2004 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 4X4 W/T 4.8L gasoline V8
Faults:
Literally nothing has gone wrong. This vehicle has never had a warranty claim issue or any other major service problem. The only time it goes in the shop is for routine maintenance, new tires, or similar stuff.
It has been in three accidents, once it was T-boned while parked at work, another time I let my Dad borrow it and he wiped out the entire passenger side when he turned too short in the woods and swiped a tree. The third time I lost control on the ice in winter and head-on crashed into the concrete retainer wall, causing 10,000 dollars of damage (at 11,500 they would have totaled it).
Obviously, the accidents are not a reflection of the quality of the vehicle, only the misfortunes of the owner.
General Comments:
I had to special order this vehicle from the dealer because no one had in stock a Silverado with a manual transmission like I wanted. When I took delivery, there were 3 miles on the Odometer (not 300 miles or 3,000 miles, but THREE miles).
I now have over 100,000 miles and absolutely no complaints. Despite being in three accidents, the truck still rides smooth, drives straight, and makes no noises even at 80-85 MPH.
Gas mileage - have always gotten higher gas mileage than the window sticker indicates. To be clear my ACTUAL mileage is BETTER than the ADVERTISED mileage. I do mostly highway/interstate driving and mostly long trips, and get approximately 23-24 miles per gallon. One time made a trip from Toledo, Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska on a single tank, over 700 miles.
The only thing I do is fill the gas tank, change oil, and put new tires on when necessary. I did change the tranny fluid, transfer case, and both differential fluids... not because I needed to, but just because I actually read my owners manual and it recommended it around 50-60,000 miles.
This has been a reliable vehicle, the mileage and acceleration have remained constant over 100,000 miles. To date, the engine has not burned even one drop of oil.
Very happy.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 26th November, 2009
26th Nov 2009, 09:56
I enjoyed reading your review and will add my 2 cents. I have a 2004 Silverado 1/2 ton "work truck" with manual tranny and the 4.8 liter engine. I don't have quite as many miles as you, but let's just say I'm close.
From day one, I got 3-4 miles per gallon BETTER than the window sticker indicated. Since a lot of my driving is long-distance highway driving, I have gotten trip mileage as high as 23-24 miles per gallon. (Once went from Toledo, Ohio to Omaha, Nebraska on a single tank).
Like you, no problems. Bear in mind also that my truck has been in the body shop 3 times for accidents. Once was t-boned while parked at work, another time my Dad borrowed it and turned too short in the woods and wiped out the whole passenger side, and another time went head-on into a concrete wall on the ice (came within 1,000 dollars of totaling it) still, truck is solid, rides smooth and handles nicely.
I am anal retentive about oil changes and still do it every 3,000 miles. Just because I'm overbearing I also changed the transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids every 50,000 miles or so.
Other than that, it's just gas and tires. I have a feeling this truck will last a while longer.