Topic: 96 chevy K1500 6.5 TD

[WranglerCOdy]

my teacher is selling it and im rather curious. dont know alot about deisels yet so i want to second opinions. is it worth the buy. he says itget roughly 16-17 mpg  mind you i also have a 95 Ford Bronco with the 5.8L and it gets a whopping 9 miles to the gallon. i wanna get a trailer for the jeep and tow and i know the bronco will not make that easy. i have not seen pics yet. but i am curous if it would be easy to tune it and get a little bit and get more economy.

for $2100 shouldi bite depending on pics and a drivability?

[jfrabat]

my teacher is selling it and im rather curious. dont know alot about deisels yet so i want to second opinions. is it worth the buy. he says itget roughly 16-17 mpg  mind you i also have a 95 Ford Bronco with the 5.8L and it gets a whopping 9 miles to the gallon. i wanna get a trailer for the jeep and tow and i know the bronco will not make that easy. i have not seen pics yet. but i am curous if it would be easy to tune it and get a little bit and get more economy.

for $2100 shouldi bite depending on pics and a drivability?

I dont know about the truck, but 16~17 mpg is not that great for a diesel.  I get about 22~24 from my DD (Toyota Fortuner; kind of like the 4Runner but a tad smaller with the 3.0L TD D4D engine, but you dont get that in the US).

[chardrc]

my dad had a 95 k1500 6.5td before he got the duramax. it did good pulling a jeep in Minnesota and on flat land. we made our first 2 trips to Colorado with it and it made it through the mountains but it would overheat in the mountains and you would have to go slow and pull over too cool down on long step passes. from what i recall the getting hot was a comment effect of hauling heavy loads with those motors. not a bad truck but nothing compared to the duramax we have now. but for $2100 would be a good truck. id make sure the trany is good before buying, when we traded in our 95 the trans seemed perfect when not pulling a trailer but was starting to slip if you towed anything.

[stan98tj]

I dont know about the truck, but 16~17 mpg is not that great for a diesel.  I get about 22~24 from my DD (Toyota Fortuner; kind of like the 4Runner but a tad smaller with the 3.0L TD D4D engine, but you dont get that in the US).

Most larger American diesels, esp older ones, are not very fuel efficient, but they do pack plenty of torque for towing. Prob got around 18-20 when it was new.

[sharpxmen]

Most larger American diesels, esp older ones, are not very fuel efficient, but they do pack plenty of torque for towing. Prob got around 18-20 when it was new.

if you consider a gas powered one at 10 to 12 mpg a diesel one (same vehicle of course) at 16 to 18 is extremely realistic and in range, the diesel is about 20% more efficient compared to a gasoline engine (0.4 vs 0.5 bsfc).

[stan98tj]

if you consider a gas powered one at 10 to 12 mpg a diesel one (same vehicle of course) at 16 to 18 is extremely realistic and in range, the diesel is about 20% more efficient compared to a gasoline engine (0.4 vs 0.5 bsfc).

True, better than 10-12mpg, however i was just replying to Felipe's comment where he mentions 22-24mpg out of the diesel he has down in South America, i don't think those numbers are very common among US diesels, esp older mid-90s trucks. I could be wrong. Also, depending on the higher cost of diesel vs gas, 16-18mpg while compared to 10-12 may not be enough increase to save money via the diesel, but you still get the better torque with the diesel, longer lasting engine, and those two facts would make it worth it in my opinion.

[chardrc]

True, better than 10-12mpg, however i was just replying to Felipe's comment where he mentions 22-24mpg out of the diesel he has down in South America,

we are also talking about a full size half-ton truck rather than an suv (although im not all that familur with Toyota Fortuner encase its like a suburban sized suv or something)

[Torch_Ind]

6.5L chev Diesel suck balls. head gasket eaters.. I would look for a duramax in chev or your better off with a old dodge cummins... if you don't know much about these trucks I would stay away.

[sharpxmen]

we are also talking about a full size half-ton truck rather than an suv (although im not all that familur with Toyota Fortuner encase its like a suburban sized suv or something)

it's smaller frontal section than a Suburban (which would result in less fuel on the hwy) and not as heavy either so we're not comparing apples to apples. Not to mention that diesel engine in the Toyota is probably more efficient.

[Jeffy]

Most larger American diesels, esp older ones, are not very fuel efficient, but they do pack plenty of torque for towing. Prob got around 18-20 when it was new.

Not to mention the mileage doesn't drop off nearly as fast when towing a ton of stuff.  With a chip you could get more mileage as well.

[stan98tj]

The issue is that he doesn't have the option to purchase a diesel toyota or other foreign, efficient diesel to tow his jeep. His choice is this 6.5 or if he waits and does some shopping then his other choices would come in the form of Ford or Dodge diesels or gas trucks. So the question is, with a 16-18mpg range, would this 6.5TD be worth $2100? I say, the diesel is gonna have plenty of torque to pull that jeep and 16-18mpg doesnt sound too bad for a mid 90s US truck...

[WranglerCOdy]

soorry guys been working. im reading up on them andgetting as many opinions as possible.  if i buy a cummins i gotta have a 5 speed.