Great information here, thanks! I am researching also, and deciding between 6 or 8 and auto vs std. Also, was researching Suburbans.When I was researching Suburbans, I came across information that indicated that when the new 5.3 came out in the 2000 models, the quality control tolerances were eased leading to piston slap. I heard it wasn't corrected until 2003. Has anyone heard of this. Should I avoid 2000-03 models?

 

this is my educated opinion on this. I used to be a manager at a Chevrolet dealership and this is what i know. You will not be very happy with the 4.3 in the long run, I suggest you go with the 4.8 V8. You will save some money and still have the power and gas mileage you are looking for, the 4.8 only has 10 less HP than the 5.3 and about the same tourque. The resale value of the V6 is horrible and you will kick yourself in the end if you buy it. I have a 2006 chevy ext cab and I love it. But i would always try and have my customers buy a 4.8 over a 4.3 anyday. If you have anymore questions about any chevy truck you can email me at gandolforj@yahoo.com. Also one last thing if you buy a 4.3 most of the time you will find it to be a work truck so if its for your family you will want to have some more options for them. Please really do your research before you buy one and also when you go to buy one let them know you want it at INVOICE minus rebates, ask if they have any certificates or dealer cash. This will help you get more money off. Dont settle for the first deal they offer you, if you have to (and i reccomend) walk away and let them call you back with the better deal.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

I'll agree with gandolfor that most of the sixers you'll find are work trucks of some sort. I got my 03 and it is BONE stock including the rubber floor. I however like this type of truck cause it's good for hunting and clean up is easy. The extended cab is roomy enough for my family and although I would have bought a v8 if it was the same price, I am surprised by the power in my sixer. Just look around for a while, I got this one for 12k and it only had 16k miles on it! I couldn't pass up the deal. Lastly, and I'm sure the rest of you will agree, I don't plan on selling my silverado tillthe wheels fall off any way so i wouldn't be too concerned with the resale value. Just my 2 cents!!!

 

Not sure how accurate that is, but my '90 Silverado with a 5.7L and EFI (basically an electric carburetor) gets 14.5 - 15.5 miles/gal, no matter how, when, or where I drive (I track my mileage at EVERY fill-up, so this is a long-run approximate window of fuel economy). Just a data point to ask yourself if ~0.5 MPG is worth living with the V6.

Even with the 5.7L, the power is nothing to write home about - especially hooked up to a Uhaul tandem axle utility trailer. I suppose that these days the bigger engines are probably a bit more powerful, but I would still shy away from the 4.3L V6 - they put that same engine in the S-10 series pickups, and that weighs what, 1/2 as much as the full-size??