Buying a Silverado

Hi there I am looking to buy a 2008 silverado with a 5.3 litre engine I was just wondering what are the common problems with these trucks and if there is anything I should watch out for. I am in the process of deciding between a dodge hemi 1500 or a 1500 silverado can anyone suggest which is better. Thank you very much

I have a Silvy , I am a mechanic by profession. The dodge hemi is impressive. I drove one two weeks ago in a 2500. I would not put mine against it I would lose. Personaly I don't like the engineering of the dodge vehicles I have worked on. Chevys are easier to work on. The dodge can tow more and they haul ass. Compare warranties and fuel economy. I hear dodge hemis get around 13mpg , chevys around 20 mpg. Just my 2$(inflation) Rob

Samples of problems: Chevy, water pump gasket leaks. Dodge, water pump bearings.C: rough ride , wheelhop. D:Soft ride,Body roll. Different styles of front suspension. Rob

well, if you really research it, you'll find 2 things: dodge is almost bottom line for relaibility. GM has a habit of ignoring problems with their cars and not changing design to have them fixed.
so, if you go to, say, msn.com autos, you can find there a cute reliablity section for every car and year. with that being said, you can almost be sure that, at least for GM trucks, all problems listed for previous yrs will be present in your truck of 2008. i am a member in several chevy silverado forums, and it's the same non stop gripe: intermediate steering shaft, fuel pumps, pitman/idler going bad very fast, cluncks all over, binding halfshafts, poor negative contacts on some components, hub bearings going bad too fast. just cruise around, some of those issues been going on without fix for decade without being addressed by GM.

I have had three Silverados, '95 '00 & '05 and have had many problems with the first two that this forum has saved me thousands of dollars in repair costs by not going to the dealer. The '05 just went out of warranty and so far so good. I had a small list of things that needed attention and the dealer took good care of me just before it went out.