1998 Chevrolet Silverado
I recieved this truck as a gift from my grandfather. He got it new off the lot in 98, and put almost exactly 40K miles on it before loaning it to me. He didn't just put around either, he used it to hauld stuff, loaded it up, bogged it down, everything it was meant for.
It's carried a ton of flooring nearly an hours drive (at regular 70mph highway speed) with no problems at all! This truckhas no problem having a truck bed full of crap thrown in, and driven around. It's got plenty of tie downs, and more than enough space. For the record, I have the extended bed, and the 3-door cab.
That 3 door feature... I LOVE it! You don't have to move the front seat a bit to get a full sized (and pregnant, I've tested it...) adult into the back seat. It'll hold 5 full sized people no problem. It does not have unlimited leg room, however, but I'm on the tall side at 6'1". Anyone who's not freakishly tall though, will be able to fit just fine.
It gets decent mileage for a truck. 14-15 in the citry, and up to 18-19 out on the highways. Yes, it still gets 14MPH being bombed around the city by a teenager!
I like that it can accelerate pretty quick for a truck. I've never had problems passing, merging, or getting ahead from a stoplight to change lanes. When you open the throttle on a 5.3 litre V8, it just GOES.
This thing has been very reliable! In all 45K miles and 9-10 years of it's like, the only work it's ever had done, have been oil changes and filter changes. Come 50K I'll be replacing the ORIGINAL tires with some new ones.
Things I'd suggest with it? Step bars. My grandfather put on running boards that go up into fender flares. They are nice, but lower the ground clearance. My dad went for some steel tubing ones. (He got the same truck a month after seeing my grandfather's.)
I'd highly recomend this truck! My parents were thrilled to get me into it because a big truck is much safer than a small car.
All my friends love this this thing, as does my family. The only reason I was given it, was so my grandfather could buy the new 2007 one. I'll do a review on that one soon!
Update on July 24, 2008 00:49
I had a little accident. Long story short, part of a road had sunken into the ground and left a 4 foot concrete RAMP. I didn't see it unti it was too late and I hit at 55 miles an hour and cleared all 6 lanes (narrowly missing the light above) and landed some 80 feet PAST the intersection.
I'd sprained a couple vertebra in my neck, suffered a compressed spine, mild concussion from hitting the steering wheel, my nose from my sunglasses , my wrists from being pulled off the wheel, and my shin from hitting the parking brake pedal.
Truck was just fine. Just needed an alignment. I think if I were in anything else I would have rolled in the air, flipped on landing, or at least have suffered more severe injuries.
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Chevrolet Purchased at: Gift Price: $20K New Category: Automotive / Trucks Published: March 08, 2008 01:41
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Rank: 4862nd (
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Gender: Male
Education Level: high_school
Country: United States
Industry: Automotive
Position: Automotive Engineer
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Lucky you and lucky grandpa! This sounds like a great truck. My daughter's first vehicle was a silverado truck. She was very safe in that big truck.
Yup! I feel very safe in it, now that I have new tires... The only complaint, is that the rear end is really light, so you learn to control powerslides REAL fast if it rains around you. I also like it because wat wold be bad for normal cars, is okay for me. Someone ran me off the road today, a half a foot drop off to the ditch, but it was just fine, as was the truck. I'd like to see someone try that in a car!
I have heard that this is a great truck. Thanks for sharing this information and sharing all the great features.
Love silverados! My husband had the 89 in black-a stepside. Boy that puppy ran smooth on the open road:) Love the darn things. Yours is totally cool! I hope you have as much fun with it, as we did ours:)
I love these trucks!! What a sweet grandpa you have!