Ive had my -97 Silverado Z71 EXT 6.5 TD since 2004 and am very pleased with it.

TD= turbo diesel ??? wish we could have gotten them in this country in a 1/2 ton.

They were available in the 1500's. They are hard to find but they came in the 1/2 ton pickups as well as 2 & 4 door Tahoe as well. Same with the 6.2 before that.

Tommy

One I wish I had back sometimes. A "2000" 3500 turbo diesel. GM held the 88-98 body over thru 2000 in the 3/4 & 1 ton.

Never heard of a turbo diesel in a 1/2 ton until the new introduction a few years ago and I've owned nothing but Chev's for 40 years...:dunno:Only diesel I recall was the NA dog made from a 350 block in the 70's.

My '95 6.5 Turbodiesel that I've had since new. The original 6.5 engines were not very good in terms of long term reliability: injection pumps failed due to bad placement of the computer box on top of the engine where they fried from heat soak, blocks cracked in the main journal webs, headgaskets blew in the rear cylinders from lack of coolant flow. I replaced mine with a brand new version built by the company that supplied them for the Humvee refits a few years ago. Far superior to the original. Still runnin' strong! I'd love to find a 1/2 ton stepside (or whatever they called the version) with a 6.5 and play with it. You do have to become your own expert if you want to run a 6.5 with any degree of reliability, though.

The best part is being able to say you have a 396 Suburban! (6.5 = 396, give or take a cube)

Yup, probably would have looked for one back in '97, if I knew about them. Can't go back in technology now. My 2011 has rack and pinion steering and coil over front suspension. WAY better ride and handling than even my 2000.