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View Full Version : May be trading the Mega cab-opinions?



Team Jefe
05-01-2008, 08:06 AM
I've been kicking around the idea of trading the Mega Cab. I love it, but Diesel is killing me especially since I am paying an added premium just to own the truck. When I bought the thing, it was not going to be a daily driver...Now it is, and its got me thinking maybe I need a ride with spark-plugs.

I have thought of trading to a gas motor 3/4 ton. With that in mind, hit me with your best shot.

The issue I see is that to make the trade worthwhile I will need to significantly reduce my note. Plus moving to a SRW and gasoline will reduce the maintenance bill as well.

I'm just not real familiar with what's out there in in the gas trucks...espcially since whatever I get will still need to pull the Revenge reasonably well at least (about 9,500# on the trailer).

Of the Big 3 - GM seems to have the most power options in the heavy duty trucks....I am really interested in the "variable displacement" stuff (or whatever you call it) where you only use the power you need at the time...Not even sure if those come in the bigger trucks.

Please don't hate me Poodle:confused:

Plus, what packages, gears, options, etc. I have no idea about those....with the Diesels its pretty easy...especially for a Dumba$$ like me.

I know there have been lots of threads on this tyoe issue, but I want to focus on specific stuff (package numbers, gears, details) for my needs.

daily driver
In town driving
towing of 10,000#
4 wheel drive
room for 5-6 without being cramped
Auto or Manual tranny
New or used - if used I need lots of detailI am currently getting about 17 MPG from the Cummins...not to bad. But if I can get close to that and reduce my monthly costs of ownership it will be worth the trade-off of less that awesome towing ability.

I am open for any comments. Thanks

Donziweasel
05-01-2008, 08:55 AM
Jefe, since I just got done shopping, I will throw in my 2 cents. I have a fleet of Ford V-10's and I will say some are pushing over 250,000 miles. One of the most reliable engines I have ever run and I have 8 of them. The Ford V-8 probably does not have enough power for your towing needs and you would work it pretty hard.

I have no idea about the Dodges, but they sure like to talk about how great the Hemi is.

Chevy has some pretty potent v-8's. Hell, we drove a little Trailblazer with a 390 horse 8 that ran like a bat out of hell. They current offer thier v-8 in many horse configs, from 300 to almost 400 horse.

Most of the axle ratio's you can get in the diesel rigs are available with the gas stuff. The higher the ratio, the more power and towing, but usually lower mpg, especially at highway speeds. I will say that the Chevy is offering a 6 speed tranny in thier trucks, while Ford only offers a 5. With a lower axle ratio in a Chevy and the additional gear, you can have a little of both worlds. Lock out the overdrive, and you can tow pretty well with a low axle ratio and with the over drive, you can still get good mpg.

MPG and power is relevant to hp+gear ratio+transmission. You will always have to compromise a little if you want good towing capability vs. fuel mileage.

I would seriously look at the Chevy stuff in the 3/4 ton range because of the 6 speed. All of the manufactures offer pretty comparable axle ratio's. Since you seem to tow mainly on flat areas near see level, a gear ratio under 4.0 with a 6 speed and V-8 ought to get you the best mileage and power.

Also, right now, both Chevy and Ford are offering some amazing incentives on the gas guzzling stuff, like 3/4 ton pickups. Ford currently has 5000.00 cash back plus a 1000.00 Super Duty loyalty incentive. Chevy is pretty comparable.

Just my 2 cents and I am sure someone will probably disagree.

Craig S
05-01-2008, 09:03 AM
Similar thinking up the street from you...

...but have changed my mind. I get 18mpg by the math with my '06 Cummins 4x4 commuting (22 on the overhead). 21-22 on the highway (24-26 on the overhead). A buddy has a 6.0 Chebby and drives as slow as I. He gets 17 driving Houston to San Antonio. I was with him. 70mph. And I was with him when he filled. As good as it can get, apparently. An H/D crewcab. He's getting 12 in town.

I could buy a short bed Chebby 5.3 - a better choice for an inner city guy. But it wouldn't be near as good a tow vehicle. And it wouldn't haul my friends.

I drive 20,000 miles a year. I'm thinking of a Honda Fit (class leader) or a Yaris (not a class leader).

At 4.25diesel/3.50gas

using 18 and 36 for mpg numbers
15,000miles on the truck...$3542 for diesel, or the car...$1458 for gas.
Which still leaves $1180 for 5000 miles of diesel use.

At $5.50/4.50
$4583 for diesel, $1875 for gas.
$1527 for the 5k of truck duty.

At $6/$5
$5000 for diesel or $2083 for gas...
and the $1667 for the diesel truck for 5000 miles of truck use.

And a high dollar vehicle will be sitting in the garage. I imagine truck prices will get much stronger when production gets re-aligned.

When I was thinking of trading, I was unhappy with the trade-in. And that was in December. I imagine my truck's not worth much now! Have you seen the trucks piled up at some of these dealers and Carmax???

My only problems with my idea are...$ and garage space. But the Fit's only 157" long (the Yaris is 150").

Team Jefe
05-01-2008, 09:54 AM
Yeah, Craig, I too have thought about the "trade"....and I may not be able to get our of my deal right now....if so, then this is all mute, but I want to shop it and I need options from y'all who are way more in teh now than me.

John, thanks for your input.:yes:

Craig S
05-01-2008, 10:49 AM
btw, driving 20000 miles and getting 18mpg (I'm not sure my average, but probably 19+), the gas truck would have to average the following (hey, I'm a special ed teacher....so I may have put in the wrong numbers)

Diesel $5.50/gas $4.50, 14.7mpg
D$4.25/g$3.50, 14.8mpg
D$6/G$5, 15mpg.

I'm not sure my average would be that with a 5.3 short bed short cab. Probably, but not sure. I imagine a gas truck would have greater fluctuation between city/towing/highway than the Cummins.

Team Jefe
05-01-2008, 02:22 PM
Yeah, no doubt the gas truck would have to get close to the same mileage as the Cummins, AND be significantly cheaper to make the deal worthwhile.

Also there is the maintainence issue, with oil changes and filters, etc....plus tires, 4 instead of 6...and some consideration for in town driving and parking a huge dually, though that is not that big a deal.

The whole point is to get something that total included costs are LESS per year than what I have now.

Donziweasel
05-01-2008, 03:20 PM
Right off the bat you will save $6,000.00 to $8,000.00 on he initial price of the truck on a gas engine over the desiel.

Lenny
05-01-2008, 10:11 PM
Jefe, how much do you want for your Diesel Mega Cab???

How many miles on it?

I have a "tow" coming up :)

In Canada, diesel is, and has always been, cheaper than GAS. Also, on the water, Marinas and stuff, gas docks etc, gas has also always been cheaper than on LAND as is diesel... (no Provincial road tax, also dyed Purple and not "just" a regular grade of fuel, but better.)

dclassic
05-01-2008, 11:45 PM
IMO it is a great time to buy a truck, but a terrible time to trade one in. I would check on trade figures before you get too far into your truck search if part of your plan is to lower the note. Unless you put a chunk down you may be surprised that you will only get about what you owe if you are lucky. I am shocked at what has happened to truck resale recently. You will likely take a beating trading any full size truck or full size SUV right now, especially the diesels. (Several dealers around here don't even want to take a diesel on trade!) My truck has lost more value in the past 6 months than it has the past 3 years. People are scared away with the price of diesel and the new and used market is loaded with inventory. If I was a bettin man I would say that you will not end up much if any farther ahead unless you skip the 3/4 ton and go with a 1/2 ton. The 1/2 ton's will be cheaper, have better incentives, and will get comparable mileage with a cummins. The problem is I would not want to tow a 9500lbs boat behind any 1/2 ton regardless of what the spec sheet says. I would start with some real buy figures from some dealers on you truck and if they work for you then search what to replace your ride with.

My experience with gas 3/4 tons is mileage is typically quite a bit less than the diesel, while 1/2 tons are close to the diesels. From what I know about the multi displacement systems on the gas motors is that they will work better on the 1/2 tons as the 3/4 tons are enough heavier that the motor is working too hard to let the system function much. If that is the case your mileage will not improve much on the 3/4 ton. If you want mileage and performance in a gas motor I would go GM 1/2 or 3/4 ton, GM has the power train nailed. The hemi is nice in the 1/2 ton, but not enough for a 3/4 ton I would stick cummins for 3/4 ton. The V10 Ford would be the HD hard work/heavy towing gas option for me if I was toting anything serious.

Hopefully my random thoughts are understandable and helpful. :)

gold-n-rod
05-02-2008, 07:53 AM
dclassic is spot on......... you WILL get hosed on a trade. Shop it around and see for yourself. Don't rely on KBB.com or the others. True value is established by the man with the cash.

You'll be shocked, trust me. :smash::smash::smash:

BTW, I'm expecting the gap between diesel and unleaded to decrease, maybe even equalize.

JimG
05-02-2008, 08:16 AM
Yeah, what they said. Truck prices are low low low right now, trade-in non-existant. With so much flux in the economy right now, it's a good time to circle the wagons and wait it out...

zelatore
05-02-2008, 10:58 AM
The problem is I would not want to tow a 9500lbs boat behind any 1/2 ton regardless of what the spec sheet says.

The hemi is nice in the 1/2 ton, but not enough for a 3/4 ton


First, I you nailed it about half-ton tow ratings. Forget what they 'claim' - it may be able to move that load down the road, but you sure don't want to do it any more than you have to.

As for the Hemi, I've got an '05 half-ton quad cab with a Hemi and 4.10 rear. It'll tow the 22 OK, but I've put a couple bigger loads behind it and it's plain over-matched. A 26 Bayliner had me flat-out and barely maintaining 50 mph up a minor grade, and that's at sea level. I think they 'claim' 8500 lbs with this set up. All I can say is either they have much lower expectations of what's accaptable for towing, or they always tow down-hill. It's just another case of advertising inflation - this thing's real towing comfort level is more like 6000, tops, on moderate terrain.

I've never done it, but I've always wondered what would happen if I showed up for a test drive and brought my trailer with me.

Team Jefe
05-05-2008, 07:33 PM
In case I was not clear...NO 1/2 TONS...in Texas they are considered cars anyway.

I hear ya' about trades being bad now, but I am going to look around anyway, the idea is to reduce costs...I won't do it if the trade is not good.

It was also good to hear the Hemi ain't got it...you think they would freak out If I showed up at the deal with the boat for a test PULL.

Lenny - I'll have to get back with you on the sale price.

Team Jefe
05-05-2008, 07:46 PM
All this is great info, but not really getting me what I need. The Hemi info was great, but what about Ford or GM What are the Gas packages I should be looking at. GM especially, they have a habit of building really specialized vehicles that are not that good for other things, like 2500 trucks that are not really good for towing due to gearing or other issues.

Trueser
05-05-2008, 09:05 PM
Jefe,
I just found out today that my 2007 GMC Yukon XL has a 5000 lb limit unless I use weight distributing hitch. Then it goes to 10,000 ... Or I can install a class 5 underneath the sub class 3 bumper hitch and go to 12000 lbs.

Anyway I have pulled the 28 with it but until we figure it out I will be using Matts duramax...

RedDog
05-05-2008, 10:30 PM
I have a 3/4 ton Yukon XL with the 8.1L. It will tow a big load. 13 mpg on the hi-way / 10 towing the 22. I would love to dump it for a 1/2 ton truck but I'm sure the gas savings would never catch up to my current out-go; and it will be paid off this year. But then, I don't really drive it that much now. Many days-a-week my longest travel is to walk down the drive to the mailbox.

Run the numbers - it may be best to keep what you have vs. spending more to get more economy (but then maybe you just want something new?)

My new Great Dane puppy sure loves the Yukon - I have the middle and rear seats folded down so she has all the room she needs.

Trueser
05-05-2008, 11:09 PM
I have a 3/4 ton Yukon XL with the 8.1L. It will tow a big load. 13 mpg on the hi-way / 10 towing the 22. I would love to dump it for a 1/2 ton truck but I'm sure the gas savings would never catch up to my current out-go; and it will be paid off this year. But then, I don't really drive it that much now. Many days-a-week my longest travel is to walk down the drive to the mailbox.
Run the numbers - it may be best to keep what you have vs. spending more to get more economy (but then maybe you just want something new?)
My new Great Dane puppy sure loves the Yukon - I have the middle and rear seats folded down so she has all the room she needs.


What year? They changed the hitch in 2007....

Team Jefe
05-06-2008, 06:20 AM
I hear ya' Mad Dog. As usual, right to the point....and that is appreciated:yes:

No doubt I have the finest tow vehicle I've ever sat in....I was actually thinking just that this weekend.

I was just hopeful that there was a gas version of a 3/4 ton out there that would still give me most of the towability and safety without all the ownership costs:bonk::boggled::bonk:

BUIZILLA
05-06-2008, 06:45 AM
T, you CAN get an HD hitch for the Yukon XL, gotta read between the lines in the catalog's, but it's there, several on OSO have already done it, in fact there is a current topic on there about this... i'm almost positive my HD 2500 uses the same HD hitch as you need..

Trueser
05-06-2008, 09:13 AM
http://paulscomputershoppe.net/GMhitch/crash.htm

Check this link out... ouch

got the link from Synack

Donziweasel
05-06-2008, 09:19 AM
Trades are no longer calculated by NADA or KBB. Dealers are scouring the auction markets. They base trades on what the can get for a comparable vehicle at an auction. My truck listed for 28,000.00 in NADA and KBB. Reality is that it is worht 21,000.00 trade, and that is stretching it.

As far as Chevy and Ford, I think Ford tow better. I know you are looking at gas mileage. I still think the Chevy 6.0L 353 hp 373 FPT gas V-8, with 6 speed and 3.73 gears is the best option even though I am a Ford man. Of course you could get the 4.10 gears and it will pull better, but mileage will suffer, especailly at highway speeds.

The Ford V-10 (475 FPT)is a stronger engine, but no 6 spd and will probably get poor mileage. Ford V-8 is only 300 hp and although it would be fine in a 1/2 ton, anything bigger will be a struggle.

4wd will also drop your mileage with the weight of a transfer case and front diff.

The Chevy 3500 only comes in the long bed, while wyou can get both the short and long in the 2500.

Although I know little about the Dodge, I will say that it is the oldest platform of the big three in full size trucks. Will probably be a new truck from them soon.

BUIZILLA
05-06-2008, 09:23 AM
T, if you study the pic's carefully and the shear point loads, you can see the 'Burb's sway/load bar stuff wasn't set up right by it's owner... it was an upward shear... how can that happen with proper tongue weight?? it can't...

Trueser
05-06-2008, 11:10 AM
I agree, But we inspected a 2500 with the same style hitch and found cracks.

Anyway I still have the issue with not being able to tow the 28safely. I will need to add a Putman class 5 for safety.

Sorry for the Hijack Jefe....

Trueser
05-06-2008, 08:34 PM
T, you CAN get an HD hitch for the Yukon XL, gotta read between the lines in the catalog's, but it's there, several on OSO have already done it, in fact there is a current topic on there about this... i'm almost positive my HD 2500 uses the same HD hitch as you need..


can you email me a picture? of the 2500?

Thanks

BUIZILLA
05-06-2008, 08:50 PM
I bought a Putnam XDR, wasn't thrilled with the hardware they sent, but I used it... you have to cut off your existing wiring bracket with an air saw and weld it on the new hitch,, but other than that it was a cake job.

Trueser
05-06-2008, 09:20 PM
2007 GMC Yukon XL 2500

I talked with Putnam and they said they had no replacement or anything for 2007...

My other option would be a weight distributing hitch...

And yes the sticker says 5000/10,000

Help...


And the scratches are from a no insurance idiot..