LUVTruck.com

I just got a nice raise at work and well my poor 89 Chevy 1500 has served me well as my tow vechicle all over so cal for all these years. I'm considering a new(er) truck. I'm still not exactly filthy rich from this raise but in a position where I can afford to get something nicer for myself so an 03-05 something crew cab, 4x4, turbo diesel is what I'm looking for. I just drove my buddy's '05 Cummins Dodge and absolutely love it. the new motor is awesome, torque up the azz and quiet too. BUT at the same time, I can't deny the D-Max Chevy. OR I may just say screw it and buy this pretty cheap '02 Z06 Vette i've had my eye on. Diesel are really comming around these days. only prob is that I hear smog regulations are coming in '07. just in time for the new 6.7 Cummins and the twin turbo Navistar.

anybody out there currently driving a turbo diesel? I'd be interested to know how you like yours. the ups and downs, mileage, etc.

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

I have a 97 F250 2WD with the Powerstroke diesel and an auto trans. It has 4:10s in the rear and I am very happy with it. It rides rough. I have been to Banks and got a power chip, trans chip, turbo housing, and exhaust brake. I get about 17-18mpg to and from work which is street and freeway mixed. When hauling the camper and towing the trailer I still get about 10mpg! The power is amazing! I'm at about 80K miles.


My dad has a 04 or 05 Chevy 2500 4X4 with the Duramax diesel. He really likes it and it is as powerful as mine and it is all stock.

My son drives a 05 1 ton dually 4X4 Chevy crew cab Duramax at his job. Both are very happy with the Chevys and milages are about the same as mine.

Pics of mine. (Gee, I'm not proud ar anything am I?)







The milage is better , The power is way better, the engines last longer ( in some cases they out last the truck their in) ,than Gas engines, but the fuel is more expensive. It seems to run about the same as premium gas, and when new, the diesels are about $5000.00 more than the same truck in gas. So depending on what you do with your truck, or need it for, it can be worth it. And I love being fully loaded pulling the Grapevine at 55 mph listening to the turbo whistle away!!!!!


Hope this helps. Good luck in your decision. Besides, a Vette is just a speeding ticket looking for a place to happen.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

Go with the Duramax.... CHevy Truck, Isuzu engine, see where I'm going with this????

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Looking for that special LUV.

Ron's truck runs really well!
Good power, and quiet too!

I definitely like the Dmax and of course I'm a huge Chevy (er... Isuzu) fan but i drove the 05 Dodge and damn its nice. I noticed you have to push down extra hard on the brake pedal at the red lights because the torque is so high even at idle that it wants to creep all the time. open it up and it flat out freights down the road and really puts you back in the seat. it was very impressive. On a recent trip to Bakersfield towing a friends 18' flatbed trailer with a blown small block '41 Willy's pickup on it up the grades on I5 and it never came out of OD. and got 17 mpg to boot... Pulling a trailer!!!!. unhooked the thing gets as high as 23mpg but mostly high teens. Lots of upgrades are coming around for it which allow up to 600hp with all bolt ons. (T-back exhaust, controller etc.)

Ive heard the potential of the Dmax powerwise is unbeatable but the are rated by the manufacturer for 275K miles whereas the Ford and Dodge are rated for something like 600K plus miles. Downfall is its hard to keep a trans in the Ford and Dodge whereas the Allison in the Dmax holds up very well.

the Ford 6.0 Nav is '03 and later but I like the 7.3 Powerstroke better only prob is I like the later body styles. Damn this diesel stuff is giving me headaches. If one has a significant advantage over another in one area, it has a disadvantage elsewhere.

I'm buying used so the 5K higher price tag over a gasser is more like 3K when buying used around here.

Right now the prices of Diesel #2 are about the same as regular gas $3.23 around here.

I'm buying it for a daily driver with occasional towing of my flatbed with the LUV on it OR up to 9000# loaded toyhauler. it should be reliable enough for the wife to drive the kids around in but also tow my junk to the track or desert or Sierra Nevada on vacations (about 1000-1500 mile trips). I may even replace the wife's expedition with it.

The vette is not exactly practical for transporting kids but I do have a daily commute of about 100 miles a day and a vette would make a greate freeway flyer over a truck. As far as a speeding ticket waiting to happen. I actually racked up more tickets in my toyota truck than my 4th gen Z28 but it was probably due to wrong place at wrong time type of thing. gas mileage in my friends Z06 is mid 20's if you can manage to keep your foot out of it. My civic averages about 30 so the Honda surprisingly isnt that much more economical.

I should be able to pick up the Z06 for under 19K whereas the Dmaxs that I've been looking at, the cheapest I can find is $29K. Insurance on late model diesel was surprisingly high compared to a gasser truck and it isnt much difference from the vette insurance so thats not a factor at this point.

Hell I dont know.... the more I think about it the tougher the decision gets. I guess which ever of the big 3 turbo Diesels I come across with the best price tag on it is the one I will get.

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

just remember that corvettes can have turbos too!

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hahaha thanks alot!! I would probably go the supercharged/nitrous route if I do get a vette then my whole 26mpg it CAN be an economical car justification to buy it goes right now the window.

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

It looks like i will be picking up my friends 1995 F350 crew cab 7.3 Powerjoke turbo with a 5 speed manual for $6500. It wasn't my first choice but its kinda hard to ignore the price. I will most likely get a regular fleet side bed for it and then remove the duals in the back and run it with single rear tires, its just easier to squeez into these skinny so cal parking spaces and tight parking lots.



OR i may pick this sucker up for $10K

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

YES!!!!!! Go with #2!!!!!!!! That's more like it!!!!!! Fab up a truck bed on the back, and yer' set!!!!!

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Looking for that special LUV.

Stick with the Power Joke. I love mine and have had very few problems. Good mileage too. #2 would be fun and cool, but I think it would get old quick as a daily driver, especially if you are already wanting to lose the duals.

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OK, I'm over it. Where's the beer?

I like the International, it turns a LOT of heads and my friend spent a lot of $$ and time to get it how it is. It is all set up to slip a truck bed onto it already and well maybe i can work out something to where he buys a fleetside bed and then i pull the dually bed off and give it to him in exchange. BTW he is looking for super singles for it so he can ditch the duals too.
heres another pic



anyway...It's currently a 345" gas motor (getting a 468 BBC/Allison trans soon). if it were a diesel (and 4x4) then i would definitley buy it. I think i am going to buy the Powerjoke. I've driven/towed with it before and its weird... it gets 12mpg if you have 8500# behind you or not...always 12mpg.

of course I already have all kinds of go fast goodies lined up for it. This should get me buy until i can afford a Dmax or Cummins H.O.

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

UPDATE
The wife says OK to both the Powerstroke dually AND a C5 vette... but not a Z06.

Anyway... im going car shopping and hoping to have a 2000-ish C5 with 6speed OR a '02-later Z06 within the next few weeks. I'll post up pics and vid immediatly after i get the system on and do some test hits...

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

Ummm isn't that a what the wife said NOT to buy???

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'80 Luv 4x4, 3" BL, 1.5" SL, 32/36, 2.25" exhaust...and fuzzy dice.
'95 Toyota 4Runner Limited 5-Speed.

It's easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission!

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If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

Sounds Like He Should Go For The Z06 and Ask For Forgiveness After He Gets It. lol

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hmmm, zero to 60 in 5 sec... scare her half to death in 7 sec... have her begging for you in 10sec.... buy the zo6...

Drove one for about a 100ft, it'll exelerate w/o touching the gas, all I did in that 100ft was change gears and I was at 30mph by the end of it.

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-Old ride-82 Luv diesel 5spd with some upgrades
-Past rides-82 Sierra, 78 Coupe De'Ville, 91 2dr Blazer, 86 RX7, 86 Porsche 944T (rear-ended and totaled)
-Curr. rides- 1970 Ford LTD 4dr, 390 4Bbl, 2nd owner! With a few Extras 00' Civic beater...

IF you end up getting a truck instead of the vette i would go with the duramax. I use one as my daily driver and to pull a 36 foot goose on the weekends to the track. The duramxes nowday will get up and walk away from the Fords and Dodges. From a dead stop with a stock dodge and stock dmax, the dmax will get up and drive away like its nothing. i run a chip in mine and have cut off the cat and muffler and now it really halls. Also i work at a chevrolet dealership and i would say get the zo6 over a regular c5 just because of the unicqueness compared to all of the vettes ont he road.. u just dont see as many

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79 luv drag truck
2 skidoos
2 quads
badass duramax diesel

This is true, I drove a full decked out 2500C d-max, it ecelerated faster that a 3.9 monte carlo... maybe about as fast as an SS monte carlo.

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-Old ride-82 Luv diesel 5spd with some upgrades
-Past rides-82 Sierra, 78 Coupe De'Ville, 91 2dr Blazer, 86 RX7, 86 Porsche 944T (rear-ended and totaled)
-Curr. rides- 1970 Ford LTD 4dr, 390 4Bbl, 2nd owner! With a few Extras 00' Civic beater...

I may have to remove the badges for a while... she won't know the difference;-)

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears

I drove a Dmax last week and loved it. it had a 9" lift, 35's and no rear gear change... and it freights. but I also drove an '05 HO Cummins about a year ago and that motor ain't no joke. its probably due to the big tires on the Dmax but that HO Cummins was faster (and really quiet too). Dmax is also only rated by the manufacturer for 225K miles whereas the Navistar (PSD) and cummins were rated by an independant at 375k miles. I'm going to go with the powerstroke pictured above... i should be able to pick it up for 6K which is dirt cheap for a turbo diesel. I've already used it for towing my toy hauler (20' and 8500# fully loaded) and it has plenty of power... and then some for what I need it for.

as far as the vette... whatever I end up with is immediately getting at least a 150 shot. also heavily considering an STS rear mount turbo for the near future and a 3" mini tub so i can try to jam 325/35-18's under it.

the wife is trippin that I am ordering parts for a car I don't even have yet.

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1978 LUV Truck 2WD
450 "Small Block" Chevy
3.70 Ford 9
28x10 Goodyears