View Full Version : Getting New Truck! Advice wanted...
Welp. The "General" is taking back my 2007 Suburban due to problems. I decided on the following truck, instead of another Suburban. What do you all think? Besides the early fluid changes, anything else to look out for? I've been reading here for awhile...:D
2007 2500HD, 4x4, CCSB, LMM Motor (I'm in with the other first year testers), LTZ Trim with Z71 package. It's fairly loaded with a 53.3K Sticker shock:eek: . Integrated brake controller for looks since I don't have a trailer big enough for brakes, cargo management system, Navi, sunroof - would rather have the DVD player instead. The truck ran really well and surprised me. I wish I could've found a Long Bed, but this switch needs to be done sooner than later and I can't find one outfitted the same way.
Planned Additions and advice anyone can give me:
1. Spray on liner vs Traditional Bed Liner?
2. Either larger replacement tank or in bed transferflow tank (24 gal is just not enough) I've looked a transferflow anyone have another company to look at?
3. Running BOARDS! Can't believe a 53k truck doesn't come with them.
4. Hard folding tonneau or roll and lock type cover (still deciding). ROll and lock was nice, but I had some issue with a previous one. I would like as water tight a seal as I can get since or gear will be in the bed when traveling. I'd like the ability to put something in the bed that may be taller than bed or cab height. For Example, I just bough a washer and dryer that wouldn't have fit in a fiberglass tonneau or camper top.
5. DVD Player for the kids.
Thanks for the help and I promise to keep you all advised on how things do with the new rig. I should have it this Wedsneday.
hapaschold
04-21-2007, 19:01
suprised no long boxs around.....plenty in my area........
they wont let u order in what ya need ? most dealer s in my area, 500 over invoice. but with buy back, guess differant deal..
what was wrong with surburban ? my boss s had problems for days, finally found wiring harness wrapped around drive shaft up front. nobody thought of lifting up and checking underside...
i d chime is and vote rhino lining.....had it 2 times now, no complaints.
big difference in surburban and pickup......... i have cc 8 ft box, but the suv is still needed.....
suprised no long boxs around.....plenty in my area........
they wont let u order in what ya need ? most dealer s in my area, 500 over invoice. but with buy back, guess differant deal..
what was wrong with surburban ? my boss s had problems for days, finally found wiring harness wrapped around drive shaft up front. nobody thought of lifting up and checking underside...
i d chime is and vote rhino lining.....had it 2 times now, no complaints.
big difference in surburban and pickup......... i have cc 8 ft box, but the suv is still needed.....
Suburban has an electrical gremlin that causes the Air Bag Service Soon message to appear on the DIC. Also, at times I lose On Star (solid red light) and the the navi goes hay-wire. They've changed wiring harnesses, modules, seat belts and still can't figure it out. My radio was never changed out. The dealer has had my suburban longer than I have had it, which is why I gave up on it. It still doesn't work even though I got it back after 33 days straight without it.
I agree it is tough to choose between 'burb and Truck. Lately it seems like I could always use a truck. I have two small kids and they fit fine in the CC. In fact, my wife sat between them on the test drive.
What part of the country are you in? They would let me dealer locate one, just can't find one down here. (other than a WT or a dually- no thanks to either)
I did the math both ways and the swap, without a mileage usage is the better deal.
Thanks for the help.
Duramaster
04-22-2007, 10:43
What's wrong with a GMC;) . I like the look of the GMC much better. The Chevy has that funny chrome thing going on with the front bumper (chrome on both ends and none in the middle). I too saw a GMC CC short box LMM in my dealership last week fully loaded. Only thing it didn't have was the "DENALI" name on it and it stickered at 53k! Beautiful truck but way out of my price range!!!:)
Dakster,
I saw these online. Have no other info but what is on their site.
http://www.supertanks.com/gm.html
Mike
What's wrong with a GMC;) . I like the look of the GMC much better. The Chevy has that funny chrome thing going on with the front bumper (chrome on both ends and none in the middle). I too saw a GMC CC short box LMM in my dealership last week fully loaded. Only thing it didn't have was the "DENALI" name on it and it stickered at 53k! Beautiful truck but way out of my price range!!!:)
Hehe... Absolutley nothing is wrong with the GMC, other than the fact the GMC dealers here have no diesels in stock, period. Of course in two weeks they will be over-run with trucks, but that doesn't help with my current replacement situation.
I was able to find a 3500HD, CC, SRW, with DVD and NAV as I wanted for 52.3k. Now to decide - since I haven't signed on the "bottom line." I liked the way the 2500 Z71 Short Bed drove, but the 3500HD long bed is the reason I am going from a Suburban to a truck.... Decisions, Decisions... I don't think either way I will be unhappy. Still have the same questions as before.
Dakster,
I saw these online. Have no other info but what is on their site.
http://www.supertanks.com/gm.html
Mike
Thanks... That looks good too...
I just noticed in your sig, you have a Jetta TDI. My wife today bought a 2006.5 Jetta TDI with the DSG Automatic.
Dusty Trails
04-22-2007, 21:19
Hi, Dakster. Find a truck that has had a drop-in bed liner and lift the back edge of it. Unless it has never had water under it, you will find paint rubbed off the high spots and rust fairly widespread. Also, the drop-ins shrink(?) after a few years and begin to rattle. I went with a Line-X spray-in bed liner and have been very happy with it. The texture of Line-X material is similar to that of the drop-in liners. The liner took only a couple of hours to do from start to finish, and I had it sprayed over the bed rails. Another company is Rhino-lining(sp?), which is more like rubber. I've been told by some who have them that they get a little soft and are easy to tear when the outside temps get high. The Line-X people say that the Line-X liner is sprayed in at 170 degrees so there is no issue of it getting soft in summer heat. It hit 114 degrees here last summer for several days, and I never had an issue with it. If you go this route, just make sure the guys doing the install take their time and prep the surface properly. The paint needs to be scuffed for the Line-X to ahdere as it should. Good luck with the new truck.
Dakster,
If your wife likes hers half as much as we do ours she will be ecstatic. Knock on wood, I have done some upgrades to the 2000 but other than that it has been normal maintenance.
Oil/filter every 10K, air/fuel filter every 20K, cabin filter every 40K and timing belt idler and water pump every 80K. I do all minor stuff myself and have a firefighter friend who races a TDI (www.rallyvw.com (http://www.rallyvw.com)) who does the bug stuff at a discounted price.
Enjoy the car!
Mike
Dakster,
If your wife likes hers half as much as we do ours she will be ecstatic. Knock on wood, I have done some upgrades to the 2000 but other than that it has been normal maintenance.
Oil/filter every 10K, air/fuel filter every 20K, cabin filter every 40K and timing belt idler and water pump every 80K. I do all minor stuff myself and have a firefighter friend who races a TDI (www.rallyvw.com (http://www.rallyvw.com)) who does the bug stuff at a discounted price.
Enjoy the car!
Mike
Yeah, she loves it so far.... I'll check the url out. I don't think that any performance stuff is out for the 2006's, yet... Are you happy with the 10k oil change interval? I was planning on changing every 5k, just because of the intense heat and traffic in So. Florida and a BITOG thread I was reading.
I think the line-x is the one I was thinking about. I wanted the "hot process" stuff sprayed on, because of worrying about the heat taking the other stuff off... I couldn't remember which was which. Some ppl I know still swear by the bedliner... I had bedliner with a foam sheet/bed protector underneath in my old truck, but you are right it still scuffed the sides and at one point would rust.
Thanks for the help guys!
They are fine. You change the filter, $8, and 4.5 qts of synthetic every time. Synthetic is required per their manuals. Brand X dealers who get them used don't seem to know and put Dino juice in.
Thanks. I hope to join your high mileage (both MPG and Miles on the odometer) club with ours.
Just like I hope to join the high mileage club in the new Chevy... What oil do you use in your Truck? Is shell rotella T good for the durmaxes?
Dakster,
To help control clutter in my garage I use Rotella T Synthetic 5W-30 in everything. This includes my 6.25 HP push lawnmower.
It is rated for gas and diesel.
I did however plan on keeping regular 15W-40 Rotella T in the DMax until about 5K. Cheaper on the frequent changes and may allow a little more break in before putting the synthetic in.
Mike
Thanks for the info... I hope to to work out the final arrangements to take delivery of the 2007 Silverado by the end of the week. The dealer decided to acccessorize the truck I was looking at and I'm not sure I want to pay for those particular added items.
That storing one type of oil for all sounds revolutionary. You mean I don't have to keep a different type of oil for each piece of equipment I have. That just sounds too easy.
If I could sell my gas generator, lawnmower, weedeater, and edgers and buy diesel counterparts I would only need one type of fuel too... Generator is easy and would not require a huge investment. The other's I'm not so sure about. I know they make diesel riding lawmowers ($$$$$), but I haven't seen weedeaters and edgers that are diesel, all of those seem to be gas motors.
Can you tell I'm trying to kick R.U.G.?
Dak
jharden1
04-25-2007, 14:05
Ditto Line-x!
Northern Tool has a gravity feed tank with a tool box.
Here (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200306723_200306723)
Ditto Line-x!
Northern Tool has a gravity feed tank with a tool box.
Here (http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200306723_200306723)
That is a nice tank... I am going to go with Line-x and most likely the northern tools tank. 125+ gal. total (34 + 91). I won't need to fillup all that often.
jharden1
04-26-2007, 16:47
That is a nice tank... I am going to go with Line-x and most likely the northern tools tank. 125+ gal. total (34 + 91). I won't need to fillup all that often.
Line-x and the 51 for me. Although my checkbook needs a deep breath so it'll be a couple months. Watch the shipping from Northern, sometimes its high. :)
jsmiracle
04-26-2007, 17:37
Love the L-O-N-G intervals between fillups. I am towing the TT approx. 1800 mi. round trip to Myrtle Beach, SC at the end of May. It'll really be appreciated towing.... Good Luck.
Jim M.
Love the L-O-N-G intervals between fillups. I am towing the TT approx. 1800 mi. round trip to Myrtle Beach, SC at the end of May. It'll really be appreciated towing.... Good Luck.
Jim M.
How do you use the in-bed tank? Do you just pump into your factory tank or did you hook it up to automatically dump into the factory tank, etc..?
Dak
jsmiracle
04-26-2007, 20:39
Dakster,
I use a fuel pump to pump it to the OEM tank.
I read some horror stories here on the TDP that swayed me to pumping the fuel to the OEM tank. I don't want any large spills....
P.S. I have some pics of the install posted in the TDP's Photo Album...
Jim M.
Dakster,
I use a fuel pump to pump it to the OEM tank.
I read some horror stories here on the TDP that swayed me to pumping the fuel to the OEM tank. I don't want any large spills....
P.S. I have some pics of the install posted in the TDP's Photo Album...
Jim M.
OK. That's sounds like good advice. I'll take a look at the photo album (hopefully I can figure out how to find it).
I found out today that I have to wait at least week (7 to 10 days) before I can get the new truck. This may be a good thing, since a truck with different (better for me) options may actually come in by then or I could lose the one I picked out and not have an equivalent one to get...
My ultimate truck is a 3500HD, SRW, 4 x 4, Long Bed, LTZ, Z71, Rear Park Assist, Navi, Rear DVD Player. I don't think I need to mention Diesel / Allision...
I don't care either way whether it has roof bars, brake controller, rear cargo mgt, ez lift tailgate, etc..
I still have a hard time believing that this actually worth the 50k I'll plunk down on it though.
rob from bc canada
04-27-2007, 18:41
I still have a hard time believing that this actually worth the 50k I'll plunk down on it though.
All depends how you figure it. Lets say the truck will go 300,000 miles in about 5000 hours carrying aboout 3000 lbs or towing 12-14,000.
How many men with $100 wheelbarrows would you have to hire to shift that amount of freight that far in 5000 hours? I'm not even going to TRY to figure that one out!!
Another way - what else would you do with the 50 grand? If you have it, and leave it for your kids, unlikely they will thank you for it.
If you have it, and don't have any kids, the Goverment gets it - that's good, because it means the rest of us will get a tax cut!!!
If you don't have it, and the bank will lend it to you, enjoy til they come and reposess!!!
If you spend it instead on food and drink, you'll probably die of overweight or diabetes.
So the only logical conclusion is to buy the truck. :D:D
Now, let me try and explain that to my wife :eek::eek:
Rob,
I see your point. My neighbor tells me its best to die broke and mentioned most of your reasons... My main point is that is seems like the cost of trucks has gone way up over just the past few years to almost luxury car price levels. Actually, my wife doesn't really care what I get.
I work hard for my money, I want to enjoy it. While most of the time the truck will see weekend chore duties fixing up my house (which is why I'm getting a truck and not a SUV again) and shuffling kids around. Once a year I go on a long drive (5k miles) and several times I take shorter 600-1000 mile trips. I do take a trailer to the dump for yard debris, but I'd bet loaded up it doesn't weigh more than 2k lbs. An occasional run to 4k lbs when I haul cement bags or a yard of dirt. Once a towed a pallet and a half of 60lb bags of concrete - that had to weigh at least 5k lbs. I actually hope to use the truck for most of the runs I do now with a trailer. I know that this is nothing compared the guys/gals on this forum who pull house trailers, etc... Just relating my experiences.
At my current rate of driving I won't see over 300k miles until 25 years. Even with my long drives, I average around 1k miles per month.
Just tell the wife you thinking of getting a boat or a sports car... (or another one if you already have those). I find the truck purchase becomes an easier sell to the wife at that point.
Good Luck...
rob from bc canada
04-28-2007, 09:06
Dakster
Just slightly more seriously, I don't think you can justify a 50k truck and 20k camper as value for money. But then again, what are those nights parked beside a roaring stream, watching wildlife out the window worth?? Drive around BC, and stop for a nice hot meal anyplace we like?
Besides for hauling the camper in the summer, my driving and truck use is much like yours - driving for work and pleasure, yardwork, renovations, and firewood.
I drive from Vancouver island to Smithers occasionally a total of about 1000 miles usually overnight somwhere along the way. Last time we went (no camper) was the first time with the new truck, and it was a real pleasure to drive for long hours. Only one fillup along the way is sot of nice too.
My last Chev - 93 K2500 6.5 TD - I kept for 13 years and 130,000 miles, and those were the cheapest miles I ever drove. The new one has been great so far, and I hope to keep it at least as long. Some things are hard to calculate just by the price tag up front..
One thing I agree, we'll get better value from our trucks, than those guys with their 50+ boats, and then they still need a truck to drag them around, etc!! :)
I know what you mean. The 150k class A RV is something I'd have to buy and keep for a dozen years. It is value of being with the family that makes it worth it.
We really enjoy the cabins in Disney (Orlando) and the $1,000 weekend is hard to justify, except the kids love it just as much as the wife and I do. We could stay in a nice $100 night hotel, but is just isn't the same.
One day I'll drive from South Florida to Canada... I actually want to drive to Alaska one day - I just need to take a month off of work to do it!
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