I need some advise on getting a "new" truck/wagon

[Meintii]

Hey guys!

I regret to say that my moonunit it getting ready to get sent away, I cant keep spending $400 a month to keep it running.

Just with in the last 2 weeks the passenger half shalf is clicking and getting ready to go out, the alternator went out, and NOW IT WONT SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR!

I cant afford the expensive and hard to find parts for this thing, so I think I need somthing else.

WHAT IM LOOKING FOR-

I need somthing that car hopefully tow a car, is super reliable, and has a cheap (under $2500) initial cost. It will be a dailey driver so good MPG would be awesome, but i know its unlikely for my price range.

I have been looking at the late 80's GMC suburbans, as I know from experiance, they can go FOREVER! But they are major gas suckers.

If i could find a subuaru wagon or something that could tow my 2200 lbs (hopefully) race car and trailer id be happy.

Im use to having the moonunit (nissan stanza wagon) that can hold the nose panel, the hood, front fenders, gas tanks and all my tools at the same time, so I still want to be able to haul stuff.

IDEAS?!?

thanks!

[Anschauer]

I donated my '99 Suburban 6.5 turbo diesel 2500 to the Scouts when it turned 275k.

You could look around for one of these in the South they should be in good shape. They get 17-18mpg so long as you don't put your foot in them and can tow a house. The 2500 is overbuilt with heavier frame, trans, diff, brakes, suspension than the 1500 mommywagons, and they ride like a truck. If you are lucky you'll find an SLT model like mine which basically was an Escalade-level trim.

Their soft points are the Pump Mounted Driver (PMD) which is a $275 chip set into a heatsink on the drivers side that controls the diesel EFI. These are known to fail if they get hot, but by now the aftermarket heatsinks have been installed on them and you should expect to run more than a year until they fail.

The truck has a dual battery setup, and uses glow plugs to start, which is another item of concern so you'd want to know they had been replaced by a PO

The truck should start and idle without stumbling. A small puff of grey smoke on startup is all you should see. On regular accelleration, say under 2KRPM no smoke. Getting on the pedal (it is 'fly by wire' so the Pedal Position Sensor ( PPS) and the area around the pedal needs to be kept clean) you will see black smoke as unburned fuel goes by. If you see black smoke on start or running the turbo wastegate or the turbo may need replacing.

Parts are common enough and easy to get - from aftermarket. Stay away from GMC or Chevy dealers, unless they have a truck department most techs are not familiar or knowledgable enough since the 6.5 was not produced in big numbers/

The 6.5 was also used in the Savannah vans and properly equipped they will tow the same and have the same frame and underpinnings. The engine bay is not so accessible.