Two Truck Styles, Which is Better

[ugeesta]

Well, after towing our 14,500lb toy hauler a couple times, my mind has me thinking about a new truck. The 16 y/o 3/4 ton does the job, it’s just there is no safety margin in the ratings. As much as I hate to give up my 8.1/Allison, it may be time. So......

I’m looking at two trucks, both 2018 models. The GMC 3500HD Denali Crew Cab Standard bed and the Chevy 3500HD LTZ Double Cab with a Long bed. Both are SRW trucks.

The Chevy is 9” longer at 20.75’ and the wheelbase is longer by 5” at 158””

I like the the extended cab but not so much the long bed tough the LB will give me better 5th wheel hitch options.

But, I like the Denali more for appearance: red and the standard bed. The slider options aren’t that great though.

Either truck will be lowered 3” so I can level out my fifth wheel.

Does the 5” wheelbase delta really make that much of a differencewhile towing? I know it will in the parking lots. My current truck has a 144” wheelbase so that will be an improvement.

Thanks.

[Grit_dog]

^What your missing is LMM is in SoCal. Drives a ton of miles a year and does his own work on his vehicles. (Info gleaned from past posts and threads).
Yeah it's possible, I do agree on the nickel and dime stuff, but typically that is less with vehicles that don't sit and actually rack up miles fast. And the nickels and dimes are not quarters and Susan Bees when you don't take it to the dealer to get everything fixed.

[Ralph_Cramden]

LMMNOCATS_EFI wrote:
And of yeah resale ? I’m 33 years old and plan to drive my current truck till 500k or when it doesn’t want to drive anymore isn’t that what they are made for ? Does no one keep and use them like I heard in the past.

These newer heavy trucks are still in great condition at 200k not to mention them coming off the line just a heck of a lot more stout making it all that much easier to make it into the higher miles and still be a safe tow vehicle ......

Good luck with that plan. The closest I came to that was a 2000 Silverado 1500 stepside purchased new. By 2006 it had 225K, then it was demoted to occasional use, a few thousand miles a year. I sold it in 2013 with 238K. Mechanically fine, corrosion wise not so much underneath due to PA road salt. I guess if you live where salt is not used you stand a pretty good chance but once you crack X number of miles the nickel and diming will most likely rear its ugly head.

[LMMNOCATS_EFI]

And of yeah resale ? I’m 33 years old and plan to drive my current truck till 500k or when it doesn’t want to drive anymore isn’t that what they are made for ? Does no one keep and use them like I heard in the past.

These newer heavy trucks are still in great condition at 200k not to mention them coming off the line just a heck of a lot more stout making it all that much easier to make it into the higher miles and still be a safe tow vehicle ......

[N-Trouble]

bartlettj wrote:
Ok so it's not the Z71 package specifically, it's the 4wd with 18"+ wheels where there's not enough room for them to turn sharper without rubbing. Meanwhile my 4wd Tahoe can turn way sharper both due to the wheelbase and the angle the steering can pivot.

So that sounds like a self induced problem. No manufacturer rolls a truck off the line with front tires rubbing. Willing to bet a paycheck your running oversize tires. Has nothing to do with 4WD or 18” wheels.

Of course a Tahoe is going to turn much tighter. Regardless if its 2WD or 4WD. Big difference in wheelbase.

[Ralph_Cramden]

Grit dog wrote:
Another entertaining thread gents!
z71s have different turning radii and a 2 year old ext cab with hardly any miles means they’re as popular as crew cabs ?
I’m diggin it! Can’t buy this entertainment.....
I just want to know which internet you getting your info from? lol

LOL..........not about popularity, thats a given just by the amount of crews you see on the road or lots in relation to extended. But somehow inferring because of that they hold more value? That's a stretch. The only reason is they hold more value used is because they held more value new.

[bartlettj]

Ok so it's not the Z71 package specifically, it's the 4wd with 18"+ wheels where there's not enough room for them to turn sharper without rubbing. Meanwhile my 4wd Tahoe can turn way sharper both due to the wheelbase and the angle the steering can pivot.

[TimnJo]

All I have to add is my experience; went from a 2007 Silverado NBS LTZ 2500 CC SB D/A to a 2018 Silverado LT 3500 DC LB Dually D/A.
I don't care about resale as I plan to drive this until I can't drive anymore.

I had to order my new truck as I couldn't find anything on a dealers lot that wasn't a High Country or Denali, which only come in CC form and I was leery about the extra length the Dually required as it was. Parking and maneuvering that length hasn't proved to be the big obstacle I had feared, just requires a little more planning, something I'm used to when towing my 38 foot fiver.

Compared to the LTZ the LT I have is very well equipped, I like the new electronics/controls, don't miss the leather seating and appreciate the extra room freed up from not having the full console in the middle.

I love the extra room the LB provides, especially with my 100 Litre auxiliary tank installed and I love the new under-bed hitch attachment as well as my B&W hitch which is easily removed by one person, leaving a flat bed with five covered holes. Looking at a SB now they seem incredibly short.

Ditto for the new L5P motor, it's a towing beast, just put it in cruise at 65 MPH and it never varies more than +/- 5 MPH, the exhaust brake and Allison working in tandem throughout our tour of the USA this past winter, including TX, NM and AZ, not to mention I77 where it drops down into NC from VA

[Grit_dog]

Another entertaining thread gents!
z71s have different turning radii and a 2 year old ext cab with hardly any miles means they’re as popular as crew cabs ?
I’m diggin it! Can’t buy this entertainment.....
I just want to know which internet you getting your info from? lol

[N-Trouble]

bartlettj wrote:
I have the 2012 version of the GMC. I love the truck, my kids love riding it it, and honestly I think it's a smidge too long for suburban driving. My only real complaint about it is that the Z71 package makes the turning radius awful.
The Duramax/Allison combo is lovely. The suspension is great, the steering is great, the brakes are fantastic, the exhaust brake is brilliant. GM has the longest short bed anyway. You will like either one.

Z71 package affects turning radius??? Do explain...

[Ralph_Cramden]

IdaD wrote:

Ralph Cramden wrote:

IdaD wrote:
A crew cab holds value quite a bit better than an extended cab.

It does? Taking into account an extended cab is around 1.8K to 2K less on the front end that has not been my observation. When I had my crew cab with 8' bed I was questioned all the time about its overall length and how I could drive such a boat lol. Some want an 8' bed crew, some a short crew, some a short extended. One holds no more value than the other.....holding value is only perception. When it comes right down to it your losing either way....none of them come even remotely close to being an investment.

No question any vehicle is an expense. I shopped for a used truck for quite awhile before I gave up and just bought a new one. Every one I saw with a really attractive price at at first glance was either an extended cab or 2wd. If you can live with one or both of those issues you can get a great deal on a used truck, especially if you're willing to go gas.

Had a 13 Chevy 2500 4WD ext cab gasser purchased new for 30K all in cash deal. In June of 2015 I traded it on my current 2015 GMC when it had 12K miles for 27.5K in real dollars. Now the 13 was the LS, previously known as the WT. The stripped down lowest trim with shitty seats and manual windows. There were no games on the numbers either....2015 sticker 51K, paid 42K.......paid the diff in cash.

I do not buy into a crew holds more value than an extended. It's all about total miles and condition, but mostly the book. Plenty of truck buyers have no need for a crew, or even an extended. The local Ford dealer has loads of regular cabs both used and new.....he has no problem selling either. As far as oil or gas....that's a non starter. Contrary to these RV boards 90% or more of the truck buying public is in a gasser. Most buyers can't afford, or more accurately do not want to afford, the 9K upcharge for the diesel.

According to the book, not the online version, a 2015 extended cab with 20K miles is worth 29.1K PP....the same in a crew is 31.7K PP....almost exactly the difference when new. The dealer, or any bank, is going to go by that book and not pull some number out of thin air.


They still make 2WDs? Around here (western PA) you'll be hard pressed to find one either new or used, I suppose you could order one.

bartlettj wrote:
My only real complaint about it is that the Z71 package makes the turning radius awful.

?????? All the Z-71 adds is

35mm twin tube gas-charged shocks
A 33.6mm front stabilizer bar
Underbody transfer case shield
Z71® badge and decals
Unique gauge cluster, lower bumper appearance, interior trim plates and grill design
Brushed metal Z71 door sill plate
Hill descent control
Trailering Package, fog lamps, 17” Bright Machined wheels and all-terrain tires on LT
18” Bright Machined wheels and all-terrain tires on LTZ

And thats on a new oine, used to be just the shocks, 265 tires, skid plates and a decal.

I dont think any of that changes the turning radius from a non Z71? But I am with you, my 15 GMC double cab/8' bed has a turning radius of about 4000 ft. Its fun making a U turn on a 4 lane divided at an intersection, it takes a little planning and a hook to the right when the left turn arrow pops on LOL.

[LMMNOCATS_EFI]

My first heavy truck was an LMM extra cab LB on 325 60 20 as a daily driver and I live in ca and having been in several other cc trucks towing and not the LB does ride better loaded and unloaded

Sadly that truck was totaled and I searched high and low for that same configuration as the (3500hd srw EC) is going to have the highest payload in the SLT package and I can tell you the double cab LB is the way to go , once you have an 8ft bed you’ll never go back and far as the truck it seems to be really stout and seems like it’ll make it the 380k like the last one did...

[bartlettj]

I have the 2012 version of the GMC. I love the truck, my kids love riding it it, and honestly I think it's a smidge too long for suburban driving. My only real complaint about it is that the Z71 package makes the turning radius awful.
The Duramax/Allison combo is lovely. The suspension is great, the steering is great, the brakes are fantastic, the exhaust brake is brilliant. GM has the longest short bed anyway. You will like either one.

[IdaD]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

IdaD wrote:
A crew cab holds value quite a bit better than an extended cab.

It does? Taking into account an extended cab is around 1.8K to 2K less on the front end that has not been my observation. When I had my crew cab with 8' bed I was questioned all the time about its overall length and how I could drive such a boat lol. Some want an 8' bed crew, some a short crew, some a short extended. One holds no more value than the other.....holding value is only perception. When it comes right down to it your losing either way....none of them come even remotely close to being an investment.

No question any vehicle is an expense. I shopped for a used truck for quite awhile before I gave up and just bought a new one. Every one I saw with a really attractive price at at first glance was either an extended cab or 2wd. If you can live with one or both of those issues you can get a great deal on a used truck, especially if you're willing to go gas.

[Lantley]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

IdaD wrote:
A crew cab holds value quite a bit better than an extended cab.

It does? Taking into account an extended cab is around 1.8K to 2K less on the front end that has not been my observation. When I had my crew cab with 8' bed I was questioned all the time about its overall length and how I could drive such a boat lol. Some want an 8' bed crew, some a short crew, some a short extended. One holds no more value than the other.....holding value is only perception. When it comes right down to it your losing either way....none of them come even remotely close to being an investment.

I see way more crew cabs vs. extended. I would say the demand is much greater based on what I see on the road.
When it comes times to sell crew cab demand will also be greater vs. extended. I imagine this difference will reflect in the price as well.