Faults:

Brakes/ABS master cylinder froze up; just lost ABS. Part covered under warranty, replaced it myself.

Steering rack got loose/shaky and rattled over bumps/through turns. Recall issued in '07/covered under warranty.

Quickly rusted brake rotors (my fault really for letting it sit for a few days after rainy weather).

A few exterior cab lights have gone bad in the center 3-stack.

General Comments:

WHAT A TRUCK. 3500 1-ton, Single-rear-wheel (not a dually) , Extended cab, SLE trim, 8ft. bed.

Bought this for towing and long distance hauls, and though expensive, I'm really glad I did. I have the 6.6L DuraMax (doesn't have the first gen '00-'04 bugs) with the Allison auto transmission and the heavy duty tow package. The torque in this beast is immense and tows with ease. I haul various cars with my long trailer, my 18' business trailer, and my 743 bobcat + it's trailer. In tow/haul mode it's like they aren't even there. The electric downshift in tow/haul is very helpful on hills (tapping the brake pedal downshifts and holds the lower gear to help slow down). And the as-standard Bridgestones are hardly showing wear. I also had the bed done by Rhino Lining; a great addition for a work truck you don't necessarily want to bang up.

For a truck, the interior is very nice. Trimmed well with glove-friendly buttons and dials. The dual-zone climate control is very nice as well. GM really knew what they were doing when they designed and built these trucks. The BOSE sound system is like caramel to the ears.

Unloaded it is superbly quick with its powerful turbo, and I have to admit, sometimes I hit the gas just to hear the whistle. Brings a smile to my face.

Now, I should bring up that diesel is now hovering at just above four bucks a gallon in my area, and though I am averaging around 20 MPG in mixed cty/hwy driving, it is still expensive to run, hence only 26,000 miles or so. And of course, this is a heavy-duty truck, so the ride will be a bit rougher than grandpa's Cadillac or his friend's Lincoln; but it is still good for such a big pick-up. That being said, I can't say enough good about this truck when it is doing what it was built to do. Towing/hauling is fantastic, and I couldn't ask for a better work-horse. Does everything it is asked to do (including pulling trees down and rescuing other vehicles from an ill-fated position) and more.

Utterly magnificent.

Faults:

My power steering gear box went bad at 16000 miles.

General Comments:

This is a very powerful truck.

Unfortunately all of that power requires a lot of gas.

There is a recall on the power steering box.

If you have one, get it fixed before it breaks.

A broke gear could lead to disaster on the road.

The GMC dealership was very helpful and replaced the tailgate latch when I took it in for the gear box leak.

There is also a recall on the tailgate latch.

Faults:

Nothing so far, although it is still nearly new and under factory warranty.

General Comments:

A well built 1/2 ton extended cab 4x4 pickup. Even with the Z71 off road package, it rides smoothly and handles very competently.

Equipped with a 4.10 rear axle ratio, it tows my 4000 pound travel trailer with ease.

Averages 14-15 miles per gallon in town, and 19 on the freeway. Not bad for a full size truck with the 4.10 rear axle.

The only other axle ratio available was the 3.42, and it feels sluggish compared to the 4.10. And mileage isn't much different.