buck1278

Hi, I'm in the market for a "new" truck, and I'm curious about the colorado. I'm just looking for some feedback from people who have owned one. I would be looking at one with 4wd Z71, tow pkg and crew cab. How do people like the 5 cyl engine in these (power/mileage/performance)? I had a 2001 s10 ZR2 and loved it, and I was just wondering how the two compared. I still have not ruled out getting another ZR2 just yet so I'm looking for some info from people who have driven these for a period of time before I go try some of these out for myself since I won't be buying until January or February. Any input would be helpful. Thanks for looking. (I will be searching the site for info for other threads )

EvansBlue

As far as i'm concerned, there is no comparison between the Colorado and the S10. Different engine and completely different ride personality.Totally different. I rate it high though. The Colorado is a great truck.

buck1278

I tried out a couple of colorado's, one w/ a 3.5L, and one w/ a 3.7L engine. They both were pretty quick, but they just didn't seem to have the same jump as the 4.3L in the s10, and the motor seemed to be kind of loud to me. Then again this is an opinion based on a couple of test drives. And the cab seemed kind of cramped, don't know why but the wife got the same impression. Maybe I'm just biased toward the s10 zr2......

danr2013

I bought a new Colorado in may of 2004, 6 years later I'm still rather fond of it (plus it was paid off a long time ago). Anyway I traded in a 2000 S-10 and that was a sweet little truck. It had more acceleration off the line but the Colorado has more oomff for passing on the highway. The 3.5in the Colorado struck me as being extraordinarily smooth. Another thing I noticed is the Colorado has more of a truck ride than the S-10. The turning radius of 4X4's are known for being rather large and the Colorado is no exception. The only problems I've had over the years were a computer problem they finally corrected after 3 or 4 visits to the dealer during the first year. Then the blower resistor something or other went out and was replaced. The passenger side headlight leaked and water condensed inside. I replaced it. The left fog light is gone. I have no idea what happened to it. The wires are there but no light. The tail gate hitch locked up so I couldn't open the tailgate. We found it had rusted a little inside the mechanism. The trailer lights plug got green but I rarely use it anyway. Except for things that wear out like wiper blades or tires etc I haven't had a lot go wrong with it. The only rust I've seen is on the nerf bars and the trailer hitch. The truck itself is perfectly clean. Just a few minor scratches and rock pits here and there but it is 6 years old after all. It's a great truck and I plan on keeping it for a few more years.
My apologies for going on but I like my Colorado.

Liquid Flames

I have no basis for comparison as my 05 Colorado is the only truck I have ever owned. I went through 4 Dodge Neons (don't ask) before getting the Colorado. I also suspect some dealership trickery. The truck was priced extraordinarily cheep. It was on the threshold of being a too-good-to-be-true deal but not quite. It had 56 miles on it when I bought it in December of 05. Well, I have had starting issues (still do.. I suspect Passlock as the culprit), a leaky roof which has totally ruined the carpet, it idles really rough (which the dealer told me is normal but I still dont believe it) and a crazy AC that goes off and on by itself. Kicking the wires under the dash on the passenger side gets the AC back on but thats quite a trick if you are riding by yourself.

The truck runs like a champ, though... if you can get it started. lol. It is really smooth and more roomy than any of my Neons (I know thats not saying much). The gas mileage has been much much better than what I would have expected from a truck. Mine is a manual 4cyl standard cab.. no 4wd... Its a super basic stripped down model.

But, I still suspect this thing was wrecked or fell off a transport or something crazy, put back together, and sold as new because of all the issues I had from the start... especially considering the deal they gave me outta the box with no haggling.

Anyway, I commute about 120 miles a day to/from work/school and its a comfy ride. I enjoy driving this thing. In fact, if I can get the starting issue figured out, I plan to drive it from Florida to Alaska just because I want to take a road trip. I am fully confident it will be comfy enough and hold up for the trip. Also, something I have noticed is EVERYONE who gets in it to ride with me somewhere always comments on how roomy the passenger side is. It's usually something like, "wow, theres a ton of leg room over here for such a small truck." My response is usually, "yeah, everyone says that." lol. Behind the wheel is no different. Very comfy. Sorry I cant tell you about the towing or 4wd anything but I was on a budget when I bought it. lol

matthew@npidirect.com

I traded in my 1998 S-10 with 208,000 glorious miles on it for my Colorado in 2007. Nothing compares to that S-10, a real work horse, still running strong even with all those miles. My Colorado took some getting used to, missed my S-10 for a long time. I haven't worked the Colorado as hard as the S-10, but at 50,000 miles, it's been a great truck and I have no serious complaints so far except the check engine light likes to come on for apparently no reason, I think it's designed to try to get money out of me from the dealer. I have a friend who has a Colorado and he says he puts fuel injector cleaner in the tank when the check engine light comes on and after two tanks, it goes back off, I haven't tried it yet. But, I expect this truck to be as reliable as my S-10 and last me many years and at least 200,000 miles, I would recommend it to anyone. Everyone I know who buys Ford ends up with transmission problems well before 100,000 miles, not the case with a Chevy!

bigbomar

I loved my colorado. The only reason i got rid of it was because the little 4 cylinder could not pull the 8000 pound trailer that I now need to pull. Mine was just a 2 wheel drive so I cant say how the 4wd rides. The ride was extremly rought when I first bought it (this was on south Louisiana roads by the way) but after the springs got broken in it was great. If i could get my new 45k dollar silverado to be that comfortable I would give my left ***. If I did not need the bigger truck that I have now I would buy a new colorado in a second

The only problem I ever had out of my Colorado was that the third brake light on the back of the cab leaked water after the bulb was replaced. A simple seal replacment on the light fixed it.

dtsman

Everything seems OK on my 2007 at 160,000 miles already. Good mileage, even though it is loaded down, nice ride.

But not a comfortable drive from the seat perspective. I don't know if they make a better seat, as I think mine is just the basic 60/40 split seat, and I do alot of driving and my knees are always cramped after a 2+ hour drive. Wished the seat was a few inches higher so I could bend my knees a little more on the long trips.

It is a company supplied truck, and everyone prefers these over the ranger, and the dakota goes through transmissions and timing belts way to quickly, based on our company's fleet experience.

Bo

Jason Stiff

I've had my Colorado ('05) for going on 4 yrs.. It is equipped with the 3.5L,4L60E trans.,4x2 Z85 suspension. It gets descent gas mileage in town, better on highway, but keep in mind I have a lead foot. They only thing I'm not happy with is the drum brakes and poor quality of front rotors. I had upgraded the rotors to slotted and have been happy so far. The motor has good power and durability. But all and all...love my truck and don't plan on selling it.