What about cold air intakes and programers any help?

There is a program that'll help torque off the line, if you really need it. No help for MPGs though. Maaaaaaybe a .5mpg highway, but that is wishful thinking.

I read a description from an owner once who said it burn 10mpg no matter if it was towing 10k lbs or sitting parked in the garage.....made me chuckle. Nature of the beast.

"resale value"........How much money could he lose on this truck for 6700..... Hell, $6700 is how much more a d-max could depreciate in the time this truck is running trouble free!

The 8.1L in the HD trucks is mated to the Allison 5 speed transmission during that vintage. This is a radically different transmission than in the 2500 Suburban/Avalanche package (which is a beefed up 4L85E aka M32 4spd auto). The 2500 Suburban/Avalanche was electronically controlled to limit torque in 1st gear so as not to rip out the 4spd auto transmission. The 8.1L/Allison package in the HD trucks is NOT set up like this. The truck has full power always.

That truck should have plenty of power to to your setup, and ought to run stout for at least 250K miles. Just keep up with maintenance. I ran Mobil1 and Lucas Oil Treatment in my 2002 8.1L and it was rock solid at 50K when I sold it.

You do want to pay attention to the rear end ratio.
Look for GT4 (3.73) or GT5 (4.10) on the build sticker in the glovebox.

3.73 will give a hint of slightly almost kinda better gas mileage than the 4.10. But the 4.10 will have noticeable more grunt than the 3.73.

Contrary to popular belief, cold air intakes COST you fuel mileage. They increase air consumption which increases the need and use of fuel.
Freer flowing exhaust might give you an additional 10HP, but I doubt you will see a mileage increase.

Exactly. Is a Duramax better from a performance standpoint? Absolutely. However, at $6700 this truck will offer one helluva big bang for the buck and lose very little value.

If it's not a daily driver MPGs is a moot point.

Its going to sit most of the time i have a comp. car. i just sold a 08 f350 with a 6.4 you wana talk pig.

In my opinion it would be a waste of 6700$ and as for Duramax depreciation they actually are holding there value quite well. Kbb went up on my brothers 4k last year from what he bought it at. Now with dpf filters and urea injection systems on all the new Duramax's and the giant sticker prices 07 and prior duramaxs are a stellar investment.

That is what I got on trade on my 2001 2500hd CC with the 8.1 allison about 6 months ago. I had 145k on mine. It was going to need about 2 k worth of stuff, so I traded for newer one.
I liked the truck so much that I traded for an 07 classic with the same package.

I get 11-12mpg empty and about 8 towing.

I had that same package for ten years. I ordered it when they first came out. It would pass anything on the freeway towing except a gas station. Awesome truck I just traded for a 2010 2500HD with the Duramax. I must admit the diesel is much better on milage and towing power in every aspect. But for that price it's a hell of a tow vehicle.

How about a 6.5 turbo diesel with all the goodies for a grand or two more???? Cant wait for plow season so i can thin the 1-ton herd a bit - '97 GMC dually and '02 F350. Would make great tow vehicles too. Looking to go to a short bed cummins Ram for more all-around use.