Hello all. FNG here... Ha
I'm preparing to buy a new truck and have it narrowed down to a 99 quad cab 3/4 ton chevy with the turbo diesel, or a 2001 3/4 ton ext/cab with the 6.0 gas engine..
Both auto's and both are 4x2's..

I pull on occasion our 7000lb travel trailer. Maybe 12-15 times a year...

I'm looking to get some more towing power and better gas mileage at the same time..

I see in the specs though that the 6.5 only has 190 hp and 390ft lbs of torque..
The 2001 6.0 gas engine has 320hp and almost the same torque.. ( a lil less, but still close)

I absolutely LOVE the truck that the diesel is in.. Comfy and loaded..

Can anyone give me any input on this years chevy diesel?
I'm a little concerned with a few things ive been hearing and wanted to try to get as much info as I can before laying out the cash... (this week)

Power, reliability, etc...

Thanks a TON!!!
D

Let's see, the best year 6.5 ever made, or a 9 MPG gashog.


No Question in my mind. The Diesel has a longer life expectancy at 300,000 to 400,000 avg. miles vs. 150,000 avg for the gas engine.


You have eight ignition coils 6.0 vs. glowplugs 6.5


The 6.5 needs an intercooler, a performance chip and the biggest exhaust you can fit to really shine. good luck

Thanks for the reply. I'm a little hesitant due to the HP and Torque ratings of this year's diesel compared to other brands.

Plus, ive heard that no power upgrades can be added due to the engine not being strong enough..

If your willing to spend a bit of cash I've heard that with some upgrades the 6.5 can put out as much as the Duramax ~ 300HP!, I would like to see this but their explanation seems sound ...check out the link to see what Iam talking about.

In my opinion this would be the ultimate since the 6.5 is much more plentiful and cheaper than the D-max and you will never come close to its economy with a gasser.

http://www.62-65-dieselpage.com/finale.htm

Well, I guess for the money it would take to do all that I probably could buy a newer duramax model.. (2001+)

What makes the '99 the best year the 6.5 was made?

It's to bad, cuz I loved that truck w/the 6.5.

Don't get to caught up with the "on paper" numbers of HP and TQ. I have a 95 diesel Tahoe with 3.42 gears, which get's between 16 and 20 MPG. I also have a 2002 Tahoe 5.3 gas with 4.10 gears that gets 12.5 to 14.5 MPG. Even though the gas claims to have almost 100 more HP than the Diesel the diesel will still beat it in a race. You have to look at the rpm's where the power is happening at @2000 rpm's the diesel is at almost full power. You have to wait till 4000+ RPM before the gas gets to its Good HP range and your still not touching the TQ the diesel had down at 1500 RPM. Just my opinion since I have both, I bought my diesel after my gas and I can tell you that the 2002 Tahoe is the last gas vehicle I will ever buy. As for '99 being the best year it was also the last year(except for vans and H1's). And auto manufacturers continually make subtle little improvements every year so the '99 had all the little improvements made since the introduction of the 6.2/6.5 engine base introduced in @1982 to the best of my knowledge.