Early to mid 2000s 1/2 ton pickups

UTfball68 said:
Given I'm a dainty handed pencil pusher…but since having kids, on a personal basis, I can count on one of my dainty hands the number of times I’ve needed a truck to do truck things…and that’s why they’re all in storage and haven’t moved in months. The expedition (and now the navigator) has served well as ‘the truck’ when it’s not pulling commuter/kid duty.
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i still prefer a truck because i still do alot of side work that requires hauling ladders and what not and most of the time its a pain to get a trailer to these places but im taking notes and looking at them. i do have my little truck that i could pull the camper top off of if needed.
 
Reading all these replies has got me thinking..... Im looking to do some horse trading and was going to get a 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck. But may go a different route. I need more pulling capability and room for the family. And I have no intention of selling my c10, so id still have a truck.
 
If you can find an early 2k Silverado ext cab with low miles, jump on it. There's 3&4 door models out there. I'm pretty sure mine was a special order. Never seen another one similar. 4x4 long bed, 4 door with floor shift 261. I absolutely adore mine but it's a play toy. It ain't worth my time or in my interest to use it for towing. Mine is a 4.8, not a 5.3. But what's 10 hp that a cam can't fix?
 
XJsavage said:
If you can find an early 2k Silverado ext cab with low miles, jump on it. There's 3&4 door models out there. I'm pretty sure mine was a special order. Never seen another one similar. 4x4 long bed, 4 door with floor shift 261. I absolutely adore mine but it's a play toy. It ain't worth my time or in my interest to use it for towing. Mine is a 4.8, not a 5.3. But what's 10 hp that a cam can't fix?
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whatever i get it will most likely only be pulling an 18' aluminum deep v boat so not a ton of weight but it will all be up and down mountains.
 
Loganwayne said:
whatever i get it will most likely only be pulling an 18' aluminum deep v boat so not a ton of weight but it will all be up and down mountains.
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Considering the hell I put my 03 Yukon XL through and this one, the GM trucks are happy to take the abuse. I would load my 1548 down to the brink of ridiculousness and tow it several hours one way every weekend with no f**ks given. They like it.
 
And in all fairness, the early-mid 4.6 and 5.4 F150s are no joke either. You'll have Ford issues, but when they're working like they should, they won't disappoint.
 
I've had 2 F150 5.4's. An 02 and an 09. Both were great trucks never had a problem from either of those motors. As long as regular oil changes are done the 5.4 is a good reliable motor in my experience.
 
Moreso now than ever, a 20 year old old truck is a great buy. I'd say atleast 70% of them are still out on the roads kicking ass. If you set a budget of ~$5k, you can take your pick.
Buy em, drive em, use em as they were intended. There's no reason not to.
 
I am very happy with my 1500HD.....the 6.0l does not have AFM / DOD and the 4L80 is considerably more reliable than the 4L60 options.

Eventually I will be shopping for a new-to-me truck with 3 pedals....but for reliability I wasn't even considering a 5.3/4L60 or 5.4l Ford.

You might also look into the Ram 1500 mega cab....the 5.7l hemi is a good engine....the transmission is....OK....probably on par with the 4L60.
 
I hate to sound like the "typical GM guy" but in that year range even though i really like the body style on those year model fords id dig deeper into the 5.4 there was a year range where the spark plugs would become stuck and require special tools to remove. i can't remember exactly what the overall issue was but a family friend ended up paying $800 bucks to get new spark plugs put in his triton. his is a 2006 if i remember correctly
 
DonYukon said:
I hate to sound like the "typical GM guy" but in that year range even though i really like the body style on those year model fords id dig deeper into the 5.4 there was a year range where the spark plugs would become stuck and require special tools to remove. i can't remember exactly what the overall issue was but a family friend ended up paying $800 bucks to get new spark plugs put in his triton. his is a 2006 if i remember correctly
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I can't remember the spark plug year range either...but there are plenty of DIY videos out there showing how to prevent the spit plugs and how to remove without breaking the plugs. The bigger issue for me would be the really bad stretch of cam phaser failures (which Ford still apparently can't figure out 15-20 years later even on new stuff).
 
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jcramsey said:
Can’t believe nobody told you to get a Ridgeline yet.
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My next door neighbor has one…I laugh but he loves the damn thing.

@RHSCTJ says he makes a living fixing them…just like Fords they like to spit out spark plugs as I understand
 
UTfball68 said:
I can't remember the spark plug year range either...but there are plenty of DIY videos out there showing how to prevent the spit plugs and how to remove without breaking the plugs. The bigger issue for me would be the really bad stretch of cam phaser failures (which Ford still apparently can't figure out 15-20 years later even on new stuff).
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Cam phasers is the biggest reason to avoid the 5.4l. most die hard Ford guys will tell you they have never had an issue.....AND they are right, but I suspect this is more a result of them buying new and keeping up on maintenance. Unless I was buying a spotless, 1 owner 5.4l, I would assume poor maintenance and an engine replacement was in my future.
 
1-tonmudder said:
They give a reason why??
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LBarr2002 said:
Not that I remember, but seems like there a lot from down there that are run into the ground, poorly maintained, etc. I've looked at a few that were some shady salvage/rebuilds.
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Can confirm; my brother bought a 2002 CCSB 2500HD with an LB7; allegedly had 172K on it but a quick check on Carfax showed it had 342K before being traded in outside of Atlanta in 2019. Only to turn up a few months later with 167K, then my brother bought if from a guy in South Carolina. He hadn't done his research like I told him to do, so he got screwed.

Most trucks he looked at in GA had some super sketchy sellers who didn't want to give the whole story on a truck before he made the trip down to look.
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Imo, a GMT400 K2500 Suburban would be a decent choice, you can get them dirt cheap. I know I want another one, only an 8-lugger to match my other two.
I started looking at a GMT800 1/2 ton as a beat around truck as a gas getter and to keep miles off my 96 K2500. Plus, the 454 isn't exactly a mileage queen and 170 miles per tank really starts to hurt.
But in that searching I realized I'd almost be better off buying another 88-98 3/4 or one ton for some of the prices a half ton NBS is going for! Not to mention the squatting trend has taken a lot of clean trucks and run them into the ground as well.
 
DonYukon said:
I hate to sound like the "typical GM guy" but in that year range even though i really like the body style on those year model fords id dig deeper into the 5.4 there was a year range where the spark plugs would become stuck and require special tools to remove. i can't remember exactly what the overall issue was but a family friend ended up paying $800 bucks to get new spark plugs put in his triton. his is a 2006 if i remember correctly
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UTfball68 said:
I can't remember the spark plug year range either...but there are plenty of DIY videos out there showing how to prevent the spit plugs and how to remove without breaking the plugs. The bigger issue for me would be the really bad stretch of cam phaser failures (which Ford still apparently can't figure out 15-20 years later even on new stuff).
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04-08 had the plug design issues. Notorious for breaking off in the head. Like @UTfball68 said, the cam phaser issues as well. Im a ford guy, but I’d probably look for a 2 valve or skip ahead to the 5.0. I’m on the hunt for another truck as well. Prices are silly right now.
 
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UTfball68 said:
Given I'm a dainty handed pencil pusher…but since having kids, on a personal basis, I can count on one of my dainty hands the number of times I’ve needed a truck to do truck things…and that’s why they’re all in storage and haven’t moved in months. The expedition (and now the navigator) has served well as ‘the truck’ when it’s not pulling commuter/kid duty.
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$5000 wonton dumptruck FTMFW

Sumbitch can sit for 5 months unused but when it IS used it pays for itself every dang time 🤘🏼
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
A tundra would likely do what you need also. But they tend to hold their price, esp the big cab ones.
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The only thing I like about Tundras is their consistency. From their first year model to current... 12-13 mpg, right off the showroom floor!
 
MY son has a 03 Siverado 3 door and in most situations the rear doors are a pain to access.Unless your parked all alone somewhere its a small chore to get stuff in or out of the rear doors.
 
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