School me on Chevy 1500’s

pronstar · Aug 12, 2018

Need a truck.
~$25 to spend.

Was considering a Tundra, but they’re pricey.

Fords are hideous.
Ram...had an 07 CTD that I never should have sold.
But not a fan of the new 1500.

Compared to a Tundra, I can get a much newer Silverado, with way fewer miles a 100k mile CPO powertrain warranty.

2015-ish and 30-40k miles seems to be a good place for my budget.

Are these trucks reliable?

Seems the 5.3 is in my price range. Decent motor?

Anything to look out for?
Cylinder deactivation?
Tranny issues?
What say the experts?

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diesel1959 · Aug 12, 2018

1500s are great . . .

Ram 1500s, that is. I love my 2015 with the Ecodiesel . . . 157,000 miles and counting.

I can't say anything bad about the Tundras, except they don't get the fuel economy of my truck.

grasshopperglock · Aug 12, 2018

The LS series of engines are 300,000+ mile motors. Known to be bulletproof. They're also super common since GM has put it in everything.

Ford has the firmest suspension. Dodge is next. Chevy is butter.

Transmissions will go out before the motor. Not as in needing a tune up or fluid change. Mechanical failure.

When you're looking at trucks. Inspect the rear section of the frame. Look for clean areas to where a receiver hitch was installed. If it's been taken off. The seller might be trying to hide that the truck was used to tow.

If it has a receiver hitch. Look at and see if it's had heavy use. Towing means more wear on the driveline.

Next up is if it's a northern truck. Look for salt rust on bolts. If it's seen salt. I'd pass unless rust doesn't bother you.

Byrd666 · Aug 12, 2018

Had a '96 GMC sngl cab 4.3 - V6 that I put one mile under 200k on 'til I had to trade it for a heavier duty V8 to pull my fifth wheel. LOVED! that truck. Other than a rebuilt 3/4 ton tranny I put in it at 120k+-, no problems.

A friend of mine drives a newer, '15 ish Chevy V8 King cab that has over 200k on it. Last we talked was in March when he was down here for work stuff. He was pulling a flatbed trailer with some equipment on it back to his shop in Tenn. Knowing him, if he didn't feel safe with that truck, he woulda' got rid of it. Other than PM stuff and tires, he said he hadn't had any issues with it.

Vaquero · Aug 12, 2018

I put 225,000 on an '05 Avalanche . 5.3.
Towed my travel trailer with it a bunch too.
Motor was strong and didn't leak anything when I traded.
Suspension and tranny were showing some weakness by then.

grasshopperglock · Aug 12, 2018

No matter where you are on the fence. Chevy's main talent is building motors. They'll mess some things up but never the motor.

Dawico · Aug 12, 2018

My brother loves his GMC Denali 1500. No issues that I know of.

Think he has the 6.2l in it, or something like that.

Close as I come to knowing much about Chevy products.

Brains · Aug 12, 2018

The entire family of LS and new LT engines are VERY solid, get great mileage, drive great, and will last as long as you want them to. You really have to want to kill the motor, they're darned near indestructible.

How to blow up a GM 5.3L

Texasjack · Aug 12, 2018

I had a 1500. Got destroyed by a young girl that decided to run a red light. She was very lucky to have survived - and pretty much unhurt except for her pride. I had a lot of miles on that truck - I've forgotten how much. The drive train was very reliable, but it was kind of a dog when trying to pass, despite 8 cylinders. Biggest problem BY FAR was the electrical system. It was a mess from one end to the other. The instrument cluster failed 3 times. (Don't go to the dealership! The instrument cluster fails so often that there are independent guys who can fix it for 1/10 of what the dealer charges.) Radio failed. CD player failed. Lights failed. Lots of power surges. Ate up batteries.

I now have an F-150 and I am much happier. Ford makes the best pickup, with Chevy/GMC running a close second. Toyota isn't bad if you don't mind paying $$$$ for their logo. If someone gave me a Dodge, I'd melt it down and sell the scrap metal to buy a Ford. Nissan used to be OK, but all the rating services say their quality is way down.

jetcycles · Aug 13, 2018

Our pipeline trucks are mostly Chevrolet 1500 crew cab 4x4's, I'm in a 2017 with 30k miles with no issues/complaints. My fleet manager says these trucks are plagued by transmission issues, and I know for a fact that 2 of the 6 trucks in my work group had transmission failures in the past 90 days.

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Ole Cowboy · Aug 13, 2018

My Chevy truck had over 200,000 mi on it when the speedo broke, it was rated at a half ton and more than once I loaded it down with 35 bail of hay and every bail weighed in at 100 lb+. Yea burned a little oil but I bought that reclaimed oil at .15 cents a quart, suppose I could have rebuilt the old engine but why, ran good. Never replaced anything on it other than the battery.

Sold it for $150 more than I paid for it 20 years later.

Yea, Chev don't make '54's any more...

Dawico · Aug 13, 2018

Texasjack said:
I had a 1500. Got destroyed by a young girl that decided to run a red light. She was very lucky to have survived - and pretty much unhurt except for her pride. I had a lot of miles on that truck - I've forgotten how much. The drive train was very reliable, but it was kind of a dog when trying to pass, despite 8 cylinders. Biggest problem BY FAR was the electrical system. It was a mess from one end to the other. The instrument cluster failed 3 times. (Don't go to the dealership! The instrument cluster fails so often that there are independent guys who can fix it for 1/10 of what the dealer charges.) Radio failed. CD player failed. Lights failed. Lots of power surges. Ate up batteries.

I now have an F-150 and I am much happier. Ford makes the best pickup, with Chevy/GMC running a close second. Toyota isn't bad if you don't mind paying $$$$ for their logo. If someone gave me a Dodge, I'd melt it down and sell the scrap metal to buy a Ford. Nissan used to be OK, but all the rating services say their quality is way down.

I have a '14 F150 and have put 80k miles on it with just one minor issue (small coolant fitting cracked).

Now that I am in a diesel my wife claimed the 150 and probably won't ever give it back or let me get rid of it.

It never towed much and definitely hasn't seen pipeline type miles but I have been very happy with it.

I know the OP doesn't want a Ford but I always recommend people test drive everything before buying, even the ones you don't want. You just never know what you might really like.

Brains · Aug 13, 2018

jetcycles said:
Our pipeline trucks are mostly Chevrolet 1500 crew cab 4x4's, I'm in a 2017 with 30k miles with no issues/complaints. My fleet manager says these trucks are plagued by transmission issues, and I know for a fact that 2 of the 6 trucks in my work group had transmission failures in the past 90 days.

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The new 8 speed auto does in fact have issues, but they're more annoying than outright failures. In a nutshell, the torque converter lockup clutch will shudder on apply, making it feel like the car/truck is driving over rumble strips. Let it go long enough and it'll burnish the clutch plates, requiring a converter replacement. So far GM's fix is to do a triple-flush and change over to a Mobil 1 synthetic transmission fluid, and it appears to be working. For how long, not sure. The transmission itself is incredibly strong, easily handling 800+ horsepower in performance applications.

sidebite252 · Aug 13, 2018

I drove GM pick ups for decades. I loved the way they rode and drove. My last one was a ‘13 GMC with the 5.3 and in my opinion that motor is weak & potentially problematic with the AFM (automatic fuel management.) in my experience it didn’t make a hill of beans in mpg & I’ve read of multiple stories of lifter damage from the AFM. My only advice is if you have one of these GM motors with AFM I would consider disabling the AFM. There is a lot of information out there in regard to this issues.

pronstar · Aug 13, 2018

Dawico said:
I have a '14 F150 and have put 80k miles on it with just one minor issue (small coolant fitting cracked).

Now that I am in a diesel my wife claimed the 150 and probably won't ever give it back or let me get rid of it.

It never towed much and definitely hasn't seen pipeline type miles but I have been very happy with it.

I know the OP doesn't want a Ford but I always recommend people test drive everything before buying, even the ones you don't want. You just never know what you might really like.

I’m just not finding much of anything Ford in my price range.

Auto trader shows (2) certified 4x4 with CPO warranty in the whole country, both with the 5.0...and both with higher miles.

Maybe there’s a reason why the chebbies are so cheap LOL

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rusty tweezers · Aug 13, 2018

Keep the oil changed and they seem to run forever

got a 97 Suburban 1500 5.7 350 engine and never a problem a/c went out at 118.000 and that’s the only problem now at 168.000 miles and purrrrs like a kitten.

pronstar · Aug 13, 2018

rusty tweezers said:
Keep the oil changed and they seem to run forever got a 97 Suburban 1500 5.7 350 engine and never a problem a/c went out at 118.000 and that’s the only problem now at 168.000 miles and purrrrs like a kitten.

Yeah Ive got a 99 Sub, I love that truck.
I didn't love putting a tranny in it recently, but she runs real good.

AC is weak at idle, but works great when air is flowing over the condenser. Its fully charged with no leaks, so just trying to hold off on getting a new compressor...

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Dawico · Aug 13, 2018

pronstar said:
I’m just not finding much of anything Ford in my price range.

Auto trader shows (2) certified 4x4 with CPO warranty in the whole country, both with the 5.0...and both with higher miles.

Maybe there’s a reason why the chebbies are so cheap LOL

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That's surprising. There should be rows of them.

Have you tried a dealership?

I picked up my '14 5.0 4x4 XLT w/ 20k miles in late '15 at a dealership for $30k.

pronstar · Aug 14, 2018

Dawico said:
That's surprising. There should be rows of them.

Have you tried a dealership?

I picked up my '14 5.0 4x4 XLT w/ 20k miles in late '15 at a dealership for $30k.

I see more if I push the budget, but not at the $25k mark

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Dawico · Aug 14, 2018

pronstar said:
I see more if I push the budget, but not at the $25k mark

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Gotcha.

I was just using mine as an example even though it was newer (at the time) and more expensive that what you were searching for.

2 years old seems to be the limit for most dealerships. Older models are auctioned off.

School me on Chevy 1500’s

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