some help please.

[sgtkuwait]

Hello All,

You have a great forum here and some great posters. I need some advice and having gotten it from dealers I think it would be more helpful from guys on this forum.

I am redeploying from the sandbox soon and will be retired immediately as I have reached the mandatory age of 60. I wish to pursue my hobbies of fishing and hunting on a larger scale now and a car will not do it. Due to this forum I have decided on a Silverado rather than a Ford or Dodge. I am asking you guys to look at my three options that are available to me back home at a couple of dealers and give me your opinion. Please forgive me if my post is out of line but I don't know where I could get better input than here.

If you would please tell me your choice of these trucks and any issues I should be aware of for the years listed.

2004 34482 miles $22,400
2003 30,041 $19,495
2002 49000 $17,995

all are 5.3 eng, auto trans, short box, ext cab. No cap or bed liner. I want to put a slide in camper on this truck. All three are Z71 models.

thanks for any input I really appreciate this as I am pretty ignorant on these pickups.

sgtkuwait

[TexasF355F1]

If you have any links to go with these that would be great.

But in my opinion, the 2003 is the best deal hands down. I think most people on here will probably agree. My friend has a 2003 Z71 and hasn't had any trouble. He drives nearly a hundred miles a day 5 days a week. He's a hunter and fisher as yourself.

Thank you for your service in our military. We all appreciate that.

[guumbah]

I say the 2003 as well, based on just the info at hand. There may be a compelling reason to pick another one (condition, features, etc), but that one is the best based on price & mileage. For comparison, my 2002 had less miles than that, and also has Quadrasteer, but I paid less than that just a few months ago, so I don't think that's the best deal. And the 2004 seems like a big jump in price for just a year newer, especially with MORE miles.

[silverado122775]

Two things to consider here.
Throttle and Body style.
From 2003 and up the throttle was electronic. meaning no cable. I had a 2003 and did not like the throttle-by-wire feature. Cable is much better in my opinion, plus you can tell when the throttle-body is getting dirty

I like the 1999-2002 NBS. 03 and up just did not attrack me, but that is a personal preferance.

[guumbah]

Originally Posted by silverado122775

I like the 1999-2002 NBS. 03 and up just did not attrack me, but that is a personal preferance.

Good point. I could have gotten an '03 for a little more money at the same time I got this one. Granted, it had a few more miles averaged per year, and no Quadrasteer, but style also entered in to the decision. Good point about the throttle too...

[Rmbodie]

Hey Sarg , Welcome aboard . Thank You for what you are doing in service of of our GREAT nation . I hope you will be home soon enough for this years hunting season . Mine is just getting started .
The trucks you listed are good trucks . Just for reference I bought my 2002 for 11K with 84K miles from an individual. It had a couple of cosmetic blemishes that did not bother me on a hunt truck . Of course I had to customise it immediately because every third truck looked just like it on the highway (champayne). try cars.com thats where I found mine .
My brother-in-law is about to deploy somewhere in the region . Signal bridgade . Good luck .Rob