Looking to buy Silverado 1500, I need advice

[Michael Witherel]

I am new to Silverados and I do not know much about them.

 

Long story short, I sold my Jeep Wrangler and got a lemon for a car. I got screwed by a car a dealership and my engine ended up blowing in a short time. I managed to come up with $7,500 and I am in the market for a Silverado.

 

I've been finding quite a bit of them with mileage ranging from 160,000-205,000 miles in my price market.

 

My question for you all is: Is 160,000ish miles too much for a truck like this? Also, if I do buy one with that many miles on it, will it still be able to run strong for another 7 or so years?

 

Thanks

[daleone3]

I have 145k on my 06. My buddy has 190k on his Tahoe. The 5.3 is a great set up. Reminiscent of the small block 350. They all have a lower end knock upon start for about 4-5 seconds. Aside from that check for noise and smoke but they can go 260k or more if they have been maintained

 

 

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[daleone3]

Also check the rockers and brake lines. Both prone to rust. Mine is still like new. No surface ride or bubbling or anything like that but brake lines are shot. I have a stainless kit I bought to replace them all for about 240bucks. I would my buy one that has any type of gender flares. They hold water and hide rust. Aside from that they are great. Mine would probably sell at 9500 level since it is clean and technically low mileage for the year. Message me if you have other questions.

 

 

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[Dnt]

There are many many 1500's with over 300k still on the road and doing well. If you do not mind small issues like electrical switches no longer working etc then you can probably do very well with an older high mileage vehicle. It is always a roll of the dice but you can move the odds to your favor by only buying a vehicle that has a complete and good maintenance history. Deferred maintenance or lack of a history is a deal killer for me. When talking about buying used vehicles I am always reminded of the time I was in a small convenience store and a couple of local yokels rolled up in a newer Ford truck. I overheard the conversation these geniuses had been working on the trucks transmission and had stopped to pickup some fluid well the store did not have any so they bought some brake fluid and poured it into the transmission so the stick would show full. They were driving it to the dealership to trade it in......BUYER BEWARE

[diyer2]

Buying used with high miles is a crap shoot IMO.

[NBSFan]

Buying used with high miles is a roll of the dice and no matter how much you spend keep in mind that as with any used car/truck parts wear and age and eventually need replacing. The Silverado is a great truck and as mentioned above there are many on the road and still going strong with 160k miles - higher. If I were you being new to the Silverado I'd read up on the models pro's & con's that way you'll be well informed on what to look for when shopping for 1. A nice, clean, straight body with maint. records is the way to go if you don't like to wrench but there's always something that will need replacing with a high mile truck. Transmission & engine service records is a good place to start. Good Luck !!!!!!

[Nanotech Environmental]

I have 145k on my 06. My buddy has 190k on his Tahoe. The 5.3 is a great set up. Reminiscent of the small block 350. They all have a lower end knock upon start for about 4-5 seconds. Aside from that check for noise and smoke but they can go 260k or more if they have been maintained

 

 

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Not all of them have start-up knock. I also have an 06 with a 5.3. Owned since new, now with 190k miles. Never had startup knock, or any kind of Piston rattle. It sometimes has a bit of a lifter tick nowadays.

The knock/rattle was usually on the earlier ones; 99-03 or 04 for the most part. Haven't heard of it on anything past 07 or 08.

 

To the OP- all stock metal fluid lines are suspect on these trucks; brake, fuel, trans, oil. Smart folks replace them with stainless, or copper/nickel.

Rockers will eventually get holes in them, just like any other brand. Front hubs on the 1/2 ton 4wd versions will typically need replacing every 30-60,000 miles. They're cheap to buy nowadays, so not a big deal like it was in the early days when you could only get them from GM for over $300 each.

The 5.3's are typically bulletproof, but there are odd ones that have things go wrong once the miles rack up.

Transmissions tend to need attention at the 150-200k mark, although some go longer, if they haven't been abused and have had some flushes along the way.

IMO, buy a used one that is a long time one owner. It's probably been a good truck.......

[Ghostrider66620]

i have a 99 swb step w a 327. it has 350000 miles and runs like a top. just keep your oil clean and maintained. itll last to 500000. make sure the transmission operates proper(shifting). check the fuel gauge as soon as you turn the key. most read empty till the truck starts moving. thats just a worn sending unit. check the heater speeds (usually a 30 dollar relay you can change in a few minutes). check rockers and cab corners rear frame cross tube.