I'm looking at a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 single cab long bed 2wd pickup. It has the 6cyl engine and looks rather clean, it has 196-197K miles on it, and the man is asking $3000 dollars for it. Any opionions about these trucks, or things I should look at or check on when i go take a more in depth look at it? The fella said it runs great and told me I could even take it to a mechanic to have it inspected if I really wanted to.

Thanks in advance!

 

Hmmm... I dunno a lot about the V6's, but I know that if it was a 5.3 I would tell you to buy it right now. Let's see what someone else says

 

Our shop tried 6 cylinder Chevy trucks. I think we had a 2002 and a 2003. The 2002 had a hard time with San Francisco hills and the 2003 was nothing but a problem. Neither one of them got respectable gas mileage. Nothing but V8s from then on.

 

i would obviouly check all the fluids i would drive the truck at city speeds and if possible test drive on the interstate to see if it has any shifting problems
then check your trans fluid
3,000 sounds great but there has to be something that is bad or going bad that he wants to make the price that low
i would doa real good check of everything if its possible take it to a shop close by and have them do a quick once over i dont think shops charge

 

If it is that clean then i would buy it and install a 5.3.

 

Went and drove the truck today, drove it in town. tranny shifted fine and drove it down a rural highway. tranny shifted into passing gear just fine and the V6 has plenty of power... its no Vortec V8 but its still got some get up and go. the bed is in well used condition because it was a company truck for a contractor and it has 197,--- miles on it. the engine looked clean and in great shape and it ran like a champ. the exhuast system is in need of replacement, the tail gate might need to be replaced as it is pretty rough looking and the windsheild is cracked and in need of replacement, also the valence panel under the front bumper is missing (cheap easy fix tho). other than that the truck is extremely clean, and the interior is in 100% condition. gonna try and talk them down to about 2,500 or 2,000 for it considering all the repairs that need done to have it lookin' good.

 

sounds like a good truck let us know if ya could talk him down and keep us postied if you ahve any problems and such we can help the best talkin over the net can do

 

A lot will depend on where and how you will drive this truck. You may find it underpowered for any type of work or towing. The city gas mileage on my 2002 4.8 is not much better than was from my 1998 5.7 Empty on the highway the newer truck is 6 to 8 m.p.g. better (than the older truck).

The price is very location driven. Some areas you can't give a truck away. Check your local newspaper for comparable trucks and prices. Pay a mechanic to at least do a compression test.

 

i would have to agree with daveb on this one try and get a test done on it if you can also hook it up to an 0bd2 scanner see if it is throwing any codes or if any have been deleted als osee if anything has been delted as in a delete kit was done to it

 

Talked him down to $2,500. So far the truck is doing great, plenty of power from that 4.3 liter V6. Altho we wont be using the truck for towing or hauling much.... other than hauling 4 wheelers and lumber, just the normal stuff. If i need a truck for heavy towing or hauling thats what the Ram 2500 24 valve is for. Basically all this Chevy is for is daily driver from home to work and run around town in to take care of tasks. And it gets considerably better gas milage than the 5.7 liter 350 small block in the '96 Z71.... imagine that right? haha