blue thunder

[QUOTE=Sydwayz]derekdeben,
Stock configuration witht he 4.10 rear end, I was getting around 11-12mpg driving very conservatively daily driving. Drive home from FL to VA when I picked it up was right about 14mpg ALL highway.



Theres where you make out on the diesel. 20mpg w/ d/a and 3.73s. You would have to be paying over $3.00/gal for diesel not to be a better purchase. Not to mention the 14700lb tow rating and better resale value. I just bought a 03 Sierra 2500hd cc d/a w/ 10k, so I may be a little bias

BT

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Trust me, I love the power and fuel economy of the diesel; however my Avalanche is figuratively paid off which is where the 2500HD will cost me. I have the AV financed at 0.0% interest. I would have to finance a used vehicle at somewhere around 5% and have a larger payment for a longer term. That is my basis for staying with what I have.

derekdeben

It would be nice if they offered the AV with a diesel option. That would be a sweet truck. I know the suburban's have a diesel option but are way to big for daily driving.

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Actually, no, you cannot get a Suburban with a diesel, at least not in 2004. If 2005 has them, I think we would know about it already. The Suburban and the Avalanche are IDENTICAL in frame, engines, and running gear, (except you cannot get a 6.0L in the Avalanche). So honestly, depending on the model AV you get, it could even be a touch longer than the Suburban since the AV bumpers are rather large. Be aware of that, and rear visibility on the AV sucks too; probably better in a Suburban.

I think once you see a diesel Suburban, which is expected in 2006, you should see it in the Avalanche as well. They have identical running gear. The problem is the main frame rails on the Suburban/Avalanche; they are not wide enough to fit one either of the required transmissions of the Duramax (the ZF-6 Speed Manual and Allison 5 Speed Auto are damn near 2.5 feet wide). Hopefully a fix for that will be out someday; one way or another. I would have a diesel Avalanche in a heartbeat, but if buying another truck, it will be a dually.

derekdeben

sydwayz,

It must have been an older suburban that had a diesel. I swear it was a new body style and it sounded like a diesel. Do you really think the visibility will be better in a suburban? I was planning on test driving one this weekend so i will let you know. Thanks for all the info.

Derek

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Derek,
The Avalanche just takes some getting used to. From the rear seat forward, (including the rear doors), the AV and Suburban are identical, so blind spots are only created by the small rear window of the AV, and its high bed on the back. The sail panel may also hinder your vision, when turning your head to the right, but I have little round blind spot mirrors on all my trucks, which keeps that in check.

I like the AV as you can configure it any way you want, (as it was meant for). What is cool is taking off the tailgate, the cargo panels, removing the rear window, and lowering the midgate. You end up with an old '79 Blazer with a removeable roof type of feel, even like a Jeep. Rear visablility is over-abundant in that fashion.

The weather/water durable bed is really nice to throw all your tools; wet stuff; boat stuff in the back; even gravel and mulch. This was one of my main reasons for buying the AV over my old Tahoe. Next day you can fill it with 40 sheets of 4x8 drywall, and take it home, in the RAIN. As soon as you are done with that, it will fit a 4-wheeler in the back, (even has built in tire treads for doing so). The only thing you really gain with the Burb is the third row of seating if that is important to you. With the Avalanche, you don't have to worry about leather and carpeting in your cargo area. The side storage panels on the AV are sweet too; I keep my hitch drawbar, jumper cables, tools, first aid, flashlight, tow strap, and other things in there, AND, they double as coolers with bottom drains. With a pickup or Burb, you have to add storage devices to house this stuff. I got tired of having my Tahoe and garage looking like I was going back and forth to flea-markets full of large Rubbermaid containers.