Always avoid 1$T year vehicles ~ Including an electric truck *

Electric GM Pickup

Anyone looking forward to this: https://www.foxnews.com/auto/general-mo ... ickup-2021

www.silveradosierra.com

 

I hate the dashes in the 2007-2013 range because you will get a crack at some point and it rattles.. driving me nuts lately personally. If it wasn't for that I think they are a solid platform, have 194k miles on my 09. My neighbor just sold his 2010 gmc crewcab 4x4 with around 130k miles I think for 11k and it was in excellent shape.

Other trucks in the family are
2014 Silverado 1500 over 200k needed transmission around 190k and something done with the AC but that's it.
2018 Silverado 1500 also needed a transmission around 200k but nothing else that I can think of

I would try to get a 2016-2018 should be able to depending on cab configuration and trim level. To help not have to replace the trans early you will just want to flip the pill on the tstat for the trans so that it runs cooler.

 

In this day and age 15-25K and under 100K miles will most likely put you in the 2010-2013 GMT900 truck. Great choices in those years, but if you're willing to stretch either of the things, you could find yourself in a 2014+ K1xx truck which honestly quite a bit an upgrade over the previous generation.

Issues are well documented in here and the topic comes up almost on a weekly basis here, so you might want to do some reading and searching here. Mostly these things are solid trucks with the main point of concern being the potential for AFM failures. Again, well documented and there are things you can do to minimize the potential or you can also get rid of the system completely by spending a couple grand if you so wish. Or get a truck with 6.0 that does not have it.

6L80 transmissions are solid and don't fail too often if you just keep changing the fluid and keep it running at as low temp as possible. There's also a cure for the running hot issue which is well documented here. Well..., it's not running hot per GM so it's not an issue for them, but they could be ran cooler.

Early T1xx trucks had issues with AC condenser and there is a TSB for it.

 

were those blown trannies towing heavy?

 

Yes they worked them pretty good pulling fuel trailers, sxs and everything in between.

 

I will do my homework then! Thank you!!

 

Get a 2012-2013 6.2 Sierra or Silverado. Unless you are too young, the insurance will be quite expensive!

No AFM, 400+ horses and decent gas mileage for that they are. Less expensive to work on compared with Gen 5 motors. Transmission life greatly extended because they don't have the silly thermostat. Love them trucks! See my signature? LOL

 

depending on mileage on the truck, you'll likely be looking in the 2009-2017 range. Both are stellar models in either the 1500/2500 chassis. Both have their frequently discussed items of likely failure.

if you aren't towing/hauling heavy, the 1500's ride like a dream

both the 6l80 and the 6l90 are likely units that will fail in the 150k range (110k-200k average). So, good maintenance or an overhaul to some degree can prevent that or prolong that from happening.. AFM in the 1500's needs to be turned off. All those years can benefit from a tune and a catch can (even though the 07-13 was port injection in he 1500's, and the 2500 is port injection up til the newest body style)

 

the 2014 body styles have a chassis vibration.
it is well documented, and GM has done everthing from fromplacing trans/drivelines/rear alxes/rear assemblies etc.
after the 2014 body, i think 2017 they were changed, chassis stiffeners or different body mounts, i dont know, but the new ones dont do it.
My vehicle is heavily modifed, nearly different drivetrain, and itll still vibrate on the highway like it has a bad belt in the tire.

 

the 01-10 2500hds also had frame beaming / chassis vibes which was nearly fully corrected with a body mount update.

my 18 1500 has a vibration for sure, i never found an official update for it :/. At least it's fairly minor. i just wish it wasn't so, smooth as glass is nice. haha. after the front struts go in im hoping some of it was caused by or exacerbated by blown oem struts.

 

Im not familiar with a catch can

 

Is that vibration only half ton trucks or the whole line?

 

from 01-10 it frame beaming was present in most 2500HDs, in 2011 when they went from an open C channel frame to a fully boxed frame, alongside the updated body mount design, the beaming complaints lessened significantly, and the remaining complaints were from people who didn't understand that an unladen 3/4 ton truck would ride stiff by default .

The 1500 frame vibes were, IIRC, present from 2014-2018 (2019 LD). They are minor. I have not seen an official fix or cause beyond chassis harmonics. Generally, a louder exhaust compounds the issue. It's more of a slight seat back shake than anything felt in the wheel. it's minor, and road crown and surface as well as the usual maintenance items can help to make it better or worse depending on condition.

 

catch can is placed in line between the valley pcv exit and the manifold pcv entry. in theory, it forces the entrapped oil in the pcv stream out of suspension in the air. thereby, providing a cleaner pcv stream back into the engine, preventing or mitigating the amount of carbon coking on the intake manifold and intake valve surfaces.

It is a solid add on, though some claim it is snake oil. it will not clean the pcv stream 100%, but it does have an impact.

A good one will coalesce oil only, and allow water vapor to still travel into the intake. Though to separate only oil is not exactly easy to do in a tiny aluminum can.

Tons of info on this site regarding them.

with a 6.0l 2500hd which is port injected, you get fuel wash in that area so it's less of a need and more of, still can be of benefit. on a DI truck or car, it's a requisite imo.

 

1500s? 2014-2016

2500/3500s? 2015-2016

 

I don't know why it is not quoting when I press the quote button

@PaleRider it is sounding like much ado about nothing??? Or much ado about very little?

 

which is sounding like much about nothing, the chassis vibration or the catch can haha. i would agree on the vibes, and disagree on the catch can

 

My 17 1500 has no chassis vibration at all, rides very nicely with my new tires and shocks this year. a similar truck with about 100K miles here in New England will be around $26K. I would look for one that has good maintenance records with definate oil change intervals of less than 5,000 miles and they have done the tranny fluid service AT LEAST once before 75,000 and hopefully twice before 100,000. Known issues on these ( i had to do also) are AC condensor cracking ($1,000) and Negative battery cable replacement to stop annoying electrical gremlins. Aside from that mine is great so far in 6 years

 

I meant vibes

 

the vibes are super minor.

 

Hit reply to directly answer someone if there has been multiple comments since.
If you wanted to address multiple people with quotes that quote button you are using is adding them to "multi quote" to insert them you have to do it manually here
View attachment 962911

Insert success kid meme here

 

I got my 2011 at around 90k miles in your price range (a few years ago now but seems like the prices haven't dropped much since then). Ive done almost 60k miles and no real issues so far, just a few minor things that didn't cost me much time or money, so I’d say go for a 10-13. Best value IMO.

 

My 2011 Sierra is not the reliable work horse from previous years. I replaced the transmission at 68K, but not all those miles were mine. I bought it with 53k in late 2020.

As others have stated the 07-13 dash will crack. Mine was flawless when I bought it until I took it offroad to the local landfill. It's just a packed gravel road, not really offroad. I bought a dashskin for it.

Also, avoid the flex fuel models.It actually says in the manual that you must drive the vehicle for 10 mi after each fill up and never fill it up if the vehicle is cold. Do not fill it up and drive less than 10 mi because it will not be finished with the ethanol content calibration that is handled by the ECU based off of 02 measurements. My O2 sensors were within spec, No check engine light. Yet until I changed my O2 sensors I could not get mine to calibrate correctly. I tried every trick in the book including running 100% gas and then going back to regular and also running e85 and going back to regular. Nothing worked until I changed the O2 sensors.

Bottom line is that GMT 900 trucks are beyond quirky. Especially flex fuel models. I hate the feel of the 6L80 transmission even after a full rebuild and another partial rebuild last month.

Just my two cents, YMMV.

Edit: And whatever you do, do not buy one of these trucks with the 3.08 gearing. There is a ton of models in those years that have that crappy gearing. Get 3.42 or better.

 

Kind of funny, most people consider the 07-13 to be a more reliable and simple truck comparative to the newer models.

Nothing wrong with 3.08s as long as you aren't expecting it to tow 9k lbs. If you're towing 9k lbs, a 1500 is the wrong truck anyways .

3.08s in stock application are just fine. How do I know? I have those . Is 3.43 a better choice? Yup. I guess crappy could be subjective. But my truck moves just fine, and has nice low highway RPMs .

 

All the series of trucks are good. Each generation has a weak point or two. Personally, I would avoid trucks that are from the first year (or two) of a new generation in hopes they worked-out bugs a year or two later. Avoid AFM if you can and get Lew tune.

 

My 2011 Sierra is not the reliable work horse from previous years. I replaced the transmission at 68K, but not all those miles were mine. I bought it with 53k in late 2020.

As others have stated the 07-13 dash will crack. Mine was flawless when I bought it until I took it offroad to the local landfill. It's just a packed gravel road, not really offroad. I bought a dashskin for it.

Also, avoid the flex fuel models.It actually says in the manual that you must drive the vehicle for 10 mi after each fill up and never fill it up if the vehicle is cold. Do not fill it up and drive less than 10 mi because it will not be finished with the ethanol content calibration that is handled by the ECU based off of 02 measurements. My O2 sensors were within spec, No check engine light. Yet until I changed my O2 sensors I could not get mine to calibrate correctly. I tried every trick in the book including running 100% gas and then going back to regular and also running e85 and going back to regular. Nothing worked until I changed the O2 sensors.

Bottom line is that GMT 900 trucks are beyond quirky. Especially flex fuel models. I hate the feel of the 6L80 transmission even after a full rebuild and another partial rebuild last month.

Just my two cents, YMMV.

Edit: And whatever you do, do not buy one of these trucks with the 3.08 gearing. There is a ton of models in those years that have that crappy gearing. Get 3.42 or better.

Thats insane bro. Who the hell wants to burn 10 miles after every fill up

 

All the series of trucks are good. Each generation has a weak point or two. Personally, I would avoid trucks that are from the first year (or two) of a new generation in hopes they worked-out bugs a year or two later. Avoid AFM if you can and get Lew tune.

lew tune doesnt ring a bell

 

Lew makes these trucks work like they are supposed to. Well worth the investment once you get your truck. He is also a member on here.

DiabLew Tune - Custom Tuning for GM Vehicles - DiabloSport inTune 2030, Diablo inTune 8245 Platinum, DiabloSport Trinity, inTune, DiabloSport Trinity 9245 Platinum, Custom Tuning by 06MonteSS, custom GM tuning

DiabLew Tune - Custom Tuning for GM Vehicles - Diablosport inTune, Diablosport Trinity, diablo inTune 2030, diablo inTune 8245, 06MonteSS custom tuning, diablo custom GM tuning

www.diablewtune.com

 

Also, avoid the flex fuel models.It actually says in the manual that you must drive the vehicle for 10 mi after each fill up and never fill it up if the vehicle is cold. Do not fill it up and drive less than 10 mi because it will not be finished with the ethanol content calibration that is handled by the ECU based off of 02 measurements. My O2 sensors were within spec, No check engine light. Yet until I changed my O2 sensors I could not get mine to calibrate correctly. I tried every trick in the book including running 100% gas and then going back to regular and also running e85 and going back to regular. Nothing worked until I changed the O2 sensors.

I had an '11 Flex, had no idea about the calibration. But I never read the manual either, never had a CEL come on. My biggest issue was rust...

 

My 2012 2500 gas crew 4x4 has been the most trouble free vehicle I have ever owned. Bought it new when prices were reasonable. Pretty low miles for its age, about 117k.
Cracked dashboard? Not mine. Just replaced 2 O2 sensors in the entire time, plus had all the fluids done at 90,000.

 

Thats insane bro. Who the hell wants to burn 10 miles after every fill up

Some owners never have an issue with it. I bought an OBD2 code reader so that I could monitor mine every time I fill up it was so bad.

The early flex fuel vehicles had a physical ethanol sensor but they failed and they were pricey. GM in their infinite wisdom decided that they would do a virtual flex fuel sensor. Some trucks never have a problem. And I think many owners are oblivious to it. It cost me a fuel pump because I thought my fuel pump was bad. It was running so rich because the ethanol content was configured so high that it was flooding the truck out in the mornings when it was cold. But it wasn't the fact that it wasn't getting fuel it was actually getting too much. It would take me several minutes to get the truck started and I had to hold the accelerator to the floor which actually cuts to fuel off on a fuel injected engine.

I live 8 miles from work. I have never worked more than that from home and I have never had to drive a vehicle after I fill up more miles than is necessary just so it would start up correctly the next morning.

After GM finally realized that this wasn't going to work reliably they went back to a physical sensor in later generations.