Hello, I am looking into buying my first vehicle, and like many other high school students my age, I donīt have a lot of knowledge with cars/trucks. I am pursuing a career on a full time ranch and looking to buy a used 3/4 ton truck. I am hoping to gain some knowledge from this forum about what I should avoid and what to look out for (pros and cons) in GM and Chevy. I have done a little bit of research and have found that many people like the GMC Sierra and the Chevy Silverado. I am hoping I can find something under 100,000 miles and under $10,000. Is there a year (or years) that stood out the best in performance and longevity? I understand that the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado are the same truck give or take a few cosmetic changes over the years. I am open to other makes/models of 3/4 ton trucks, any suggestions are more than welcome.

 

Well, I won't speak about other makes and brands, as I am a fan of Chevrolet's/GM. First thing is what tranny do you want? I like sticks, but it will lose value as most like autos. THen you have the engine. The 5.3 V8 is the most popular engine since 2000. taking the place of the old 5.7/350 V8 retired in 1999, but there are others. Ranching, you'll need a 4.10 ratio axle and make sure the tranny/axle combo will be enough to pull whatever you need to. I would stay away from too many bells and whistles like auto-locks and windows. The dust will eventually cause issue no matter what make you buy. Then do you really need 4 wheel drive? Farmers got by fine with 4x2 pickups when I was young. Even with a 4x4, if you don't have the momentum built up you can still get stuck with a 4x4. If possible I'd stay with a stock floor shifter. Less to go wrong. It may have been rectified on the newer models, but white paint staying put has been an issue with GM/Chevy's for a long time now. I'd pick another color were I you. The forest green metallic paint on my 1998 K-1500 has held up very well, and silver, gold, and black was not an issue with other Chevy's makes I have owned.

 

Try and get the maintenance records of the truck you want to buy if possible. A well maintained truck will last much longer than one that has been abused. After you buy it, make sure that you do the regular maintenance on it.