Looking for used truck buying advice

[Enniberg]

Considering a slightly newer truck – hoping for some advice on what to look for and what to stay away from

I am seeking some advice because I am not really a truck guy, I have had the same old 1991 GMC 2500 4x4 for a number of years. It really is a nice, dependable truck that served me well for the limited use I had for a truck while living in the city – it was insured for the Summer, hauling the boat and 5th wheel to the island for fishing in June and back home in September. The rest of the year it mostly sat in the carport.

Since leaving the city, I find that things have reversed – the car sits most of the time and the truck is suddenly the daily driver - and for that, the 1991 just is not all that comfortable – they didn’t even bother with headrests back in those days!

I don’t have a huge budget – 25K would be max and would prefer to stay under 20K.

I think I would like another ¾ or a 1 ton. My boat can be towed by anything with 5,000 lb towing capacity, but traveling logging roads with a load of firewood is hard on a truck.

Considering my budget, should I bother or am I better off living with what I have?

 

[Eden Island]

Considering a slightly newer truck – hoping for some advice on what to look for and what to stay away from

I am seeking some advice because I am not really a truck guy, I have had the same old 1991 GMC 2500 4x4 for a number of years. It really is a nice, dependable truck that served me well for the limited use I had for a truck while living in the city – it was insured for the Summer, hauling the boat and 5th wheel to the island for fishing in June and back home in September. The rest of the year it mostly sat in the carport.

Since leaving the city, I find that things have reversed – the car sits most of the time and the truck is suddenly the daily driver - and for that, the 1991 just is not all that comfortable – they didn’t even bother with headrests back in those days!

I don’t have a huge budget – 25K would be max and would prefer to stay under 20K.

I think I would like another ¾ or a 1 ton. My boat can be towed by anything with 5,000 lb towing capacity, but traveling logging roads with a load of firewood is hard on a truck.

Considering my budget, should I bother or am I better off living with what I have?

For that budget there's lots of trucks to be had. My previous truck was a 1985 F250 diesel - low on comfort and no turbo, so it was pretty sluggish towing 7700 lbs. In 2010, I upgraded to a 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins 6 spd - now I tow uphill comfortably at highway speeds, and get 16-18 mpg towing and 25 mpg running empty.

I paid $15K for a truck with only 110k on it, and have put nothing unexpected into it in 10 years. Diesel is an expensive option on a new truck, but not so bad in the used market -- makes operating much cheaper if you're okay with a bit more noise. Arguments rage, but I think the big 3 all make good trucks -- you're looking for low mileage, decent maintenance history and condition, and you'll be able to buy a good used truck that sold for double or triple what you're going to pay for it. Good luck!

 

[brutus]

At 20-25grand, you will not find a diesel with low km, my sierra has 330000km on it and the dealer is willing to give me 22G if I buy a sexy Denali

 

[Enniberg]

For that budget there's lots of trucks to be had. My previous truck was a 1985 F250 diesel - low on comfort and no turbo, so it was pretty sluggish towing 7700 lbs. In 2010, I upgraded to a 2001 Dodge 2500 Cummins 6 spd - now I tow uphill comfortably at highway speeds, and get 16-18 mpg towing and 25 mpg running empty.

I paid $15K for a truck with only 110k on it, and have put nothing unexpected into it in 10 years. Diesel is an expensive option on a new truck, but not so bad in the used market -- makes operating much cheaper if you're okay with a bit more noise. Arguments rage, but I think the big 3 all make good trucks -- you're looking for low mileage, decent maintenance history and condition, and you'll be able to buy a good used truck that sold for double or triple what you're going to pay for it. Good luck!

Based on the limited amount of searching that I've done, I'm afraid the truck market has changed a lot since 2010 - I can barely find anything under 10 years old and with less than a quarter million km on it for 20K!

 

[Eden Island]

Based on the limited amount of searching that I've done, I'm afraid the truck market has changed a lot since 2010 - I can barely find anything under 10 years old and with less than a quarter million km on it for 20K!

2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD 2WD ONLY 150Km 4 Door EXCELLENT CONDITION Victoria City, Victoria (usedvictoria.com)

$16,800. Not a 4x4, but it suggests they are out there. I had to go to Kelowna for mine.

 

[TheNootkaRose]

Try the Nissan dealership in Kelowna for a Titan, I got a killer deal and they paid my travel. Pretty friggin reliable, and you're not paying premium for Toyota.

edit: but if the towing capacity is secondary to fuel economy, a Frontier is just as reliable.

 

[Corey_lax]

the used truck market is crazy right now. Everything is very expensive and lots of trucks are getting sent to the US. I bought my 2012 ram 3500 3 years ago with 210,000 km for $25,000. Now I have 355,000 km and I can probably sell it for more than $25,000. Go figure.

we’re looking for a few work vehicles but the lot is basically empty when it comes to bare bones work trucks. You gotta spend $50,000 to get a basic f-150.

 

[Enniberg]

the used truck market is crazy right now. Everything is very expensive and lots of trucks are getting sent to the US. I bought my 2012 ram 3500 3 years ago with 210,000 km for $25,000. Now I have 355,000 km and I can probably sell it for more than $25,000. Go figure.

we’re looking for a few work vehicles but the lot is basically empty when it comes to bare bones work trucks. You gotta spend $50,000 to get a basic f-150.

You might be right about the value of your truck. There was a thread about a gmc 2500 diesel on this board a few days ago - 14 years old and 250000 km. The consensus seemed to be that 25k was a great deal for that vehicle!

 

[sly_karma]

Two scenarios where diesel makes sense in trucks: big km or lots of towing/heavy loads. With the US/Canada exchange in the 75-78 cent range, our vehicles are very profitable for resale in the US market. Diesel commands a premium new, and the hot used market is preventing most of the softening of the diesel gap that usually happens. And of course the dealers will still charge near 300 for diesel oil change.

Have a careful think about your usage. Would a half ton gasser work for you most of the time? They'll haul 5000 lb boat although lots of long trips would take a toll. How many cords of firewood needed for a season? One or two extra trips in a half ton vs the cost of buying and running a one ton all year might be a good payoff. The equation comes out differently for each of us depending on where we live and our usage.

 

[NDT]

See if you can find a Gmc/Chevy 2500/3500 6.0L gasser. I had one for years. I used it exactly how you intend to use it. Not the best mileage, but saved lots of $$ over the diesel. Pulled the camper and boat over many mountain passes. Used to be able to find a low km one for 15-20k. I haven’t looked recently tho. Good luck.

 

[Capt_Ed]

Just keep looking on Craigslist and Facebook market place. I looked for two years and ended up with a 2003 Gmc 2500 HD, 130k full load including leather,canopy, 2 sets of tires in great shape for less than half your budget

 

[Enniberg]

Two scenarios where diesel makes sense in trucks: big km or lots of towing/heavy loads. With the US/Canada exchange in the 75-78 cent range, our vehicles are very profitable for resale in the US market. Diesel commands a premium new, and the hot used market is preventing most of the softening of the diesel gap that usually happens. And of course the dealers will still charge near 300 for diesel oil change.

Have a careful think about your usage. Would a half ton gasser work for you most of the time? They'll haul 5000 lb boat although lots of long trips would take a toll. How many cords of firewood needed for a season? One or two extra trips in a half ton vs the cost of buying and running a one ton all year might be a good payoff. The equation comes out differently for each of us depending on where we live and our usage.

The problem is, the more carefully I think about my usage, the more likely I am to just keep what I have, haha
Someone said just drive it until it falls apart, but it seems that given the way they built them 30 years ago (and proper maintenance obviously), that just does not happen - the thing is a tank!

 

[zurk]

just get a toyota highlander XSE and a aluminum cargo trailer. SUVs have a far better ride and for hauling crap an SUV hauling a cargo trailer has more storage than a truck bed, can pull more, the vehicle doesnt get beaten up and trailers are cheap to replace.

 

[wolf]

I got mine from alberta a F 250 6.2 gasser as yes I tow but the cost of diesel and to fix a diesel this things tows just fine for the 12 or so times I do tow and get firewood, COST has to warrant the use, A diesel if used properly should be long km and towed alot, I got mine from a kid who never got called back to the patch and it was his personal they are there to be found mine still had a year of warranty, FYI stay away from a rig rocket...

 

[Buckethead905]

just get a toyota highlander XSE and a aluminum cargo trailer. SUVs have a far better ride and for hauling crap an SUV hauling a cargo trailer has more storage than a truck bed, can pull more, the vehicle doesnt get beaten up and trailers are cheap to replace.

Makes total sense Zurk, will he need the aluminium cargo trailer to bolt the 5th wheel hitch to?

 

[cracked_ribs]

Makes total sense Zurk, will he need the aluminium cargo trailer to bolt the 5th wheel hitch to?

just roll down the rear window and mount the plate in the rear cargo area...a unibody SUV should hold up great for that

 

[Enniberg]

I got mine from alberta a F 250 6.2 gasser as yes I tow but the cost of diesel and to fix a diesel this things tows just fine for the 12 or so times I do tow and get firewood, COST has to warrant the use, A diesel if used properly should be long km and towed alot, I got mine from a kid who never got called back to the patch and it was his personal they are there to be found mine still had a year of warranty, FYI stay away from a rig rocket...

I agree that cost has to warrant use. What I don't quite understand is why diesel trucks are supposedly expensive to maintain - I understand that they hold a lot of oil in the crankcase, so oil changes are not cheap, but what else?
I've been in to diesels forever and currently have a 2004 VW TDI with 250,000 km on it. Just let go of my 2000 TDI with 420,000 km on it - neither one particularly expensive to maintain compared to similar gas powered cars - what makes trucks different?

I had to google "rig rocket", never heard the term before, lol

 

[brutus]

I agree that cost has to warrant use. What I don't quite understand is why diesel trucks are supposedly expensive to maintain - I understand that they hold a lot of oil in the crankcase, so oil changes are not cheap, but what else?
I've been in to diesels forever and currently have a 2004 VW TDI with 250,000 km on it. Just let go of my 2000 TDI with 420,000 km on it - neither one particularly expensive to maintain compared to similar gas powered cars - what makes trucks different?

I had to google "rig rocket", never heard the term before, lol

Oil change on my duramax 113$ tax in at the lube shop, not that pricy to me. Been running diesel since 1998, will never go back to gas

 

[zurk]

Makes total sense Zurk, will he need the aluminium cargo trailer to bolt the 5th wheel hitch to?

huh ? why would you need a 5th wheel hitch ? he has a boat and can buy a cargo trailer. its not an RV. you dont need a 5th wheel hitch for a cargo trailer. mine gets pulled behind my SUV fine along with the boat.
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[NDT]

I agree that cost has to warrant use. What I don't quite understand is why diesel trucks are supposedly expensive to maintain - I understand that they hold a lot of oil in the crankcase, so oil changes are not cheap, but what else?
I've been in to diesels forever and currently have a 2004 VW TDI with 250,000 km on it. Just let go of my 2000 TDI with 420,000 km on it - neither one particularly expensive to maintain compared to similar gas powered cars - what makes trucks different?

I had to google "rig rocket", never heard the term before, lol

Diesels are more expensive in repairs then gas engines. You can buy a reman long block gasser for the price of injectors in some diesel applications.I mentioned the 6.0L gasser in an earlier post, loved it, but I’m running a duramax now. I will never go gas again, but I’m bias. The engine exhaust brake is why I went diesel. I frequent Kootenay Pass fully loaded. Diesels, if maintained properly, run along time. Don’t like preventive maintenance? diesel will cost you big time. Don’t chip them for more hp or torque, they don’t last as long IMO and early failures can occur. Oil change costs are higher, but not by much. I good fuel conditioner doesn’t hurt either.