I am looking for a new to me (first) truck. I am really leaning towards a 2000-2003 gmc sonoma/s10. any thoughts on them are welcome any maint. issues? Pitfalls. Engine choice? Any info and opinions welcome. thanks
Oh BTW ext cab and 4x4 are almost musts.

get the full size PU...it has a better resale value. Gas mileage isn't much of a factor between the two and you can carry more in the full size. Ever try and put a normal sized person in the back seat of a S truck? With the full size you can put a couple adults back there.

GM had some problem with piston slap in those years (can't remember the size of the engine). If you know someone, the wholesale auction in Edmonton is a good place to get a truck for the right price.

Rode in a 05 GMC crew cab with the Duramax engine two weeks ago. It took 6 of us to Antler, ND in comfort and style. The headlight systems on the 05's are much better than the o4's

If you're going to tow, you won't like it slow, so go with something that has big flow.

Buy a turbo diesel.

if you are getting a truck get a ford.

I have no complaints with my 2001 F-350 7.3 turbo diesel.
Crew cab, dualie

KT

Now that is a huge truck. You win the prize.

Very happy with mine, 2004 Silverado with the 4.7 litre V8 and a 373 posi rear end. Also have have a 2003 Tahoe with the 5.3 litre V8, not quite the same acceleration, but much heavier and has the 350 gears. Milage is not all that bad in the Silverado and it's easier to drive and park than the extended cabs and the Avalanche, I looked at them too.

this is good info keep it comming. I had piston slap with a dodge I once had. NOT fun. Shying away from the full size due to wanting a v8 if I get it and the wife wants a smaller truck,

I haven't had any problem with piston slap. I was somewhat disapointed in the smaller Chevy Colorado, I thought it was kinda cheap. I've owned a couple of Toyota Tacomas, extended cabs with the V6's, I think they are a better choice, quality, fit, performance, resale, etc. I traded in a Toyota Tundra on the Tahoe, that was a real nice truck, extended cab with the V8, plenty of power, quality, performance too. Maybe you should at least drive the Toyota, you might be surprised.

I have a 98 Z71 and am quite happy with it. A couple guy at work had problems with the slap factor.

"Owners of some of General Motors Corp.'s most expensive light trucks, including the GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Silverado, say the vehicles they paid more than $30,000 for may be worthless now because of loud, irritating knocking noises in their engines, lawyers tell the Free Press.

Thousands of vehicles, most from the 1999 to 2002 model years, may be affected, say the lawyers, who specialize in lemon law. They say GM is quietly buying back some of the vehicles.

Some experts say the knocking, caused by contact between the engine's pistons and cylinders, may be damaging in the long run.

GM acknowledges the problem, which it said surfaced when it moved to a new family of engines, but says it does not affect engine performance and that it was corrected in later-model vehicles. '

Full article on it HERE

If you are going to tow go with the fullsize. Get a diesel or a big V8... I have a Dodge Quad cab
Fullsize with a 5.9 liter..... Pulls really had keeps up with my buddies Disel going up the hills to Watkins Glen... Just sucks a lot more gas

I had a '93 Sonoma Extend Cab for 10 years (bought it new...just got rid of it last year). Great truck....no problems at all and I'm not always religious about regular maintenance. When it came time to buy a new truck I didn't hesitate or even do too much shopping around - I got a 2003 S10.

As for towing, I wouldn't recommend it if you are going to use it a lot for that sort of thing. Lawrence and I trailered Sanford (a parts car) from northern Illinois to central Iowa and I just never felt comfortable that we had the power needed to really go or stop when needed. There were also some other factors that caused concern so Lawrence may have a different opinion about the S10 and its tow capacity (he drove)

-Pam

Here is a picture of mine, it's a 2003, the last of this body style. It is not a 4x4 but I dont have any need for it. I just needed something to get me around and haul a few computers and stuff. I bought it because it is unique in that there are not that many in this color. It rides nice, gets ok mileage and so far, they did a valve job, replaced the water pump, and now are replacing the computer in it. Under warranty of course. It has bilstien shocks all around with front and rear sway bars. Handles very well in corners and with the 4.3 liter V6 it gets along ok. I love this truck.

I drive a 99 Chevy S-10 extended cab 4x4, fully loaded, trailer package blah blah blah. I am very fond of my truck, it is the 3rd s series GM truck I have owned. I have driven almost 200k km and have had no real problems. I just wish that I had rear seating other than the fold down jumper seat.

1. Fuel economy is not much better than a full size truck. But I have proper light-truck tires and a very low ratio rear diff. for towing.

2. My truck weighs just over 5000 lbs. I have trailered my teener on a U-Haul Auto-transporter a number of times and never had a problem or even been worried about it.

3. Factory specs on the 4.3 Vortec V6 are 190 HP and 250 ft-lbs of torque at reasonable rpms. That is better than a lot of stock full size trucks (F150) from the same year.

4. When I go deer/moose hunting it is my truck that takes our guys out on the logging roads. It is smaller and can get more places than the other guys 2-wheel full size trucks. It doesn't ride in the big truck ruts but between or to the side. It's practically an ATV.

5. I have not been able to get it stuck.

6. I don't like the new Canyon or Colorado. (5 cylinders bugs me), and they now have less power and torque than my truck, I don't want to step down.

7. It actually fits inside my single car garage.

8. It regularly carries 1000 lbs plus of dog food with no problems (extra leaf springs)

9. It looks cool (Fleet side), sport side is for city people.

That said, when I am ready for a new little truck, I will be looking seriously at the new Toyota trucks mentioned.

About the new Canyon and Colorado trucks, however, they do have more HP and torque than the 4.3, you just cant feel it. They are rated at 225HP. I had one as a loaner when my truck was in for the valve job, that thing was a piece of crap, it beat the hell out of me on the freeway, and the isusu 5 cylinder felt and sounded like a 4 cylinder. Dog off the line. They say it has 225 HP but it sure doesnt feel like it. Lots of vibration, bad gas mileage and the wierdest part is the electronic starter. You just touch the key to the start position and let go, it turns the engine over till it starts all by itself. Very strange. Do take a look at the Toyota and even the new Nissan trucks, lots of power, better mileage and they are known for reliability.

If truck size is an issue I would also recommend the Dakota quad cab. Seats four adults nicely and you can get a V8 & 4x4 with it. Mine is just a 4x2 with V6 but it still pulls just fine. Its not the fastest thing in the world, but it does the job. If I had to do it over again I would got the V8 for the extra HP.

My truck before this one was 96 F150 with a I6. Great truck, I could pull a house with it. I would still have it if I didn't need the extra room for the family.

Blown Dakota

10K USD won't get you much of a truck.....but if you don't mind coming down here to So Cal....or I could ship it...I am looking to sell mine. 400hp ain't nutin' to sneeze at.....

I've had two of them, both zr2 extra cab's 4X4 and, both 5speeds.

-The first one was a 98, it was great, put 120k on it, no mechanical issues at all, one issue was shitty paint which the dealer fixed NC.

-second was an 03 which I had specially ordered, it's basically the same truck, I put 25k on it before selling it....wife...etc.. and never had a single problem. They were a good deal new because of the huge rebates, and the drivetrain/engine is bullet proof, but since you'll be looking at a used one, I'd compare it to a tacoma, and get the toyota if its even $$, if you can get the GMC for less, get it, they are solid, and repairs are cheap if needed, but unless you or the PO beat on it-a lot, it's solid.

BTW- I like the zr2's but if you get one, realize it's really a sport truck, not a work truck and it is limited as far as utility.

The truck will be used for commuting plus weekend chores. I have had a dishwasher, cement mixer. untold amounts of plywood, gravel from a quarry (they supply bags!), small trees and just about everything else in my poor little VW golf. The truck will be used for that type of stuff. Also to haul around my bike for track days etc. No real towing in mind. Maybee the teener if stuck.
The toyota sounds like something worth looking at as well. Did the s10 ever come with a straight six? Mikez the wife would love the power but the tickets would kill me.

Before the Z71 I had a S15 Jimmy 2.8L 5 speed put 323,000km on it before the speedo broke and sold it 3 years later (375,000km estimated) They came with the V8, V6 and a inline 4.

I still say go with the fullsize truck for resale value down the road.

I agree it's just convincing the wife.

Tell her I said so

Personally... I'm happy with my little Mazda B3000 Dual Sport. It's essentially a Ford Ranger, but with the Mazda name plate, and a better warranty (50k miles, instead of 36k). Granted, I dont' do any towing, but I do carry lots of sound equipment on it almost daily. It's peppy, and good torque, with over 80% of torque available under 2k RPM (so they claim). I opted for the smaller V6, but would definitely recommend the B4000 with the larger V6. Minimal difference in mileage... but I really wanted a Stick.. and the 4000 is hard to find that way.

I think the only drawback on my truck is that it has the tendency to bounce in a couple of the freeways, due to its wheel base (126"). Other than that, it's economical, my payments are very low, and I feel comfortable with it. I got a lot more options with the Mazda than I would have had with the Ford... and I also got a lower interest rate. Check them out. You'd be surprised.

Regards,

Carlos

I have a '98 GMC Sonoma 3500, 5.7 L 4x4 4 - wheel that I love. I bought it new in 99. It is a no nonsense truck. I have a decent size boat that I tow regularly and I have always appreciated the extra umph when I pull out of the boat ramp. I was in the mall the other day and they had a new Toyota quad cab for $26K+ that’s 2K more than the sticker for my truck.

Just a thought, but I have never under worked a truck (get the most you can).

-Pete

I also have an '03 s-10 4.3L 2wd all the goodies, 30,000mi on mine. The rebates they had going on in late '02 made it the same price as buying a couple year old used one. I regularly pull my little 17ft glastron with it -- no problem.

I have had two issues with it though: I had a POS steering box on it that started leaking -- had to get that replaced. Also had to replace the drive axle due to a universal going out on it (I guess they don't just change the universals anymore). There is also an aerodynamic flaw with the vehicle (I've tried this on 4 diff S-series '02 and '03) where if you crack the drivers window
at high fwy speeds of 75-80mph you can not roll it back up unless you crack the passengers window.

I uploaded my fuel economy to 914.ojai.net/mileage.xls You can see I get about 19mpg avg. including city and towing, and low 20's on the fwy...

Over all i would recommend one, not bad little trucks. But again, if you want to cary lumber and tow heavy loads nothing beats a full size! But if you want to be able to squeeze into little parking spots and want a commuter that can do some light duty double work as a "truck" the small truck is a great way to go.

HTH,
-Kevin

My wife still thinks that the best truck we've had was the 2002 Toyota Tundra, it was easy for her to drive, etc., maybe you should have your wife look at one of those.

Sorry guys, but the horsepower rating of a truck is of secondary concern; TORQUE is what moves things, makes a vehicle responsive. And when it comes to truck motors, there is NO replacement for displacement; go big or go home! I've looked at new Chevies with the 6.6 Duramax and the 8.1 big block; for the $6,000 price difference, I'll take the big block! I can buy lots of gas for 6K!

Ron

This is the Mother Ship. Wifes new big bad boy. King cab, 4wd, 305 hp, off road package, big tow package, Rockford fosgate, locking diff, etc.

I had a 94 z-71 for a 175000 miles and now drive a 2000 Z-71 - it just hit 80k. I have been one of the lucky ones - no piston slap. Other than one fairly serious design flaw in the 94, both trucks were/are great. Fit and finish on my 2000 is surpisingly high quality - I even opted for leather. I am also surpised at how big the rear seat is - I only have the extended cab. I drove 4 adults 10 hours to Iowa with no problems.

got ya beat Scott....Ford F150 SuperCrew.....'01 model with 140,000+ miles on it, changed the bat. and alt once and so far been a great truck...if I was to get a new truck, I might consider the GMC with the duramax diesel motor, Tony C has one and it just plain hauls @ss for a truck

great timing on this thread. I currently drive a '94 Chevy with 210,000.it has the 5.7 in it. I'm in the market for a newer truck too. anybody know when they started putting the 327 in the 1500 instead of the 350?
-bob

Being a die-hard Toyota owner I have to put my .02 in on this. I currently own a '99 Tacoma Xtra-cab 4X4 with the 4cyl. It may not be the fastest truck around but it geats great milage for a truck, about 22 on the hwy @ 70mph. I do some towing with it as well. It actually moved me from Alaska to Oregon. Canopy on back full, rocket box on top full, bike rack. Towing a '67 VW bus on a dolly, full as well, 3000 miles in the dead of winter no problems.

I have owned several other Toyotas including a '79 Land Crusier, and '90 4Runner. All have been easy to work on and saw both of those over 200,000.

I am looking to move up to a Tundra with the back seat so I can take the whole family in the truck.

Bottom line, check out the Toyotas before you buy. It will see the shop less than any american truck, even if it is warrenty work your still without a truck when it is in the shop.

Totally unrelated, but I have a F-150 (1992 with the 302 V8 and 4x4), and its bulletproof. I max it out all the time (Last year we towed a 2ton construction trailor with it). I HIGHLY recomend Fords (I want a new F-250)

Other than that the last truck was a '72 Chevy K-10 (4x4 with 350), and it pulled great, only problem was that with all the engine mods it got only 2mpg (I could smoke the tires @ 60mph)

2001 Chevy suburban. Biggest hunk of crap we ever owned. On the trip out to Costa Mesa and back it used $420 in gas to go 2900 miles. Piston slap oh yea its got it. GM and dealer will not do nothing about it. It uses oil so fast I dont change it I just add more and swap filters. 2002 chevy extended cab 1500 I found out the hard way the rear end gears are the same as a car. They just put six lug axels in it. I towed the 914 home from Austin and the rear end blew. Had proper amount of oil and type. Fixed it sold it. I have owned nothing but GM for years will I continue? HELL NO I am looking at a Nissan Armada to replace the bus.

My 98 Z71 has 250,000km as of today

GM would have done something about the excessive oil consumsion (read the lemon link I posted above). In the Corvettes that had this problem GM replaced the pistons and replaced the oil rings with a different design (strangely called a Napier ring) to solve the problem. I even found the email adddress for the General Manager of GM while researching this problem. One guy who wasn't happy with his truck about the piston slap emailed the GM and was offered a new GM vehicle at cost.

The old addage... when you bitch, start at the top, shit runs down hill.

GM will (if you bitch) offer a extened warrenty, then offer you cash (if you bitch more) and buy your truck back if you have a lawyer bitch for you.

Looked at one tonight. 2003 gmc 1/2 ton 4x4 4 door (not crew) 5.3l engine air cruise tilt cd new tires comes with 3 month 50k powertrain warranty topper bed liner(sprayed) tow pkg. automatic was owned by a geophysical survey company 73k on it in a year! Just over 25k out the door. Thoughts?

That's a pile of miles for a 2 year old car. Geophysical Survey, sounds like lots of 4x4 time.

That's KM's not miles. 73,000 km is about 45,000 miles.

Not sure on the pricing, but you can compare that at Kelly Blue Book on line HERE

Use 58271 as the zip and the dollar was about $0.82 yesterday.

This from a dealer or is the warrenty aftermarket?

Local chey dealer. Optimum used deal. I am concerned about the 4x4 time. I also found a torn ball joint boot and busted front air dam just looking at it on the lot and told them it would need to go over those 150 points one more time.

When I bought my Silverado about 4 months ago, they were offering some pretty good incentives, mine stickered in at $23,600, got it for $17,500. Did you look at the new ones? A friend of mine bought a 2004 Dodge Ram 4 Door, Hemi, etc about 2 months ago, I think he even did better than I did. I don't know about the truck your lookig at, you would have thought the dealer would have done a complete inspection and replaced the boot, etc.