need some advice

[LARIDERS]

Hello all,
I have been reading about the diesel's on here the past few days and I am thinking about buying one. from what I can see the 03 are getting very good mpg, it looks as if it is better than the newer ones. I am going to look at a 03 tonight it has 65,000 on it. the truck does not have many extras just a ls. is there anything to look out for or check for. the other day I was looking at a nice 06 but it cost more than I want to spend it had every opt. possible on it. that did not help the price any. would it be worth the extra money to get a 06? what year did the start making the 6 speed? does every diesel have a Allison in it? how would I tell if a truck has a programmer or a tuner in it? I would like to get a 5th wheel but I have had a suburban for a very long time and I am not sure if I can make the switch over to a truck. I am afraid I will miss all the in closed room and comfort of it. I am very big on mpg but very into performance. I see a lot on here with tuning and other things like that. what systems works really good and what do they cost. thanks all for the help

[NutNbutGMC]

Hello all,
I have been reading about the diesel's on here the past few days and I am thinking about buying one. from what I can see the 03 are getting very good mpg, it looks as if it is better than the newer ones. I am going to look at a 03 tonight it has 65,000 on it. the truck does not have many extras just a ls. is there anything to look out for or check for. the other day I was looking at a nice 06 but it cost more than I want to spend it had every opt. possible on it. that did not help the price any. would it be worth the extra money to get a 06? what year did the start making the 6 speed? does every diesel have a Allison in it? how would I tell if a truck has a programmer or a tuner in it? I would like to get a 5th wheel but I have had a suburban for a very long time and I am not sure if I can make the switch over to a truck. I am afraid I will miss all the in closed room and comfort of it. I am very big on mpg but very into performance. I see a lot on here with tuning and other things like that. what systems works really good and what do they cost. thanks all for the helpMPG isn't a reality with the Duramax (just my opinion). It has never been a promising attribute in the ones that I have had.

Check the engine model that you are interested in. The 03 has an LB7 engine. You can read the forum and see for yourself. Personally, I'd not have one if someone paid me to take it. I am not a wrencher so that makes a difference to some others here.

In a nut shell, the LB7 is failing more often than I care to read about here, but that is just what others have given feedback here.

I'd look for a 06 model on up with the LBZ engine. Don't let a good low price on an LB7 trick you into buying it. More cash layout to come if you experience a failure of the injectors.

$0.02 and my opinion only.

[LARIDERS]

thanks for the help and input. the 03 i was going to look at was sold before i could get there. so i am going to look at a 06 lbz tomorrow. looks nice i just with i would not have to pay another 9 grand for it. around here diesels and hard to find right now. they are going above blue book.

[More Power]

To be fair, we have to consider that the first generation LB7 was produced for 3-1/2 years - which is longer than any other generation of the Duramax 6600.... The law of averages would predict that there will be more of them needing service than later generations, simply because of the long production run and that they are the oldest generation.

The biggest drawback to the LB7 is the enclosed injectors, that can fail in a way that allows diesel fuel to contaminate the engine oil. And, replacing LB7 injectors is a little more tedious (labor cost) than it is for later generations.

The upside of the LB7 is fuel economy. The LB7 does produce, on average, better fuel economy than the later versions by a couple mpgs. The LLYs were OK, but a few owners have reported overheating, which can be rectified by installing LBZ cooling system components (radiator, fan shroud, fan, etc).

People seem to like their LBZs.

Jim