I bought myself a new (2008) Silverado, Duramax/Allison 3/4 ton 4x4, crew
cab.
I bought the base model and spent the money that some folk put into
leather/dvd/gps/gold-plated cup holders into the heavy-duty tow kit,
transmission
cooler, sump/transmission bash plates, heavy suspension/etc. So it's a
working beast.
I decided on the Cheby (though I am a Ford man) because the Cheby gets
good diesel mileage. I regularly report 18 mpg in the NM mountains even when
towing 4000 lbs. Towing more weight (e.g. Rags) does hit the mileage, and I
have seen drop as low as 14 mpg here in the mountains. I figure it would be
better at lower
altitudes. I measure my diesel mileage between tank fill-ups.
The Cheby has some weird pollution gear on it that makes it smell like
propane
and it NEVER smokes. I have heard that getting rid of this "catalytic
converter"
improves diesel mileage, but I'll wait until the warrant runs out.
I had heard that the Ford Powerstroke does not hold a candle to the Duramax
in terms of power. There are very few cars I cannot smoke up to 80 mph
from the traffic lights. This thing squeezes you into the seat. I figure
that Rags
travels faster when being towed!
The bad is that I am not keen on the Allison 6-speed auto. I guess I am not
used to driving a right-foot drive only truck. I did test-drive the
Dodge/Cummins
and liked the donk, but the seats were the worst I have ever sat in. My back
complained
within minutes. Also, the Cummins was slooooow by comparison.
Finally, the fit, finish and materials used on the Cheby is streets ahead of
the Ford
and Dodge which are cheap at best. The Cheby is more like a $30K+ Japanese
car
in quality.
That's my $0.02. My truck hauls Rags, bikes, trash, broken concrete, building
supplies,
railway ties, and our 6 Rottweilers with ease. But I only use it when I need
to given the
cost of diesel. My '91 Honda Civic handles commuting and shopping-basket
duties.
YMMV.
Shane Ingate in NM
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