I'm an old Ford guy who is looking at purchasing his first Chevy. I'm looking at a 2000 Silverado LT 1500 with the 5.3L Vortec. It was a work truck, but is still in surprisingly good condition. There are a few minor problems that I'm willing to deal with, but my main concern is the milage. It's got 369K miles on it, but seems to be running well. Doesn't seem to be leaking or burning any fluids, it's holding good oil pressure, and it's not over heating. I haven't been able to take it out on the road because it's not licensed at the moment, but from what I could do in my driveway (had it towed to my house) I can't see any major issues.

Now to my dilemma, the seller only wants $1,000 for it, and she is throwing in a 1998 Land Rover if I will pay to have it towed away. Yeah, it sounds like a really good deal, but with nearly 400,000 miles on the truck, how much more milage can I expect to get from it? I currently drive a 1970 F100, so I know how to keep an old truck running. I'm just not very familiar with Chevy trucks and don't know what to expect from them.

And thoughts or advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

The Old Ford Guy

 

That's a lot of miles, but assuming all is found to be OK after you get to drive it, the price is right. And you could probably assume that it has been taken care of pretty well or it wouldn't have gotten to that mileage. Your biggest problem in taking care of it won't come from its being a Chevy; any 2000 truck compared to your 1970 will require a new set of skills because of the new technology. If you already have those skills plus your ability to work on the old stuff, you won't have any trouble. How long the high mileage Chevy will last is anybody's guess, but at that price you don't have much to lose if you can work on it yourself. Whenever something breaks, it will just be a matter of whether the cost of repair is justified.

Gerald

 

Thanks for your response, Gerald. I've watched a lot of reviews and the 99-07 Silverados get really high marks. In fact, I've yet to see a really bad review. Yeah, I know that no one can really predict the milage, but with the availability of parts for this vintage truck, even a motor swap at some point in the fiture still seems to make it a reasonable deal. And you're right, there's no place on my 1970 F100 to plug in an OBD2 code reader. Well, you're never too old to learn a new set of skills.

I appreciate your time and advice.

The Old Ford Guy

 

Any hope that Silverado might still have some life in it, but 369K miles is too high. The 5.3L Vortec engine is a nice one, but at that mileage, anything can go out at any time. If it's been properly cared for, it might be able to keep running for a little while, but it will have issues that it'll encounter.

For $1,000, it might be worth the gamble, especially if you can fix it yourself. Just be ready for possible transmission or engine issues down the road.

Ford trucks are good and you already know how to get an old truck to move. If you do not care about the risk, it could be a good deal, but I would not rely on it as a daily driver without a backup.

 

Add up the cost of new tie rods and all new shocks and a transmission rebuild and rear end rebuild and new brakes and hoses and belts and the cost of a rebuilt engine and the truck will not seem like a bargain. Use Autotrader or Craigslist to see what trucks are around you with few miles and hours of use.