'13 WT - buying tomorrow, school me !!

Kymasabe · December 22, 2018

Howdy all, I'm new to the forum, and new to GM trucks. I've been a Dakota owner for the last 15+ years, but am taking a roadtrip tomorrow to buy a 2013 GMC Sierra 1500 WT, regular cab, short bed, 2WD, 4.3 with auto trans.

Seems like a nice looking truck. I wanted 4.3 or 5.3 liter because both seem to be fairly easy to work on and maintain. But honestly, I know nothing about the motor or the trans. I've been reading reviews online all evening and it seems like everyone hates the 4.3 V6. My truck is going to see some light yard use, and occasionally tow a 3500lb boat. It has to be comfortable to take the occasional 4 hour road trip to visit my daughters, and again, most reviews hate the seats.

So, I'm hoping for some advice from you current owners, please give me a heads up of what are the usual problems with these trucks, should I be looking at anything in particular tomorrow when I go look at this used truck (75k miles by the way), your opinion on the 4.3 motor, and anything else you can think of to share.

By the way, is there a good oil and filter recommendation for these trucks? (For instance, my Ford E250 work van gets only Motorcraft oil and filters, My Cherokee and Grand Cherokee LOVE Chevron Delo semi syn and Napa Gold filters).

School me. Please.