Which model of truck?

Hi everyone :) I'm kinda new here, but not altogether new. I had an account under a different username like Astro77 or something like that. A buddy and I had to repair a somewhat major electrical problem on his 94 GMC Astro van, this forum helped out a ton. His van now works like a charm.

My question is what year from 1999-2002 of Chevy or GMC half ton truck is best? I know newer would be better, but these years are more inline with my budget. I'm thinking along the lines of what tends to brake on these trucks or cause problems? I'd buy a Ford truck but i can't get a Ford engine to last more than 130K miles.. pieces of junk. How are the transmissions and engines in these trucks? electrical? etc.

Thanks.

I would go with the 2000 or higher. the 99's didn't seem to have all of the options like the 2000+ did. Not to mention quad cab vs. 3-door

As far as Engine, tranny and ele. it just depends on how the previous owner took care of it. Test drive them and use your best judgement.

2000 or 2001. They were much more reliable for some reason(check consumer reports,etc.). IIRC in 2002 GM started to have some financial problems and quality suffered. '99 was a transition year so the bugs weren't worked out.

Thank you guys. I'll look for a 2000-01 like you said. It will be some time yet, but this way i can shop around. I've really been needing a truck or van, and i prefer the looks of a truck. Plus i want to drop it several inches all the way around and do some custom fiberglass or carbon fiber stuff for it, like a rear roll pan, carbon fiber front bumper, etc. It would be my company truck for the composites biz i do.

And definantley stick with a Chevy. As you said Ford is junk.

I have a 2002 3500 extended cab 4x4 dually, 8.1, Allison 5 spd, tow and plow package, Onstar etc, basically fully loaded. Best truck I ever had! I have been a diesel mechanic all my life and I currently drive and repair concrete mixers in Alaska and my dually is perfect for me, even when its almost minus 50 it starts right up, the only cold related problem I did encounter was the sheer mass of the Allison and the Dexron expanded too much in arctic temps while warming up and was constantly leaking out the vent so I put a stick on oil pan heater to it and problem solved. I have not had problems getting the truck warm enough either unlike most diesels that you have to cover the radiator. And in the snow the torque of the 496 at lower rps made handling better in deep snow than having to rev up the diesel to kick in the turbo and thus get more wheelspin and loss of traction.

Most people do not need a dually but since I drive much much bigger trucks on a daily basis its all natural for me and its more stable in turns. I du use studded snow groove tires in the winter plus about 700lbs of weight in the bed.

I had a 2000 K1500 ext cab for four years and it was a really good truck except for two things. The ABS system sucked and I have replaced sensors, hubs and twice rebuilt the ABS pump and EBCM. These were done by ModuleMaster and saved me thousands over the dealer. And the brake rotors don't last very long but that could be my fault. They cost a fortune from the factory...so I didn't get them from the factory...I bought Brembo cross-drilled rotors and used Hawk Performance pads and the braking really improved.

Its a GM flaw in the casting material of the rotors, plus the sensors do not like a lot of day-bree around them from what I have heard. Elsewhere I have seen ideas and projects noteworthy about shielding the rotors better but it depends on the elements you drive in.