2007 Chevy Silverado HD Duramax,Diesel Allison Transmission

[Jakessweetthing]

We have a 2007 Chevy Silverado HD Duramax Diesel with an Allison transmission, that now has 200,000 miles on it. 85% of those are over the road miles. We have had it serviced and taken excellent care of it. The interior is in great condition.
So Here is our question, My husband wants to trade for a new truck. But the price we are looking at is almost out of our fixed income budget. We could do it, but do we want to?
So the next question is the important one. How many more miles can we expect to get out of our truck if we keep it???
We live in Kansas and we are planning a trip to Arkansas, California, and Colorado this year. And maybe the same next year. The next five years we plan on traveling a lot, so do we keep it? Or trade and take on those huge payments? What would you do?

[spoon059]

OP, Pretty certain you have a highly prized D/A combo there. If it were mine, I would take a good long look at the current condition of the vehicle and make a decision. If the body and interior are in pretty good shape, I would consider taking it to a quality and trusted mechanic and invest a couple thousand into replacing parts near the end of their life cycle. For far less than the cost of a new truck you can replace injectors, water pumps, upgrade/rebuild a transmission, wheel hubs, etc. Then you will have a reliable truck, in good shape, ready to go another 100K miles at least.

If the body and interior aren't in that great a shape, perhaps it is time to upgrade the truck. There is considerable upgrade in trucks in the last 11 years. Power is up, interiors are nicer, there are more options available etc... it just costs money.

[bid_time]

If your going to keep it, it's overdue for rebuilding the front end before something breaks while towing.

[Jakessweetthing]

Lantley wrote:
I have an 07 classic with 275 K and climbing. I have no reliability concerns.
They all have the potential to break even the new ones.
You know what your dealing with now. Why change for the sake of change?
I think you are good for another 100K at least.

thank you for the encouragement!

[DownTheAvenue]

mkirsch wrote:
GM does not lease HD vehicles, so there are ZERO 2500HD/3500HD pickup trucks "coming off a two or three year lease that are well maintained and have significant life left with a 40% discount from new."

There is no such thing.

Good used 2500HD/3500HD GM pickups are far and few between, and you will pay almost new price for a 2-year-old used truck with average miles. I've been helping my Dad shop for the last two years to replace is REALLY long-in-the-tooth 2000 Chevy 2500, and this is what we've been finding.

Every once in a while you'll come across one that for no apparent reason is priced about $5000 less than anything comparable, but by the time you get on the phone to the dealership, it's gone, or there's some lame excuse why it's not on the lot when you get there.

If you're going to buy and you don't want to spend months on a wild goose chase, spend the little extra and buy new.

Actually a quick Google search and a call to my local Chevrolet dealer (Hardy Chevrolet 770-532-4389) confirmed that a Silverado 2500 can be leased with many vendors, including the manufacturer, providing many options for a lease. Furthermore, a check on AutoTrader.com found many used 2500 Silverados.

[Lantley]

I have an 07 classic with 275 K and climbing. I have no reliability concerns.
They all have the potential to break even the new ones.
You know what your dealing with now. Why change for the sake of change?
I think you are good for another 100K at least.

[Durb]

Your choice about a new truck. I wouldn't trade your Duramax in but would try to sell it. That is a pretty desirable truck especially if it is pre-DPF and in good condition. Even better if it hasn't been lifted or modified. This would certainly reduce your net cost of a new truck.

[Jakessweetthing]

SDcampowneroperator wrote:
If your truck is an 07 classic with the LBZ/Duramax like mine, keep it. Over the next 200k miles I expect to spend 5-10 k on repairs as injectors and other stuff wears out, but I do not expect the main driveline to wear out. If it did breakdown on the road, we do have our house right behind, so we can wait for repairs or trade then.
There are thousands of these trucks out there with many more miles than that with that experience.
The 07 classic has a higher resale value than trucks up to 3 years newer.

Thank you for your reply, it is great to hear from someone with the same truck. Our truck overheated going through the mountains last summer and we have worried a little about it since. But its a good truck and we have never had anything go wrong with it other than that. We are leaning on keeping it. And just setting money back for anything major. We keep it well maintained and service on a regular basis.

[colliehauler]

I don't know how you deal with repairs or how you maintain your vehicle. I agree with setting aside a truck/maintenance payment and drive what you have. If my high mileage vehicle breaks down there is always a shop where it can be fixed or if major failure replaced. Since I'm retired and don't have to get back to work I have the time to explore the area while waiting on repairs if necessary. I keep my vehicles for a lot of miles and in good mechanical condition. I have yet to be stranded or broke down. It boils down to what you feel comfortable with.

[TakingThe5th]

I own a F-350 with the 6.0 diesel and was able to find new life for my truck by having the engine bulletproofed-a procedure commonly performed on the 6.0. The rest of the truck was in great shape and I knew that a new truck would set me way back by comparison.

I'm wondering if you could try something similar to extend the life of your truck. A trusted mechanic who knows your truck well - could he simply replace any parts that can't pass inspection or show a history of falling short, also freshen up the transmission and brakes, etc etc, and do it for a price you can afford and give you another 100K miles?

Just a thought and I admit that I am not a Chevy Silverado expert, but I hope this helps. Good luck.

[ktmrfs]

I'm not sure that at 200K things will start failing at any high rate. I've run multiple vehicles to 200K or close and not any major issues. The s-10 with the v-6 gas engine I had went to our son and he sold it at 275K miles to a neighbor and it is now near 300K miles. Other than a few water pumps, an alternator, some belts, and normal maintenance it hasn't had any issues.

Yes, at 200K you should plan on some parts needing replacement at some time, I'd consider keeping it if it has been reliable so far. Especially if you are capable of doing some of he work.

[Grit_dog]

Agree with some of what’s posted, except those who think you can go find a newish diesel for 40% off new. You aren’t in touch with the market, ever, but especially now.

While it’s true you could have a major failure moreso than with lower miles, 200k well maintinaed is no where near the end.
Have injector balance rates tested, trans checked out, front end and ujoints. That’s most of it.
On the upside if it’s cherry, it’s still worth close to $20k.
Lots of miles is relative though. Another 200k? Dump it for a new one. 20-30k over the next 5 years, I’d probably keep it.

[LIKE2BUILD]

200K miles is certainly where things will start to fail from age. If you put back enough money you could cover those repairs, but the next question is what kind of downtime can you deal with if the truck fails on one of those long trips?

There's a dealership near me that specializes in diesel trucks. They get all their inventory from auctions, clean them, slap on bumpers and a couple of extras, then sell them for a premium. They don't keep trucks in inventory for very long so folks are still buying them as fast as they show up. A truck like your '07 will sell for anywhere between $15,000 to $18,000 on their lot.

So, let's assume you sell your truck outright for $15,000 which should be pretty easy to get if the body is in pretty good shape. You can start shopping on AutoTrader, Craigslist, or other places and find a pretty good truck for well under the price of new. I did a quick search for Chevy 2500HD, Duramax, 4X4 and found several that were 2012 and newer for under 100,000 miles priced at $33K or less.

So, if you shop in the $35,000 price range or less you should be able to find a good truck at least 5 years newer than yours with 1/2 the mileage or less. And......you'd only have to finance $20,000. That should help with your fixed income.

KJ

[SDcampowneroper]

If your truck is an 07 classic with the LBZ/Duramax like mine, keep it. Over the next 200k miles I expect to spend 5-10 k on repairs as injectors and other stuff wears out, but I do not expect the main driveline to wear out. If it did breakdown on the road, we do have our house right behind, so we can wait for repairs or trade then.
There are thousands of these trucks out there with many more miles than that with that experience.
The 07 classic has a higher resale value than trucks up to 3 years newer.

[DutchmenSport]

For the cost of a new one, and especially if you have to get a loan, you could tuck away $400 a month (as a truck payment) and keep that for repairs. As long as the truck is not costing anything except normal maintenance, why change? Put that $400 aside every month. In 2 months you'll have $800, in 4 months you'll have $1600. Every month that goes by trouble free, is money you can save (and save to apply to a new-to-you vehicle). If it's working well right now, why change? But do start saving.

[mkirsch]

GM does not lease HD vehicles, so there are ZERO 2500HD/3500HD pickup trucks "coming off a two or three year lease that are well maintained and have significant life left with a 40% discount from new."

There is no such thing.

Good used 2500HD/3500HD GM pickups are far and few between, and you will pay almost new price for a 2-year-old used truck with average miles. I've been helping my Dad shop for the last two years to replace is REALLY long-in-the-tooth 2000 Chevy 2500, and this is what we've been finding.

Every once in a while you'll come across one that for no apparent reason is priced about $5000 less than anything comparable, but by the time you get on the phone to the dealership, it's gone, or there's some lame excuse why it's not on the lot when you get there.

If you're going to buy and you don't want to spend months on a wild goose chase, spend the little extra and buy new.