most people think I am crazy, keep in mind they likely have only driven and owned 1 of these trucks and likely baby it. but the last place I worked before starting my business had a fleet of NPR gas trucks that we used for water damage work. motors were toast at around 100-120k never saw a trans last more than 30k, yeah thats not a misprint 30k miles. the build quailty of the interior is pathetic, get in one grap the lever that adjusts the area the heat and AC is supposed to blow, move it back and forth 10 times. I bet something in the dash will break and cause the lever not to work anymore. I personally ruined at least 3 rear ends because of getting stuck in the snow. the brakes also sucked as the rotors would warp soon after a brake job, so all the trucks had warped rotors, this is even on the heavy duty 1400 models. would I buy one, HELL NO.
the ONE diesel we had would get 16 mpg, the gas trucks all got 7 mpg on a good day, this is carrying a 7ft high box and a typical weight of about 12k. MPG measurement was taken by me HANDCALCULATED, it was not a wish, its not an exaggeration its what the trucks would get. it seems like there is a big difference with internet fuel mileage than actual. until diesel is twice as expensive you still come out way better getting the diesel truck again. even on my own personal diesel pickup truck I get almost double the mileage once a trailer is added as I would with a gas truck. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE DIESEL, the one diesel model npr I did drive also had the longest lasting motor and trans, it may of even had the original trans in it. the only thing good I can say about the NPR's is given the weight they carry, they do handle it very well, I could run down parleys canyon loaded at 80 mph on the governor every day without slowing or lifting. and of course they turn well and are easier to get in tight places. for what its worth thats my experience with about 8-9 different npr's with me driving them personally about 30k miles per year the 3 years I worked for that company. the company was kinda strange in that the owner still made the major purchase decisions but did not consult with the people on the ground or even my manager about what was working or not working for us. there was about 35 employees there and despite the owner working there on most days in his office, if I saw him outside of work at a store or something, he probably would not have knew me, despite me working there 3 years, kinda strange if you ask me.
