Planning on joining the Silverado lineup, got some questions!
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Planning on joining the Silverado lineup, got some questions!
Hey all, Names Ben.
So I'm planning on getting myself a Silverado. I was a Jeeper but I can't keep up with the repairs those things need on a day to day basis. I have a couple questions regarding the Silverados and hopefully I can get them answered.
My old wrangler was a fun toy to sink a ton of money into, but lately its just been a pain to keep running correctly. I'm finally on the road to upgrading to something that's a little better on gas, can actually carry some stuff in it and won't cost an arm and a leg to maintain.
So why Chevy? I've seen all that the big 4 has to offer and I can say that Chevy seems to have the least amount of glitches. Ford is just....Ford. We own a couple of those within the family and they are constantly needing work. GMC isn't much better and Dodge's, although strong and pretty reliable, seem to rot out the quickest which is a big deal living here in the Northeast. My Father is one that has owned all the different brands, and he says his 2011 Silverado is the best one so far, I figure I would give it try.
What I'm planning on getting:
Right now I'm looking at a 2007 Silverado, and that's about as much info as I have. I've taken out a $10,000 loan to pay for a new vehicle, and I'm having one of our locally owned shops bid on one via auction. I'm doing that because if he finds one, he warrantys it. I've used him in the past and I've always gotten pretty good vehicles from him. My original goal was something beteween 04 to 06 because I like the body style of those, but my vehicle loan won't be approved for anything that old so my new goal is currently an 07 Silverado, and I'm not being pickey at all about a 1500, 2500, extended cab, crew cab, bed size, etc. Whatever he finds I'll more than likely be happy with. I will probably have some money left over on the loan if he can find one for the right price so I'll either put that into some upgraded LED headlights or put it into savings. I'll be eventually selling my old Jeep so I'll be able to pay off a huge chunk of the loan that way as well.
What I plan on using it for:
Light duty work for the most part. I work construction so I'll be making the occasional lumber and supply run but nothing over the top. I may tow a trailer from site to site every once in a while. We do have a small John Deere tractor that I could tow, but we don't have a flatbed trailer for it and we don't plan on getting one for it. I also work for our local FD and most of our responses are done Via POV because its a small town. Typically after a building fire or similar scale incident we use our own vehicles to haul the tools and hose back to the station for cleaning so where not putting the dirty, contaminated equipment into the cab of the trucks.
If I've done my research right, then a 1500 should be find for all of that. I'm not planning on hauling any 5th wheels or anything. Other than work, I'll be using it as my commuter back and forth between collage which is about an hours drive each way once a week.
As far as what I wan't to do to the truck for looks and accessories, my plan is simply a backrack, bed rails, toolbox and maybe a pushbar for the front to protect the front end from the occasional black ice incident. I don't plan on adding lifts or full size steel bumpers (although I would like to) anytime soon until its paid for.
What are my questions:
So I hear that the #1 complaint with the 07's and many other model Silverados is a plague of heavy oil consumption that has some people replacing the motor. I can't seem to get a lot of info on what potential fixes for that issue is, nor can I find any info on if its model specific. I keep seeing the 5.3L V8 as the engine that gets brought up the most. Is that the engine that has the oil issues? Or is it any of the engines they put in the 07's? Seeing as the 08's are not much better with the reports of the oil consumption issue, and I can't afford anything newer than that, and the bank won't approve a loan of any vehicle older than a 07, if I'm going with Chevy I should probably put this on my "expected problems to run into" list.
Other than the oil issue I've read about, are there any other major problems with the 07's that I should be informed about? Is there a "trim package" I should lean more toward?
Second question is how do they hold up to abuse? I don't plan on going offroad or wheeling in the woods with this truck, but it will be driven throughout some backwoods mountain roads since where a mountain town. Also using it for responding to callouts for the FD will pretty frequent. So lots of hill climb & lots of accelerating.
That's about all I have for questions at the moment. Hopefully I should have my *** in a new truck in about another week or so! Looking forward to it!
So I'm planning on getting myself a Silverado. I was a Jeeper but I can't keep up with the repairs those things need on a day to day basis. I have a couple questions regarding the Silverados and hopefully I can get them answered.
My old wrangler was a fun toy to sink a ton of money into, but lately its just been a pain to keep running correctly. I'm finally on the road to upgrading to something that's a little better on gas, can actually carry some stuff in it and won't cost an arm and a leg to maintain.
So why Chevy? I've seen all that the big 4 has to offer and I can say that Chevy seems to have the least amount of glitches. Ford is just....Ford. We own a couple of those within the family and they are constantly needing work. GMC isn't much better and Dodge's, although strong and pretty reliable, seem to rot out the quickest which is a big deal living here in the Northeast. My Father is one that has owned all the different brands, and he says his 2011 Silverado is the best one so far, I figure I would give it try.
What I'm planning on getting:
Right now I'm looking at a 2007 Silverado, and that's about as much info as I have. I've taken out a $10,000 loan to pay for a new vehicle, and I'm having one of our locally owned shops bid on one via auction. I'm doing that because if he finds one, he warrantys it. I've used him in the past and I've always gotten pretty good vehicles from him. My original goal was something beteween 04 to 06 because I like the body style of those, but my vehicle loan won't be approved for anything that old so my new goal is currently an 07 Silverado, and I'm not being pickey at all about a 1500, 2500, extended cab, crew cab, bed size, etc. Whatever he finds I'll more than likely be happy with. I will probably have some money left over on the loan if he can find one for the right price so I'll either put that into some upgraded LED headlights or put it into savings. I'll be eventually selling my old Jeep so I'll be able to pay off a huge chunk of the loan that way as well.
What I plan on using it for:
Light duty work for the most part. I work construction so I'll be making the occasional lumber and supply run but nothing over the top. I may tow a trailer from site to site every once in a while. We do have a small John Deere tractor that I could tow, but we don't have a flatbed trailer for it and we don't plan on getting one for it. I also work for our local FD and most of our responses are done Via POV because its a small town. Typically after a building fire or similar scale incident we use our own vehicles to haul the tools and hose back to the station for cleaning so where not putting the dirty, contaminated equipment into the cab of the trucks.
If I've done my research right, then a 1500 should be find for all of that. I'm not planning on hauling any 5th wheels or anything. Other than work, I'll be using it as my commuter back and forth between collage which is about an hours drive each way once a week.
As far as what I wan't to do to the truck for looks and accessories, my plan is simply a backrack, bed rails, toolbox and maybe a pushbar for the front to protect the front end from the occasional black ice incident. I don't plan on adding lifts or full size steel bumpers (although I would like to) anytime soon until its paid for.
What are my questions:
So I hear that the #1 complaint with the 07's and many other model Silverados is a plague of heavy oil consumption that has some people replacing the motor. I can't seem to get a lot of info on what potential fixes for that issue is, nor can I find any info on if its model specific. I keep seeing the 5.3L V8 as the engine that gets brought up the most. Is that the engine that has the oil issues? Or is it any of the engines they put in the 07's? Seeing as the 08's are not much better with the reports of the oil consumption issue, and I can't afford anything newer than that, and the bank won't approve a loan of any vehicle older than a 07, if I'm going with Chevy I should probably put this on my "expected problems to run into" list.
Other than the oil issue I've read about, are there any other major problems with the 07's that I should be informed about? Is there a "trim package" I should lean more toward?
Second question is how do they hold up to abuse? I don't plan on going offroad or wheeling in the woods with this truck, but it will be driven throughout some backwoods mountain roads since where a mountain town. Also using it for responding to callouts for the FD will pretty frequent. So lots of hill climb & lots of accelerating.
That's about all I have for questions at the moment. Hopefully I should have my *** in a new truck in about another week or so! Looking forward to it!
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 997
Likes: 21
From: SE MI
Agree with tech2. Both my trucks are not AFM trucks.
I'd also be leery of 2007 (assuming you're not talking about the '07 classic). 2007 was the first year of the GMT900 platform, and they've tended to have a few more problems than the subsequent years.
My '08 Suburban 2500 with the 6.0 has been an awesome truck. Bought it with 100k miles , and I've put 55k more on it in three years. I drive it hard, tow heavy trailers all over the country, and just generally beat the snot out of it. I've spent exactly $23 in repairs on it (purge valve solenoid).
I'd also be leery of 2007 (assuming you're not talking about the '07 classic). 2007 was the first year of the GMT900 platform, and they've tended to have a few more problems than the subsequent years.
My '08 Suburban 2500 with the 6.0 has been an awesome truck. Bought it with 100k miles , and I've put 55k more on it in three years. I drive it hard, tow heavy trailers all over the country, and just generally beat the snot out of it. I've spent exactly $23 in repairs on it (purge valve solenoid).