Pros:
-WRT aftermarket parts, etc, the M1009 is fully supported by the civilian K5 blazer sites. You can easily find what you need that's not military specific on this truck.
-It's NOT expensive! If you look for K5's of the same vintage, you'll likely pay the same or twice as much for a gasoline engine with over 100,000 miles and a lot of bubba-jobs done to the engine. For Under $3k you can get a diesel with less than 60k miles and pretty decent regular/regulated maintenance done to it over the past 20 years.
-You can justify it to your wife and friends.
-Great gas mileage (beats out my minivan)
-If you do regular PM, this engine will outlast most civilian counterparts of the same era.
CONS-
-20+ y/o vehicle. Rubber and plastic parts deteriorate and have to be replaced.
-24V starting system can take a little learning to figure out
-Military specific parts for things like the alternator, some other electrical stuff
-Wiring problems (typical of 80's Chevy's, right?) If I had time and money, it would be worth it to just pull ever doggone wire and replace them all.
-Getting used to diesel issues in general: glow plugs, GP modules, etc.
-Injector Pump issues- (This has been MY nightmare with the truck. The pumps are usually fine, but the seals need to be replaced. Certified rebuild can run $300+) You CAN find replacement pumps on CL and Ebay, but you should check with resident experts before buying and installing.
-Don't think your M1009 can tow anything like what even a modern Tahoe can handle. Payload is only around 1,200 lbs. A M105 trailer is pretty much out of the question. An M101 can work, but a M416 is the specified trailer.
That's it for now. Spend a good 8-12 hours just reading posts in the CUCV section and you'll get an idea of the issues we face, common solutions and how members feel about their rides.
Semper Fi.
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