New used truck

[Inthehollow]

I am in the market for a used truck 05 - 08 looking at ford or chevy this is not a question of which is better just if there is a certian year that is a problem that a guy should stay a way from. thanks Bret

[Jeremy airjer W]

All 2005 to 2008 Chevrolets. Remember this company was going bankrupted. Quality was not high on the priority list!

The ford you'll only have to deal with spark plugs flying out of the head or breaking off in the head (depending on the motor), Corroded fuel pump controllers, and a serious lack of horsepower.

[BoxMN]

My brother has a 07 chev silverado with 5.3. Great truck, rides great, mileage great, no noticables....other than a biggie... it drinks oil. He is working with the dealer shop to document everything, but he brings it in every 1k miles to have THEM check and add oil, and it is at about 1+ quart in 1k miles.... Other than that (heh!) it is a great truck, 16 mpg towing a decent sized boat, and up to 22 mpg driving nicely, and rides awesome. Hopefully he will get a new engine out of it eventually, with the shop documenting the problems. Since they are doing this,I would imagine it is not the first one, and probably many many... Good luck.

Oh yeah, the instrument clusters in '05 (+ or -) vintage Chevs go bad. My 05 Trailblazer (luckily in warranty) went bad and my daughters 06 Trailblazer and sons 05 Silverado are both going bad right now.

[Inthehollow]

thanks guys. Box I know a guy that has the same problem on his work truck 07 sips oil I will remember that I now wonder if it is all of them. Airjer what are your recomendation on a truck just curious.

[Macgyver55]

Where I used to work we usually had 50 or more of them at any one time and rarely did we have one with that high of consumption.

Not to say it cant/wont happen but its certainly not the norm. It can and does happen to any brand motor.

I once purchased a vehicle at a rock bottom price because it was using a quart of oil in 200 miles with no apparent leaks. (I assumed it would need a rebuild) After doing some investigating, I found it was nothing more than a blown intake gasket near the EGR valve, causing it to suck crankcase vapors into the intake. A 20 dollar intake set and it used little or no oil between changes after the repair.

[1968]

They both suck in one way or another. Pop bottles have to recycled in to something...

Just pick what color you like. No matter what, have it checked out before buying.

[caseymcq]

Ford, Chevy, Dodge, Toyota, Nissan, Mini Cooper... they all burn fuel, wear out tires, need oil changes, and catch bugs with the grills...

You are in for it no matter which you choose...

But with that said... I have a 2004 GMC Sierra (same difference as a Chev, just better looking ). I don't know which year GM fixed the intermediate steering shaft bushing problem but that is something you may want to consider. I paid to have mine "updated", if you can find a truck that has been "updated" or never had the problem to begin with, that is one less headache.

I also had one of those nice instrument clusters that went bad. It would go up... but wouldn't come back down.

I was actually only going 55 mph. I got that fixed under warranty... might be something to consider.

I have had to replace two O2 sensors in 90K, there are six total. I think those may be a common issue for +/- that year.

Other than that, I love the truck. It is an SLT so I have heated seats, 6-disc changer, OnStar (which was nice when we had Verizon because I added the phone in the truck as another line for $10/month and made a lot of calls with that), two drivers memories (seat, outside mirrors, radio and climate controls set for whoever was driving). I have a 17' Alumacraft and the truck pulls that very well.

Good luck on your search for a new truck.

[Macgyver55]

I have had to replace two O2 sensors in 90K, there are six total.

Strange, I'm only aware of 4........ but who's counting

[caseymcq]

I was told six by the dealership

Maybe they'll replace six for me

[Jeremy airjer W]

there are only four

[brian6715]

If you get a Ford make sure the plugs have been changed recently or do not need changing any time soon. I think they had the plug breaking off issue from 2005-2007, correct me if I am wrong?

I have had experience with both. To me, with the chevy you get a more refined interior; the fords seem cheaper and seem to have more of a "plastic" feel. The chevy seems to have better power and gas mileage. Towing a boat doesn't effect a chevy (in both engine work and gas mileage) as much as it does a ford, IMO. This is just my experience, dealing with an '05 Ford and an '02 Chevy.

The Fords might be slightly more reliable. Chevy has had fuel pump issues and various other small things that can be rather spendy.

[caseymcq]

there are only four

Well, I had them remove the restrictor plate, bore the muffler bearings .030 over, change out the blinker fluid for a synthetic blend, replace the injector chain with a chloror-fluro-titanium alloy so they had to add two more O2 sensors mid-stream (to compensate for the two upstream and two downstream that came stock).

[Jeremy airjer W]

Well, I had them remove the restrictor plate, bore the muffler bearings .030 over, change out the blinker fluid for a synthetic blend, replace the injector chain with a chloror-fluro-titanium alloy so they had to add two more O2 sensors mid-stream (to compensate for the two upstream and two downstream that came stock).

You only have to add two more if you recalibrate your electron transfer unit to accommodate a 2 over thrust module. But even then, if you don't re-spool the combo conduits the energy transfer unit will never be able to keep up with the waste deportation housing.

[pikebaybum]

lol! i dont care who you are,thats funny stuff!

[caseymcq]

... But even then, if you don't re-spool the combo conduits the energy transfer unit will never be able to keep up with the waste deportation housing.

Thanks for mentioning that. I was worried I was going to have to drop the bed pan housing and replace the intake manifold shaft but I think it will run like a top if I go with what your advice.

[Macgyver55]

If you are going to do all that stuff you may as well go all the way and throw in a high performance oversized hyper-magnification spark injection system with a titanium underdive unit with the optional rear mounted outer-cooler.

Top that off with a set of fake hood scoops and a rear spoiler for some added downforce and you are ready to rock and roll.

[1968]

If you want to go all out, here's what you need.

[BoxMN]

I did all that Mac, and it worked! Cause my mechanic buddy called all his friends to come over and look at my cool truck and how smart I was to put in the add-ons. They all came over and drank beer and had fun passing the invoice around, I think they were jealous cause every time they looked at me they tried to hide their faces when they were laughing I steel feel pretty proud, after all, I have one kick but truck now!.... still paying though, but the guys said it was lifetime warranty on all those parts, so I ain't worried.

[harvey lee]

I have a 06 Chev pu and its now up to 158,000 miles. This truck has been a gem. For mileage with the 5.3, 20 on the hwy if I drive the speed limit and approx 15 towing my 16.5ft Lund.

I would purchase another in a heartbeat. No oil usage either.

[Walleye Guy]

BoxMN-I have a 2007 GMC SLT Crew Cab with the 5.3 L that has the engine that drops 8 to 4 cylinder. Its been a great truck... The original set of tires lasted 74,000 miles and I have not had to do a brake job yet. Plus the truck gets great has mileage. 20+ mph on the highway. Plenty of power to pull an 18 ft boat. However I had the oil consumption issue you mentioned.

Suburban Chevrolet in Eden Prairie monitored the oil consumption problem and put a new engine in at 68,000 miles. I was told there was faulty machining of the block that caused the oil problem. I have 77,000 miles on the truck now and it has not burned any oil since the engine replacement. If there are quality issue above the oil consumption problem I have not experienced them. Besides routine maintenance I haven't put a dime into the truck.

[LMITOUT]

All 2005 to 2008 Chevrolets. Remember this company was going bankrupted. Quality was not high on the priority list!

2006 Chevy here and couldn't be happier.

[Jeremy airjer W]

Fake hood scoops for simulated ram air induction, I like it!

[Eric Wettschreck]

Take a couple one pound propane tanks, paint NOX on them, run a garden hose from the tanks to the fake ram air intake and you'll be hittin under 10's in the quarter mile.

Dont forget to replace the summer air in the tires with winter air.

As far as trucks go.....Grrrrrr I kinda hate to say this but if I were in the market for a new used truck I'd be looking at the Toyotas, also. My father in law has a 2000 Tundra and It's a pretty nice pickup.

But I'm not in the market. My 89 rusty but trusty chev gets me there, when it starts, and the tranny isn't burnt out, and it's been plugged in, and the tires have actual air in them.

[Jeremy airjer W]

You running nitrous? Nope, Propane! It would be the Hank Hill performance dream car!

Dont forget to replace the summer air in the tires with winter air.

There is some truth to that. In the winter tires pressures drop because of the colder temps. About 1 psi for every 10 degrees of temperature change. In the fall and early winter all we do is add air in tires. It gets to the point where its just ridiculous and you checking air pressure in somebodies car every 5 minutes.

In the spring and early summer the temps warm up. Guess what happens to the winter air in your tires. Yup, the warmer temps have left all those tires that we filled in the winter over inflated so know all we do is let air out if the tires for the next couple of months and then the cycle repeats!

[ottertailguy]

Just traded in 2005 Chevy 4x4 K1500 5.3 with 103000 miles for a new Tundra 4x4 DC with 5.7. The following repairs were made on the Chevy before 100,000 miles

Transmission gasket replaced

Transmission cooling lines replaced

Both front axle seals

1 coil

4 wheel drive switch

air bag sensor

Steering shaft replaced

Lights out on the radio and steering wheel buttons

The good news was it didn't burn any oil, instrument cluster didn't go out yet, brake pads were still good and the trade in value was pretty good. I just didn't have faith in it to keep it another 100,000 miles. In my view it's after 100,000 miles repairs, not maintenance, should start.