[izzy_Britton]

I have now owned a good sized handful of these trucks. I would say that the single most import thing that you need to keep an eye on is how the previous owner(s) kept the truck.

my 3 most recent trucks are 2003 GMC 2500HD, 2005 z71 x-cab, and a 2006 crew cab. all three looked like good trucks when i bought them and i jumped all over buying them as a LOT sale without actually looking hard at the trucks. my mistake.

all 3 of these trucks came from the emerald triangle (marijuana growers), all three where beat on pretty good and all 3 need lots of love. these people beat on their trucks, they are ugly, they drive them into the ground.

so find one you like, pull a carfax report, yeah they are not always complete car fax reports but if there was anything reported in the past it will pop up and you can make an informed decision about mileage and parts replacement ...

and lastly, when you find the one you like, ask if you can have your mechanic or an independent mechanic check it out, most people are ok with this unless they have something to hide.

but yeah as mentioned regular maintenance and simple basic parts will keep these on the road for ages. i bought a rolled over 2003 suburban just for the engine to put in my 86 c-10. when i pulled the heads off, you could still see cylinder hone marks, so i am a believer that these things, when properly maintained, will run forever.


-Izzy, just my $0.02 my 2003 2500HD bit me in the arse pretty hard, lesson learned.