I have an 04 Silverado 2500 4dr that runs like a friggin top, no issues in the 100k miles i have on it, 1 set of brakes, tires but thats it. Im meticulous on (preventive) maintence though (Oil changes, trans flush etc). Mine looks exactly like Spikes (color and all) She rides like a Cadillac (no bouncing that I hated in my Ford F250) and i could pull a house if i wanted too lol.
Regarding saving gas, one thing to remember that if you tow something with an underpowered truck, you could use more gas then you would with a truck with a larger engine as the little engine has to work harder......so really what are you saving. From everything ive ever known, over working the little motors will burn more fuel. (I might be wrong though, Cap may know better) Im also sure you could find a nice Silverado 1500HD as well, for the price ur looking to spend.
The 1500HD came out in model year 2001. It is a 2500 truck with 2500 frame and axles, and brakes. It is a lot different than regular/plain 1500, 6 lugs vs 8 lugs for example. One of the reasons I heard is that in 2001 Ford came out with the supercrew F150 so GM to compete with that rebadged the 2500 chasis as 1500 HD. In 2001 GM did not have the light 1500 Crew cab yet developed. Please note that in 2004 1500hd was not offered, it really was as a crewcab 2500 (not 2500HD), so basicaly from 2001-2003 you had 1500HD, then 2004 same truck was 2500 (non HD), and then in 2005 they came back as 1500HD. Also if you look at the GVWR, the 1500HD and 2500 were always 8600 lbs, while the light 1500 were always 6400-6800 lbs. The 2500HD are 9200 lbs, and 3500 are in the 11,000 range.
This is not a slam on the Dodge, Im just a Silverado guy. I have 2 My O4 and an 2010 4dr, both flawless running vech.
two things i noted.
1)
preventive maintenance. THIS one thing, alone will save you THOUSANDS over the lifetime of your vehicle. smart people do it meticulously. somewhat smart people will bichc and whine about the cost of it, but then they'll do it. not smart people(otherwise known as stupid people) will brush it off saying it's just the shops trying to make more money off of them.
2) it is true. while the smaller engine may do you better when you're not pulling, you will pay when you hook a load up to the vehicle. you'll work the smaller engine MUCH harder on acceleration, and believe it or not, on deceleration. as you;re cruising, that little engine will be struggling, while a larger one may be just idling along with no effort.
consider it like the mini-suv's you see. you can get them with 4 or 6 cylinder engines. most people i've dealt with report more fuel consumption from the little 4 banger, because it's
always working, as opposed to the 6 banger that hardly works to accelerate the vehicle in the first place....then just cruises along enjoying itself.
also, something i hadn't much thought of. baily has VERY valid points concerning 1500 vs 2500. if you;re going to be towing often, spend the extra money and get the 2500, and either go with ford or chevy.
while i do like the dodges, experience has shown me that fords and chevys are much more reliable towing heavy loads. they've got ginormous brakes, generally very large disc brakes at all 4 corners, which you will appreciate when the time comes to stop quickly.
while i'm a ford nut, you will find that the chevys have better transmissions than the fords, although you'll stilll want to add a transmission cooler for the towing.
when you go to the 2500 series, you're gonna have a stronger frame, more capable springs, and much better shocks than the 1500, and the differential........whelp....
you'd need a high torque twin turbo diesel to break it.
another thing that i may have missed, but haven;'t seen......with the 2500, you'll most likely be on truck rims, at least 16", with LT 10 ply tires mounted. you WANT those tires for towing. anything less is asking for trouble.
