...so I thought i'd say hello. Wanted to respond to some things in the gas price/performance car thread,but things got a little deep in there and I bailed halfway through. I will say this: I just ordered an '05 Silverado with the Duramax diesel. It will be my first diesel ever , and I'm looking forward to it. My current Silverado rarely does better than 10 mpg and last week it cost me $150.00 to get the job done. I love the truck but, damn ! ,that's a hit. I only wish it could match my Firehawk 's relatively inexpensive thirst. I have little choice in the matter though as I need heavy duty truck(s) to earn my living. I'm hoping that the diesel will help in that respect. The Duramax is the only diesel I've ever driven that I think I could live with: it's quick,powerful,quiet,doesn't smoke and it's efficient to boot. My trucks may all be diesel if this one works out well.

 

I assume you will have a note on the new truck and had a note on the old one?

Reason I say that is because I see a lot of people, I will call them morons, getting rid of a gas hog vehicle that is paid for in exchange for a montly note on a car that gets, lets say, 20% better mileage.

So people are committing $400+ a month to a car payment for a total savings of $50 to $75 a month in gas....netting a negative $325 in new expenses.

I guess it feels better to them though to write a check once a month for it and forget it, but they feel better when those fillups comes to $10 or $20 less every week.

 

Well , the situation is a bit more complex than that and a bit hard to explain. Essentially, the answer to your question would be yes. The reason that I'm getting the new truck has more to do with changing needs than MPG. The current truck is a shortbed and I really need more bed space. While I'm at it I would like to save a bit on the fuel. I won't be losing any power either as the Duramax now bests my current truck's 300 HP. I also have a thing for torque.

 

Assuming you test drove the diesel as well as the gas version, did you notice any substantial difference between the 2 performance wise?

I bailed on the gas price & performance car thread too yesterday. I was getting too flustered, and this forum isn't the place for that (like I wasn't contributing to it, huh? )

 

Yeah, and the Duramax is nothing compared to some of the new passenger car diesels coming out of Europe. How does 90hp/liter of displacement sound? They are now selling more diesels than gasoline engines in Europe, and it's easy to see why.

As it is, the $4,000+ premium for a diesel engine in a domestic 2500/3500 pick-up truck is a ripoff. Detroit is gouging the consumer when it comes to diesels.

 

My wife and I owned a Ford Escort diesel. It wasn't very fast but it could sure go a long way on one tank of gas

 

I'm just waiting for someone to bust yer ***** for that screwup. ha ha

 

Sounds like a nice truck. And from what I've heard, the engine (and hopefully the rest of the truck) should last for many, many years.

 

LOL, it was a great little car. I also had my 1967 Mustang then, so it wasn't like I was hurting for fun car It was mostly her car and she liked it a lot. Saved a lot of money with it

 

actually i was referring to the fact that your "diesel" went a long way on a tank of "gas".

 

Ah, I suppose "gas" is incorrect Next time I'll say "fuel" and be politically correct

 

I've driven the current GM truck with every engine from the 5.3 up. The Duramax I drove amazed me with its "right now" performance. It easily matches my 6.0 gas powered Silverado. I was so used to diesels of the step on it and wait variety that I thought i'd never own one. Needless to say , I was impressed. The torque is tugboat strong and the allison gives you crisp shifts like an old musclecar. I haven't driven any stock automatics that shift like that in a very long time. On top of all of this, the thing is quiet and doesn't smoke. For trucks that work for a living, I think this is as good as it gets. I'll let you know how it performs in a real-world setting after it comes in in August or September.

 

Now get one of these, and then you'll feel some oomph