I am purchasing my first diesel SOON and I have no idea what questions to ask or what to look for as far as normal wear and tear.
I will be looking at a 3500 series with dual wheels and 2 wheel drive with anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 miles on the truck.
What questions should I ask the dealer and what things can the dealer show me other than a carfax? Is their a service record I can also ask for? Does it have a name?
Are their certain things I should see on the interior gauges that I should look for as far as being normal? Turbo boost rate, if it has one of course things like that.
I truely am a greenhorn as far as a diesel truck goes and any/all adivse you can give me would be greatly apprieciated.
one thing I've heard, but don't have any personal experience with is to check to see if the truck has been chipped. If so, it's not necessarily a bad thing, but I've heard some folks chip them, run the hell out of them, sell them cause the engine wear is much greater than the miles indicate. If i were looking, i'd try to find one that's stock, but again, i don't have any experience on what to look for there to see if it's stock or not. Maybe someone else can chime in with some thoughts on this.
Also, try posting at dieselpage.com or another diesel truck forum if you haven't already to get additional info. Good luck
Jimbo53 wrote: I am purchasing my first diesel SOON and I have no idea what questions to ask or what to look for as far as normal wear and tear.
I will be looking at a 3500 series with dual wheels and 2 wheel drive with anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 miles on the truck.
What questions should I ask the dealer and what things can the dealer show me other than a carfax? Is their a service record I can also ask for? Does it have a name?
Are their certain things I should see on the interior gauges that I should look for as far as being normal? Turbo boost rate, if it has one of course things like that.
I truely am a greenhorn as far as a diesel truck goes and any/all adivse you can give me would be greatly apprieciated.
Jimbo
I would recommend doing a search on diesel websites for your vehicle and it sounds like you're looking at a Dodge or Chevy, join, read, learn, and ask your question there and not here. This site covers everything and not really from a vehicle, but a RV prospective and is not really oriented towards a particular brand/engine.
Larry
2001 standard box 7.3L E-350 PSD Van with 4.10 rear and 2007 Holiday Rambler Aluma-Lite 8306S Been RV'ing since 1974. TRAILER MODS
Test drive a bunch of them, both new and used. You'll soon find out what feels right and what doesn't. Note the different feel between the three brands and decide which brand has an interior that best fits your backside.
The service department can download a copy of the service record of any truck you are interested in that shows all the service performed at a dealership of that brand. You can also ask for a list of all recalls and service campaigns for that year and model, and see if they were performed on that truck.
When you get serious about one certain truck, you might pay either an independent repair shop or another dealership for that brand to do an inspection. You can look at all the fluids. They need to look and smell like new, not dirty or burnt. Diesel engine oil turns black almost immediately, so that's OK.
Insist on a warranty from the selling dealership, even if it's only 30 days or 1000 miles. Buy a longer warranty if you choose.
A common scam here on used vehicles is for the dealership to call the buyer back after several days saying, "we made a mistake...we can't sell it to you at that price...you have to bring us more money." They probably quoted the buyer financing at a low rate they know they can't obtain. Tell the dealership, "No, I'm sticking by the deal I signed, and I'm complaining to the state office of vehicle licensing that you are refusing to transfer title to me." The other common scam is for the printed price on the contract paperwork to be higher than the price you negotiated with the closer, plus some bogus charges in addition to the purchase price. Look closely at every charge on the contract and tell them to remove the bogus charges.
I'm free of prostate cancer for 5 years now.
All men over age 50 should get an annual PSA blood test. Mine had a low reading, but the yearly jump was significant. The biopsy showed cancer just entering the aggressive stage. Dr. Hackenslash removed it.
You might try and get the VIN# of the truck - call the local dealer and request a warranty service history - or just a service history. I have done this with several vehicles I bought over the years - some dealers are more than happy to help out, some are not.
Good luck
John , Juli & the kids
2005 T@B T-16 - T@Basazi
2006 GMC Yukon XL Denali
2006 Pontiac GTO - LS-2 Aluminum 6.0 V-8
1957 Shasta 15 footer ( project ) All Photos Camp Photos
1937(BAD BOY)pontiac,all steel,chevy 350,dyno=405hp,650 holley double pumper,ps,pb tilt wheel,heat & air,
700 r4 tranny,headers,3" exhaust with flowmasters.
just a good ole southern redneck country boy.our favorite place to go to swim with the manatees
If you are looking thru the dealer’s lots I would stay with their brand and to a lesser extent look for something bought and traded back to them. That would tell me that the person not only likes the dealer but more then likely the truck also. The dealer should be able to pull up all service records for warranty work. As long as they sell that Manufacture, GM/Chevy, Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep, Ford.
Carfax IMO is a joke and this is from someone that paid them for a 3 month subscription. I wrecked my 2002 Ram to the tune of $5,500 and it didn’t show up on Carfax.
As far as gauges Boost, EGT and Trans temp is what you should get. I just ordered them from RPM along with the A-Pillar mount for $260.95 complete. Picked my truck up from the Dealer Friday after they replaced the Turbo complete due to the waste gate sticking was covered under the 5/100,000 warranty so it only cost me $100.00 and not the $1,700 if I had to pay it myself.
Give it a good looking over sight down the side of the truck to see how straight it is, look at the paint to make sure it all matches. If the truck looks like it was taken care of and the dealer didn’t spray the engine down with clear lacquer take it to a good diesel shop and have them look it over.
When I buy a vehicle I always go immediatlely for the "out the door price". This includes all dealer fees, taxes and license and anything else the dealer might dream up. After you get the dealers "out the door price" you should not be surprised with any add on fees that the dealer can come up with.
This out the door price still allows you to negotiate, but you can do it with confidence on the price you are negotiationg. It works for me. If the dealer won't give me an "out the door price" at the start of the negotiation I go elsewhere. I learned this sometime ago when I was burned on a sales deal by the dealers little add ons that soon add up to big money.
'05' F-250 Power Stroke
'00' 30' Cameo Fifth Wheel
Here's a cut and paste of a previous post of mine on what to look for/look out for in the big 3 diesel pickups.
It's very important to do some research, and decide which brand would work best for you. They all have their little quirks, and good years and bad years.
Here's my take:
GMC/Chevy
2001 - 2004 (LB7 engine, 8th digit in VIN is a "1") Duramaxes, good, some had issues with injectors leaking which can damage the engine if not detected immediately by the driver. GM responded by extending the warranty on the injectors to 200,000 miles and redesigning the fuel filter to filter out finer particles. That said, I'd own one.
2004.5 - 2005 (LLY engine, 8th digit in VIN is a "2") Duramax, this model can be prone to overheating when working hard (such as trailer towing in hot weather), I'd pass on these.
2006 and 2007 "classic" Duramax (LBZ, 8th digit in VIN is a "D"), good choice IMO, I'd own one.
2007.5 (LMM) Duramax, goo so far I think, but new, so $$$, I'd own one of these too.
Website: Dieselplace.com
Ford
2001 - early 2003 7.3L PSD, good, hard to find that aren't miled out, a few issues here and there, but, they are as good as any diesel, I'd own one.
2003 - 2007 6.0L PSD, not so good, I wouldn't own one, too many common issues.
Website: Dieselstop.com
Dodge
2001 - 2002 24V, good, known for failing lift pumps (cheap) that can take out the not so cheap injection pump. Casting number "53" block engines in 1999 - 2001 models can be prone to cracking.
2003 models, HPCR (High Pressure Common Rail) engines good, very much quieter than the 2000 - 2002 engines. Look for updated (stronger) 48RE auto trans which replaced the 47RE. The 48RE started in 2003. Hp ratings vary by year, and increased yearly. Generally, the newer the truck, the more power it had. HP rating is listed on the drivers side of the valve cover on a white label. I'd own one of these too.
2004 models were either 305hp/555tq or the 2004.5s were 325hp/600tq. Better tranny features (such as tow/haul) were developed in newer models.
Website: Dieseltruckresource.com
Just one man's opinion. When it comes right down to it, it's your money.
TT is a 2004 Cougar 301 BHS -- (6580# Dry, 9000# wet)
TV is a 2002 Dodge CTD 2500HD 4x4 w/3.55
Being replaced by a: 2007 Dodge/5.9L Cummins 3500 SRW Megacab 4x4/3.73 PICTURES
ELIM 3000 Gen
Collision Reconstructionist
I was once where you are now. Having had a V-10 Dodge as my first truck, I was a real Noob when I went shopping for my first diesel.
If you can find a truck that that the dealer has all the service records on (hard, but not impossible), you are at an advantage. Like previously mentioned, drive them and get a feel for them. If you can, stay away from one that had been chipped. You just never know how it was driven with the chip.
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things like that.
