Only the 3v models have cam phasers. Good for an additional 40 HP over the 2V engine, and the much improved transmission, but one more problem to worry about.

I'd look for a 3v V10 or a 2v V8.

 

Me too.

Not a huge fan of the 5.4 in a 3/4 ton or for pulling.

 

This thread has been great, and I'm still searching. Have found a few very abused trucks that I know I don't plan on buying. Considering a GMC/Chebby with the 6.0L engine. Probably means going old enough to have the 4 speed transmission, which isn't ideal, but I can live with it for a summer.
Would for sure prefer to stick to the blue oval, but not if the price is double, or if the truck is destroyed. I have time for a project, but I sure don't want one.

 

Ignore brand and look for the deal. Sounds to me like you're best served by whatever will do the job at the best deal possible. In your shoes I'd be looking for ANYTHING rated to pull your camper and go from there.

It's a short-term solution, you don't have to like it!

 

I had a 2000 Chevrolet with a 6.0. It had a 5 speed. I traded it at 200,000 miles. The engine is fine. One of the few gm engines I didn't totally hate. The 5 speed made it usable. The rest of the pickup was crap. Electrical, body and over gm quality.

 

This is interesting, but I'm still really stuck on the idea that it's so important to find, buy, prep, change all the fluids, check all the systems, etc, and deal with later trying to then sell a used pickup, when you could just rent one for those couple of trips. Just hook up and drive away. Hell, they generally have roadside assistance built in if anything goes wrong, even. I guarantee you whatever you think you're saving isn't really all that much, unless you think you can get a magical combo of buying a cherry truck low and selling high.

That said, if it's less about what makes the most sense on paper and more about what you personally feel like doing, then go for it

 

I'm assuming your truck must've had a manual transmission?

All the 2000 era Chevy 6.0 trucks I've driven have been 4 speed autos that are rev happy, gutless and literally the only trucks that I've been able to peg out the transmission temp gauge on demand with the skinny pedal.... Granted if you can keep everything going the 6.0 is a reliable engine.

 

holy crap this is insanely cheap! i could buy this and resell it down here in FL for 25k......

http://www.kijiji.ca/v-cars-trucks/c...ationFlag=true

 

It was a manual. Otherwise I would have passed if it were an automatic. The engine was fine. The rest of the pickup was worthless. It screamed pulling a trailer.

I was much happier to be in a Ford again.

 

Interesting. I had always believed that they all charged by the mile for rental which made it cost prohibitive. I just checked out Enterprise truck rental, and you can rent a 3/4-ton truck for around $375/week with 1,000 miles included. $0.25 per additional mile.

If everything went well with the temporary truck you would be cheaper buying and then selling. But just a couple things go wrong and you'd be cheaper to rent.

 

I've rented trucks several times from Hertz. All I had to do was gas & go, it was nice.
If you are going to buy a truck and sell it in a few months, I would pay up for a good clean truck that needs nothing. Changing fluids, brakes, tires ... will only cost you money & get you nothing back when you sell it. Good clean trucks are always in demand, you'll get your money back when you sell it.

 

Here's a random question. Anyone have any thought on the Dodge Ram MegaCab models? A couple have popped up in my searches.

 

Not yet in a rush, but have my feelers out on a few "deals" of various brands.

 

Yep, they're huge. "1500" models are true HD models with a half-ton payload, you get all the heavy duty running gear. Reminds me of the F350 with the 10,000 lb GVWR package.

I'd own one.

 

What generation of Mega Cab? I've never owned one, but of those friends and family have owned, they've all been diesels. Short answer: fantastic engine with a half-assed truck wrapped around it. Multiple transmission failures (not tuned), multiple A/C problems, even a snapped steering box on one of them. And apparently Dodge made the A/C for the single cab and used the same one throughout including the Mega Cab. So it's like an asthmatic trying to blow on you through a coffee straw, especially bad if you're in the back seat.

That said, if it's just temporary anyway, and everything is good for the moment, it might not be a bad choice. Just maybe not a good candidate for a keeper.