Truck shopping...
 

I am looking to replace the 04 Suburban [212,000 miles] with a better ride...the rust is winning :smirk:

Been reading a lot about the 99-06 being the best 5.3 motors...and that the newer motors have issues because of AFM..?? Our 03 Tahoe went 365k miles...never an issue.

Interested to hear some thoughts on the subject. I don't mind an older truck, and I know the transmissions are the weak link.

Educate me and then I'll post the 'truck wanted ad'...:scholar:

-wilma

Look for a leaking transfer case, the internal pump would rub against the case and wear a pinhole in the case and leak fluid out.

Probably driving my last GM truck. Now I have a 2015 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4. At 4K miles number 4 cylinder intake lifter failed. Of course fixed under warranty and dealer said no issue with the camshaft. Fast forward 2023 with 100K miles, camshaft failure number 4 intake lobe and lifter. I should have sold it when the lifter first failed but hind sight is 20 20.
Replaced the camshaft n lifters with a BTR kit. $3,000.00 it’s doing fine now. I think the AFM contributes to it but the problem is cheap Chinese parts that GM uses to build their engines.
I read about some kind of lawsuit against GM about this but I’ll never see a penny from it.
F150 will be my next new truck.

looking for new or used?

i just sold my 2018 GMC and picked up a new 24 GMC with the 3.0 inline 6 diesel. getting a little over 23 mpg in the city.

That truck’s gotta be 75,00-80,000 with tax.

2024 GMC / Chevrolet is redesigned and a nice truck, but the Denali 4x4 with diesel pushes it over $100K plus tax. I see them all over the place and wonder how the average Joe can afford a $100K new truck.

Agree, a nice used truck is the way to go now that used car prices are coming back to earth.

I like my 2023 Silverado Tommy. 5.3 with a 10 speed trans that seems to shift well. $59,000. I lease them and if I really like them I buy after lease. Probably keep this one at my age. Runs real well and 18-19 mpg around town. If I head up your way I can get 22 easy on a trip to the Hudson Valley area. I do not tow anything though.

I thought the 2005 or 06 5.3 engines had some internal issue but I can't remember what it was at the moment. I think my cousin had a GMC in that range with problems so I'll ask him what it was.

We have a 2015 Suburban with the 5.3, and what I thought was a lifter down was actually a main bearing or something else deep down, so I had to get a Fraser reman'd 5.3. For about $5300, I got a lifetime warranty as well as some other installation parts for a deal from the owner as I caught him one day on the phone. So far, so good, but still, at 145K I didn't think I would have to replace it. One other item of note is that I had them replace a leaking trans fluid cooling line as one of them had a pin hole in it, but the replacement line set thermostat that's built in went bad on my way from FL to KY and the trans fluid heated up into the 260 range for a bit. I went in and eliminated the thermostat and it's running great now with the trans fluid staying below 170 from PA to FL.

I bought my 2021 Silverado High Country 5.3 when the lease was up. It's been a pretty good truck so far as it has about 40k on it at the moment. Previous to that I was leasing a 2019 Sierra Denali pickup which had the 8 spd auto which I absolutely hated. It seemed to hunt for the right gear on occasion but always at the wrong time like when pulling out or merging into traffic. The 21 Silverado has the 10 spd which is head and shoulders better than the 8 spd drivability-wise. I hear horror stories about the 5.3 DOD motors but I also hear that changing oil at a 3500-5000 mile interval is key to their longevity. Don't know if that's 100% true but I've been changing mine around 3500-4000 miles.

I own a 2024 Silverado regular cab long bed 4 w/d 4 cylinder engine gets 12mpg city driving only options are locking differential, spray on bed liner and the sticker price was 43 and change

Are you wanting a truck or another Suburban type vehicle? I bought this 2024 Chevy High Country with a 6.2L engine 3 or 4 months ago. With 420 hp it has plenty of power to tow a trailer.

Truck Shopping...
 

That's a beautiful truck...too nice for me :tongue:

Looking for a Suburban type vehicle...we have a GMC Sierra pickup.

I have looked a little online...lots of choices out there.

Time to post in the wanted section...thanks for all the input.

-wilma

I had a 2011 Tahoe with the 5.3/6 speed and a lifter went bad around 160k miles. Mobil 1 and frequent changes since new. Cheaper to put a new short block in it than repair the lifter. Replaced it with a 2018 Yukon Denali with the 6.2 and 10 speed - significantly better drivetrain. Have 154k on that now... Knock on wood no drivetrain issues to date. Can't say enough about the 6.2/10 speed combo, gets 21 MPG on highway and plenty of power.

I'd suggest checking out Carmax, a longtime car buddy of mine worked for them for about 10 years. They are picky and typically wholesale vehicles which they don't want to sell on the lot.

Dang, reading the issues with the 2011 5.3, I'm hoping I'm lucky. 2011 Silverado, 135K and same Mobil 1 10-30 syn and Mobil 1 filters every 5-6k. Plan on trailering the Harley to Tucson in January with it...fingers crossed now.
I'm surprised you are getting 21 with the 6.2. I've always heard they are "thirsty". Must be the 10 speed helping that.

Don't know about the 6.2 with 10 speed.

My 06 Yukon XL Denali with 6.0 and 4L65E and full time all wheel drive wouldn't get 20 mpg off a cliff.

14 around town. Don't know what it gets on the highway without anything in tow, as I just don't drive it on the highway unless I am towing.

Likely a moot point since Wilma has decided to go a different route, but, my DD is a Silverado with the 3.0 DuraMax and I get similar city milage. This pix taken after putzing around Yellowstone park for a couple days.
Big block torque at 1,700 rpm. 10 speed trans is silky smooth without the annoying hunt and jerk of AFM 5.3's I've driven. Supposedly the newer DFM engines are smoother??

The ole 6.0s .... the mpg of a BB with the power of a 5.3.

All that changed when they went to direct injection, the 5.3 and 6.2 get roughly the same mpgs albeit you should run premium in a 6.2 with the 11.1:1 compression. Ive owned several of the new 5.3 and 6.2s and can vouch for the mpg claim. The power difference is amazing and I will never go back to a 5.3.

I decided to avoid all the lifter failure issues of the AFM/DOD system by going to an HD with the L8T 6.6L gas.

Man that is a nice truck Derek.

Beautiful truck and killer Camaro. Can you tell us a little more about the '69?

Scratch that, just found your thread on the '69 in the Day Two section, pretty cool!

Thanks!
I never figured I'd buy a new one, but the used truck market has been ridiculous for the last 4 years. My old truck was a 2011 1500 with a 6.2 and Max Towing package. At 200,000 miles and a dozen Minnesota winters, the frame rusted out from the inside-out and I no longer wanted to trust towing my cars behind it.

I started looking in the 30k range at used stuff with 10k or better towing capacity (6.2L 1/2-tons, and any 3/4 or 1-ton) and it was all just as old, just as many miles, and probably not far behind on the rust in this part of the country. 30k for barely an upgrade seemed out of the question to me. 40k trucks were 100-125k miles and 5-7 years old, which is about the time they start to show rust here. Anything 3 years old and 50k miles was over 50k. This one, brand new, was 63k MSRP. More than I ever figured I'd spend on a truck, but it made more sense than spending 80% of that for something that had 1/4 of its best miles behind it, and been through the salt for 3 or 4 winters already. Also, 2024 was the first year of the 10-speed behind the gas 6.6L and got a facelift that looks a lot better than the 2020-2023s. It's not super fancy. Just an LT with only what I deemed worth the cost on options.

I ordered in November, and received it in February.
Since then, the market has cooled a little, and might be a bit more logical to buy used.

Pre-2007 5.3s are definitely the most reliable. Anything with AFM/DFM is prone to lifter failure. If I were buying a new GM 1500 that I planned to keep a long time, I'd get a 3.0L Duramax diesel or a 2.7L 4 cyl turbo.

You might want to investigate where the timing belt is on a 3.0l diesel as it's a 100k maintenance item, if your truly considering keeping one long term

Actually Dustin, the interval on early 3.0's is 150K, extended to 200K on 2023 and newer. By then it's all a crap-shoot anyway. Belt part number is the same for all years..

I've been down the rabbit hole researching this on forums (it's like talking politics!) and decided I'd prefer a scheduled maintenance over a "can fail at any time" (AFM/DFM lifters). I love my Baby Max, traded an Audi S6 for it and never looked back.
I rarely keep anything past 100K anyway. - Bill W :beers:

Out here on the left coast the Chevy truck inventory is way over stocked.A friend just bought a new 24 PU with the Duramax and got 10K off sticker.SUVs here are very tight and pretty much no discount.FWIW,Tom

https://www.duramaxnews.com/post/the...duramax-diesel


$3k to change the belt @ 200k. As a secondary vehicle, that would take me 20+ years to reach and I'd probably be dead...:frown:
I drove my 2011 a couple days ago yo get gas for the lawn tractor and charge the battery from sitting. The oil change sticker indicates I changed it March 16th and it now has 200 miles on it.

Bill, if that truck was White or Blue, I'd say look me up when it's time to pass it on.

Sorry Mitch, paint my trucks any color, as long as it's black...:grin:

Dealers are finally discounting new vehicles. I found the one I posted earlier on Chevrolet.com at a dealership in Kentucky. I got $13k off sticker and they delivered it free to me in South Carolina, 450 miles from the dealer. I negotiated a deal with them on a Thursday afternoon, worked out all the details and got them a cashier's check Friday and they delivered it to me at 8 am Saturday.

That's a nice truck Derek!
If I were looking to replace my 2500 HD I'd look at the 6.6 gasser. One of my friends just traded for his second and says the 10 Spd Allison trans is a game changer behind that engine.
I once chased him up Black Mountain on west bound NC I-40, I'm sure his gasser downshifted a couple but maintained 70-75 no problem.

Just this evening I had a discussion with a friend who is a dealership finance manager saying the same thing. My dealer has three C8's in stock.

Love my Denali Duramax!

I had a '00 Silverado that had about 216k on it when I sold it. The transmission was rebuilt at about 160k, the AC compressor at replaced at about 186k. To me that was pretty good.

I also had a '99 Yukon that was also a very good vehicle. I had to replace the the fuel sending unit in it and had a fuel injector go weak at about 185k.

I still have a '10 Escalade with about 79k on it and it has been great with no AFM issues, Only the folding mirror gear failure and as expected the Magnaride shock replacement.

I also have a '21 HD 2500 Duramax and so far so good with it.

I've never really bought a GM that was nothing but trouble. I find them to be reliable as long as you take care of them, use and work them but don't beat them to death.

Love the trailer. I've been pondering on either an enclosed or an open for my '68 Camaro to take somewhere every once in a while. I just find it hard to justify a high dollar enclosed trailer that may be only used once or twice every couple of years so am leaning towards and open trailer with a rock guard for more practical purposes.

My neighbor is the service-manager at the dealer I bought it from, so I discussed it quite a bit with him before I placed my order. The L8T 6.6L gas are the most trouble-free trucks they sell right now, since there's no turbos, no diesel emission systems, and no AFM lifter problems.

The 10-speed is fantastic. I hope I never have trouble with it after the warranty because I'm sure it's expensive as hell, but I sure am impressed with it so far.

Gas mileage is surprisingly good too when unloaded if you keep under 70mph. I got 17.5mpg driving it to Indianapolis for the 500 and 15.5 coming home into a strong head-wind. Another trip up North I got 18.3 on 60mph back-roads. It's tall and pushes a lot of air, so 75mph drops the mileage to about 13.5.

I'll take the 200k timing belt service over the almost guaranteed lifter failures that come with the 5.3L and 6.2L.

We bought a 2.7T for one of our fleet work trucks in 2022 because we couldn't find a 5.3 anywhere at the time. Before we pulled the trigger I told the Sup't who it was for to go and drive it and left the decision up to him (wait for a 5.3 or go with the 2.7T) because I didn't want to hear about it for the next 7-8 years if he didn't like it. So far so good. He says it actually feels more powerful on the low end than the 5.3.

Well,last night someone’s took my sons 22 2500 Duramax right out in front of his house!People suck,the guys out here have figured out how the steal the code from your fab and transfer it right in front of your house and drive them away!Thieves SUCK.Tom

Been going on for some time now, mostly used to steal Challengers. Once they capture the code and get in, they can reprogram the truck's computer to their fob and drive off with it.

Unfortunately, I doubt he'll ever see it again. That was a professional job with that level of sophistication.