Mr. Truck,

I have been pulling a 2 horse tagalong with a 97 Tahoe and we are thinking aboutupgrading to a gooseneck.

I have found a 99 c3500 with a 6.5L Diesel with 220k miles. It is owned by a NASCAR team and has been used exclusively to haul show cars around the country.

I think I can get it for a pretty good price.

I know that you can't tell much without more detail, but do you have any advice for me? Does this truck have any common problems I should be on the lookout for?

It is a dually with some strange bed designed specifically for hauling.

Maybe those race guys know how to improve the 6.5L. But for the rest of us, the 6.5L was #3 in a serious problem for GM diesels. The second year Duramax was a welcome diesel engine and is about to have it's 4th generation LMM out after the first of the year.

But the 6.5L TD is what's in most of the military Humvee's. Do a search for a forum on military trucks and you'll see what Army mechanics think of it. I'd stay away from the engine is it is a light duty engine and not known for longevity. Those trucks do sell cheap.

Mr. Truck, interesting that you note it is not that reliable. I drove it at lunch today and it was pretty nice. The Shop informed me that the engine and transmission only had 70k on it because they had replaced them both when the engind threw a crank (nothing wrong with the transmission, but hey, they had it all out anyway).

He thought that was a selling point but I told him it was a neagative to me because the diesel is supposed to get 300k miles and it only got a little over 100k! The fact that it was driven by employees rather than owners is definitely a negative.

It has lots of extras like a 100 gal tank and chrome grills and one of those wings on top, but I am afraid of it now.

They will take 7k for it. Would that change you mind in favor of it?

With 225,000 miles, it sounds like it's due for it's second engine. Breaking down on the road with something major, doubles the repair cost.

BDR ... I can't talk about the Diesels. BUt I would remind you about breaking down with a horse trailer full of horses. IT's a &^$%$&( !!
You can't just call a tow service. Not many will deal with a trailer full of animals. If you can't get rolling soon, what do you do with all the animals? Can't put them up in a hotel room ! while you take a bus home...