Pulled the Trigger - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

TimNJ · 07-22-2009, 06:14 AM

After my '03 Ram hemi broke a valve spring and left me stranded I decided to pull the trigger on an '09 Silverado 2500 ext cab 8' bed 4x4 LTZ. I had to dump $1200 to get the Ram running in order to trade it in. I had to order the Silverado since there was only one LTZ with an 8' bed east of the Mississippi and that dealer would only accept a '10 Camaro in trade from my dealer. I had looked for GMC Sierra and they could only find the SLT with 8' bed in Colorado. What is it with all these short beds?
Work for me has been going gangbusters for the past couple months so that helped make the decision for me too.

dkillianjr · 07-22-2009, 06:52 PM

Sounds like a nice truck

What color did you go for? What motor? My dad finnally replaced his 94 silverado, with a gmc seirra 2500 ext cab long bed 4x4. You should be happy, real nice truck.

Dave

XanadooLTD · 07-22-2009, 07:45 PM

i have the same truck but GMC diesel with allison. My only complaint is that it is black. I always cussed gm out as crap auto makers, but my GMC has made me a loyal GMC driver for life. You will not be dissappointed. BTW the front end of the chevy is better anyhow. The chrome is sweet. Good job.

woodchuck2 · 07-22-2009, 07:51 PM

Congrats on the new ride. I was always a Ford man but they just cant get their act together with a diesel IMO so opted for GM. I used to turn wrenches on them so i also knew what to expect. I have 2 06 2500HD D-Max's and i love them. The new 6.0 with the 6spd from what i have been told are a better driveline than the older units. I friend of mine just bought an 09 2500HD with the 6.0 and he claims he is getting 14-16mpg, his last truck was a 04 1500HD with the 6.0 and he got a flat 10mpg empty and 5-6mpg towing his 5er. Show us some pics when you get it.

woodworkbykirk · 07-22-2009, 09:40 PM

just picked up a 06 chev colorado, smaller than what your driving but im happy. i beat the dealer down too. at the end of the month i had them down to $12500 on the road from 14,500 before tax. only issue they havent been able to find the 2nd key which i have to pick up and the owners manuel wasnt in the glove box.

havent given it a true test yet as its new to me. only 46,000 kms on it and i dont want to beat the **** out of it until its atleast 1/2 payed off. was driving a car which only had 76,000 kms on it but 10 years old and it wasnt going to pass safety, i was looking at somewhere in the range of 2-$3000 to pass

TimNJ · 07-22-2009, 11:34 PM

I have always had black trucks. Last year I bought a sliver Dakota and I kinda liked it. I decided to go with silver so they would match and low and behold silver, charcoal, and metallic red are in "constraint"....plain english, not available for the rest of the year!! I told the salesman that was idiotic. I'm spending $40 when all is said and done and you can't paint a silver truck! No wonder GM went bankrupt. So black it is...again. BTW, 6.0 gas, with 6sp auto., navigation, power pedals for the short wife if she ever has to drive it, and all the trailering options. Wait time 2months.

JumboJack · 07-23-2009, 01:39 AM

I've never ordered a vehicle.I'm way to impatient.I want to take it home NOW!

hartsell · 07-23-2009, 01:51 PM

What caused spring to fail ?? would like to know because I have 03 2500 hemi quad cab 4x4 with 85,000 miles always good to me. All maint. is performed when needed. Did you follow maint. schedules? Axle seals failed at 45,000 miles. thats it for repairs.
Thanks for any info.
SEAN

tomstruble · 07-23-2009, 06:24 PM

good luck with your new ride Tim

woodchuck2 · 07-24-2009, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hartsell

What caused spring to fail ?? would like to know because I have 03 2500 hemi quad cab 4x4 with 85,000 miles always good to me. All maint. is performed when needed. Did you follow maint. schedules? Axle seals failed at 45,000 miles. thats it for repairs.
Thanks for any info.
SEAN

Does yours have the typical lifter tick yet? Sounds like someone beating on a typewriter key.

TimNJ · 07-26-2009, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hartsell

What caused spring to fail ?? would like to know because I have 03 2500 hemi quad cab 4x4 with 85,000 miles always good to me. All maint. is performed when needed. Did you follow maint. schedules? Axle seals failed at 45,000 miles. thats it for repairs.
Thanks for any info.
SEAN

That's a good question. I kept up maintenance and never "beat" the truck. When I ordered this back in '03 i figured since it was the first of the new Hemi's Mopar would really cross their "t's" and dot their "i's" during production since they were banking so much on it. Seems they just cheaped out.

TimNJ · 07-26-2009, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodchuck2

Does yours have the typical lifter tick yet? Sounds like someone beating on a typewriter key.

Since day 1. I had it back there and they told they all do that. The service manager was talking to me about it when they finished the springs and he told me he has a Durango with first year hemi and his ticks too.

woodchuck2 · 07-26-2009, 08:00 PM

I agree that Dodge cheaped out on the new engine. After working on Dodges and GM's i must say Dodge did build a good engine throughout the years and were very advanced as for as their electronics go but man they couldnt build a tranny to save their ass!!! The new Hemi is advanced compared to other manufacturers engines as far as dual spark plugs per cylinder but what differs them from others is that each coil controls 2 different cylinders but in the same firing order so if you drop a spark plug the engine still runs smooth with no misfires. The same goes for if it drops a coil, the engine will still run fine even if you lose up to 4 coils. But the early Hemi's had this tick that always made me wonder what problems would develope from it. Dropping a valve makes sense to me, wonder how many others did it too.

TimNJ · 07-26-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woodchuck2

Dropping a valve makes sense to me, wonder how many others did it too.

The service manager told me when they first trouble shot the problem that it is always the intake spring that goes. I think that at 6years-137,000 miles, I'm at the high mileage end of things. I wonder what is going to happen to the loads of other hemi's out there when they start approaching that kind of mileage.
When I first bought the truck i took it on a trip to CA towing a trailer. There was nothing that could keep up with me up the mountain passes out there. All the other trucks would be bogging 40-50mph in the truck lanes and I would just blow by them at 65 without even the slightest strain from that motor. I think it is just plain cheapness so Mopar could squeeze out more profit. I got rid of my '99 Ram because it had the defective (cheap) intake gaskets that started failing left and right.

TimNJ · 09-30-2009, 06:56 AM

Finally! Picked it up yesterday afternoon. So much for the sales people telling me the truck would probably come earlier. Took nine weeks to the day. The benefit was that the incentives I got totaled up to $5000.
Also I was glad to see the truck came from the US assembly plant in Pontiac, MI. Sales man told me VIN is 1-US, 2-Canada, 3-Mexico, plus they put a little sticker on the door edge saying "Pontiac" assembly plant.
Now to try and figure out how all the stuff works in it, especially the navigation.

BACKWOODS · 09-30-2009, 07:21 AM

ENJOY the new ride