What to watch out for in used trucks?

[svivian]

Grandpa didn't need an upgraded stereo system and touchscreen.... He really is milking that sentimental value piece...

 

[hoff1ck]

Grandpa didn't need an upgraded stereo system and touchscreen.... He really is milking that sentimental value piece...

Glad I’m not the only one who found that strange

 

[Gone4Days]

 

[dboone3]

@Gone4Days Thanks for posting the carfax. I saw them too and Its odd that there were basically no mileage reports the first 16 years of ownership.

 

[dboone3]

Grandpa didn't need an upgraded stereo system and touchscreen.... He really is milking that sentimental value piece...

I haven't asked the owner, but my assumption was that he's been driving it for at least a couple years after his grandpa passed. The carfax alludes to that too.

 

[Gone4Days]

@Gone4Days Thanks for posting the carfax. I saw them too and Its odd that there were basically no mileage reports the first 16 years of ownership.

None of my vehicles have mileage reported. I do all my own repairs and maintenance so mileage never gets reported.

 

[CCooper]

Grandpa must have liked his tunes blasted and paddleboarding on Sundays.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

The very first thing I look at when buying a used vehicle is the general condition of the vehicle. Has it been carefully maintain, is interior clean, is engine compartment clean and do hoses and belts look to be in good shape. I expect most people will clean up a vehicle just prior to selling , but I can usually tell if this was a one time deal or if it got regular cleaning and maintenance. While it may not always be the case, if someone has taken good care of appearance, they likely as not have taken good care of mechanical operation also. If anything seems off, walk away.

 

[Gone4Days]

There were 3 owners. It’s likely that one of the other owners upgraded the radio. Bottom line, that’s a solid truck with lots of life left in her if it is mechanically sound. I would look at it and consider it. Like I said those 5.3 vortec’s are awesome engines and easy to work on and parts are dirt cheap. Maybe throw a low ball offer on it. I’ve owned 2 pre bailout GM’s with Vortecs. Loved them and they just flat out ran. Put lots and lots of miles on them with no real issues aside from a thermostat and oil pressure sensor. Both cheap and easy to fix.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Lots of used trucks in the Seattle area are brought down from Canada. Got my current truck locally a couple years back and it came out of Alberta.

 

[CorbLand]

OBD reader to check for codes. Check it, then take it for a test drive and look at the live data. The readers can be found for ~20 bucks on Amazon and are worth the money.

Drive it, then check the oil to make sure it looks good.

Take it to a mechanic/tire shop and see if they do free pretrip inspections. That will catch a lot of things. Make sure that they shake the front end down for ball joint and/or bearing issues.

Find a hill, get about half way up it and come to a complete stop and start out again. Give it some gas to get up and moving pretty quick. This will help determine if there is any slip in the transmission.

Get it up to speed, 30-45 MPH and hit the brakes and let go of the steering wheel to see if it chatters a bunch.


That is a good motor and those are pretty good pickups. I would suggest at least looking at it. It really could have been grandpas Sunday driver. When my grandpa passed in 2021, we sold his 2006 and it only had 15000 or so miles on it. It spent the majority of its life in a shop and took one trip to Alaska when he retired. Other than that it rarely got driven. When he moved into an assisted living, they transferred everything to my uncle to make it easier. It showed that it had two owners but my uncle never drove the thing.

I will add, I do find it weird that he would only accept paypal and what ever the other one is. That is odd to me but I havent bought a vehicle in a bit and maybe that is the common way to do things now.

 

[nobody]

My advice is to become well versed in common problems for every generation of the vehicles you are looking at. No brand is immune from issues, every vehicle has a weak point and every vehicle has potential issues you'll probably deal with at some point. The key is to weigh those problems and determine your risk tolerance for each issue. Yes, maintenance is important, but some vehicles are just inherently more or less reliable than others due to certain pattern failures you can weigh out.

Those pre-2007.5 chev's (known as the Silverado Classic, or "Cat-Eye Chev") have good, reliable motors in those 5.3l LS based engines, but the 4l60e trans is unquestionably the weak point. Plan on about 100k out of the stock unit. If you can get one with a 4l80e (rare) instead, it lessens your probability of trans failures.

That's just one example, but every generation of every vehicle ever made has problems like that. Do your research and determine what you're willing to deal with down the road and financially plan accordingly. They all have their problems (Ford's 5.4l Triton is a ticking time bomb, and the Ecoboost isn't any better. The Hemi in the Ram is typically reliable, but they're comparatively WAY more money to repair when they do break down, there's lots of examples), it's up to you to decide what you wanna deal with.

EDIT: I would definitely check that truck out though, it's low enough miles and there's enough life left in the stock trans to not be nervous for awhile. Just save up and you can get a rebuild installed when it does go for not a ton of money. One of the beauty's of these trucks, they've been building them largely the same since about 99 so there's LOTS of parts out there for cheap for them!

 

[wyosteve]

"Will only accept PayPal or Zelle" is a good sign of a scam!

 

[dboone3]

"Will only accept PayPal or Zelle" is a good sign of a scam!

It is weird, but not sure what the scam would be if I go pickup the truck?

 

[jayhawk]

I prefer private parties because you typically get a better deal and working with someone who's driven the vehicle makes me more at ease. By the time you test drive it, run a carfax, run it through an insurance database, and look it over, you're getting the same thing as if you went to a dealership.

Have you also looked at 4 runners, or other small SUVs like that? I don't think they're any worse for hunting than a truck if you throw a little shelf on the back.

Rather than buy a warranty, I just set a little money aside every month to help with repairs or for a down payment on a new truck later on. It's served me well thus far.

 

[h2so4]

The guy (used car buyer) I sold my Jeep to this morning was buying a ~2007 avalanche with 12k on the odometer. He was gonna pay $10k. I can give you his number. Maybe he’d sell for $13k?

 

[*zap*]

 

[jjohnsonElknewbie]

I bought a 2000 Silverado new.my buddy bought a 2001. I had the 4.8 and he had the 5.3. Both extended cab 4x4. We both drive a lot of gravel and have Iowa winter- salt brine, granulated salt, and sand.

Pros-
- Neither motor had any “major” issues with regular oil changes (3k miles). I ran a K&N FIPK on mine for 15 years.
- Both motors had exhaust leaks caused by corroded and rusted off exhaust manifold bolts (I used this issue to install some Shorty Edelbrock headers)
- Both had brake lines replaced 2x in 20 years due to pin holes and leaks- salt/sand/gravel life
- Both had multiple sets of rotors installed as the factory rotors were composite and couldn’t be turned down. The backs always go out before the fronts.
- Both had e-brake seizing issues due to poor design and gravel life
- No issues with transmissions
- No issues with transfer case, hubs, or 4wd
- I had to have spider gears replaced in my rear end
- No complaints with my cloth interior and rubber floor. His LS had leather and it did not wear well. Driver seat has lots of wear marks and holes. (He’s 6’4 and 170)
- Rust is very significant issue with these vintage GM trucks. Rockers, cab corners, and quarter panels are terrible. Took the bed off mine to have welder replace crack in frame and he refused. There isn’t enough good steel left on it to weld. This damage typically occurs where the rear cross member inserts into the frame.

If this was a southern truck and you had time to get under and really take a good look, I’d consider it if the financing didn’t seem wonky

 

[ILoveBusch]

A lot of good points made on here already, but that kinda money for a 2002 is wild to me. Granted everything is crazy now, but still. I would highly recommend you figure out what make/model and mileage you want, and search all over. Last spring I bought a used boat down in Alabama for 25K... mind you I live in North Dakota. It cost me 3 days and $900 (Trump gas & Covid hotel rooms) to go get it. Within the first month of owning it I saw several very similar boats selling in my area for 35-40K. Just something to think about.

 

[Customweld]

I just sold an '01 Sierra 2500HD that I owned for 18 years. It had 123k on it when I sold it. It had the 6.0 motor and was a damn good truck. One thing about this era of GM trucks are the electronics. The dash cluster is famous for going out, it's a simple and inexpensive fix, but gives an opportunity for the actual mileage to be manipulated. Brake control modules are another common problem with that era of trucks. No dents, Idaho pinstripes, crew cab, interior 8/10 I got 10,500 out of it.