Opinion: best value HD truck under 20k?

I think everyone is going to have a different opinion of "best value". And it would also depend on what your intended purpose is.

$20k isn't going to get you much by way of a diesel. Unless you are looking at some of the "bad" engines.

To me, best value would likely be a 2500 gasser. 6.4 Hemi or 6.2 Ford.

FishOnOne wrote:
For that amount of $$$ and assuming a not too old of a truck I would say a Ford Super Duty 6.2 or a GM 6.0.

Succinctly, this ^.

ExxWhy wrote:
I say it comes down to individual condition of the truck in question. There is no one model that is so superior that it trumps condition.

^This plays as much a part as the actual brand of vehicle for sure.

Buying used vehicles, especially older ones, you're buying the previous owner(s) as much as the vehicle itself.

There's a bit more to it than that.
Gaz or deezul? And how much and where do you plan to tow?

Under $20k = generally lowest miles and best condition with less emphasis on brand. And ext cabs don't fetch near as much as crew cabs so if you can get by with an ext cab you can get alot more truck for the money.

But there are a ton of options.
I'm a Dodge fan, but HD Ram gassers would be 3rd on the list up until the new 8 speed autos, unless it was a cherry old V10 or 360 with a manual trans.
GM/Ford, old low mile (rare) 5-6 speed manual trucks. 8.1/ZF6 is probably one of the best tow rig gassers yet to date.

8.1 Allison GM or V10/Torqueshift Ford would be my pick for old auto trans gassers.

Even older, V10 Ford/4r110 or 6.0 GM/4L80 if not towing heavy or mountians. The even older GMT400 trucks with 350s or 454s are good, but finding any in this paragraph low miles is going to be a challenge, but will be in the sub $10k category.

If I was intent on spending $20k to get the best gasser I'd be looking for a 6.0/6 speed GM or a 6.2L Ford. Early 6.2s have the same trans as the 6.7 so they are virtually indestructible behind the gasser.


Diesel, $20k to burn, Low mile 2nd or 3rd Gen Cummins ext or quad cab, stick shift only. You'd have to pay me to tow heavy with a Cummins with a 4 speed auto.

7.3 Power strokes are really good, but you'll spend $20k to get a cherry low mile one. Can find a Good Ram cheaper.

Best combo from the early 2000s if you want an auto trans is a LB7/Allison Dmax. Injector issues are a thing of the past, if it's had good injectors put in it in the last 10 years and it'll outperform a 7.3 or Cummins auto trans truck apples to apples.

Like I said, have to be more specific in what you're looking for or you'll get more answers like mine.

I say it comes down to individual condition of the truck in question. There is no one model that is so superior that it trumps condition.

For that amount of $$$ and assuming a not too old of a truck I would say a Ford Super Duty 6.2 or a GM 6.0.

Best value under $20,000 won't be a diesel. A GM 8.1L is a great truck. Even a GM 6.0 is okay depending on what you want to do with it.
I'd avoid 2001 thru 2004.5 GM Duramax trucks unless you like spending thousands on injectors. Otherwise an LLY is a good truck. My personal daily driven 2005 LLY has 263,000 miles on it and performs hauling and towing duties quite well. The engine has never been apart.

Best value under 20k bucks ??
Wellll...for me it would depend on what the truck is going to do. A 20k one ton DRW ain't the best idea to pull a 5k TT.

I also just started looking for a used truck for my new (to me) truck camper. Sticker shock is right!

7.3 or 5.9 diesel. You won't be sorry. I've owned both.