Would You Buy The Same Truck Again?

[Transient]

Just curious. If something happened where you need to replace your truck, such as getting totaled in an accident or natural disaster, would you buy your truck again? What would you do differently, such as engine, trim level, etc? If you wouldn't buy it again, what would you replace it with, and why?

I'll go first. No. It's more truck than I need. The initial goal was to buy a travel trailer big enough for the whole family, but COVID and the subsequent inflation priced me out of that. Now that the kids are getting older the prospect of going on family camping/glamping trips is out. That means I soon won't need as big of a trailer, too. I'd downsize to a Canyon AT4X, possibly with all the AEV goodies. I'm not a fan of a turbo 4-cylinder, but everybody except Nissan are going that route. I don't want the Nissan. The Silverado can be difficult to park, especially in places like Southern California where all the parking spots are as small as the Toyota Prius. Parking spots are bigger in Western Florida (aka Lower Alabama), but I move every 3 years and ending up back in a larger city with tiny parking spots is always a possibility. If, and only if, I did opt to go with a Silverado again I'd likely go with the Duramax. The 6.2 has been a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed having it, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to reduce expenses and the cost per dollar for driving the 6.2 is higher than the Duramax.

 

[2KWIK2C]

I'd replace with it with the exact same truck and put the same $25K plus into it. Wouldn't even think twice on it. Only thing I'd option out would be upgraded side mirrors and instead of just the front clear wrapped I'd do the whole truck right off the lot. Love my truck!!!

 

[Retoxtony]

No. I’d probably replace it with a high country or maybe a loaded RST and then add a small lift to it. Maybe an GMC AT4. And I’d get a long bed. Not sure if I’d get the diesel again either. I like the fuel mileage and it has decent power but I’ve been having random issues related to the DEF and it drives me nuts.

I do like my truck but I definitely don’t love it. Lots of small issues that the dealer can never replicate so they ignore.

 

[sbbobb]

Just curious. If something happened where you need to replace your truck, such as getting totaled in an accident or natural disaster, would you buy your truck again? What would you do differently, such as engine, trim level, etc? If you wouldn't buy it again, what would you replace it with, and why?

I'll go first. No. It's more truck than I need. The initial goal was to buy a travel trailer big enough for the whole family, but COVID and the subsequent inflation priced me out of that. Now that the kids are getting older the prospect of going on family camping/glamping trips is out. That means I soon won't need as big of a trailer, too. I'd downsize to a Canyon AT4X, possibly with all the AEV goodies. I'm not a fan of a turbo 4-cylinder, but everybody except Nissan are going that route. I don't want the Nissan. The Silverado can be difficult to park, especially in places like Southern California where all the parking spots are as small as the Toyota Prius. Parking spots are bigger in Western Florida (aka Lower Alabama), but I move every 3 years and ending up back in a larger city with tiny parking spots is always a possibility. If, and only if, I did opt to go with a Silverado again I'd likely go with the Duramax. The 6.2 has been a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed having it, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to reduce expenses and the cost per dollar for driving the 6.2 is higher than the Duramax.

No, I really need a front camera for parking, would choose any different color than black and would cough out more $ for cross traffic mirror warning. Cant afford a 1500 ZR2, so maybe a Colorado.

 

[Jmzvet]

I definitely would. I got mine in Dec 2020 before the prices got crazy. 25K miles. Zero problems

 

[andrwgrcia]

Probably not. Our local dealership is a Chevy dealer, so that is what we drive (Tahoe, TB and Traverse). Mine is a ‘21 and has ~25k miles on it, I plan to pass it to one of my children when they get to that age in 3 & 4 years. The other will get the Tahoe (we lease the Traverses which start to fall apart around 40k miles).

If I get another Silverado 1500 will likely be a LT and I will just make it what I want (3.5” suspension lift, 35’s, low profile bumpers) and not waste the money on the factory upgrades. But, if it were not for the circumstances of supporting the local dealership, I would probably look beyond Chevy if I did another pickup. Ford and Dodge are making much more compelling offerings with the Raptor and TRX, and Toyota has a much more robust aftermarket ecosystem. Speaking about Toyota, my first car was a 1986 FJ62 LC I took over from my parents. Their most recent refresh looks pretty interesting (other than the hybrid powertrain), maybe by the time the kids can drive I will be ready to try that.

Until then there is lots to do and fun to be had with my current truck.

PS: FS&G I priced out what I think I would purchase for a Silverado today: 5.3L 10spd RST, cloth bucket seats (cloth is underrated, especially in cold weather), park assist, etc. Comes to about $70k before day 1 lift, tires, retrax, and other mods. I paid $56k for my vehicle, and other than park assist / front camera, really no option I feel lacking from my current ride.

 

[Transient]

Probably not. Our local dealership is a Chevy dealer, so that is what we drive (Tahoe, TB and Traverse). Mine is a ‘21 and has ~25k miles on it, I plan to pass it to one of my children when they get to that age in 3 & 4 years. The other will get the Tahoe (we lease the Traverses which start to fall apart around 40k miles).

If I get another Silverado 1500 will likely be a LT and I will just make it what I want (3.5” suspension lift, 35’s, low profile bumpers) and not waste the money on the factory upgrades. But, if it were not for the circumstances of supporting the local dealership, I would probably look beyond Chevy if I did another pickup. Ford and Dodge are making much more compelling offerings with the Raptor and TRX, and Toyota has a much more robust aftermarket ecosystem. Speaking about Toyota, my first car was a 1986 FJ62 LC I took over from my parents. Their most recent refresh looks pretty interesting (other than the hybrid powertrain), maybe by the time the kids can drive I will be ready to try that.

Until then there is lots to do and fun to be had with my current truck.

PS: FS&G I priced out what I think I would purchase for a Silverado today: 5.3L 10spd RST, cloth bucket seats (cloth is underrated, especially in cold weather), park assist, etc. Comes to about $70k before day 1 lift, tires, retrax, and other mods. I paid $56k for my vehicle, and other than park assist / front camera, really no option I feel lacking from my current ride.

TRX is dead. RaptoR is likely following soon due to stricter emissions standards. Iirc, there was a push from the feds to make over 50% of all new car sales be EV in about 5 years. The feds can't control the consumer, but they can make the manufacturers lives a nightmare.

 

[PMW_fab]

I'd for sure buy the same truck or AT4, but would get the 6.2 instead of the 5.3, no particular reason I'm just a gear head.

 

[clstark7]

Just curious. If something happened where you need to replace your truck, such as getting totaled in an accident or natural disaster, would you buy your truck again? What would you do differently, such as engine, trim level, etc? If you wouldn't buy it again, what would you replace it with, and why?

I'll go first. No. It's more truck than I need. The initial goal was to buy a travel trailer big enough for the whole family, but COVID and the subsequent inflation priced me out of that. Now that the kids are getting older the prospect of going on family camping/glamping trips is out. That means I soon won't need as big of a trailer, too. I'd downsize to a Canyon AT4X, possibly with all the AEV goodies. I'm not a fan of a turbo 4-cylinder, but everybody except Nissan are going that route. I don't want the Nissan. The Silverado can be difficult to park, especially in places like Southern California where all the parking spots are as small as the Toyota Prius. Parking spots are bigger in Western Florida (aka Lower Alabama), but I move every 3 years and ending up back in a larger city with tiny parking spots is always a possibility. If, and only if, I did opt to go with a Silverado again I'd likely go with the Duramax. The 6.2 has been a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed having it, but I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to reduce expenses and the cost per dollar for driving the 6.2 is higher than the Duramax.

GM just invested nearly a billion dollars into revamping their current lineup of gas V8's, so they aren't going anywhere. Article below. I would also highly suggest that you review the dependability facts that are out there. Chevrolet continues to lead in that department over Ford and Ram, even Nissan.

Site Maintenance

 

[mrcolieman]

That's a good question... short answer is yes, I would do it again.
I feel like I got a lot of truck for the money when I bought my Trail Boss Custom in November of 2019. Shadow gray metallic, 5.3 with AFM, 6L80 trans/3.42 diff gears, custom convenience package/apple car play, trailering package and sticker price of $46K. I worked with a broker who traded the dealer for the exact truck I was looking at on line. I signed papers and picked it up 20 minutes from my house with no hassle.

We've had some great adventures in it and look forward to many more. If it were to be totaled and gone I'd have to see whats available out there used. And in the meantime we've got a 1970 C10 long bed 350/350 for a cruiser and a 1971 VW bus low on Fuchs for a grocery getter (and a Wrangler Willys, Tacoma TRD off road and Jetta s but those aren't as fun) so i wouldn't be transportation less while I had to decide! I've always liked the 88-91 Suburbans lifted on 35s...

 

[Transient]

GM just invested nearly a billion dollars into revamping their current lineup of gas V8's, so they aren't going anywhere. Article below. I would also highly suggest that you review the dependability facts that are out there. Chevrolet continues to lead in that department over Ford and Ram, even Nissan.

Site Maintenance

View attachment 8479

I'm not sure where this is going as I didn't say anything against GM or V8s in the post you quoted. I also didn't say anything against GM reliability. The only thing unfavorable I did state was that I bought too much truck for what I need, and would go with a midsized GM if I needed to replace my Silverado.

 

[The Raven]

But, if it were not for the circumstances of supporting the local dealership, I would probably look beyond Chevy if I did another pickup. Ford and Dodge are making much more compelling offerings with the Raptor and TRX, and Toyota has a much more robust aftermarket ecosystem. Speaking about Toyota, my first car was a 1986 FJ62 LC I took over from my parents. Their most recent refresh looks pretty interesting (other than the hybrid powertrain), maybe by the time the kids can drive I will be ready to try that.

I quoted this because it's a great partner to my story - I would buy the exact same truck again (literally - not a refresh, i'd go find another super clean low-mile pre-refresh truck)...and not because I think the Silverado is fantastic...I have lots of gripes and overall find myself disappointed...but because everything else is worse.

The ZR2 was third on my list when I went shopping for trucks. Ram and Nissan were ruled out because both are built by absolute dumpster-fire companies. My JLU is the last FCA vehicle I will ever own. Seriously don't even go near them, you will regret it. The Raptor and Tundra TRD Pro were high on my list but the Raptor was not available at any price when buying time came (Ford wasn't building them). Furthermore, mid to low trim F150s are SUPER cheap feeling, and I wasn't about to pay $70k+ for an F150 that wasn't a Raptor. The new Tundra looked so good on paper but feels, and is built like, a giant Chinese-plastic toy. Really disappointed by Toyota on the Tundra. That brought me to the ZR2 but after reading up and learning about the new electrical architecture in the refresh trucks i'm not going near it. So that made my decision for me. I ended up with a pre-refresh Trail Boss not because I was looking for one, but by process of elimination.

So from my experience, the grass is most definitely NOT greener elsewhere.

 

[JWright82]

I’m not qualified to answer this question, although it is quite compelling. I’m interested to see what you folks with longer term ownership have to say. I will offer this, and I’ve only had the truck for three weeks (2024, 6.2), but I’m beginning to hear small rattles from various areas in the interior which are driving me nuts. I wasn’t expecting it so quickly. I still love it and the new hasn’t worn off, I just hope it doesn’t jiggle like a cheap AR-15 in a couple of months. I’ll stay tuned for more responses.

 

[clstark7]

I'm not sure where this is going as I didn't say anything against GM or V8s in the post you quoted. I also didn't say anything against GM reliability. The only thing unfavorable I did state was that I bought too much truck for what I need, and would go with a midsized GM if I needed to replace my Silverado.

I know you weren't talking bad. But you did mention that everyone except Nissan is going the turbo four-cylinder route, so I just wanted to share the article that GM is doubling down on their investment into V8 engines. And I just wanted to show the dependability surveys so you know before you make any future decisions. Just trying to help is all

 

[Transient]

I know you weren't talking bad. But you did mention that everyone except Nissan is going the turbo four-cylinder route, so I just wanted to share the article that GM is doubling down on their investment into V8 engines. And I just wanted to show the dependability surveys so you know before you make any future decisions. Just trying to help is all

Thank you. My reference to Nissan was in relation to their sticking with a V6 in the Frontier when everybody else is going 4-cylinder turbo. I have no gripes with my current truck, nor GM in general. They aren't perfect, but neither is anybody else. As I said in my initial post, I'd rather have a GMC Canyon. The Silverado is more truck than I need. I'm satisfied with my truck. I just wouldn't buy it again. Hindsight is 20/20.