Best years for used Duramax?

[obie311]

Wife is interested in a Arctic Fox 29.5K. I think the all up GVWR is 16,600. I want something with enough torque and tow rating to not be over-stressed.

I started looking for regular 3500 DRW extended cab used trucks but they are in short supply and when you find them, they are jacked up and over-tired and inevitably owned by "Big Foot" wannabees. These trucks have so much invested in "cool mods" they cost more than a new truck.

Then I started seeing some pretty interesting deals on C4500 Kodiaks and Top Kicks w/ the Duramax/Allson combo. Relatively low mileage (60-150K) between $32-55K depending on age, trim and mileage.

Is there a best year or bracket of years for reliability in the Duramax/Allison equipment? I've read a lot on the various forums about LBY's and LBZ's but I couldn't sort out any consensus.

Appreciate any real-world advice from Duramax haulers pro or con.

Thanks,

[clotus]

05-07 (before the body change) is the best. The 05 can be tuned to an 06, but the 06/07 had some stronger internals. I believe the 05 will yield a little better fuel mileage because of the less aggressive tune, but give up a little power. In the end 05-07 is the best Duramax, but good luck finding one for a good price, they are highly coveted. Can probably pick up a newer truck for the same price. Good luck, I wanted an 05-07 Dmax, but could not find what I was looking for and ended up with the Dodge in my sig and have been very happy with it (minus the fuel mileage).

[larry_barnhart]

We are towing with our 2005 3500 2wd dually. It drives and runs like the day we drove it out of the chev in Tempe Az Dec 14th 2004.

chevman

[mtofell1]

06 is largely considered to be the best. If I remember right an 05 LLY can be tuned to be the EXACT same thing. I had an 06 for 6 wonderful years. I had a few things come up (maybe even more than most folks) but still think it was by far the best truck I ever owned. I mainly sold because at 150K miles and ticking up quickly as my daily driver/company truck, I needed something that wasn't going to cost me too much moving forward. My brakes, water pump, alternator, starter, injectors, turbo, head gasket and pretty much everything else were original and I felt I was living on borrowed time for something expensive. Being a company truck there were also some pretty good tax incentives for me to get a new truck.

Check out www.dieselplace.com for more specific info. They are GREAT trucks if you can find one 🙂

[MinnCamper]

I have the 2006 LBZ and WOULD NOT give it up. I've had many offer's To sell. I have 164,000 miles and have done normal stuff and glow plugs. Good Luck!

[WE-C-USA]

I agree with KD, when talking used the LLY or LBZ are, IMO, GM's best Duramax.

[KD4UPL]

The LB7 Duramax from 2001 to 2004.5 had injector problems. GM ended up offering an extended warranty on the injectors. I think it was around 200,000 miles or 10 years. To make matters worse the injectors are hard to get to and require partially disassembling the engine.
The LLY Duramax from 2004.5 to 2005 had relatively few problems. Some claim they overheat but I have one with 205,000 miles on it that does not so I don't know how much to believe that claim.
The LBZ Duramax from 2006 to 2007.5 came with the 6 speed Allison instead of the 5 speed. It also had increased HP and no DPF or DEF. These are considered the best of the best Duramax. If you find one you better buy it because it won't be for sale for long.
The 2007.5 to 2010 LMM was basically reliable and trouble free. It gained the DPF. The 2011 - 2015 Duramax LML has also been pretty reliable and trouble free. The Bosch CP4 injection pump has given some issues but GM has tended to fix them under warranty. The same pump is used on the 6.7 Ford with similar issues but Ford seems to blame the problem on the customer and not repair under warranty.

[MainerBob]

We tow with a 2006 2500HD LBZ and love it. When we bought it from a private owner we were told, not by her, that it was the best they ever made. We bought it 3 years ago with 32K on it and it is now almost to 90K, most of it towing our Keystone Everest back and forth across the country, up and down both coasts and into the Canadian Maritimes. We've only had one annoyance, the turbo crossover pipe came apart several times and it has now been fixed thanks to a TSB from GM. We run Michelin LTX MS2 tires and are on our second set. Did I say we love it?

Good luck! Bob