Diesel Info Needed

[MasukLift]

Hey guys-
I am new to these diesels and have a few questions. What are the main differences between the years of diesels? Has there been one stand out year as far as performance and overall reliability? Any particular model to invest in? Cash is pretty tight as of now, what is the average price retail for a early model? I have looked for a comparison of these things online before and havnt found much but if its already reviewed before on the board I appologize for not searching enough.
Thanks guys.

[morgan]

Well, you have found the best source of info on the web for diesels, and certainly for GM diesels, in my not-so-humble-opinion. Good start!

I bought my 94 K2500 with 150,000 miles on the 6.5TD in 1999 for $14,000. new diesel truck prices have skyrocketed. I don't know what you consider affordable.

Go to the DP home page and read Jim's article about diesel economics. That should be enough for you to decide about whether or not to buy one.

The last mechanical injection pump GM diesel was the 1993 model year, and therefore, the first electronic model was 1994. After I bought mine, I've since learned that the general concensus is to steer clear of 94 and 95 because of some glitches with the IP, but I have had excellent experience with mine.

Keep reading this site and the forums. You'll be up to speed quickly.

[bigeasy]

This one is a good buy.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=001&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=110071379767&rd=1,1
Any of the military left overs.
usually affordable and have the better parts.

[morgan]

That's a beautiful rig on ebay, if you are in the market for a dually. At that price, you could run it for a year and get a fresh rebuilt engine from one of the DP suppliers and really have a durable, reliable and inexpensive set up. I'd be JEALOUS!! :^)

[NH2112]

My personal opinion is that if you want reliability more than anything else, you have to get either a 6.2l or early 6.5l without the electronic injector pump. The price for this reliability, at least in the case of the 6.2l, is a modest at best amount of power. Or, it may be more accurate to say the power level of a 6.2l is more in line with what trucks had a generation earlier - with a load it'll take a while to get where you're going, but nothing will stop you.

A turbocharger can be installed to boost power so the 6.2l or NA 6.5l will drive like an EFI 350 and still retain its reliability. The Banks and ATS (no longer in production) kinda look like Rube Goldberg setups but work fairly well. IMO the 6.5l turbos work better but are generally troublesome to some extent to retrofit into 6.2l vehicles - clearance problems with AC, driver's exhaust manifold and crossover pipe interfering with slave cylinder, and just getting the downpipe by the frame & tranny.