Explain

It seems that they have a very low resale value as compared to older fords and dodges.  
I can pickup an old mid eighties half ton truck with a 6.2 for about $2000.00 and its real clean with low miles.  It seems that it would be a good fuel mileage rig.   But everyone I know says to stay clear of GM diesels.

Most 6.2s had issues.Have a friend with a 6.2 Blazer that's still going strong,but he's a bus mechanic.And lucky.6.5 was better,and Duramax WAY better.Remember GM's first diesels? Based on the gas blocks? THAT'S why GM got the bad rep.Dave

The GM 6.2 and 6.5 diesels are engineered as a light duty diesel engine.   The Ford Navistar and Dodge Cummins are medium duty engines. They are not on the same playing field.  That said I have had several GM diesels and if properly maintained and not allowed to overheat, they will provide a long economical life. Probably what destroys more GM diesels than anything is allowing them to get hot(which is easy to do).  They are  sensitive to heat and known for cracking heads and blowing head gaskets when ran hot. The Cummins and Navistar can tolerate much more heat than the GM's.  Also some people confuse them with the poorly designed 5.7liter Oldsmobile diesel which was a converted gasoline engine.  The 6.2 has nothing in common with the 5.7 and was designed by GM's diesel division Detroit Diesel.  The 6.5 is just a larger displacement 6.2 with a turbo charger slapped on.

The older 6.2 GM diesels were complete crap.  There is good reason that they switched to the Duramax.

My dad had an '86 with the 6.2, but it was rotting out and starting to cost money(not engine related.)

He drove the hell out of an '95 C-3500 with the 6.5 as a work truck, getting it to 180K before the heads blew.

Hate it? No.

Deej

The 6.2 and 6.5 have a strong cult following. There are a lot of things that a person can do to make them live a long life.

I have a 95 Chevy 6.5T with 200K on it. It has decent power, great fule milage, and the plow on the front of it has payed for the truck many times over.

Booger: You live in the Des Moines metro? I figure I would have seen you driving your beast, as a CUCV kinda stands out, unless you hang out around Camp Dodge a lot.

I don't know if you're including the Duramax as a "GM diesel" or not, but I have one and love it.

Quoted: BarnStormer I drove my CUCV everyday for over a year back and forth to work on a 70 mile roundtrip commute a couple years ago and now it just gets out every now and then during the nice weather.  Now shortly I'll be loading up around 1,500 pounds of water softener salt and putting it in the back of it for when the weather gets real nasty and they tell everyone to stay inside their homes...I live for days like that!  I've only driven it out to Camp Dodge a couple times but it's been to the Air Guard Base a lot as that's where I work full time.  Are you going to the Iowegian Fall Shoot this Saturday?  If you didn't know about it check out the Iowa Hometown Forum as I'll be driving the CUCV over there, I've already got about 600 pounds of belted/linked ammo for our machineguns that I'm taking over there for people to shoot and there is much more ammo to load yet.

I am gunna try real hard to make it. As of right now, I don't think I will have any work at my shop, but we might be dynoing a new boat engine at a buddy's place on staurday, so I am not 100% sure.

My dad had an '84 half ton Chevy with a service body and a 6.2L that had around 175K on it when he traded up for something newer with a 454.

It wasn't the fastest thing on the planet, but it ran well and never gave him any problems.

WIZZO

They wouldnt be so bad if they werent made by GM/Chevy...

Quoted: Don't mean to add any additional pressure but...when is the last time you've shot machineguns in Iowa?!   Depending on how it all turns out will determine if we bring out the belt-feds again or if I'll just keep it simple with the SMG's next Spring.

MG in Iowa? Not since I lost all mine in a tragic combine accident.

Sounds like I need to go buy a few bricks of .223 , 8mm, and 9mm.

Quoted: I don't know if you're including the Duramax as a "GM diesel" or not, but I have one and love it.

Duramax is a GM badged Isuzu engine(as I'm sure you know if you own one). Change your fuel filters religiously and frequently. Injector problems are very common in these engines and quite expensive.

I think I will save up a little money and buy an old 80's vintage chev. diesel for a mileage truck.

My every day work truck is an '85 Chevy 3/4 ton 6.2L diesel with 4.10 rears. Doesn't have nearly the juice that my '03 Powerstroke has, but I've never been late to the job due to lack of power. The truck gets 19mpg hwy if the speed is a constant 64mph. Just went over 140K miles.