MY new TUNDRA

[Diamondpilot]

Stay away from the 04 Dmax. Had one, nothing but glow plug and injector problems. The 4 K over price is nuts. They are giving away diesel trucks in my area along with most gassers also. The 7,100# tow rating on that GM is probably with that little 3.42 gear or something like that. Most of the GM 1/2 tons in my area come with that to allow them to brag about MPG. If you look at the Fords and Dodges they usually have a 3.73 and around a 9,500# tow rating or higher. You can order a GM with a lower gear ratio to up the tow rating.

Chris

 

[KAB]

Heck, I can crawl under most of them now adays... no need for a lift. My issue now is the fact that Toyota is buying back my rusted frame Tacoma this friday, giving me $16,700 for my '98 and a voucher for $2000.00 off a Tundra... and I want to replace it asap... not wait until next year. The chevy dealer told me he couldn't legally sell me a 1500 due to the fact I wanted to tow more than it was rated for, he said it was only rated for 7100lbs. Somebody else said there was a 1500HD out there with the 6.0 that would do what I needed. Maybe dealer is just trying to get me to upscale to the 2500. The Tundra is rated for what I want to tow, ~7500lbs of tractor, trailer and stuff. Headed back to a different chevy dealer on thursday and see what they say. I did find a 04 Dmax 2500 with 51K miles on it, but the dealer is asking $4K over KBB for it, and it is a little rough.

Find a dealer that is willing to do some work. Crew Cabs 4WD (Ext Cabs will have similar numbers) 5.3 w/3.73 he is the ballpark. Switch to 4.10 8300#. Switch to 6.0L and the heavy duty tow package 10500#. Your dealer is trying to sell what he has or has no idea of how the truck can be packaged to get the ratings that you need. Of course all of this would probably require that he would even be willing to do a dealer trade.

GM no longer has a 1500HD. Just a 1500 w/6L heavy duty tow package.

Kurt

 

[Builder]

Stay away from the 04 Dmax. Had one, nothing but glow plug and injector problems. Chris

Chris,

Give it a break. Just because you had problems with ONE truck, doesn't mean they're all bad.
BTW I'd take an '04 GM/dmax over a Ford 6-leaker anytime.

 

[skargo]

Chris,

Give it a break. Just because you had problems with ONE truck, doesn't mean they're all bad.
BTW I'd take an '04 GM/dmax over a Ford 6-leaker anytime.

Just face it, a Cummins is better than either

 

[Diamondpilot]

I am just stating a fact, not bashing anything. I can send you my service records to show you how many times it was in the shop. I can also send you the VIN#'s of the 3 Fords I currently own and you can compare. I am not saying all Dmax trucks are bad but those are not the most desirable. My neighbor has a 2007 3500 SRW just like yours and its not been trouble free but close to it and well withing my expectations just like my Fords. Just a valve of some sort and a hood problem.

You are the one who talks about something you know nothing about. I respect your view on many things but the 6L is not one of them. I do agree the early ones had problems but I have not experience any engine problems with my 2 trucks. Just a dash cluster that gave false readings and did leave me stranded with a truck that ran out of fuel. By the way the dealer sent a wrecker and and Dually 6L out for me to pull my trailer home with and use until fixed. With GM I had to beg for a Cavalier to use. The simple fact is Ford out sales both others combined plus over 80% of all Super Duty sales are diesel and with that number of trucks on the road it is bound to be that some will have problems. It has just got blown way out of proportion. I see tons of these trucks every day. Funny thing is I am in Monroe Louisiana today and I made the comment that I see tons of Tundras down here. My rental car agency I used even had them both 2 wheel drive and 4 wheel drive. I tried to upgrade but they were all taken. I had a Kia Sportage and I am impressed with this little SUV. Looked it up and its Consumer Reports best buy and 5 star rated.

What this is really about is this guy paying 4K over blue book for anything right now. Here in my area 3 year old diesels are selling for the low twenty's and 3 year old gassers are selling in the teen's. These are good prices for people looking and terrible with guys like me who would like a new truck but with 60,000 miles on the clock its now worth less than 1/3 what I paid for it while a Civic or Saturn is leaving the showroom floor for sticker.

Chris

 

[IXLR8]

I know the early 04's with the LB7 engine had injector issues which GM now warrenties for 200k miles. The one I was looking at is a later 04 with the LLY engine which does not have the injector and glow plug issues. But $4K OVER book, that was a plow truck, that has the bed a bit beat up, that has a Banks sticker on the side so no telling what it was boosted to... or what shape the tranny is in due to that... I am not going there even if it was $4K UNDER book.

 

[Todd_C]

IXLR8,

I had a 01 Silverado extracab Z71 with the 5.3 and 3.73 gears. The truck got an honest 20mpg on the interstate at 65-70mph and 16 around town (I don't have a lot of stop and go traffic). I loved the truck and I did use it to tow my TC 40A with filled tires, loader, and an attachment. My truck was rated to tow 8,300 lbs. I live in a mountainous area in VA and the truck worked, but I never pushed it. There were times when I couldn't maintain the 55 mph speed limit without making the engine hit 4,000 + RPMs. After a lot of thought, I sold my truck with 62,000 miles to my dad who has always wanted it.

I bought an 07 Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 Cummins Diesel engine. There is a world of difference between the trucks and the inteded uses of the trucks. I am lucky that I don't have to use my pickup as a daily driver, so the price of diesel wasn't a major factor. If you are going to tow anything near the top limits of a 1/2 ton pickup, consider moving up in size. I never had a close call, but I tested the rig and I can tell you that I never wanted to have to stop in a hurry doing down a step grade in my area.

Take your time and look for a good deal. Diesels are cheaper and so are larger trucks, so find one that fits your needs.

 

[treefarmer391]

Just went through the same decision. Not trying to do any bashing here and I am sure you will enjoy your Tundra. Having owned a Tacoma for 13 years that has been a workhorse for us around our farm hauling firewood and plowing two 700 foot long gravel driveways ,it was my first choice when we needed more towing capacity. The Tundra has motor, no doubt, but it seemed to be a bit short on what we needed. Did not like the interior that reminded me of the old "Tokyo by night" from the 80's, low 1500 lbs payload, and weak front end only able to handle a 7.5 light snow plow. Seems like all the 1/2 tons today have been reduced to big cars with a pickup box. Went with a loaded F250 SD tow rated at 11,400 that was available for $8300 off list (MSRP $38,965). The Tow Command systems work well and are easy to use. Very pleased so far.

 

[joes_427_vette]

Ha Ha, what a joke. Have you ever even driven any of these trucks or better yet even sat in one? The worst mileage I ever got was 12 mpg and that was hauling a 7,500lb mini-excavator on a 1,500lb trailer with surge brakes through a windy hilly road from central Maine to NH (65 miles). The best was 18mpg and that was all highway with some hills. This is a 4x4 quad cab truck with the 4.10 gears and 17" rims/tires. A friend of mine gets 13mpg average with his F-250 V10, it is a great engine.


No, the guy asking never mentioned he only wanted a 1/2 ton truck...

You sure your calculator has batteries ? I have several friends with V-10s and Hemis. None of them get the mileage you do. Sure you don't have the one with the secret factory injection ????? Fill it up til the fluid runs out of the cap and do this 3 times..... then average the MPG. There is no way I would believe 18... not even close. Do your math again !!!

 

[Builder]

Just face it, a Cummins is better than either

5.9L Yes!
6.7L.....uh, no. They're having a lot of trouble with them.