Diesel Tow vehicle options

[Chevy454]

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Evidently no one on this web site (being G.M. muscle car owners) is a fan of the Dodge/Cummins with 6 speed stick.

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The Cummins/manual trans setup is a dandy...but, a Dodge and a GM are *totally* different trucks...whereas the look/feel of the Dodge let you know you're in a truck, the GM models are more SUV or car-like. The Cummins is a good piece, but they've had some tranny & rear problems in the past...but *all* of the makes have their issues.

Question: are you *dead set* on going diesel? you mention it will sit a lot, which ain't good for any vehicle, but is a little trickier for a diesel...

As for what to look for, here's some highs/lows of the Dmax:

'01-'04: LB7 Dmax engine, '01s had water pump & head gasket problems, got that sorted out by '02, but then the ever popular injector problems popped up & GM extended the warranty on the LB7s to 7yrs/200k miles (roughly a 10-12 hour job & +/- $2,500 to replace injectors assuming you do it yourself, injectors are beneath valve covers so they're a booger to change)

'04.5-'06: LLY Dmax, got variable vein turbo & better injector design (moved them out from under valve covers) but the newer design injectors have been known to hang open and crack/burn pistons...also, something in the rad stack got changed and they're prone to be overheaters (can be cured for $1,000)...in '06 the Allison became a 6-speed

As for proof of maintenance, not a lot to tell, as most of the Dmax related problems aren't maintenance related, but design related...and unfortunately, as is true with most diesels, when something fails, it's usually REALLY expensive! Complexity has it's costs...!!