Buying a 2007 GMC 2500HD with 120k Miles for 13k?

[stupendous_man]

 

I'm looking into buying a 3/4 ton truck to haul a truck camper to live full-time in ski areas. This one seems a little overpriced but in good shape. I don't know very much about GMC's or what to look out for in this model.

 

It's a two owner vehicle. The first used it to camp out of the shell on the back, but the seller wasn't very clear if it was used for anything else. The seller used it as a emergency vehicle to work his tow job, where he said he tows no more than one car at a time. He had it for about 5k miles before the transmission failed. The transmission was rebuilt, and it's been sitting in his driveway for at least a couple weeks ever since. He doesn't have maintenance records other than a receipt from the transmission rebuild. It's got a small dent on the driver's side rear. Clean interior and exterior otherwise.

 

I heard the transmission can fail on these trucks around this mileage, but it could also be a sign of abuse or bad maintenance? I just don't know enough to say if this is a good deal or not. I'm planning to check out everything I can curbside and take it to a mechanic for an inspection. Then I'll try to haggle to around $11k. Maybe someone would be willing to weigh in on what they think about this truck?

 

Thanks for checking out my post.

Edited April 6, 2021 by stupendous_man

[David89GMC]

No matter what you pay for this nice looking truck, be ready to spend $3-5000 for a transmission rebuild and at least $1000 for a rear axle rebuild. Brakes, tires, ..., are just accepted expenses for a used truck.  Why would the guy have a transmission REBUILD done, then park the truck and sell it? It was probably a transmission SERVICE that found problems, like metal in the oil pan and a clogged filter.

 

NCIB VinCheck and VinAudit are strongly recommended.

 

Last year I bought a 2003 K2500HD with 165000 miles that had been used for towing a gooseneck car trailer. The drivetrain was in poor condition, with a new transfer case, so I had the 4L80 transmission done by a reputable shop for $3000, and did everything else myself. Now I have an older truck in great condition.

[CamGTP]

The used truck market is high right now, so in many cases it's a take what you can get type thing. Rust free trucks in my area go for decent money.

 

Given the year that is considered pretty low mileage, figure it's roughly 8-9k miles per year driven. I've seen transmission last 200k miles and seen them last 50k miles, it's the luck of the draw really. Having it already rebuilt with a warranty is a plus in my eyes.

 

Check all the ball joints and tie rods for play. Wheel bearings for play and noise too, all of these are common front end problems on any GM truck. Check for broken exhaust manifold bolts on the cylinder heads, they are super common to break as well. Usually I see a few missing and they will lead to exhaust leak.

 

Look under the doors, there is a rubber seal strip along the entire bottom that stops water/dirt etc etc from splashing up. Its held on by several push clips on the bottoms of the door. You can pop that off or just lift it up and look at the seam on the bottom of the door where the metal is rolled over. You'll understand once you see it. That seam can start to rust then bubble the paint and once it starts you can't really stop it. Keeping the door drains in the corner open is key and so is cleaning under the door deal often.

 

Rear wheel wells rust in the salt states. Pop a tail light out and shine a flash light in there, make sure there is no dirt/mud just sitting where the wheel well arch is, that will cause it to rust from the inside out.

 

It needs new headlights from the pictures too, they are faded/yellowed.

[tankdog]

I gave 13k for my 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0 regular cab a few years ago with 27k miles on it and I've been ecstatic about it. Im nearly to 140k miles and tie rods have been my worst problems it eats Moogs once a year but it has 305/70r16 load range e tires that contributes to that. I've never had an issue out of the drivetrain until this month but it was a blown trans cooler line. My only complaint is its lacking on pulling power imho that engine belongs in a car all the power is in the upper rpm range. Although it has always manage to pull the loads the heaviest of which was 6 tons of gravel in a 20 foot tandem dual dump trailer. 13k seems high to me for the mileage unless you can verify the condition of the transmission 

[ABQ-Jammer]

I don't see any insignia that indicate this to have a diesel engine, and it's only a single cab, but that doesn't sound too unreasonably high to me.  I just paid $20k for my 2008 GMC Sierra 2500HD Crew Cab 4x4 with the turbo diesel engine that has 185k miles, and I was blessed to get it at THAT price!!  I considered the 6.0L gas and flex fuel engines, but EVERYONE told me that if you're going to tow anything, you really want the diesel, so that's why I got it.