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1994 K2500 Suburban Diesel Collector’s Item

Dad already has rental properties, he owns a couple of houses besides their own in our neighborhood, including one across the street and another down the corner from their's. Dad played a couple of seasons for the Denver Nuggets before a knee injury ended his NBA career. Now dad is a plumber and owns his own successful plumbing and drain business. Son went to local community college to learn auto body repair and painting and now does well off of the cars he replaces a few panels, etc on, paints and flips. Why pay $45,000 for a Bimmer when you can pay $20K and the kid makes $10K for a couple of week's work and materials on a salvage vehicle?
 
What’s crazy is go back and look at the MSRP on these Suburbans in 1994 and they started at about $22K. Fast forward and the MSRP on a current Suburban is around 80K. The difference is not entirely the result of inflation.
 
The biggest reason Burbs and other large SUVs' prices are so steep now is because the manufacturers can get away with charging those prices because everybody 'has' to have one to haul the soccer kids carpool around, so they throw all these bells, whistles and doodads into them - like full entertainment systems, all direction exterior view systems, automatic collision avoidance and lane systems for when mom's distracted by the fight between the two snot-noses in the third row seat - and these are among some of the cheapest vehicles to manufacture and with the highest markup of the car makers, next to pickup trucks. It's all about supply and demand and what the market will bear.

I had the Dealer Window Sticker and all the original paperwork (I was the second owner) of the fully optioned, big block powered '72 Monte Carlo I bought my Senior year in High School in 1979. It sold for just at $5200 new vs. $3800 for the plain-Jane base model. That same year (1972) a brand new VW Bug sold for $1995.00! I'll never buy a new vehicle. I'll let some other schmuck take 20-50% depreciation for just driving it off the lot. Gee, I drive a 7 year old Gottahaveitmobile bought for 25% of what it cost new - and for hundreds less a month in payments and insurance than the person who bought it new.
 
Husker6.5 said:
The biggest reason Burbs and other large SUVs' prices are so steep now is because the manufacturers can get away with charging those prices because everybody 'has' to have one to haul the soccer kids carpool around, so they throw all these bells, whistles and doodads into them - like full entertainment systems, all direction exterior view systems, automatic collision avoidance and lane systems for when mom's distracted by the fight between the two snot-noses in the third row seat - and these are among some of the cheapest vehicles to manufacture and with the highest markup of the car makers, next to pickup trucks. It's all about supply and demand and what the market will bear.

I had the Dealer Window Sticker and all the original paperwork (I was the second owner) of the fully optioned, big block powered '72 Monte Carlo I bought my Senior year in High School in 1979. It sold for just at $5200 new vs. $3800 for the plain-Jane base model. That same year (1972) a brand new VW Bug sold for $1995.00! I'll never buy a new vehicle. I'll let some other schmuck take 20-50% depreciation for just driving it off the lot. Gee, I drive a 7 year old Gottahaveitmobile bought for 25% of what it cost new - and for hundreds less a month in payments and insurance than the person who bought it new.
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I put a lot of miles on several el cheapo fuel misers in the 1980s. &.90s.

Had a 81 Datsun Station Wagon, 82 Chevette diesel, 81 Datsun 510 hatchback, 88 Chevy Spectrum and 89 Chevy Spectrum. - not positive on the years anymore, but that is close. All got around 30 mpg or better. The 510 would scoot.
 
WarWagon said:
I wonder if history will replay... Fuel costs going up.

Will the SUV's be dumped again for "MPG" regardless of the cash loss with the trade that will never make up for the higher MPG?
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This ^^^ is the way of the herd. As sure as people create 1/4 mile lines for Costco gasoline to save $2 to $3, they will dump their gas hog SUVs. Can't think of a worse gas hog than a gasser Suburban 2500 4wd with the 8.1 liter which probably gets 8 mpg. Put a Duramax in that and it will get 20+ mpg hwy and will tow any of my needs.
 
Just took a glance at used 2001 Suburbans. You can find 1500s for $2,900 to $3,000, but as soon as you go to the 2500 the prices jump to $12K to $14K. I guess we need to see a bit more pain at the pump? That and the fact they no longer make a 2500 for the public is probably sustaining these price levels. Friend here in the Bitterroot had a client sell him a 2001 2500 for $5K, but this was well before COVID and herd mentality kicking in. Prices will return there.
 
Thats the beauty of the 6.5. Diy fuel. The ds4 can handle some of the simple ones. Db2 can handle all kinds of it. Wmo is about the lowest cost I can do. Thats my go to if fuel prices get stupid.
ya need a couple barrels to go get used oil from oil change shops, and a 12v pump with basic filter on it to go from their tank to your barrels and don't suck off the bottom. I don’t have means to unload full barrels so pump it into ones on the ground. Those have heaters on them to raise temp to 190°(Never over 200). Your dealing with fire potential so treat that accordingly. Once hot, the water in it naturally separates best possible. While hot ya runit through the 110v driven centrifuge (similar to the one Leroy sell) into a clean barrel and cut it with gasoline. Ratio depends on the oils and what gas you get. So you adjust it to the flash point to set the ratio. Best to let the oil cool down before adding gasoline for safety and use grounding wires on the barrels and your self closing steel fuel can. I used to add it while hot but many said they saw no difference, so that’s better.
Doing it all in a small brick shed and auto fire extinguishers or those “exploding” fire extinguisher balls is a smart idea too.
 
Will L. said:
Thats the beauty of the 6.5. Diy fuel. The ds4 can handle some of the simple ones. Db2 can handle all kinds of it. Wmo is about the lowest cost I can do. Thats my go to if fuel prices get stupid.
ya need a couple barrels to go get used oil from oil change shops, and a 12v pump with basic filter on it to go from their tank to your barrels and don't suck off the bottom. I don’t have means to unload full barrels so pump it into ones on the ground. Those have heaters on them to raise temp to 190°(Never over 200). Your dealing with fire potential so treat that accordingly. Once hot, the water in it naturally separates best possible. While hot ya runit through the 110v driven centrifuge (similar to the one Leroy sell) into a clean barrel and cut it with gasoline. Ratio depends on the oils and what gas you get. So you adjust it to the flash point to set the ratio. Best to let the oil cool down before adding gasoline for safety and use grounding wires on the barrels and your self closing steel fuel can. I used to add it while hot but many said they saw no difference, so that’s better.
Doing it all in a small brick shed and auto fire extinguishers or those “exploding” fire extinguisher balls is a smart idea too.
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I know a guy who runs his 7.3 on waste cooking oil. Lotta work to save a few $ and not pay yourself for the time. I draw the line somewhere and this is definitely a no go. Not worth the time. Besides, when everyone goes to EVs, demand for fossil fuel will drop and so will prices.
 
Big T said:
I know a guy who runs his 7.3 on waste cooking oil. Lotta work to save a few $ and not pay yourself for the time. I draw the line somewhere and this is definitely a no go. Not worth the time. Besides, when everyone goes to EVs, demand for fossil fuel will drop and so will prices.
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I would hope it would work like that, except with the EPA involved, no matter how terrible of pollution the production of batteries becomes, they will always condemn the production and use of oil based fuels, maybe even outlaw it for civilian use. If that would be possible ?
Even cut back so far on tje production of vehicular fuels that the prices would become completely unaffordable. 🤷‍♂️
I dont know enough about such matters that it makes no sense for me to even throw out my speculations. 🤷‍♂️ 😹😹😹
 
Big T said:
I know a guy who runs his 7.3 on waste cooking oil. Lotta work to save a few $ and not pay yourself for the time. I draw the line somewhere and this is definitely a no go. Not worth the time. Besides, when everyone goes to EVs, demand for fossil fuel will drop and so will prices.
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hope you are right about fuel prices as ev use goes up. My concern is not as many companies will invest in the refinery repair/ replacement as profit falls, so supply will drop.

Waste cooking oil is the one ds4 takes easy to. And is definitely the most work, hardest to do and lowest results. But most people get into.

Wmo is messy as all get out. Collecting it is half the work. About a thousand bucks to kick it all off and break even on the cost of that in fuel. Everything after that is when the money comes into profit. Usually 30% gasoline is is max amount. I liked to run used atf more than wmo, which needs less gas and runs better. But used atf is harder to find than wmo. Atf mixed in with the wmo is ok too. Mineral oil also if you have access to a bunch of it.

Using wmi to keep the injectors and valves clean in the combustion chamber makes a huge difference. You don’t need the methanol in the water unless you need it to stop it from freezing. The water blasts the carbon out the tailpipe, people argue steam effect vs cold shock and a couple other options. I don’t care, I just know it works well while helping power mpg and egt.

People that do ‘alternative fuel’ and don’t do it all usually fail long term.
 
Big T said:
Can't think of a worse gas hog than a gasser Suburban 2500 4wd with the 8.1 liter which probably gets 8 mpg.
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454 in the 1990's era. All blow and no go with miserable MPG no matter if it was towing or not. (I would take a hopped up 6.5TD over a OEM 454 any day when I could keep one toghether.)

The PO of the 5th Wheel RV I have had the 8.1L in a pickup and said it wouldn't pass a gas station. They also sold the pickup for good money, but, the RV put the Manual Trans Dodge Cummins of mine into the single digit MPG arena on the grades here.

Our government has eliminated the Station Wagon with CAFE etc. Americans have turned to SUV's to replace the Station Wagon.
 
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