3000 mile report

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

The GMC Sierra I bought on Sep 29 with 75,000 miles now has almost 78,000.  I love it more every mile I drive.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed having a truck.
I went from this:

To this:


30+ MPG to 17.5 MPG, but it's worth it.  I'm more comfortable, and I can do things I miss doing, like helping people move stuff.  This month my little truck has hauled eight loads of office chairs to clear space for people and supplies at a fire evac center.  Just now at lunch I pulled a painter and his toyota out of traffic.  His clutch burned up on him as he tried to climb the hill through the intersection.
Maybe this is stupid, but I feel like a pickup truck let's me do the things a man should be ready and able to do.  Help out, lend a hand, do a favor, that kind of thing.  With my little Hyundai, I would've driven by him thinking "well that blows, sucks for him."

[mtnbkr]

Why do you hate Riley and the environment. 

Chris

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Hey now, I got the six banger and five speed to save gas!  I think 17.5 is pretty good for a truck.

Also, I forgot to add this in my original post.  Before my Hyundai I had an 02 F-150 with a six cylinder (4.2) and five speed.  I much prefer the 4.3 and chevy transmission.  The engine has more torque down low, and the transmission seems to be geared to take advatage of the available power better than my Ford was.

[Paddy]

How big is the engine?  My 2003 4x4 Ranger 4.0 gets about the same mileage. 'course, my Yote Echo gets 40mpg, and the Pious even more than that.   I'll still look like this  when gas tops $4, mtnbkr

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

It's a 4.3L V6, 5 speed manual.  My 02 F-150 with Ford's 4.2L V6 and 5 speed got about 15 on a good day.  It was an extra cab though, so heavier.

[Boomhauer]

Also, I forgot to add this in my original post.  Before my Hyundai I had an 02 F-150 with a six cylinder (4.2) and five speed.  I much prefer the 4.3 and chevy transmission.  The engine has more torque down low, and the transmission seems to be geared to take advatage of the available power better than my Ford was.

How big is the engine?  My 2003 4x4 Ranger 4.0 gets about the same mileage. 'course, my Yote Echo gets 40mpg, and the Pious even more than that.   I'll still look like this  grin when gas tops $4, mtnbkr

4.3L V6 is the best V6 ever made, IMHO. And you can't beat the Chevy ride...

[Paddy]

No offense, but I'm just not a fan of GM products.  And real trucks don't wear bowties. 

[Hutch]

Heck, I get 18.5 in my F250 Super Duty.  Unfortunately, diesel now costs 40 cents more per gallon than regular, so I guess yours is still cheaper to run than mine.  Love that PowerStroke and 6-spd manual.  My only complaint is parking it at the airport is a chore, and one I'm faced with constantly, due to my job. 

All that being said, having a truck is quite satisfying.  If you have room for it, and can afford a coupla grand for a seldom-used item, then a 6x12 inclosed utility trailer is very handy as well.  No need to fear unexpected weather when moving stuff.  I've had one for about 2 or three years, and it has been very handy on occasion.  Would likely make a handy bug-out tool, if the roads were passable.

[Boomhauer]

Well, lets see...

I've got a '92 Chevy Astro with 636,000 miles. Original engine and transmission.
A '91 Chevy Blazer with 250,000 miles.
An '86 Chevy 30 series Beauville van, ~400,000 miles

And I'm sorry, but every Ford truck I test drove recently rode worse than the Blazer that I am currently driving. Which means they are pretty bad.

And, I've never had a problem with the transmission on any of the abovementioned Chevys. The last Ford I looked at, a 2001 F-150 XLT, had the transmission dropped. Then I looked on the Internet, and found out that the transmission for that period apparently had some problems.

And if I didn't want the "bowtie" that you disparage, I could get a GMC. Same vehicle, just a different badge...for me, the bowtie is a symbol of pride.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

No offense, but I'm just not a fan of GM products.  And real trucks don't wear bowties. 

None taken. This is my first GM, and I was a bit wary of buying one.  We'll see how it goes.

[AZRedhawk44]

My parents used to have an early 90's Tahoe Blazer with the 4.3 V6.  Thing was unstoppable, unless my kid brother drove it.  Then, a ditch or telephone pole usually did the trick.

That engine was amazing.  Lots of low end torque, even in the automatic transmission it came with.  4L on this thing felt like it could crawl up walls.

[Boomhauer]

My parents used to have an early 90's Tahoe Blazer with the 4.3 V6.  Thing was unstoppable, unless my kid brother drove it.  Then, a ditch or telephone pole usually did the trick. rolleyes

That engine was amazing.  Lots of low end torque, even in the automatic transmission it came with.  4L on this thing felt like it could crawl up walls.

Yep, that's what I run. We've run it pretty ragged, too. And comfortable seats! It just feels like it fits me right...

Square styling rules. The styling of the '94 and later models are kind of girly.

[Stand_watie]

My first Chevy truck was a 74 with a straight six I got for 250 bucks. I bet it got better than 17.5 mpg Didn't go very fast though.

Don't know how many miles were on it because the speedo was broke, but it was way more than 300k, when some moron guy I let borrow it put the transmission into reverse at 55 mph or so