If you wanted to spend only $10K....

Thing is you guys mentioning diesels arent talking any kind of chassis issues. Sure the motor is probably ok, what about brakes, steering/ suspension components. At 200K thats when trucks like a 250/2500 series are about due for most of that crap, and can get expensive quickly.

 

I've got a 2006 E350 passenger van, love it. Gas though, and the standard not the extended. Bought it in late '06, with 24k on it for $13,500. Now has 110k, still really solid and worth about $7000. Really good value, IMO.

 

http://columbus.craigslist.org/cto/3950856568.html

 

If you are only going to tow around 5k lbs, I would stick with a half ton truck. The diesel will pull nicer but not enough to worry about getting a diesel.

 

You need to be more specific. Don't make blanket statements like "whole damn thing pooly designed and needed replacement" and "more trouble than they are worth"...and then apply them with the single term "diesels". That simply isn't accurate.

Are there some lemon diesels out there, sure. Just like there are lemon gas vehicles and lemon bikes and lemon boats. Some of them were boxes of shit even before they hit the assembly line. But that doesnt apply to the entire realm of diesel burning trucks.

You asked about a decent tow vehicle under $10k that is capable of towing 5k minimum. To get a crew cab gas truck under $10k you are going to have to go back several years, or find one with 200k+ miles on it. Neither one of those would be dependable as a tow vehicle for years to come.

Not to mention you will have to listen to the gas engine turning 3,000+RPM all the time trying to pull your trailer. Having to struggle to make it uphill, etc. After having done both, i will NEVER use a gas vehicle for towing anything. Not even a small trailer. Towing with a diesel and having 800lb/ft of torque on tap at 1600rpm makes going to the track a lot less stressful and nerve racking. Things are calm, relaxed, no loud ass motor, etc.

Diesel engines simply last longer and are better for towing. Hence several of us suggesting you find one in your budget and go with it.

 

The thing is, all of that applies to gas vehicles also. ANY vehicle you get with 200k is going to need some TLC. It doesnt matter if it runs off gas, diesel, propane, natural gas or Fred Flinstone's feet. With 200k on the clock, it is going to need maintenance. But i would trust a diesel motor with 200k on it more than a gas motor with 200k on it.

This isnt a gas vs diesel debate as that is something each individual has to decide for themselves. This is a "most inexpensive and reliable tow vehicle" debate.

Trucks (especially crew cab ones like he wants) are expensive these days. It doesnt matter if it runs off gas or diesel. You arent going to get much of a truck for $10k. If i wanted something to tow with, i would feel much better about buying a diesel with 150k miles than a gas with 150k miles.

 

:up:

 

Hey Broome...

 

I thought the same thing. When i blew the motor up in the Escalade, I was only pulling a 7x12 enclosed trailer. It didnt weigh much so i figured i didnt need a diesel...and got another gas truck (Avalanche).

2 Transmissions later, i finally decided to get a diesel.

It isnt that a gas truck can't pull it, because it can. I did it for 2-3 years. It is that a diesel does it so much easier, calmer, quieter and is much more reliable.

 

I had a picture of my "Fold-It" tire cart hooked to the back of my truck in the paddock but i dont know where it is. I think Lora has it on her phone. But shit was funny to me.

 

Thanks again for all the replies. Again, I was not looking for a gas/diesel debate. My current tow vehicle does a killer job (Ram shortbed, short cab with Hemi). However, my 12 year old has informed me that she is done riding the tranmission hump. I am going to contact my buddy that has this one for sale today:

http://www.cmraracing.com/showthread.php?28197-2004-f250-race-ready

thanks again for all the replies

 

look up farm auctions and municipal auctions.

get you a diesel. wont have much creature comforts, as most of them will work trucks. but you can find some great deals.

a buddy picked up a 2004 3500 duramax 4x4 work truck with 250k miles from a farm auction. I think he paid about 8 for it.

another buddy bought a 2009 f250 PS king ranch fx4 with 150k miles for 16k from another farm auction.

The ford f350 that i did the cummins-allison combo on, I bought it from a farm auction for 5k with a blown motor.

 

Lol...im your huckleberry... Dollar for dollar towing under 5k with agas truck is way cheaper. Diesels aint cheap inany way shape or form. We have 2 left in our fleet...and the last 6 vehicles have been gasers. Latest is the ecoboost crew.


As for the fella that said 7.3s are bullet proof...lol. Yes the long block maybe...everything else including,the trans sucks ass.

 

The OP said "5k lbs minimum".

None of these trucks are cheap.

Oil changes on diesels are more expensive, but you can do them way less often.

Where i live, diesel costs the same as premium grade gas (or up to $0.20 more)...but pulling my 7x12 enclosed, non-V nose trailer with the diesel i got about 14mpg. With the gas, i got about 6-7.

In the 2-3 years i have been pulling with my diesel, it has proven to be way less expensive than pulling with the gas trucks i had before it.

YMMV.....literally.

But at the end of the day, the calmness of pulling with the diesel makes it all worth it. I got so damn tired of 6-11hrs of the gas truck running 3-4k RPM, downshifting all the time, sometimes twice, just to go uphill. It made the drive aggravating as fuck. With the diesel, it doesnt matter if im loaded down or empty, same calm, quiet, relaxed atmosphere.

 

I think that we have already determined that most of your towing issues was operator error.

Gas trucks aren't THAT bad for towing. I towed my 26' enclosed with my 2000 2/4 ton Chev(old body style with a 350, not a 6.0)for my first year of racing, and while it wasn't a race truck, I didn't get only 6-7 with it either. The over size tires didn't help tho. My current old truck of the same vintage tows my 24' ok, even with 185k on it. I can keep it in overdrive and run 65mph most of the time.

You don't need to have your foot in it and run 75mph.

 

FYI: the racing here is close by. My longest track drive is 3.5 hours each way.

 

Nope. They just need to make stronger trucks.

That feeling you get when you accidentally exit a corner in too high of a gear and are like "GOOOOOOOOOOOO" waiting for it to spool up.....that is how i felt trying to pull with a gas truck.

Every single time i pulled with it i was like "fuck this piece of shit, as soon as we get home, im buying a diesel". Then i would get home and forget about it.

 

You are also talking about the more modern diesels that are significantly quieter than the stuff he can find in the $10k budget.
The older Cummins and even the Fords are loud. The Duramax is a quiet motor though.

 

Good point and i can't argue that. I have never driven an older one.

 

CPS' is the only thing that ever goes bad on them, and that's a five minute swap. I do keep a spare in the glovebox (they are cheap) as the motor won't start if it does go bad. I assume the auto tranny sucks, but that's why I hunted down a stick.

Yup, no lie on that. Old diesel is going to be loud. However on the highway it tends to be a constant noise that actually lulls everyone to sleep. The RPM's never really change much, you just kinda lug along. They are also sprung to carry a ton of weight and you are going to feel every single bump the second you get off the highway when it's empty. Just the nature of the beast.

ETA: OP, I also had a Chevy Avalanche 2500 for a while, came with the 496 big block. That thing rode like a car and would also move a mountain. Unlike the half ton version, it actually came with a much more beefed up tranny and was rated for up to 12,000 pounds. They are somewhat of a rare beast. If it wasn't for the fact I needed a dually and an 8 foot bed, I never would have got rid of mine. MPG's either sucked or were pretty good depending on how you looked at it. I got a constant 9 mpg, empty, loaded with an 8-9000 pound trailer. Didn't really seem to matter. They respond really well to ECU mods too, I g-teched mine at 0-60 in 6.8 seconds with just a few little tweaks. Around here the pricing is all over the board though. Since they are rare, there are some sellers that won't budge, then there are others who drive them around empty and are trying to dump them due to the MPG's. Also a hugely understressed engine. They drink oil, but otherwise nothing really ever goes wrong with them. If you don't want a diesel, I would hunt one of those down asap. The ride was so butter smooth and the interior was decent.