The ALL-IN-ONE-der Truck
Written: Nov 12 '02
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Pros: Everything but gas mileage
Cons: Gas Mileage
The Bottom Line: I totally recommend this truck to anyone that needs to tote a few folks, haul some stuff, and tow somethin too. IT IS SO COOL!
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| etcetera16's Full Review: 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 HD Crew |
I am overall going to agree with the rancho guy's review (sorry I don't remember the right name).
I do have the LS 4x4 model though. I live in Colorado and need to be able to get where I need to go, regardless of weather.
So lets talk about Winter weather handling first. We've had a couple snow & ice storms since I got the truck. It has done beautifully. I have the optional "Heavy Duty Rear Locking Differential (I know what your saying, hey lady don't you mean front locking diff.)... no, the rear locking differential, if one rear tire looses traction, the other rear tire kicks in. TOTALLY automatic, and will work anytime, no driver intervention required and this is totally separate from the 4WD. So generally you have pretty good traction when the roads aren't "too bad yet"... when all other pickups are stuck at the bottom of the hill because they hadn't got the sand bags out for the winter yet... this one is just fine.
With the Autotrac 4WD feature, (something Chevy has had for a while), it makes getting around in a storm just as easy as cake. Hit that Auto4WD button and the truck will do the rest for you. (So for all the Mom's out there who don't know what a hub is, let alone how to lock one... this is the 4WD for you).
Moving on... when you get in to the wonderfully plush and comfortable interior, you might expect it to ride like a Caddy... but IT'S A TRUCK! It rides like a truck, though it isn't too bad for a truck. But the comfort in the seats MORE than makes up for it anyway. There is also a "ride control suspension package" that will help the ride if you want it.
Before purchase I did compare this to an F150-SuperCrew. I'm not one of those "live or die" by the truck brand... But comparing the 2003 F150 Supercrew to the 1500HD Crew Cab, it was obvious that the Chevy is a "real truck." I wont get into the Ford too much, but just climbing into it, it does ride more like a car, but it is TOTALLY uncomfortable and for about the same price, you don't get near as many "neeto features" than you do in the Chevy.
The reason I purchased this truck is because I had a Mini-van for hauling the kids and a small pickup truck for hauling everything else. This was the perfect marraige of the two worlds... plus I have aspirations of getting a boat soon (I do live or die for Lake Powell). Although the gas mileage has killed any mis-conceptions I may have had about using this truck for my commute vehicle.
Okay... lets talk neeto features. I don't remember which of these were optional and which were standard, but I only had a very few options added. Those cool red turn signal arrows in the side mirrors (WAY COOL). And how the mirrors fold in by themselves (optional, but cool). The redundant steering wheel controls (for radio), these are highly recommended for people whose arms don't drag the ground. The regular radio controls are a little far away (it's a big truck). The Onboard computer thing (Dashboard Driver Controls or something like that)... Lets you set every feature imaginable, right down to whether your horn honks when you lock and unlock the doors.
I also have the Curb View Assist option where the rear-view mirrors rotate downward when the truck is in reverse to help you see what/who you're running over when you back up. It takes a while to get used to, but you can turn it off, or set it to passenger, driver, or both mirrors. I recommend starting w/ the passenger mirror only to get used to it.
MSRP was about $36K on mine, with only a handfull of features (Tow Package, the neeto mirrors, locking rear diff, spare tire lock), but of course I paid about $31K. That is darn near invoice I think.
Problems:
There are only two negatives I should bring up. You better have a big garage. It is about 19.5 ft long. I have an oversized garage and it barely fits (I've got about 18 inches on either end).
My darn key FOB don't work. I know it's petty, but one of the Key remotes (FOB) didn't work when I got it home. So I left it at the dealer to program it, and it worked for about a day before it quit working again. This is an issue because the remote you use tells the truck if you're driver 1 or driver 2. Even without the memory seats, it still has separate radio programming and everything for each driver.
Regardless, I call it my BIG BEAUTIFUL TRUCK!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 32000
Condition: New
Model and Options: LS 4x4
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Epinions.com ID:
etcetera16
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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