I posted up over on ck5 but figured this was a more appropriate forum... Some of you know I've been in the market for a new daily driver/tow rig that's 4wd (b/c we tow to the sand)... I've been pricing out '01-'02 diesel trucks and that's what I've had my head set on but this afternoon my dad and I checked out a local car lot (JH Sanders) who deals in mostly 3/4 and 1 ton pickups from the big 3... We found an '00 K3500 crew cab long bed w/ 123,000 miles... They weren't open so we're going back tomorrow after we get off of work to check it out... Here's my thinking... I could handle the payment on a used diesel BUT it's near my limit for what I want to put out each month... this is completely different than what I was originally thinking but it'll be 1/2 as much each month so I'd have "plenty" of extra funds to do some preventative maintenance as well as fix stuff when the time comes... So is 123,000 miles something to be afraid of for a big block 4l80e combo? I found the truck listed online... so here are actual pics of it... I also found the carfax report on it... looks like it was a Texas truck then sold around at auctions before it was shipped out here to Cali... Check it out... http://www.carfax.com/cfm/gvh_display.cfm?Inventory_ID=39905547 So what do you guys here on towrig.com think about it? I figure it'll be a direct replacement for my current '00 C2500 and since it has the same exact engine and tranny I know it'll tow what I need...
Good truck, solid engine. The trans will be the question. Worst case a trans bench rebuild is in the $1100 range, thats you doing pull/install. But your not going to get the fuel mileage out if like the diesel.
Well we went and checked it out tonight and took it for a test drive. The truck drove great and was smooth as an arrow down the freeway... It was nice to get the story on the truck though... it has a new 454 in it w/ a 3 year 36,000 mile warranty (comes w/ the papers to prove it) and it just got back from paint and looks great. It has new brakes and reconditioned rotors on the front and the truck stops on a dime straight as an arrow... The truck pulls well but had a different feeling than the black C2500 probably b/c of the gearing (the black one has 3.73's and this K3500 has 4.10's)... Anyways it could use a few cosmetic things (driver's side mirror and one of the handles has a hairline crack, etc.) but nothing a couple hundred bucks @ LMC can't fix. Oh and the lift is just a 1" body lift to clear the tires which are 33's... The used car market has been really slow lately and I could tell the owner wanted to get rid of it and he made me a VERY reasonable offer and was at a comfortable monthly payment... I didn't get it tonight because I wanted to sleep on it. I'm going to go back tomorrow night and seal the deal.
Does that drivers side rear door have a dent in it? Hope you are getting one heckuva deal on it, wonder why its been cruising auction lots though? think I would wait for a decent diesel to come along myself. Like I always say.... just say no to....
No those are old pics I found of it on the internet... All the sheetmetal has been straightened out and it just got back from paint... I did get a heck of a deal on it IMO and it'll work great for my needs (and budget) I'll get pics up when I get back into town Monday evening...
Here are some pics of the new tow rig... We had to take some equipment up to Tenaya Lodge so I had a chance to give it a whril in the snow/ice with a trailer...
Thanks... it's a nice truck. Plus since we've had chevy's all along it makes it easy to work on junk. That and the parts are readily available and pretty cheap since there are a ton of the '88-'98 body style trucks out there...
