1994 35ooHD L Pack

[Greg Hoffmann]

I am a new member to this site. I am interested in buying a 3500HD L-Pack with 6.5 TD,2 whl dr. , plow frame -no plow, auto , and behind the cab tool box. This truck looks cherry has 46,000 miles but they want $18,500.00. This seems like a small fortune for a truck of this vintage. Any thoughts. I will be using it for towing my 10,ooo lb. trailer around the hills of southern Vermont. If any one can make recomendations I am all ears. Thanks in advance, Greg

[hammer]

Greg Hoffmann,The 6.5 has a bad reputation,Try to go to a new 6.6 Duramax.Twice the motor for your money.Old saying,you get what you pay for.Everybody I have talked to that has had a 6.5 say there were nothing but trouble,and you wont get the fuel mileage or power that the 6.6 has.Hammer smile.gif smile.gif

[Greg Hoffmann]

Hey Hammer thanks for the reply. Do all 6.5 share the same characteristics ? I am new to the diesel engines. I really think they must be the way to go for towing in these hills. These 3500HD trucks look real sharp and sure are comfortable compared to my 1971 F-350 dually 1 ton dump.

[hammer]

Greg Hoffmann,You might get lucky & get one that is fairly reliable but your taking a chance with the ole 6.5 Diesel.Ive talked to too many guys that have owned one & have said there not really reliable.If it was my choice on a older one I think Id go for a F truck with the International first,but if I was going with GM then Id go for the D/A.Ive had mine now for over a year & it has bene flawless.You have to decide what to do,your money & youll have to live with what you get.You might get lucky with a 6.5 & not have any trouble,then again you might get one that is a bummer.What ever way you go good luck in getting it & hope you are satisfied.Hammer smile.gif smile.gif

[Lawnboy]

Greg,

Your question would fall on better ears over in the 6.5 Turbo Diesel section of this forum. What has been said here is somewhat true, but there have been many others with better luck.

Currently to get a comparable truck from GM today (2002-2003) you'll have to step up to the c-4500. They look nothing like a pickup, so if looks aren't important.....

The 3500HD that you are inquiring about has a 15,000GVWR and is quite a truck. The only negative on this style would be the size of the fuel tank (15 gal I think!!!) The rear in this truck is massive, and properly taken care of, the drive line is quite bullet proof. I believe GM gave this engine a 100,000 mile extended warranty on the injection pump. With only 46,000 thats a ways away! $18,5k does seem high though!

Good Luck

[thechevyhdman]

Weve run the 6.5 for about 8 years now and well weve had good and bad for all of em. 95 had some problems with obviously an injector pump going seems to plauged GM till the 98 models came out. Our 2 98s now one blew up a balance pump for the dual tanks, I guess from there the metal shavings fuked up everything that pumps fuel up to the injection pump. Took em 4 service fixes to find that problem. Our 95, had I think they said a sock pump or sock filter go bad in one tank at 10,000 miles. That truck went through 2 Injection pumps and 2 Pmds by the time we traded it in for a 98 left over 2years ago. the other 98 blew up a tranny. Replaced tranny with TH 4L80E rebuilt. That lasted a week because something inside the tranny computer wise was messed up. Our trucks carry alot of weight and are subject to forces of work that not too many other trucks are faced with. I have to say that its a gamble buying used, I swear I never have and never will; buy used. Also 18,500 seems like much too high of a price for a 94. It seems like it should be worth about 13,000. My brother picked up a 3500HD 6.5 5 spd standard brand new when he bought it for like 25 or 27,000. 94 is 9 model years ago, too much for me to only see a 9,000 dollar difference for something that old. No warranty, No idea what might have ever happend to the truck. We still run 6.5s for our work trucks, and my own pretty truck is a New Dmax. All I can say is comparing the 6.5 to the 6.6 is like night and day, really no comparison. No tranny problems, not lack of power problems, no injection pump problems, this truck is it. Granted I still hold the 6.5 in high regard they ve made us some money and have been fairly reliable but id look for a newer model at least 98' and up. Thats when the motor was given to Detriot Diesel and beefed up to 440 ft lbs of torque. Ive got 75K on my 98 now, and besides the balance pump problem its been a perfect truck. The other 98 has blown a tranny up at 40K but also has been flawless. The 95 well that did good but really wasnt a truck Id like to remember. for 18k you can drop down maybe another 12,000 bucks and get a cab chassis Dmax with the Alli. But to me 30,000 is worth the peace of mind knowing I had and took care of the truck from the start, no warranty problems no nothing.

[Greg Hoffmann]

Thanks guys. This type of informal chat web site is awesome. My gut was something was wierd for this rig. Too much $ , too many years .I do see however that the 3500HD is still avaiable and I think I will start looking for the 98 on and potentially go with a new lease. I only use these trucks in the summer, maybe the lease payments will be less than buying and I can afford a new one. Thanks again.

[IndigoDually]

That is a pretty high price for that year. I have been using 3500HD's since they first came out ('93 I think). My '95 has about 70,000 on it now and I do run it heavy. I pull an 11,000 lb. trailer or I load up to 4 1/2 tons of material. I just did the '97 cooling mods with the D-Max fan and Kennedy fan clutch. Truck did run hot when pulling hills and it is much better now with the mods.

If you are looking for a seasonal truck then a new one is probably out of the picture. Realistically I think that you might want to look for a used single axle tractor or rack body to build the truck to suit your needs. I have been kicking that around for a while and been looking but I'm not in the position to buy yet.

I will probably wait for a 5500 crew cab with factory 4wd next year.

John