[jensend]

Looks like we'll be trying to find a used late model (2006- on) truck in order to be able to take my '02 Z28 off the road and make it a dedicated track car. The truck would need to be able to tow the car and an open trailer safely at highway speeds. Would prefer a club or crew cab for the extra space an longer wheelbase. Right now I'm thinking gas as opposed to diesel since the truck will get limited use other than for track events and few camping trips annually. It will also be available to my two grown sons as needed. Want the space of an 8' bed so I can carry plywood, etc., when needed. Durarbility and reliability are major requirement. Capable of doing most maintenance and repairs on my own on a gas powered vehicle, but I'd like to have something that was practical to use and maintain. Looking for recommendations on what to buy/avoid, average real world mpg figures, etc.. Thanks in advance for your input.

[trackbird]

I can tell you what a PITA it is to replace the diesel in a truck like yours...I've done it. We had to swap one in a friends 2001 F250 4x4 with a 6 speed. The remanufactured crate engine was about $8k and it took 3 of us all weekend (30+ hours of labor) to get the goofy thing out of there. They are pretty reliable...until they aren't. Then they cost a FORTUNE to fix. I know this first hand. The 7.3 does tow well and it gets better mileage than my gas truck, but his only had something over 100k miles on it and the diesel had one bad cylinder (200 psi cranking compression instead of 400 psi, some bad injectors that was about the first $2k spent on maintenance only to wind up changing the whole engine) and some turbo damage. I can account for about $10k spent on a $15k truck in the first year of ownership. This isn't typical, but it can happen (and has). And I got a call to come jump it a few months ago for a dead alternator (that came on the crate engine).