GMC Sierra / Chevy Silverado ???
Question:
>We’re looking around at new trucks (1500 series). >1. Do they make the GMC 2000 Sierra 1500 (4×4), extended cab, short >box in a 4 door? I’m hearing that you can get 4 doors in their >extended cab as an option for about $250 more than their std 3 door.
I believe so, yes. >2. What exactly is the difference between the GMC Sierra and Chevy >Silverado? I stopped by one GM dealer and asked if they had any
Trim and standard equipment mostly. GMC is the premiere truck line. Chevy can be plain Jane to virtually a GMC. >Sierras on their lot, and they acted like I had just entered Burger >King and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They told be that the >Chevy was a MUCH better truck… whereas I know they probably both go >down the same assembly line. Reading some of the newsgroup postings >on the Silverado and GMC Sierra… it appears folks are having less >trouble with the Sierra’s. Most of them really like te truck.
Go to a GMC dealer. GM consists of Buick, Chevrolet, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Cadillac, Geo, Saturn, and GMC. Gee, did I leave any out? Anyway, the Chevy dealer wants to sell you a Chevy, etc. And as I said, GMCs are the premiere truck. >3. I have always owned stick shift model trucks. I’m leaning toward >an automatic this time, for no particular reason other than to give it >a try. The truck (Chevy or GMC) will be 4×4, and it will have a V8. >What I DON’T want is the constant downdhifting while towing a trailer >up and down hills. I also want decent gas mileage, and I have always >understood that sticks did better than automatics. Can you folks out >there offer any opinions?
You should have no trouble towing with a Chevy/GMC automatic. Just be sure to get the towing package. And be sure to get the truck big enough for your towing needs. If you plan to do alot of mid-range towing, say around 5000lbs most of the time, I’d recommend the 3/4-ton 2500 with the 6.0L Vortec engine. Just take a look at that frame underneath a new 2500. I have alot of uncles, anyway, one has a loaded ‘99 Chevy Silverado 2500 extended cab 3dr SB with the 6.0 and another has a loaded GMC Sierra 2500 extended cab 3dr LB with the 6.0. Both are automatic 4WD and very nice trucks. And both are used to drag family sized boats, etc. I believe both have the 5th wheel option too, even though neither really uses it. I think that option is like $25 on top of the HD towing package or something. Its more of a resale value thing to have a 5th wheel on it. Anyway, the only real differences I can say is that the short bed extended cab is easier to park than the long bed extended cab. >4. Does anyone out there work for GM? and if you do… what do GM >empoyees pay for GM trucks… I believe they call it the GMS price, >and is listed on all dealer invoices. Do GM employees pay dealer >invoice on vehicles like the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado?
Both of the above uncles work for GM, well one is retired. But yes GM does give their employees a discount. The amount depends on the vehicle. I believe it could be as much as $5000 on some models. The GM employee makes the best deal with the car dealer and then they send in some paperwork and get their discount on top of that. >And as a side note… I have ALWAYS been a Ford owner, so this is a >new and ‘painful’ experience. I’m hoping the Sierra (or Silverado?) >will perform at least as well as my previous F150’s. I’ve had very >little trouble with my Fords in the past….. but the GMC has more leg >room in the back seat of the extended cab… so I’m going to give them >a try.
Coming from a Ford, I think you’ll be more than happy with a Chevy or GMC. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->Any information/opinions would be a big help. I’d prefer E-Mail. >Thanks….. Mac
Response:
>Well, it must just be a damn macho manly thing to have then. Oo, oo, >oo…
In alot of cases, yes.. Look at it this way – how many people actually buy a big 4X4 pickup truck with the offroad package, roll bar with foglights, etc etc etc, but then it never sees a dirt road or ever has anything except bags of groceries in it’s box it’s entire life? Alot of PU’s are bought simply because people "Like" the looks.. Hell, if I had the cash, I’d buy a nice new Silverado (With all of the above!) myself tommorow.. :-) — Mark, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Response:
>However, if used properly while towing, the truck can last just as long as one that hasn’t >towed a pound in it’s life.
True enough, but this is dependant on exactly what you said – "If used properly while towing". In the case of a second owner, it’s tough to know for sure that the truck was treated properly while towing, however. — Mark, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Response:
However, if used properly while towing, the truck can last just as long as one that hasn’t towed a pound in it’s life. Plowing is another story… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->HD towing package or something. Its more of a resale value thing to >have a 5th wheel on it. Anyway, the only real differences I can say > Actually, alot of people consider the addition of heavy duty towing > options a reason to _decrease_ the resale value, since this usually > indicates that (At some point) the vehicle has actually towed a > trailer – something not highly looked upon when it comes to the > "Future reliability" of a car/truck. > — > Mark, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Response:
>HD towing package or something. Its more of a resale value thing to >have a 5th wheel on it. Anyway, the only real differences I can say
Actually, alot of people consider the addition of heavy duty towing options a reason to _decrease_ the resale value, since this usually indicates that (At some point) the vehicle has actually towed a trailer – something not highly looked upon when it comes to the "Future reliability" of a car/truck. — Mark, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Response:
Well, it must just be a damn macho manly thing to have then. Oo, oo, oo…
>HD towing package or something. Its more of a resale value thing to >have a 5th wheel on it. Anyway, the only real differences I can say >Actually, alot of people consider the addition of heavy duty towing >options a reason to _decrease_ the resale value, since this usually >indicates that (At some point) the vehicle has actually towed a >trailer – something not highly looked upon when it comes to the >"Future reliability" of a car/truck. >— >Mark, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
www.spamcop.net! :-)
Response:
I used to sell GM trucks. The chevy and GMC trucks are the same as far as I kow expect for some exterior and interior color combos. I currently have a 99 GMC sonoma and the diff between chevy is the shape of the front bumber. For the chevy I can find various winch mounts, for the gmc none. GMC uses a lower mark up then ford so expect a smaller discount but you can check the net for that info.
Response:
As the owner of a ‘99 GMC Sierra I can answer a couple of your questions but not all. The Chevy and GMC trucks are the same except for grill and badges, but the option mixes are significantly different in the interior. The base GMC Sierra starts with the better 40, 20, 40 bench seat with fold down center arm rest. The 4 door trucks are slow in coming and will probably not be out in quantity until mid year or later. Beware they are expecting problems with wind noise and sealing on the 4 door models. Many folks are having trouble with the 3 door ones now and the extra door will only add to cab flex. Towing the GM auto trans should be no problem, you just switch to tow mode and it significantly reduces the hunt and switch on the torque converter. I believe Ford has this same feature on their new trucks. Most of the problems on the new trucks have been sorted out with the exception of the shimmy or vibration problem during highway driving. However, this problem seems to only affect the 1500 2 wheel drive models primarily with the 3:42 rear gears. The new 4 wheel disk brakes are great and the larger interior cab space is a big plus. If you want to save some bucks and still get a new truck GMC and Chevy still sell the older style CK2500 series trucks instead of the new Sierra/Silverado models. You can save several thousand dollars and get the older more proven 350 and 454 engines. This is of course not to say the new engines aren’t fantastic but there have been some complaints about the new 5.3 liter engines being very noisy and having some sealing problems. www.edmunds.com is a great source of current info on the trucks. Also be sure to check out the Town hall section to read what current owners are saying about problems with the trucks. Steve Green Dale City, Virginia
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We’re looking around at new trucks (1500 series). > 1. Do they make the GMC 2000 Sierra 1500 (4×4), extended cab, short > box in a 4 door? I’m hearing that you can get 4 doors in their > extended cab as an option for about $250 more than their std 3 door. > 2. What exactly is the difference between the GMC Sierra and Chevy > Silverado? I stopped by one GM dealer and asked if they had any > Sierras on their lot, and they acted like I had just entered Burger > King and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They told be that the > Chevy was a MUCH better truck… whereas I know they probably both go > down the same assembly line. Reading some of the newsgroup postings > on the Silverado and GMC Sierra… it appears folks are having less > trouble with the Sierra’s. Most of them really like te truck. > 3. I have always owned stick shift model trucks. I’m leaning toward > an automatic this time, for no particular reason other than to give it > a try. The truck (Chevy or GMC) will be 4×4, and it will have a V8. > What I DON’T want is the constant downdhifting while towing a trailer > up and down hills. I also want decent gas mileage, and I have always > understood that sticks did better than automatics. Can you folks out > there offer any opinions? > 4. Does anyone out there work for GM? and if you do… what do GM > empoyees pay for GM trucks… I believe they call it the GMS price, > and is listed on all dealer invoices. Do GM employees pay dealer > invoice on vehicles like the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado? > And as a side note… I have ALWAYS been a Ford owner, so this is a > new and ‘painful’ experience. I’m hoping the Sierra (or Silverado?) > will perform at least as well as my previous F150’s. I’ve had very > little trouble with my Fords in the past….. but the GMC has more leg > room in the back seat of the extended cab… so I’m going to give them > a try. > Any information/opinions would be a big help. I’d prefer E-Mail. > Thanks….. Mac
Response:
If you want some unbiased information about Sierra vs. Silverado, wait a couple of months for the Consumer Reports Auto issue (April, I think) to come out and then go see how the two models have been doing. My guess is that within sampling error, there is no difference between the two. (There should not be, since the same parts are used and put together with the same hands/machines. The only real differences are in trim.) There will be many more Silverados than Sierras in CU’s samples because many more are sold. Their surveys are based on response by their subscribers, so the sample sets are big…certainly huge compared to what any dealer will see. Plus a customer with a bad experience will not be shy about telling the survey form that — human nature. Personally, I think the GMC looks a little nicer, but neither will win any styling trophies. – GRL "When someone annoys you, remember that it takes 42 muscles to frown, but only 4 muscles to extend your arm and whack them on the back of the head."
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> We’re looking around at new trucks (1500 series). > 1. Do they make the GMC 2000 Sierra 1500 (4×4), extended cab, short > box in a 4 door? I’m hearing that you can get 4 doors in their > extended cab as an option for about $250 more than their std 3 door. > 2. What exactly is the difference between the GMC Sierra and Chevy > Silverado? I stopped by one GM dealer and asked if they had any > Sierras on their lot, and they acted like I had just entered Burger > King and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They told be that the > Chevy was a MUCH better truck… whereas I know they probably both go > down the same assembly line. Reading some of the newsgroup postings > on the Silverado and GMC Sierra… it appears folks are having less > trouble with the Sierra’s. Most of them really like te truck. > 3. I have always owned stick shift model trucks. I’m leaning toward > an automatic this time, for no particular reason other than to give it > a try. The truck (Chevy or GMC) will be 4×4, and it will have a V8. > What I DON’T want is the constant downdhifting while towing a trailer > up and down hills. I also want decent gas mileage, and I have always > understood that sticks did better than automatics. Can you folks out > there offer any opinions? > 4. Does anyone out there work for GM? and if you do… what do GM > empoyees pay for GM trucks… I believe they call it the GMS price, > and is listed on all dealer invoices. Do GM employees pay dealer > invoice on vehicles like the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado? > And as a side note… I have ALWAYS been a Ford owner, so this is a > new and ‘painful’ experience. I’m hoping the Sierra (or Silverado?) > will perform at least as well as my previous F150’s. I’ve had very > little trouble with my Fords in the past….. but the GMC has more leg > room in the back seat of the extended cab… so I’m going to give them > a try. > Any information/opinions would be a big help. I’d prefer E-Mail. > Thanks….. Mac
Response:
We’re looking around at new trucks (1500 series). 1. Do they make the GMC 2000 Sierra 1500 (4×4), extended cab, short box in a 4 door? I’m hearing that you can get 4 doors in their extended cab as an option for about $250 more than their std 3 door. 2. What exactly is the difference between the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado? I stopped by one GM dealer and asked if they had any Sierras on their lot, and they acted like I had just entered Burger King and ordered a Quarter Pounder with Cheese. They told be that the Chevy was a MUCH better truck… whereas I know they probably both go down the same assembly line. Reading some of the newsgroup postings on the Silverado and GMC Sierra… it appears folks are having less trouble with the Sierra’s. Most of them really like te truck. 3. I have always owned stick shift model trucks. I’m leaning toward an automatic this time, for no particular reason other than to give it a try. The truck (Chevy or GMC) will be 4×4, and it will have a V8. What I DON’T want is the constant downdhifting while towing a trailer up and down hills. I also want decent gas mileage, and I have always understood that sticks did better than automatics. Can you folks out there offer any opinions? 4. Does anyone out there work for GM? and if you do… what do GM empoyees pay for GM trucks… I believe they call it the GMS price, and is listed on all dealer invoices. Do GM employees pay dealer invoice on vehicles like the GMC Sierra and Chevy Silverado? And as a side note… I have ALWAYS been a Ford owner, so this is a new and ‘painful’ experience. I’m hoping the Sierra (or Silverado?) will perform at least as well as my previous F150’s. I’ve had very little trouble with my Fords in the past….. but the GMC has more leg room in the back seat of the extended cab… so I’m going to give them a try. Any information/opinions would be a big help. I’d prefer E-Mail. Thanks….. Mac
