[jpastorius]

I have a 2001 Silverado 2500HD with the 6.0 motor. I have been thinking of parting with it for a new Silverado. The truck and my BMW R1150R are my daily means of transportation. The truck also serves to pull the 24' enclosed trailer for the Camaro.

My main gripe with the HD is the ride quality and now the fuel mileage. With a round trip to work at 56 miles, it is getting more and more expensive. I test drove a new 2500HD and it's ride quality was equal or less than that of my 2001 with fresh Bilsteins.
The 1500 I test drove actually had a very nice ride.

My towing days are down to 8-10 times a year as opposed to 3 times a month when I was AX'ing.

I am pondering options with cost being a big factor:

1) The 1500 with the Vortex Max package. It is a $3000 option and the gas mileage is not a whole lot better than the 2500HD I have now. It does come with 4 wheel disk brakes and a 10,000# towing capacity.

2) A regular 1500 with the towing package. This is the most economical option and provides me with decent fuel mileage. The big issue is the 7,000# capacity. With the CMC car, trailer and normal spares, I figure to be right at the limit or slightly above it.

3) Just keep the 2001 and save the money for a 2009 Camaro.

My towing is mostly to VIR (90 minutes) and points that are no more than 5 hours away, all via interstate.

Thoughts...opinions...experience?

[BigEnos]

If you have extra space and want better mileage pick up a decent "beater" to add to the commute mix. Of course, once again you'll have to weigh the gas savings vs. the cost for an econobox/insurance/upkeep.

[marka]

Howdy,

If you have extra space and want better mileage pick up a decent "beater" to add to the commute mix. Of course, once again you'll have to weigh the gas savings vs. the cost for an econobox/insurance/upkeep.

Yep. Last time I ran the numbers on something like that, I could justify a $5k car over five years of fuel bill differences. You've got increased costs in insurance (maintenance should wash, since you're presumably putting miles on one vehicle or the other either way), but you've also got increased "my vehicle just died" insurance by having an extra vehicle available.

Everyone's situation will be different, but when I did that last time the fuel prices weren't near as bad as they are today and I wasn't driving as far as I do today...

Mark

[nape]

Yep. Last time I ran the numbers on something like that, I could justify a $5k car over five years of fuel bill differences. You've got increased costs in insurance (maintenance should wash, since you're presumably putting miles on one vehicle or the other either way), but you've also got increased "my vehicle just died" insurance by having an extra vehicle available.

Everyone's situation will be different, but when I did that last time the fuel prices weren't near as bad as they are today and I wasn't driving as far as I do today...

Mark

That's what I do. I drive 50-70 miles round trip everyday (depending on where I'm working) and my van would cost me $100/week on average while my '97 Saturn beater only costs me $30/week.

That's almost $300/month gas savings and the insurance on it is only like $180/6 months for liability only because of the multi-vehicle discount. Even though I've had to throw tires, clutch, and maintenance at it, the car will pay for itself in 6 months of gas savings. My last beater lasted 3 1/2 years (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)