TBow Posted November 1, 2010 Report Share Posted November 1, 2010 Well I've been searching the internet and used car lots for some time now to try and find a used Duramax. Finding them was the easy part. Finding one that had less miles than the Star Trek Enterprise and that was in a price range that I could sleep nights knowing I didn't have to supplement things by selling plasma at the blood bank or other bodily fluids or body parts, was the hard part. Anywho, I finally found one that I can live with the payments and it still has some powertrain warranty left (BONUS!). It's a 2007 extended cab, long box, classic body style Silverado 2500 HD, 4X4, Z71. Pretty much everything I was looking for. I've made arrangements with a local dealer and just have to get things approved at the bank tomorrow. So as long as they don't sell it out from underneath me, "ol TBow should be dieseling by next week. I'd also been in the market for a new-to-me SUV to replace my wife's '97 Jeep, which was on its last legs. We tried out a lot of SUVs. AWD, good fuel economy, warranty and at a price that we could afford were primary in our minds. We test drove a used BMW X3. SWEET, but gas economy was mediocre, little to no warranty, pricey to repair, no dealerships for 60 miles and cost more used than some of the newer SUVs we tried. We test drove Ford Escapes (considered a Hybrid, but WAY too expensive at $38K or used ones were expected to require $5K to $8K of batteries in another 3 to 4 years), 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, KIA Sorento, Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, but finally settled on a new Hyundai Tucson AWD 4-cyl. The Tucson was $4K less than the next closest competition, AWD, rated at 40 mpg, 5 YR/100,000km warranty, 3 years CAA Roadside Assistance and 1.9% financing for 5 years. Ya I liked the Beamer, but the little guy on my right shoulder beat up the little devil on my left shoulder. Plus, the savings on the Hyundai kept the door open for the Duramax. TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted November 2, 2010 Report Share Posted November 2, 2010 That's awesome Tbow! You'll love the Duramax. Enough power to pull a tank, with good fuel economy to go along with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBow Posted November 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 I picked up my '07 Duramax today and drove it home from near Quebec City. I did a rough calculation and estimated I used about $40 to $45 to get it home. Drove about 370 km (about 230 miles). That's ball parkin' it at 25 mpg. If I'm anywhere's close to that when I finally do an accurate fuel rate check, I'm gon'na be one happy camper....er I mean Duramaxer! I figured my old Dodge Ram would have burned about $75 or $80 for the same trip. TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted November 4, 2010 Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 Quebec City eh, that's a long haul! Glad you like it so far. With it being a 2007 it has 5 year 160,000km powertrain warranty. If I have your VIN number I can give you the date of expiry on the warranty, make sure there's no open recalls etc. Get some pics of it too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallone Posted November 4, 2010 Report Share Posted November 4, 2010 I have an 08 with almost 100,000 miles no problems and love the truck. Pulls whatever I want with no problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBow Posted November 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 5, 2010 (edited) Shaun wrote: If I have your VIN number I can give you the date of expiry on the warranty, make sure there's no open recalls etc. Get some pics of it too! Thanks for the offer Shaun. My neighbor right across the street is a salesman at the GM dealer in town. He ran the VIN number for me and got the CarFax and the GM service records for me. He also checked for recall notices too. And I had a "lean" check ran against it to ensure no surprises, as I was buying it out of province. I'm already thinking about new booties for my new-to-me truck. Something a little bigger, white-raised letters and slightly more aggressive tread. TBow Edited November 5, 2010 by TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hunterbrian Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 I see a edge box and a straight pipe in the future:yes: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted November 21, 2010 Report Share Posted November 21, 2010 Why GM puts smaller tires on their 3/4 ton trucks than their 1/2 ton trucks is beyond me. Most 1/2 ton 4x4s in 05-07 had 265/70/17's and the 3/4 tons had 245/75/16. Get some 285s for it! The Michelin AT2 is a really nice tire. Could also get BFG All-Terain T/A or Goodyear Wrangler Territory. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBow Posted November 23, 2010 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 I'm shootin' for the BFG All-Terrain KOs in either 265s or 285s. They're 235s/16 right now I think. I'm also wrastlin' with gettin' some new rims. The stocks have some serious pit marks from all that Canuckistanian road salt during our elustrious winter driving conditions, but moola availability is the deciding factor right now! A new set of BFG's will beat up the better part of $900 to $1000 cdn by the time all is said and done. I've been looking stateside for prices too, but think I may have to support local dealers in order to get future service. The rims I've been looking at are aluminum cast and are running about $500 US for 4 rims plus S&H. Will likely hit $600 to $700 by the time I get them across the border. TBow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun_300 Posted November 23, 2010 Report Share Posted November 23, 2010 Living that close to the border I'd go across for "dinner" and get a new set of tires on. The last thing the customs agent is going to look at is your tires coming back across the border. Dad did that once a few years back, saved about $400! A customer that drives a CTS-V that we gave an estimate for tires today for at $420 a pop is doing the same thing this weekend. Don't blame him! LOL. Tires are dirt cheap in the US compared to here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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