I purchased this vehicle new in July of 05, and have lived with it for 18 months now.
Why did I buy this one?
I had wanted a truck for a while, and in 05, at the peak of the "Employee pricing" boom, it became a financial possibility. The best deals at the time were available from GM, and though I didn't like the "cats eye" styling of the 05 Silverado, I loved the looks of the Sierra, so off we went to the GMC dealers for a test drive.
The requirement to purchase from dealer stock, and the popularity of the promotion meant that my choice was limited, but I was able to find the truck that fitted most of my requirements. I don't like leather seats, so this meant the SLE model or below, but I did want steering wheel controls & good Hi-Fi,so had to find one with these options. While I didn't have a requirement for more than three seats, I do like to recline my seat more than about 10° so I opted for the Extended cab model, and the 8 cylinder option, was a must.
I would have liked to have a sunroof, and memory drivers seat, but I was more than happy with what I had. The final vehicle with options listed at $35,600, but with the available deals this came down to $26,700. A bargain.
Living with the truck
This truck has brought me a lot of joy......It hasn't received a lot of heavy hauling use, and never been used for towing, but when asked to, it has taken loads of lumber, household appliances, and even delivered industrial parts & machinery for my employers. The performance of the engine has been flawless. There is plenty of power throughout the rev range, and the addition of a load only seems to improve traction. On the down side, gas consumption comes out about 14-15mpg round town, extending up to 18-20mpg for a long highway run, but it is a full size truck, so what do you expect?...and I'm not the most light-footed person in the world, so that doesn't help.
With so many of these trucks on the road (Sierra/Silverado/Yukon/Suburban) in our area (North GA), I wanted to personalize mine a bit, and so have made a few modifications. For performance, and sound, I added a K&N cold air induction kit, and a Magnaflow exhaust, which makes it sound great, breath easier (Consumption figures above are with these fitted), and made it a little faster (or so it feels). Appearance wise, I added projector headlights with matching running lights (look great, but poorer lighting than OEM), Alteeza taillights, LED 3rd brakelight, After-market rims, chrome look mirror caps, and door handles, Chrome bedrails, a custom grille(tribal), and tribal graphics. For practicality I added a cloth bed cover, Rhino-lining on the bed, and a bed-extender. The result is a very attractive truck, which I am complimented on about three times a week on average.
Inside I have only added a Navigation system (windshield mounted, and that's it.I eventually hope to add a sunnroof, but not yet.
I have used this vehicle for a few interstate runs, and can honestly say that for me the front seats are excellent. They are not really firm, but provide excellent support, and cosset you in position. The centre armrests are in a great position, and do their job. The only vehicle I have had more comfortable than this was my Mercury Grand Marquis. So that's saying something for a truck. The ride quality is as good as any car I've driven on road, though can be a bit bouncy when unladen on rough ground. I haven't done too much off-roading, but have been down a couple of forest trails, and though only two wheel drive, the ground clearance available meant no problems. Overall, a great suspension set-up.
The cassette player in the Hi-Fi allows me use my MP3 player with a simple adapter, and the Bose speaker system means it can be cranked up like a teenagers! I already had an XM account, so after the free trial period it was simple to add this unit to my account, and I no longer have to have a seperate unit hanging from the dash, though I must admit I would like to have a better information display on the system, a single line display these days just isn't cutting it. That aside, I only have minor gripes about the interior. The Center console tray is great, and the box below is capacious, holding all I throw at it, but it's a pain that it only opens from the drivers side, making it real inconvenient for the passenger to retreive items. If they only want single direction access, then hinge on the rear. Preferably they should hinge on either side like Lincoln do with the one in the Towncar.
With the rear seat folded up, there is very good storage space behind the seats,Rear legroom is limited,but perfectly adequate for adults on a short trip, and fine for kids, and rear access is fine with the rearward opening 1/2 doors.....and these bring me to my biggest gripe. Without a center post, the sealing between the front and rear doors is difficult to achieve perfectly, so with imperfect sealing and pressure differentials at speed, a lot of wind noise is generated at highway speeds for a vehicle of this cost. I recognize that this is nature of the beast with the extended cab design, but had I known about it before, I would have bought the full four door.
The fact that this is a large vehicle is belied by the handling, ride, and performance on the open road, but becomes abundantly apparent as soon as you enter a parking lot. The vehicle requires a lot of turning room, and isn't easy to get into tight spaces. This is the main reason my wire doesn't use it more. It normally takes her 2-3 attempts to park, as opposed to straight in with her own vehicle. Worth bearing in mind for a multi-driver household.
Other features include the superb mirrors, excellent coverage, exterior heated, and interior self-dimming, with a useful compass, temperature display,and On-star controls. Both my wife and I have fell in love with the On-star. To be able to call hands-free through the Hi-Fi sound system is great, and the monthly e-mails breaking down the vehicle's current status system by system is very reassuring. In fact,after two months my wife insisted that this be a feature on her next vehicle (more on this later). I will admit the phone is not cheap to use @39c/minute, but using it judiciously, it is a godsend.
Stopping a vehicle of this size & weight is no easy task, and I must admit was a little concerned when I learned that the 2005 model had gone from discs all round back to rear drum set-up. But I am pleased to be able to report that any concerns hear were unfounded. The braking system is extremely powerful, with good feel, and with the ABS in operation, it's the quickest stopping vehicle we have. Bearing in mind the amount of metal around you, and the built in safety features with the traction control, SRS, ABS, and the driver information center warnings, this is probably one of the safest vehicles I've owned.
Finally, we come to the bed. Using this as a personal vehicle, and not a work truck, I use this like a trunk. For weather-proofing and security I wanted a bed cover, but still wanting to carry occasional loads, a hard cover was out, so I fitted a roll-back, Velcro sealed soft cover, which I'm very pleased with. However, in my job I travel with a toolkit & luggage, and so quickly grew tired of finding these to have migrated to behind the cab, requiring full opening of the cover to retrieve. I therefore fitted a bed-extender, which gives me usable "trunk" space at the tailgate, and extends storage space when hauling my bike, or lumber. A very useful addition if using a truck as a family car, and this brings me to my last whine. More and more people are recognizing the all round capabilities of trucks and are using them as the principle family car. A lot of people fit bed covers, for security, but with no lock on the tailgate, it's still as good as open. Why don't GM fit a lock on the tailgate linked to the remote locking system?
It is the one notable omission which prevents this from being the ideal family vehicle.
In Summary
Overall, this is a great vehicle. Running costs have been limited to gas & routine maintenance. There have been no failures, and our only non-routine return to the dealership has been to swap my wifes Hyundai Santa-Fe for an Envoy. The lure of the On-Star won out, as did the quality and reliability of my Sierra, she just wanted something a little smaller.
Performance is everything I need, as is the hauling capabilities, ride, and handling. It is not easy to maneuver in confined spaces, particularly multi-storey parking lots, but the benefits far outweigh the detractions. All round vision is superb, which makes driving in traffic a lot less stressful.
It is not inexpensive to run, but high gas costs are somewhat offset by low maintenance costs.
Overall, an excellent choice as an all rounder. If you are doing a lot of mud-plugging then four wheel drive will be something you need, but for 80% road use, this is just fine. Would I buy another? You bet, but next time I'd get the four door, and few more bells & whistles, and have a tailgate lock fitted before delivery.
Update 27 Nov 07
The Sierra is no longer part of the family. I didn't want to get rid of it, but was forced to by $3plus/gallon gas, and a long commute.
In the two and a half years I had the truck it proved supremely reliable, with no failures whatsoever, and no return trips to the dealer. Comfortable over long trips, having undertaken several interstate runs with it, I can say it was second only to a Grand marquis I used to have as a mile muncher, and safe. I was rear-ended earlier this year by a Full size Suburban while stationary, and was uninjured. I don't know if it would have been the same story in a lesser vehicle.
This vehicle was always admired wherever I went.
The only disappointment it ever really gave me was the resale value. Perhaps it was due to the accident, and I'm sure the gas prices had a negative effect, but whatever it was, I had to work hard to get more than 50% of it's original value from the trade-in deal.
I'm sorry to see it go, but it had to, and I parted with no regrets from our time together.
Amount Paid (US$): 26700
Condition: New
Model Year: 2005
Model and Options: SLE Extended Cab, 5.3L V8, Bose System & others
