Should I buy a 13 year old Silverado?

carl1783 · August 27, 2019

Greetings. New to the forum, not new to GM. I've owned several Chevys in the past. 1994 Caprice, 1997 Silverado Ext., 1997 Tahoe, 2006 Trailblazer (my daily), and a 2013 Suburban (wife's daily).

I've been wanting to dump my Trailblazer and get something newish but still paying off the '13 Burb hurts my wallet. My Trailblazer has 170k but has been super reliable. It likes to eat water pumps and thermostats and is starting to nickle and dime me with stuff but it starts up every time.

I found a 2006 Silverado 5.3 4X4 CC for sale with 104k miles that looks very clean. I could buy it cash and not have a payment a newer used truck would cost.

Looking for some buying advice on this year of truck. I skipped the GMT 800 platform in my Chevy ownership train, but this 5.3 is very similar to what's in my 2013 Suburban, minus the AFM?

I dumped my old GMT 400 trucks around the 160k mile mark because ownership really started to get expensive, like steering components, electrical system, and lots of stuff was just worn out and brittle, both inside and under the hood. Hard to spend $2,000 a year when the truck was worth $4,000... Both trucks had the 5.7 Vortec with the 4L60E, however the drivetrain/powertrain on those rigs never gave me much issue outside of standard wear parts. Both trucks were regularly maintained.

So, could I get another 100k out of a 2006 Silverado, trust that it's been well kept up to this point?

Thanks!

DeePa · August 27, 2019

They’re great trucks. Friend of mine with an 04 has over 260k on it.

Id grab it in a heartbeat.

Donstar · August 27, 2019

Welcome to this forum! You will find a lot of useful information on this site. It is easy to advise on a new vehicle purchase but all we can do is guess about the reliability of a used vehicle. Find a mechanic who offers used vehicle inspections and pay for his/her advice. "Clean" is not always a reliable indicator of how long the vehicle will last!

CamGTP · August 27, 2019

If it's rust free it's worth looking at. Parts are relatively cheap for those trucks, it's just the body work that gets really pricey to fix.

muddkatt · August 27, 2019

My 2001 now has 337K miles on it and has never even had the valve covers pulled. You don't say where you are located, but if its in a no salt zone then go for it.

carl1783 · August 27, 2019

1 hour ago, muddkatt said:

My 2001 now has 337K miles on it and has never even had the valve covers pulled. You don't say where you are located, but if its in a no salt zone then go for it.

I live in Idaho. Truck came out of North Idaho. Interestingly enough, we only switched to salt two years ago. Used mag chloride for decades before that. My ‘97 Tahoe had a fair amount of frame rust on it but no body rust problems.

davester · August 28, 2019

I bought an '04 Sierra 3500 cab&chassis 4 years ago, pretty rust free, but engine wasn't running right with 190k km on it, spent a couple grand on some diagnostic software, the full-service manual, various sensors and fuel pumps to get the engine working right again, another $2.5k cdn or so on installing 4wd into the truck, and then replacing bits as they wear out (front steering bits are mostly replaced, UCAs, alternator, water pump, brake lines, PS pump soon). I rebuilt the transmission and transfer case when I installed them (they were from a parts truck I bought), so they only have about 50k km on them, and I'd throw in a used engine if the current one blows up for some reason (and then rebuild the engine and swap the engines again).

I expect I'll run it until it gets totalled in an accident.

I don't look at it as spending $x on a vehicle that is only worth $2x or $3x dollars, it's spending $x dollars a year for a truck vs $4x or $5x dollars in payments on a new truck, or even $2x or $3x on a 5-6 year old truck. And trucks like mine (cab&chassis) don't get sold a lot, until they've been run into the ground.

carl1783 · August 29, 2019

Pics of said truck. Has some kind of lift, not sure what kind. Going to try to see it this weekend. VIN check shows he bought it at a dealer 6 mos. ago for $15k. He’s asking 12k.

davester · August 29, 2019

Well, that's a red flag...who wants to pay $3k to drive a truck for 6 months. It looks nice, but it wouldn't surprise me if you find out it needs something expensive soon after you buy it...

diyer2 · August 29, 2019

IMO

Crap shoot.

I would ask seller directly if there are any problems.

If you find problems, walk.

I would take it for an extensive road test.

Freeway test included for a minimum 10 or so miles.

Check everything.

Get under it and inspect.

Good Luck

:)

carl1783 · August 29, 2019

Also, it was a GM Canada truck. I used to see this quite a bit where I used to live. Dealers buy Canadian trucks at auction then bring them back to the US to make a killing.

Since the truck is long out of warranty, any issues with a Canadian built GM truck besides the possibility of rust?

muddkatt · August 30, 2019

Being down here in Florida, I see a lot of "salt " vehicles from the snowbirds and transplants. First thing I noticed in the photos was the fender flares and the chrome tape . Both are used to hide rust.

I can't help you on the Canadian import info.

greatmizzou · August 30, 2019

My 02 i bought in missouri was built in Canada and I got it brand new off the lot.

He may be underwater financially and is trying to sell it at loss.

honestly its not terribly expensive replacing transmissions or worst case engines in these trucks! Just if you buy it know how much $$$ you need on hand to dump into it.

Colossus · August 30, 2019

They are good trucks. Have a pre-purchase inspection done at a good shop.

Was your 94 caprice a 9C1? (Police Package) or Civi?

carl1783 · August 30, 2019

7 hours ago, Colossus said:

They are good trucks. Have a pre-purchase inspection done at a good shop.

Was your 94 caprice a 9C1? (Police Package) or Civi?

9C1 with the LT1.

Here she is back in about 2004-2005ish.