Need 2500HD truck

[racer808]

57 minutes ago, RyanB said:

The biggest potential issue I know of with fords modular engines is that the spark plugs can be trouble to change. As in break off trouble. 

I don’t know when they are scheduled but I would ask for when the last time they were done. 

The one I posted had a lot less miles didn’t mention a tuner and a lot more photos. That’s the reason I thought it was more interesting. But who knows how each of them compare in person. 

I like the lower miles, but the lift kit, better tires, front bumper guard & wench are nice additions to the higher mileage one.  But 102k miles on an 2000 is pretty impressive.  Just sucks that a lift & new wheels is gonna run 5k.  Would be nice to buy one with those things, but I could be walking into 5k in repair bills that are unknown.  The lower mile one is close, trying to get with him today.  The other one I like is far & would be a weekend trip so who knows.

Edited May 2, 2018 by racer808

[racer808]

Going to look at the low mile Excursion.  Talking to the guy, nothings been done to the vehicle but tranny flush & fill.  Needs the plugs changed, I'd imagine transfer case, differentials.  Not sure on brakes & rotors.  What else should I be watching out for or looking for when I look at this thing?  

[racer808]

Well, low mile one may have low miles but it was poorly taken care of.  Budget creep has arrived...

[RyanB]

14 minutes ago, racer808 said:

Budget creep has arrived...

Now that is a comment about can relate to. 

[JeffK]

Might just be me, but if I were looking for an excursion, I would definitely stick to the diesels.

[shawndoggy]

having owned an old excursion... I'd look a lot harder at the 8.1 burb/yukon.

The only excursions with ANY balls are the diesels.  the 7.3s are crazy expensive and the 6.0s are too if they've been bulletproofed.  I mean from pure budget creep perspective, I sold my "low miles" (198k) 01 7.3 that was constantly breaking $1-1.5k a year for $13.5, bought a "high miles" (63k) '14 3.5eco f150 supercrew for 22.5k.  It's hard to imagine the two vehicles were even built on the same planet.  The F150 is quieter, rides better, gets better mileage, stays in its lane on the freeway, and pulls the boat better than the excursion.  My F150 is "just" an XLT, but it's still worlds more modern than the designed-in-the-last-century excursion.

[racer808]

1 hour ago, shawndoggy said:

having owned an old excursion... I'd look a lot harder at the 8.1 burb/yukon.

The only excursions with ANY balls are the diesels.  the 7.3s are crazy expensive and the 6.0s are too if they've been bulletproofed.  I mean from pure budget creep perspective, I sold my "low miles" (198k) 01 7.3 that was constantly breaking $1-1.5k a year for $13.5, bought a "high miles" (63k) '14 3.5eco f150 supercrew for 22.5k.  It's hard to imagine the two vehicles were even built on the same planet.  The F150 is quieter, rides better, gets better mileage, stays in its lane on the freeway, and pulls the boat better than the excursion.  My F150 is "just" an XLT, but it's still worlds more modern than the designed-in-the-last-century excursion.

Those bullet proof diesels are stupid expensive!  But seem worth it if you're gonna go diesel.  There are quite a few Yukon XL's but they have the 6.0L V8.  What are the thoughts on that motor?  

[JeffK]

I had the 6.0L in an HD Silverado back in 2005.  Good motor, but you are getting a lesser trany than what you get with the diesel setup IIRC.  And they will suck the gas down when towing.  The diesels will be much better on fuel consumption and will have a more stout trany paired with them.  And the diesel motor will outlast the gas motor by years and miles.  You'll still pay more for the diesel, but it will hold value for sure.

[racer808]

4 minutes ago, JeffK said:

I had the 6.0L in an HD Silverado back in 2005.  Good motor, but you are getting a lesser trany than what you get with the diesel setup IIRC.  And they will suck the gas down when towing.  The diesels will be much better on fuel consumption and will have a more stout trany paired with them.  And the diesel motor will outlast the gas motor by years and miles.  You'll still pay more for the diesel, but it will hold value for sure.

I do want to go diesel but all the ones in the range I want to spend have too many miles.  Still looking though.  I am looking at older Ram 2500's w/ the V10's.  Is cummins or duramax better than the other?  

[JeffK]

5 minutes ago, racer808 said:

I do want to go diesel but all the ones in the range I want to spend have too many miles.  Still looking though.  I am looking at older Ram 2500's w/ the V10's.  Is cummins or duramax better than the other?  

I'd say more brand preference.  I am more familiar with the allison/duramax combo, so I lean that way, but I did own a diesel excursion.  That is the best option for a diesel SUV.  Very few options out there for a diesel SUV with enough towing power.

[MadMan]

9 minutes ago, racer808 said:

I do want to go diesel but all the ones in the range I want to spend have too many miles.  Still looking though.  I am looking at older Ram 2500's w/ the V10's.  Is cummins or duramax better than the other?  

Back when I was buying my Dodge Ram 20+ years ago I considered opting for the Cummins, but only for the fuel economy.  I prefer driving/towing with a gas burner. Also, the diesel was a $4k option and I figured $4k would buy a lot of gas (my V10 was $20k out the door in '95). 

[asnowman]

That 03 burb would be my first choice in your need/budget. I have had one, and they aren't hard or expensive to maintain. They are certainly subject to rust issues, my daughter's 2001 Tahoe goes back in for rear wheel well work  (again) as soon as she gets back from school this year, but it has been unbelievably reliable for us and the prior owner.

[racer808]

26 minutes ago, asnowman said:

That 03 burb would be my first choice in your need/budget. I have had one, and they aren't hard or expensive to maintain. They are certainly subject to rust issues, my daughter's 2001 Tahoe goes back in for rear wheel well work  (again) as soon as she gets back from school this year, but it has been unbelievably reliable for us and the prior owner.

I am just not liking the Yukons or Burbs I've come across.  The one Shawn put up is so far my favorite, not sure it's worth flying out & driving it home though.

[oldjeep]

Maybe just up the purchase budget and reduce the immediate repair budget

[racer808]

On 5/1/2018 at 2:43 PM, shawndoggy said:

I just saw this one local to me: http://www.privatepartycars.com/For-Sale-By-Owner/91102/2003-Chevrolet-Suburban-2500-LT-Sport-Utility-4D

Would you be willing to go look at that Burb & kick its tires?  

[asnowman]

8 hours ago, racer808 said:

Would you be willing to go look at that Burb & kick its tires?  

+1 on this.... i might just have to go buy it for my next kid to drive.... got 3 more to go

[shawndoggy]

12 hours ago, racer808 said:

Would you be willing to go look at that Burb & kick its tires?  

Yeah I can. Prolly not till mid next week tho. 

[racer808]

13 hours ago, asnowman said:

+1 on this.... i might just have to go buy it for my next kid to drive.... got 3 more to go

Nah, I'm on this, your kid can't afford the gas.  My daughters getting a kia this summer.  

[oldjeep]

3 hours ago, racer808 said:

Nah, I'm on this, your kid can't afford the gas.  My daughters getting a kia this summer.  

Perfect kids car.  Big, heavy, cheap to insure and expensive to operate

[RyanB]

On 5/3/2018 at 6:06 AM, JeffK said:

Might just be me, but if I were looking for an excursion, I would definitely stick to the diesels.

 

On 5/3/2018 at 6:39 AM, shawndoggy said:

having owned an old excursion... I'd look a lot harder at the 8.1 burb/yukon.

The only excursions with ANY balls are the diesels.  the 7.3s are crazy expensive and the 6.0s are too if they've been bulletproofed.  I mean from pure budget creep perspective, I sold my "low miles" (198k) 01 7.3 that was constantly breaking $1-1.5k a year for $13.5, bought a "high miles" (63k) '14 3.5eco f150 supercrew for 22.5k.  It's hard to imagine the two vehicles were even built on the same planet.  The F150 is quieter, rides better, gets better mileage, stays in its lane on the freeway, and pulls the boat better than the excursion.  My F150 is "just" an XLT, but it's still worlds more modern than the designed-in-the-last-century excursion.

From a purely "numbers" point, I don't think I agree with this.  Unless someone spent $5k to bulletproof a 6.0, I wouldn't touch it.  And the V10 and 7.3 are actually pretty similar in power, and the V10 would be much quieter with smaller repair bills should they come.  I have driven the V10 Ex, and I thought it was OK.  I have not driven the diesels.

On 5/3/2018 at 7:50 AM, racer808 said:

Those bullet proof diesels are stupid expensive!  But seem worth it if you're gonna go diesel.  There are quite a few Yukon XL's but they have the 6.0L V8.  What are the thoughts on that motor?  

When I sold my 03 8.1 Burb, it was sold to a person coming out of the 6.0.  According to him, the 6.0 was "gutless" to use for pulling (race cars in this instance).

On 5/3/2018 at 8:39 AM, racer808 said:

I do want to go diesel but all the ones in the range I want to spend have too many miles.  Still looking though.  I am looking at older Ram 2500's w/ the V10's.  Is cummins or duramax better than the other?  

I prefer Cummins, but I am a MOPAR guy.  I think the biggest disadvantage to the Dodge's is that in those years, they didn't have much of a back seat.  If it is just you and one other person, no problem.  But if you want 4 people in the car, the Chevy might be a different answer.

On 5/3/2018 at 8:49 AM, MadMan said:

Back when I was buying my Dodge Ram 20+ years ago I considered opting for the Cummins, but only for the fuel economy.  I prefer driving/towing with a gas burner. Also, the diesel was a $4k option and I figured $4k would buy a lot of gas (my V10 was $20k out the door in '95). 

Pre 2003, the V10 actually had very similar output to the Cummins.  If you aren't towing at elevation, it might feel the same.  But since @racer808 is in Colorado, the edge goes to the Cummins with the forced induction.  But the V10 is still very capable.

[asnowman]

1 hour ago, oldjeep said:

Perfect kids car.  Big, heavy, cheap to insure and expensive to operate

Exactly!

My daughter started with an 02 silverado with 275k miles. She understood why when she hit a telephone pole. 

[shawndoggy]

53 minutes ago, RyanB said:

 

From a purely "numbers" point, I don't think I agree with this.  Unless someone spent $5k to bulletproof a 6.0, I wouldn't touch it.  And the V10 and 7.3 are actually pretty similar in power, and the V10 would be much quieter with smaller repair bills should they come.  I have driven the V10 Ex, and I thought it was OK.  I have not driven the diesels.

Maybe stock.  My 7.3 had exhaust, intake, and mild tune.  Right now finding a bone stock 7.3 is going to be VERY unlikely.  Especially at the OP's pricepoint.  There was no comparison between a tuned  7.3 and the V10.  V10 was not impressive.  Eco 3.5 easily has as much useable power as the tuned 7.3

 

[racer808]

How does the Ram 2500 w/ the 5.7 Hemi do?  Is the gearing different that would make it a better tow vehicle?  

[Pra4sno]

6 hours ago, racer808 said:

How does the Ram 2500 w/ the 5.7 Hemi do?  Is the gearing different that would make it a better tow vehicle?  

My FIL has one.  Gearing is low.  It is painful on gas mileage 8mpg, +/- 1 on average without towing.  He has around 150k on it.  

2 transmissions, 2 rear end rebuilds, 1 front end rebuild, a major suspension component fails about twice a year.  

Edited May 5, 2018 by Pra4sno

[RyanB]

7 hours ago, shawndoggy said:

Maybe stock.  My 7.3 had exhaust, intake, and mild tune.  Right now finding a bone stock 7.3 is going to be VERY unlikely.  Especially at the OP's pricepoint.  There was no comparison between a tuned  7.3 and the V10.  V10 was not impressive.  Eco 3.5 easily has as much useable power as the tuned 7.3

 

The 7.3 was a great engine.  In it's time.  By todays standards, it is pretty much a dog.  Even tuned I would argue it is nothing special.  But at the price point, maybe it is a good option.  But it is going to be REAL high mileage.

7 hours ago, racer808 said:

How does the Ram 2500 w/ the 5.7 Hemi do?  Is the gearing different that would make it a better tow vehicle?  

I had a Hemi Grand Cherokee.  It did a very good job pulling my old sterndrive (around 5500 pounds).  I don't remember the mileage towing, but it would get 17/18 solo.

Fuelly seems to have them averaging somewhere between 11 - 14 MPG.  http://www.fuelly.com/car/ram/2500?engineconfig_id=19&bodytype_id=&submodel_id=

Finding a Hemi in a 2500 doesn't seem to be that easy.  And the gassers just don't hold their value as well, so if you find one it will likely be priced right.  It would be more than adequate for a boat.

I haven't heard of any common engine or tranny problems.  Ball joints can be the weak link.