Upgrading To A 2008 Silverado 1500 - Advice

[jsmmao]

Hello All - First time joining this forum, but have read many posts in the past. I am in the market for a Chevy Silverado 1500. I have contemplated purchasing new and some used. For my needs (weekend/work truck) I decided to go with used and have several options in front of me. I narrowed it down to one, that I went and test drove today. Here are the Specs:

 

2008 Chevrolet Silverado

Trim: WT

Engine: V6

Trans: Auto

DT: 4x2

Mileage: 63k

 

The tires have about 50% tread left and the brakes might need some replacement soon. The seller is asking $9,500 for this truck, which is well below KBB. I was just curious if any of ya'll had any advice or suggestions. Is this a good deal? or am I better off looking for one with lower miles? It does have the remaining balance of the factory warranty. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Thanks!

[Austin83]

First off, get a carfax. Granted, they sometimes don't show everything, but they are worth the 20 or 30 bucks. How many miles do you anticipate putting on it per year? How well was the truck maintained (oil changes, tranny service, etc.)? Are the 63,000 miles mostly highway, or was it pulling trailers in a stop and go environment? You can tell a lot about a vehicle by how well the owner took care of it. Things that alarm me when I'm looking at vehicles: leaks, neglected service schedules, uneven tire wear, tires that haven't been rotated, and a filthy interior. Many of those listed problems are easy to fix, but it tells a lot about the owner's attitude and possibly a window into the future of that vehicle. Good luck, and welcome to the forum.

[jsmmao]

How many miles do you anticipate putting on it per year? How well was the truck maintained (oil changes, tranny service, etc.)? Are the 63,000 miles mostly highway, or was it pulling trailers in a stop and go environment? You can tell a lot about a vehicle by how well the owner took care of it. Things that alarm me when I'm looking at vehicles: leaks, neglected service schedules, uneven tire wear, tires that haven't been rotated, and a filthy interior. Many of those listed problems are easy to fix, but it tells a lot about the owner. Good luck.

 

Thanks for your quick response! I plan on doing approx 10k-15k per year on it. The truck was well maintained. Oil changes every 3k, and the truck was used mostly on a farm as a work truck. I don't believe it has done much towing, but that is an excellent question! - Thanks. The interior is spotless and so is the exterior. I will also check the tires..that is a good idea as well! Thanks for your input, I appreciate it!

 

Also - got the carfax - doesnt give me much other than it was a 1 owner vehicle and the title report days..does reassure that it was not in any accidents (at least reported accidents). I checked the frame and some basics under the hood to see if anything was replaced, but it didnt look like it..

 

Thanks again!

[Austin83]

Your welcome, I forgot to add, make sure it hasn't been in a wreck. Check the paint at different angles to see if you can spot a panel that was repainted. Open up the hood and look at bolts for the fenders and other parts to see if they look different (paint chipped around them, painted vs. non painted, and look for dented corners on the hood or fenders. Look for overspray or different gaps between fenders and doors. A second paint job will never be as good as a factory paint job so imperfections can be found. Good looking truck.

[Stevens03]

Welcome

[Austin83]

Just FYI for those carfax users. I had a F150 that I wrecked that had slight frame damage and body damage. The truck was not totalled and I had it fixed at a Ford dealership. I ran a carfax on it before I sold it, and it came back perfect and showed no accidents or any service records. I told the family who bought my truck all about the damage and the wreck. Now the carfax on my current truck shows everything from warranty work to inspections.

[cghbuilder86]

An '08 with a v6? hmm...

[mike94silverado]

nothing wrong with the v6. find that truck with a v8 and pay at least 3k more. If you have no need for the 8 save the $$$$ looks like a nice truck!

[Austin83]

nothing wrong with the v6. find that truck with a v8 and pay at least 3k more. If you have no need for the 8 save the $$$$ looks like a nice truck!

 

+1

[mecmar44]

In most states unless the total for damage is above 3000 it is not reported to carfax.

[jsmmao]

Thank you all for your advice. V6 suits my needs and I think it will give a little better mpg on top of the savings over the V8.. I think I am going to pick it up tomorrow morning..Extremely excited!!!

 

Thanks again!

[ujtruck]

V6? you will loose Fun and Boasting factor

[Austin83]

In most states unless the total for damage is above 3000 it is not reported to carfax.

 

I had over $7,000 worth of damage.

[jsmmao]

V6? you will loose Fun and Boasting factor

 

I agree with you there..do you know if there are any other negatives of the v6 compared to v8? Is it more strain on the engine for the truck? Are they less reliable? At most, I will be towing a quad..

 

Thanks

[Austin83]

V6? you will loose Fun and Boasting factor

 

I agree with you there..do you know if there are any other negatives of the v6 compared to v8? Is it more strain on the engine for the truck? Are they less reliable? At most, I will be towing a quad..

 

Thanks

 

 

Truthfully, the MPG numbers are the same. Check out www.fueleconomy.gov for exact numbers. I could be totally wrong on this since I have never owned a V6, but I've always thought that a V6 works a little harder in a full size truck (depending on what you are doing). This causes lower than expected MPG for a six cylinder engine. If this V6 fits your bill and what you want to do then go for it.