I’m thinking about purchasing a 2003 Chevy Silverado 1500 LS V8 327 4X4 extended cab(Quad Door’s) with 82,000 miles. Does anyone know if this was a good year for Chevrolet?
If you look trough the Consumer Reports used cars & trucks guide (news stand/library) you will find a good relative report on how it compares with other vehicles.
Just looking at the latest, it says:
- Engine major- much better than average
- Engine minor- much better than average
- Engine cooling- better than average
- Transmission major- better than average
- Drive system- average
- Fuel system- better than average
- Electrical- better than average
- Climate system- average
- Suspension- MUCH WORSE THAN AVERAGE
- Brakes- better than average
- Exhaust- much better than average
- Paint, trim- much better than average
- Body integrity- average
- Body hardware- average
- Power equipment- average
- Audio system- better than average
- Overall evaluation- average
By comparison, Dodge Ram of that year is rated average as well, and Ford F-150 is rated average, while Toyota Tundra is rated MUCH BETTER THAN AVERAGE.
If you read between the lines, US manufacturers put all their design talent in trucks and SUVs in the last few years and achieved an average rating overall. Their cars are not quite as good.
In summary, aside from the weak suspension, the Silverado is not a bad vehcle, but buying a usded truck is risky, since you don’t know what it has been used for and what type of driver it had. In all cases have the vehicle checked out by a competent mechanic!
I hope you have a large enough budget to keep this trcuk supplied with fuel!
Doc the problem with that book is that they tend to group the different models together, whereas the online version breaks down the reliability by the exact model. For his specific truck in question I am showing a much more negative report than you are. I am seeing much worse than average reliability in the drive system and minor transmission area, as well as suspension and brakes.
Agree that this is the aggregate summary, the specific 4X4 model is not mentioned as such. The 2 wheel drive drive train is OK, for instance.
When buying a truck, I would spend more time interviewing the previous owner than actually inspecting the truck. I would also want to see some maintenance records. With a truck, especially, it comes down to what it has been used for and what maintenance it received.