Buying one of the last 2018 Sierras??

[robert.e65]

Hello everyone!

 

I am new to the forum and was hoping the community could help me with my new vehicle search.  

 

I absolutely love the styling, features and capabilities of the 2018 Sierra. I think the SLT trim level with the z71 package would provide the perfect balance of capability and luxurious comfort.   I am all but sold on purchasing one of the last few 2018 models that are still sitting on the dealer lots. 

 

My conundrum comes from the various reviews that call the GM truck's reliability into question. One such prevalent issue is the vibration or "chevy shake" that drivers experience at highway speeds (from my research, an un-balance drive shaft may be the culprit). The other prevalent issue appears to be the hard downshift and "clunks" that may come from the transmission. 

 

On paper, I love everything about the vehicle. I am just apprehensive about making a big investment in something that appears to have frequent issue.

 

Any opinion on this topic is much appreciated!!

 

Thank yall!

[m3n00b]

I absolutely love my 2016.  Only 20k miles but no major issues.  The HMI cable went out and the battery died. No shake.  It's so nice to drive on the highway.

[Imcrazy]

Plenty of trouble free trucks out there.. Mine will hit 47k miles this week and zero issues... Keep in mind, yes you'll get a lower purchase price on the 2018 but, you'll also see lower resale values in 3-5 years from now when you're looking at your next truck..

[elcamino]

^ I agree, you only hear the complainers.  My truck does not shake, my brothers truck does not shake (same just not Denali).  According to a friend who is service advisor, it's not a problem they seen a lot of and most of the times these turn out to be tires.  

[markp1958]

 

 

 

Luxury and comfort does not go with the letters Z71 it has a stiff suspension that is pretty much ready for bigger wheels and tires . My second time around / went from 2017 Silverado z71 to 2018 gmc sierra regular 4x4 ltz (both ended up  lemon buy backs by the way) the sierra was a lot smoother on the road than the stiffer z71 . Yes the clunks are for real even though GM claimed it was my "imagination" I gues the BBB did not agree and I'm about to get rid of my second truck in about 1 years time .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[markp1958]

My Silverado also had the 70- 80 mph shake the flip down seat in the middle up front would vibrate loudly. the sierra was awesome on the highway not sure if the bucket seats were maybe better attached , just sucked badly at slower speeds 

Edited August 1, 2018 by markp1958
added

[BuCrew]

I wouldn't worry about it. One complaint of the shake always outweighs the other 99% of drama free trucks. It didnt even cross my mind when buying my ltz (same as the slt pretty much) 6k miles no issues. I know its not a lot but i've done 4 road trips doing 85 the whole way. Tracks straight as an arrow.

[tstodda]

If the deal is right, go with a 2018 and just give it a nice test drive- get it up to speed to make sure its smooth. For what its worth, I have only read about the shake issue on this forum- I have family/friends/neighbors and they haven't had any shaking.

 

Sure the 2019 will be roomier and have more features (including rear air vents !!!!) but I think the numbers on the 5.3 and 6.2 are very similar in power- that might help the resale of this generation...just my 2 cents.

 

 

[Loco Diablo]

You’re reading about a very small percentage of problematic trucks out of the hundreds of thousands sold each year. Remember that people tend to turn to the internet to vent their issues vs the much higher percentage of happy owners that don’t post success stories.

Like any other new vehicle, test drive the hell out it.

My 2017 Silverado has been trouble free during my first year, 20,000 miles of ownership. Zero problems, zero recalls. Great, comfortable, well performing truck. No regrets whatsoever.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[markp1958]

13 minutes ago, tstodda said:

If the deal is right, go with a 2018 and just give it a nice test drive- get it up to speed to make sure its smooth. For what its worth, I have only read about the shake issue on this forum- I have family/friends/neighbors and they haven't had any shaking.

 

Sure the 2019 will be roomier and have more features (including rear air vents !!!!) but I think the numbers on the 5.3 and 6.2 are very similar in power- that might help the resale of this generation...just my 2 cents.

 

 

Make sure your test drive is around 200 miles or more because they are rigged to run fine off the lot just disquising the problem long enough to get them sold . I brought my 2018 sierra back trying to trade it  w/ 150mi on it after it started acting like the 2017 and the dealership offered me a trade de - value of 34k for a 52k truck with 150 miles on it about a week after I bought it . If you do not like filling out forms and dealing with red tape and a bunch of lying deceiving crooks then you better find another brand . It sucks because my Sierra was / is beautiful with really nice technologies but runs worse than anything I have ever had to bring in to have repaired . I came back onto this site because I wanted to see if there are problems with the 6 cyl. trucks but stay away from the AFM 8 cyls like I said unless you don't mind dealing with lemon law

 

Edited August 1, 2018 by markp1958

[markp1958]

To be clear I bought a 2017 Silverado august of 2017 agreed to let gm repurchase it from me as long as I bought a new gm product . In March 2018 I did the transaction and got this 2018 Sierra as of today they have about 12 more days to cut me a check to buy it back . That's one person 2 lemon trucks in less than a year . I really don't think this is an isolated problem . It's more like they have a design flaw and kept producing the product without fixing it  . That's called greed

[jaxcam02]

Never had any problems with my 2017 5.3 LT. I know at least ten people with a 2014+ GM truck who never had any issues with shakes, vibration or clunks. Most guys in town with LS cars own the trucks as well and I've never heard about any of these complaints until I joined this forum. People with problems are going to come online to try to solve problems and some go a step further and bash the product for their bad luck, which to them is merited. Every manufacturer that produces cars in assembly lines have occasional lemons. That's why every state has lemon laws.

Edited August 1, 2018 by jaxcam02

[mookdoc6]

I gave the salesman a sheet of what I wanted....Told him I don't need to drive one.  If something is wrong I will take it back and you will fix it until it's fixed....or buy it back?  Ok, I will be back in a week!  No problems 63K later

[TripleBGM]

I purchased a 2018 GMC Sierra Crew Cab Premium Plus Package (loaded) Z71 4x4 5.3L about a month ago.  I have 1,500 miles on it so far, no problems.  It's been great.  I got a screaming deal.  $15,000 off the sticker, $40,850.00.  There are some great deals out there.  I'm very happy with the purchase so far.  I looked at, drove and priced all 3 major brands.

[markp1958]

BTW the only time I got a loaner Sierra was during the last "Attempt" to fix my truck (nothing was ever done in 4 trips to the local dealership , remember they said it was in my imagination) the loaner had around 80 miles and drove perfect  by the time I turned it in with around 150 mi it had started all the same exact symptoms  my 2 trucks had . Sorry but I see a pattern here .