Hello all. I am here because I have finnaly decided I want a new duramax. I have to admit I have come from a ford family and have owned 2 7.3 psd. I have never been let down by them but I am ready to give the GM a shot. I realy like what I have been hearing about the duramax espeicaily the LBZ. I need a new truck and there is no way I would buy a new 6 liter superduty and dodge is out of the question even though I like the cummins.
I am looking at the 2500 extended cab standard box fully loaded. This will be my first diesel with a auto tranny. My 7.3 had a pretty hot chip and all I had to do was change the clutch and it held fine, but I have faith in allison. I want to do the usual airflow mods but dont want to run into waranty issues. Also want to do a tuner but like all other mods for this truck, Im in the dark. I am wondering about the limits of this tranny but like I am reading on here its to early to tell.
One more thing is about lifting these trucks. I have always been a fan of a solid axel up front because of simplicity and ease of lifting. I at least want the truck level. I was also wondering how the front ends hold up compared to a monobeam. One more thind is what whould be a good price for a fully loaded 2500? I built one on the gm site and msrp was 42000:eek: Sorry for such a long post. Just doing my homework before I drop as much money as my parents paid for their fist house( yeah I hear that alot!) Thanks Matt

The MSRP for mine was 42, picked it up for 34.....plus free oil changes for life:ro) I think I got a fair deal, thanks to the good folks here who got me a supplier discount:cool2:

Take care
Mike

That is sweet. I knew I was switching to GM for a reason. Thanks anybody else?

search around the forums

these type of questions get asked on a daily basis, so I am sure the information you are looking for is already posted in other threads

and as for the Allison holding power. It won't reliably hold above around 65hp+ if you romp on it all the time.

Hi Matt:

:welcome2:

I don't have any personal experience with your first two questions (transmission, IFS durability), but I'll comment on the third; good price.

Go to the Kelly Blue Book website and "build" your truck. Determine total invoice price; that's your base. Add sales tax, license and doc fees and you'll have a minimum total price to expect. Identify half a dozen dealers in your area and start shopping! Actual prices vary by geographic location and current market conditions, but I bet with a little effort you'll be able to negotiate a sale at or close to invoice! :ro)

Good luck! :)