trailer. I had the same setup in my 02 Avalanche and with my small cargo trailer in tow in the Smoky Mountains I had trouble maintaining any decent speed on grades. The Dumax handles them with no problem. You will thoroughly enjoy the additional hp/tq, these trucks do a great job of getting the power to the wheels. :exactly:

ghost69 98/Terrain Twister: Ditto for JJ! :ro)

utkcountry states "I've been reading on this forum about the pros and cons of the 6.6 for the past month. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated."

Here's a suggestion: :grd: :exactly: :ro) ):h

WAskier: Quad A's Rule baby! :cool: I found your post to be well thought, concise, throughly enjoyable! :D

Dozerboy states "I want a diesel and will most likely get a 06 just because I a tired of spending big $$$ on repairs under 200K and the power, oh the power."

Test drove one didn't you? Noted you are Quad A, no doubt you've likely lost some sleep agonizing over ways to get your hands on one of these beast! Eventually you will and we'll celebrate along with you! :beerchug:

David Schear states "I pulled my 25' 5er over Raton pass last year elk hunting and the dmax was great. I ran 80-85 all the way up. That was before I put the Edge and K&N filter on it. I can't wait to see what it does this year."

Yikes! :eek: :Whoa: Plllllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeeeeeeee slow yo' ass down brother! Safety first! :)

Later. JJ :)

Now what fun would that be?
Seriously though, the pickup pulled beautiful. I was trying to keep up with my brother, who was in his dmax with a trailer also.

I "took the plunge" Friday..traded my 2003 2500HD ex/cab long bed 4X4 in for a 2005 3500 4X4, CC/LB/DW/ Duramax/Allison LT....Sticker on it was 48,918, with this program, it came up at 38,411, got a good trade on my 2500, put 1400 more on the 3500 and was left owing 37,000 with no money out of pocket at that point..couldn't turn it down no matter what Dodge or Ford guys say. My payment is $8 less a month then I was paying on the 2500...Hope it was the right choice, been reading some "bad things" in the forums about the 3500...hope I got a good one....

Hope it was the right choice, been reading some "bad things" in the forums about the 3500...hope I got a good one....

I have a 3500 that runs awesome :D

Let's take just a second and advise those of you that are "newbies" to the DP site and read these God awful things going on with these trucks that the GMC/Chevy trucks are still high quality machines and the Duramax/Allison combination is hands down the truck to beat! :ro) You are on a site where we not only talk about mods, programmers, tires and other neat stuff to make em pretty and fast, but to also discuss particular problems or deficiencies.:o:

So far the majority of LLY owners haven't posted any problems towing heavy at higher altitude, then again we suspect most LLY owners haven't towed heavy at higher altitudes either. ;) This is why we're trying to pin this down. If it is an inherent design flaw, faulty sensors, bad thermal fan, ??? we want to get em' fixed so that these trucks don't have any restrictions. :exactly:

So don't be afraid or feel like you are buying/bought a truck with numerous quality or performance issues. Older diesels, while they had plenty of muscle and could pull similar grades without overheating, weren't producing near the hp/tq=heat that these new generation of diesels do. :cool: There is little, if any, lag when you nail the accelerator on these trucks. I'm still not used to the idea of guys drag racing these trucks and ripping Corvette's, Mustang's, and other gas performance vehicles. :eek:

Hope this helps. OK, that was more than a second. ):h JJ's .02 cents worth. ;) TxC and others, anything to add that I may have missed? Later. JJ :)

Crap JJ you are getting goooooood!:ro)


I love my truck and totally trust it. As you know I couldn't make mine get hot, I have never been able to even budge the needle. Mine sits about one needles width under 210 like it is glued there.

However I don't have altitude to deal with within less than about 800 miles, nor do I pull much over 6,000 lbs.

My truck may not have the problem, it seems its not all of them, but if you do see the conditions developing that JJ is talking about then yeah, back off a bit, accept a slight speed loss if you have to, and life will be good.:)

I know nobody wants to do that but heat is your enemy so don't let it chew on your baby all the time. If ya got money to burn and time to waste, by all means have at it and burn that baby down! GM will be happy to sell you another one down the road when your truck doesn't last due to bigtime thermal cycling.:mad:

Just my .02.

.

WAskier: Quad A's Rule baby! :cool: I found your post to be well thought, concise, throughly enjoyable! :D



Thanks JJ! :D

I had the same truck you do, it was a 03 chevy 1500HD. it was a nice truck but it can't compare to the duramax, more power, better pulling, and also i have gotten 21mpg highway, my 03 1500hd 11.8 at its best. $18000 is a decent price given milage and condition. the 1500hd wasn't a hot seller and most people probably dont know what it is. also gm has changed the name back and forth between 1500hd and 2500 a few times. i traded in mine this past march and i have not missed that truck at all. just my .02

Don't get a diesel. Not unless you acrtually want it to take over your life. Seriously I can't get this smile off my face. Worst part is all of the wasted time thinking of what to get next for just a little more power.

Well guys, I went to two dealers here and neither one wanted to deal. They wanted to lowball my trade and one even tried to lower the employee discount after I was told the sale price by the internet manager. Went to one friday afternoon and the other saturday morning, my wife and I were the only customers at both dealerships. I may try one more dealer but it doesn't look good for my hopes of getting a Dmax. :(

The 2003 2500HD that I had was great. When I traded Friday, it had 27,000 miles on it and I towed a 34/, then a 37' 5th wheel with it...The Duramax and Allison both performed flawlessly....I never had a SINGLE problem with it...Now I have the 2005 3500, and had just read a few things in the Diesel Place forum about the LLY Duramax and I have to admit, it caused some concern..I was trading in a, to me, a perfectlly sound 'Max for one that I read MIGHT have a few problems...BUT I still bought it KNOWING what the other one did for me and understanding that this one is stronger then the one I had...Figure it will be as good as the one I traded, hope it will be, guess I'll see.....

Could you afford to get the Dmax and sell your truck as a private sale? You'd probably get closer to what your truck is worth if you do it that way.

I've been posting my replies over it the other thread. I need the GMS price and my trade in to keep my payments inline with what I'm paying now. Now if I can't get it well I'll just keep driving this Z-71 which is a perfectly good truck. I'd like to have the Dmax so if we upgrade our travel trailer I'll have the truck to tow it with.

I had put a few "add-on's my 2500HD D/A and the "appraiser" actually knew about these things..I ended up, with what I thought was a pretty good deal on a trade in for one of the first time's in my life and I'm almost 55...Got well over what "book" said it was worth..used the extra to also pay on the 3500..They did me right..can't complain this time..With the employee purchase deal ending on July 5th..didn't know if I could sell mine before then or not...