okay, im in the demolition business i drive bout 500 city km's a week. i often have a pretty decent load, ( but nothing a 1\2 ton couldnt handle ) and am pulling a 4000 lb trailer, once a week or so. lots of turning on\off the truck and stop and go from job to job. and every other weekend driving highway pulling a trailer full of quads. to the cabin and what not.

These are my options..

i looked at this today,

2002 Chevy silverado, diesel. 4x4 ext cab, short box. new tires, BRAND new injectors, and a rebuilt transmission. tranny was $2800 done by allison and injectors were $5000 done by the local chev store. anyways truck is in decent shape for $22 000 (canadian. which is cheap in my area, compared at $25 000- $29 000)

i love this truck, my concerns are other problem area's that might occur or if im going to be stuck with a big repair bill. in winter i was also thinking about putting a snowplow, we do lots of snow removal.


or im looking into a 2001 or 2002 dodge ram ext cab short box. 4x4, now ive heard the cummins is an amazing motor, but the tranny issues are a huge drawback. so i dont know how i feel about this truck, style is alright, but i like the chevy a lot more. these are about $18 000 - $22 000 in my area.


or getting a 2004 GMC Sierra with a 5.3 litre tow pkg. it will do the job for what i need it for, is just as comfortable and roomy as the diesel. but for the odd highway trip it wont be as economical. and i would not be able to put a plow on the front. but i dont have to worry about it being expensive for matienece.. these are about $23 000-$25 000


Let me know what you guys would do, i cannot make my up mind. and its driving me nuts. im kind of leaning towards the duramax. but have my concerns. help me...

My rule of thumb when buying autos/tractors/quads is to set a price limit and then buy as much vehicle as I can get...and from your choices above that means '02 Dmax/Allison.

well one thing I noticed was that the 5.3 you are looking at you didn't mention if it was a 2500 HD or just a 1500 ... there is a world of difference ... as for stop and start ... I would like gas over diesel ... but if you are going to plow then again your back to a 2500 HD diesel or not. Out West you have some cold mornings so if you can't plug this baby in and you are doing short trips ... stick with gas ... diesel is made to run all day long and hard ... if you are loading her down she will love you ... in the winter ... other wise it won't even get hot enough in the cold. Only you know what you are going to be doing with it ... I will say don't get anything less then a 2500 HD and up ... you will not be happy with a 1500 .. just my $ 0.02;)

they are short trips, but i usually leave my truck run because im only at the spot for 5 min usually. with my dodge ram right now, i leave it run sometimes for like 2 hours with runnin around. i get **** gas mileage with it, 01 dodge ram with a 318. i get 300 kms on 90 litres. its pitiful.

some days we his -40's i know i would have to plug it in then, most gas vehicles you have to :P but what about a -20 to -30 day. ( our average from dec - feb ) plug it in all the time forsure? what if cant? am i SOL?

they are short trips, but i usually leave my truck run because im only at the spot for 5 min usually. with my dodge ram right now, i leave it run sometimes for like 2 hours with runnin around. i get **** gas mileage with it, 01 dodge ram with a 318. i get 300 kms on 90 litres. its pitiful.

some days we his -40's i know i would have to plug it in then, most gas vehicles you have to :P but what about a -20 to -30 day. ( our average from dec - feb ) plug it in all the time forsure? what if cant? am i SOL?

Well if you get a remote starter for the truck it has a feature where by it will start ever 2 hours and run for about 20 minutes at temps below -18 or -20 C I forget which ... and you might be able to leave it pluged in ?? you would have to check with then (remote starter people)

Now if you are leaving you truck running all day then Diesel is the cat for you. Well the truck idles it uses almost no fuel ... compared with gas ... just my experince.

I drove in Colorado all day in 4 wheel drive doing no more then 30 kmph at any given time and I had over 400 km and only used a 1/4 tank of fuel .. Now on the main roads doing 120 km I will get my 500 - 600 km per 80 liters .... if I go slower the fuel mileage goes up real fast .... One long weekend I was stuck doing 90 kmph and I got to where I was going I had 600km on 1/2 tank of fuel .... makes a big difference if you can keep it around 100 kmph ... for sure when towing.

Diesel, it holds its value better, it is just cool, and you have room to grow

Back in 2002 one of the main compaints made by the snow plow crowd was that reverse gear was too low (high RPM) and the truck took too long to back up. But I don't plow I just tow and it's a great truck, some say that the late 2002s are the best buy of all the models.

good luck drive safe