# Opinions on used Chevy trucks for personal plow use



## countrydoc (Apr 8, 2007)

I am looking at two used Chevy trucks to get for home and private road plowing purposes, as well as general homeowner projects and occasional towing. It wouldn't be my daily driver.

One is a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with 99K miles, 6.0L, auto, extended cab, and a Fisher 8' MM plow that was put on two years ago and is in excellent condition. It all seems to be in very good condition, and the asking price is $13,000. I would try to get it for 12.

The other option I am considering is a 2006 Silverado 2500 HD 6.0L auto quad cab with 36K miles, Fisher 8' MM plow. The asking price for this one is $26K and I would try for 24 because 36K miles seems like a lot of use for a one year old truck.

Any thoughts on pros and cons of used chevy trucks? What is the general experience with the reliability/longevity of their 6L engine and the HD tranny?

Thanks


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## mike psd (Aug 12, 2007)

both are great trucks the 6.0 is great motor plenty of power for plowing and towing . and you can't go wrong with that plow combo on either . IMO i like the body style of 03-07 if planning on keeping it for a long time i would get the newer one . the newer one is most likely all highway miles . which is good thing . can get some pics and post them up for us ? good luck DOC


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## Midwest BuildIt Inc (Nov 14, 2004)

its not a ford, thats what i think of chevy trucks......


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## icebladez (Aug 26, 2005)

BNC SERVICES;398268 said:


> its not a ford, thats what i think of chevy trucks......


F: Fire
O: Occurances
R: Reported
D: Daily
..and thats the way i think of ford trucks..


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## scottL (Dec 7, 2002)

BNC SERVICES;398268 said:


> its not a ford, thats what i think of chevy trucks......


Found On Roadside Dead == FORD  ( nuck, nuck, nuck, nuck - just razing )


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## Sydenstricker Landscaping (Dec 17, 2006)

ford- found on road dead, fix or repair daily, f'ed over rebuilt dodge, drivers return on foot-ford backwards.......just razzing you ford boys lol:waving:


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## Midwest BuildIt Inc (Nov 14, 2004)

your still missing a few of them, come on is that all you got.....ha ha:waving:


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## countrydoc (Apr 8, 2007)

Did anyone see the original question???????

I didn't ask whether I should buy a Chevy or a Ford.

I had a 1980 F150 that took me through medical school and driving all through Boston at strange hours of day and night and it took me out to Montana, through the frozen tundra of North Dakota in December, where it finally died an honorable death of a scored main rod bearing. That was the old in-line 6 cyl ford engine that just couldn't be killed, with the three speed column shifter manual tranny. That was a great truck. Even with the scored rod bearing it was still running fine, I just didn't want to drive it back to Mass from Montana in the middle of winter, hoping that it would make the trip. 

But the issue here is buying used, where you don't know how the truck has been cared for or how hard it has been used. All the used Fords I have looked at have just been beat to sh*t. So for buying a used work truck I have decided to go with Chevy.

Anyway, the decision has been made. Went and bought the 2001 2500 HD. Got it for 11,700 plus tax title.

The plow is only two years old, but I expect to be on here regularly looking for advice on how to keep it healthy.


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

Found On Road Dead
Fix Or Repair Daily
F'ed Over Rebuilt Dodge
Driver Returns On Foot
First On Race Day- that can't be right
Fire Occurances Reported Daily- 2008 Fords???
Driver Reports On Foot
I can't think of the other ones.


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## Mark13 (Dec 3, 2006)

countrydoc;398539 said:


> Did anyone see the original question???????
> 
> I have decided to go with Chevy.
> 
> ...


Ya, we seen it. We just have a hard time staying on track here.

You should be happy with the truck, my family has always had chevys and they have never let us down.


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## JD Dave (Mar 20, 2007)

I hope it's a great truck, you can't go wrong with a Chevy. IMO


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## mike psd (Aug 12, 2007)

congrats doc , snap some pics if get a chance


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## scottL (Dec 7, 2002)

countrydoc;398261 said:


> I am looking at two used Chevy trucks to get for home and private road plowing purposes, as well as general homeowner projects and occasional towing. It wouldn't be my daily driver.
> 
> One is a 2001 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with 99K miles, 6.0L, auto, extended cab, and a Fisher 8' MM plow that was put on two years ago and is in excellent condition. It all seems to be in very good condition, and the asking price is $13,000. I would try to get it for 12.
> 
> ...


The miles do no indicate how well the truck will last. Pull the trans stick look for burnt fluid, etc. Look for leaks on the trans and trans lines along with the brake lines. Looks at the power steering pump for leaks. These items typically go fast once they leak and cost some bucks. Other leaks are usually nuisances rather than big problems.

The 6.0L and Trans are solid beasts - they were designed to last. Some of the snap on parts of course are items you'll have to budget for. If the cheaper truck looks good I'd go that route and save the money for future repairs.

In a later post you noted tax and title - if this is from a dealer try to get them to put in a 12/12K power train warranty.


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## countrydoc (Apr 8, 2007)

scottL;398616 said:


> The miles do no indicate how well the truck will last. Pull the trans stick look for burnt fluid, etc. Look for leaks on the trans and trans lines along with the brake lines. Looks at the power steering pump for leaks. These items typically go fast once they leak and cost some bucks. Other leaks are usually nuisances rather than big problems.
> 
> The 6.0L and Trans are solid beasts - they were designed to last. Some of the snap on parts of course are items you'll have to budget for. If the cheaper truck looks good I'd go that route and save the money for future repairs.
> 
> In a later post you noted tax and title - if this is from a dealer try to get them to put in a 12/12K power train warranty.


Thanks. I did crawl under it twice before buying, once after driving a few miles. I couldn't see any leaks anywhere. I checked the spot where it had been parked on the lot and there was no fluid on the ground. The brake lines all looked good to my eye.
The extra warranty was a no-go. I was able to get him to take $1000 off the asking price, so I figure that leaves a little extra for the high wear parts that may need replacing in the next 6 months.

It's being delivered to my house tomorrow. Next week I will take it to a garage and put it on the lift for a more thorough inspection. And if I can find a working digital camera I'll post some pics of the plow to get some opinions on that. I am hoping that with regular maintenance I can get five to six years of good service out of this rig.


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## bribrius (May 5, 2007)

countrydoc;398801 said:


> Thanks. I did crawl under it twice before buying, once after driving a few miles. I couldn't see any leaks anywhere. I checked the spot where it had been parked on the lot and there was no fluid on the ground. The brake lines all looked good to my eye.
> The extra warranty was a no-go. I was able to get him to take $1000 off the asking price, so I figure that leaves a little extra for the high wear parts that may need replacing in the next 6 months.
> 
> It's being delivered to my house tomorrow. Next week I will take it to a garage and put it on the lift for a more thorough inspection. And if I can find a working digital camera I'll post some pics of the plow to get some opinions on that. I am hoping that with regular maintenance I can get five to six years of good service out of this rig.


dont wait for next week. i think in maine there is a three day right of recission which means you can return the vehicle within three days for whatever reason. double check this but im pretty sure that is the law here. i would put it on the lift BEFORE the three days is up. just thought id bring that to your attention.


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## wild bill (Feb 10, 2007)

*h d*

i have a 2001 2500hd, 6.0 liter 7' 6" boss super duty. i an extremely happy happy with it but keep an eye on the dash indicator lights for the shift indicator and trip meter they have a problem internally gas Gage will drop down to empty then right back to full .cost about $475.00 to fix if not under warranty.


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## countrydoc (Apr 8, 2007)

bribrius;398807 said:


> dont wait for next week. i think in maine there is a three day right of recission which means you can return the vehicle within three days for whatever reason. double check this but im pretty sure that is the law here. i would put it on the lift BEFORE the three days is up. just thought id bring that to your attention.


Well, I have proven once again that I can make very bad decisions when it comes to buying used trucks.

The last two bolts on one of the exhaust manifolds are missing or broken, so it has an exhaust leak on the drivers side. Funny that I didn't hear it when I drove it before buying it, but the second I started it up after delivery I heard it; the sound disappears when the engine warms up. The tires don't match; three are load range E and one is load range C. And the front disk rotors have less than a 1/4 inch of braking surface left on them. The brake pads are new, but they didn't replace the rotors.

So the truck fails inspection and shouldn't have been given a sticker. I can't find any reference to a three-day grace period for return. The lemon laws simply say that the dealer has to make reasonable attempts to fix these things. But I don't want to do any more business with the scumbags that sold me this truck, and I don't want to deal with trying to get an exhaust manifold fixed ( I may go over to the Chevy truck section to see what folks have to say about that).

So I am going back today, and I want to return the truck for a full refund. If the inspection sticker was put on by the dealer, which I assume and hope it was, then I will have some leverage because I can report that to the State Dept of Public Safety, a division of the State Police, and they would then send down an inspector to find out how an illegal vehicle passed inspection in their shop.

This is a pain in my @$$:angry:


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## scottL (Dec 7, 2002)

I'd take it a little low key - they may pop for some of the repairs and cut you a break on the others. I know in my area they do a full inspection of the vehicle per Chevy and fix little crap like that before it can be sold.

You knew going in there would be repairs. However, the mis-matched tires is BS and unsafe. If the rotors are that low ( I'm not sure of the minimal thickness for safety ) but, I would dink them on that too.

Your past the 3 days it sounds so, now you have to play for goodwill and tell them you might just take a full page ad out in papers with some other phone calls


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## countrydoc (Apr 8, 2007)

Maybe I was more pissed off than I needed to be.

They wouldn't take the truck back and give a refund, but they did stick to the warantee on inspection-related items. The service manager looked at the truck himself and agreed the deficiencies were there. So they will replace the one tire that is the wrong load range, they will get the front rotors to meet inspection, and they will fix the exhaust manifold, all at no charge to me. Or, I should say, no additional charge. Of course if the rotors can be brought up to inspection standard just by turning them then they won't replace them, because legally they are only obligated to do the minimum that is required to get the truck to pass inspection. 

Will take till next week to get all that done, then I have to have someone else look and confirm that they did what they are said they would.

The plow seems to be in good shape, though. Probably could use a new cutting edge but for non-commercial use should be fine. Maybe I didn't get ripped off too bad...


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## Ole Tower (Jan 29, 2007)

*Opinions On Used Chevy Trucks*

I have Owned & Driven E*M ALL over the Years Fords-Chevys-Dodges-Internationals GMCs & their all GOOD when their Running! but in My Visiting Salvage Yards the PROOF of Which Truck is BEST? lies in How Many? YOU can SEE all Used UP & JUNKED! all parked in neat Rows in Salvage Yards! YEP! CHEVY WINS hands Down NO Doubt about It! the Late Model Dodges Run a Close Second Cause Tranny Problems Now Chrysler has their NEW 100% Garrantee? DONO? Time will Tell? but I DO SEE a lot of Late DODGES There! all Whole & Still Shiny only Late FORDs there are Wrecks Bent & Twisted w/Lots of Chevys w/Body Parts Missing Keeping some others Runnng? & Not very Many Older Dodges? I Dono where they All ARE? but Chevy Rules in the Salvage Yards! Here any WAY & just so You all KNOW I have a 75 Chevy 3/4 Ton w/So many miles on It Its Scares ME So I*M NOT an ANTI Chevy GUY as Mines Parked just in Case? My Ford Craps Out??--OleTower--


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