NA -- 2015/2106 Chevy Colorado

mscard88 said:
Y'all are making it hard for me! I'm looking to buy a used truck and really only need something like a Frontier/Tacoma/Ranger/S10 type. Or a single/extended cab Sierra/Silverado/F150. What about those Dodge Dakotas? What I read they're pretty unreliable. Kick myself for selling my El Camino, '87.
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Just do a need vs want analysis if you want the most bang from your buck. I have city-dweller friends who really could save money by simply renting a pickup truck from Home Depot the twice a year that they actually use the truck for truck things. :)
 
denverpilot said:
Just do a need vs want analysis if you want the most bang from your buck. I have city-dweller friends who really could save money by simply renting a pickup truck from Home Depot the twice a year that they actually use the truck for truck things. :)
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I use the "friendly next-door neighbor with a truck" method. I'll buy him lunch after borrowing.
 
James331 said:
Yup.

I've been debating getting a pickup, I'd rather spend almost the same money and get a classic ( 70s or older) Chevy, fresh paint (maybe even pearl), LS engine, 6 speed tranny, plush interior, great sound system, etc.

Performs better, looks better, holds its value better, end up costing less, and is something I can turn a wrench on and get parts for, even better than OEM, easily from summit etc


crate-motor-guide-1973-2013-gmcchevy-trucks15.jpg

More off road/snow


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More street



... Or spend way more for a slower, less head turner, "new" truck witch will become an "old" truck the second a new body style comes out.
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Nice trucks, but I'd just assume keep the old carbed 454 and leave it be. No need for fancy LS-motors and the associated electronics. Put in an electronic ignition or electronic-FI if you really want to extend the time between maintenance. I'd love to pick up a '78-79 F-250 4x4 with the 460 and an AO4D auto tranny. Go through the motor and bring the compression back up to 9.5-10:1 and roll on down the road. Dead nuts simple, and about as bulletproof as they get with the ladder frame and Dana 60 axles.

Maybe something like this:
IMG_2343.jpg
 
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mscard88 said:
Y'all are making it hard for me! I'm looking to buy a used truck and really only need something like a Frontier/Tacoma/Ranger/S10 type. Or a single/extended cab Sierra/Silverado/F150. What about those Dodge Dakotas? What I read they're pretty unreliable. Kick myself for selling my El Camino, '87.
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denverpilot said:
Just do a need vs want analysis if you want the most bang from your buck. I have city-dweller friends who really could save money by simply renting a pickup truck from Home Depot the twice a year that they actually use the truck for truck things. :)
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Yup. If you really only need the bed a handful of times, it's better just to rent one when you need it. For me, I tow heavy trailers (4-8K lbs) an average of once a month, and have something dirty/heavy/cumbersome that I need a bed for once a week or two. Truck ownership isn't much of a choice for me, and I keep the F-150 just for that purpose and may upgrade to a diesel F-250/350 in few years as a "last truck purchase". However, I have a cheap sports sedan that serves the daily driver duties. Slightly better fuel mileage than the truck, but the premium fuel eats into the fuel mileage savings a bit.
 
denverpilot said:
Just do a need vs want analysis if you want the most bang from your buck.
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Yea I'm down to one car now, and when the 'boss' goes to her sis's for a day or two I'm stuck, well, me and HER friggin' dog! Son has a Titan but I need a second vehicle, and a truck fits the calling.
 
SoonerAviator said:
Nice trucks, but I'd just assume keep the old carbed 454 and leave it be. No need for fancy LS-motors and the associated electronics. Put in an electronic ignition or electronic-FI if you really want to extend the time between maintenance. I'd love to pick up a '78-79 F-250 4x4 with the 460 and an AO4D auto tranny. Go through the motor and bring the compression back up to 9.5-10:1 and roll on down the road. Dead nuts simple, and about as bulletproof as they get with the ladder frame and Dana 60 axles.

Maybe something like this:
View attachment 47330
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Not a ford guy, but that's a sweet rig.

Just said LS because I've had great experiences with those mills in vetts
 
James331 said:
Not a ford guy, but that's a sweet rig.

Just said LS because I've had great experiences with those mills in vetts
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Oh I have nothing against LS-engines, my DD has one (albeit the bastard LS4), I just think the 454 is a good enough engine on its own if you don't need to be turning 5K rpms!


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SoonerAviator said:
I bet you probably replaced a timing/crank sensor in there a time or two, lol. The 4.0L was great, but those sensors going bad would reduce it to worthless!
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Guess I just got lucky, because mine never failed. That Jeep was a real hoss.
 
SCCutler said:
Guess I just got lucky, because mine never failed. That Jeep was a real hoss.
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Well you got lucky. We also had an '89 XJ and while it was a beast most of the time, the sensor issue bit us a few times in 120K miles. It's a fairly common problem on the 4.0L, however, a pretty small complaint given how robust the engine was. I do remember having to run down the interstate in the middle of summer with the windows rolled down and heater on full-blast because it was 100 degrees outside and we were towing a 4K+ lbs boat/payload back from the lake. Engine temp was getting pretty toasty.


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I rebuilt a large deck for an elderly couple in our area last spring before I went back to work for real. One day while I was there, he was lamenting about his efforts to buy momma a new vehicle. "They're only offering me $4k for her Tahoe on a $50k+ new one."

The guy meticulously maintains everything he owns, including the 16 John Deere tractors that he rebuilds and collects. And the Tahoe had less than 100,000 miles on it and is the proverbial "driven by a little old lady to church on Sunday" vehicle. I had been eyeing it, it was immaculate.

I didn't say anything, but checked out the value in the Internet that night when I got home (edmunds.com). The next day I told him I'd double the dealer's trade in offer. He said he'd think about it.

Fast forward to two weeks ago. He called and asked if I was still interested...he found momma something she likes. Two days later, after having the local Chevy dealership perform a thorough pre buy inspection (that it passed with flying colors) I owned a 2002 Tahoe. It's loaded up with just about every option available at the time.

Now that I'm back at work, I need something to set at airports that I'm flying to/from. Much better an $8k vehicle than a $50k vehicle. I don't know if I'll take this out on the road or my 2011 Silverado, but either way, now I'll have something decent to drive at both ends. My '02 farm truck has way too many miles on it (over 250k) and is beat to hell...that's why it's the farm truck!

This was a great find, IMO.
...
image.jpeg image.jpeg image.jpeg
 
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Yeah, it didn't come across...it was supposed to show how clean the guy kept everything...doesn't really do it justice.
 
timwinters said:
Yeah, it didn't come across...it was supposed to show how clean the guy kept everything...doesn't really do it justice.
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Just a blast from the past when GM was marketing this heavily. Looks like a great car and you'll be able to put another 100k on it with only routine parts to replace. Also, you can still get to stuff. No stupid plastic covers over the engine. You need to swap an injector or the alternator, it's right there.
 
timwinters said:
I
This was a great find, IMO.
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Yep! Nice truck. Looks just like my '04 Yukon other than the dash cluster change. You'll have to deal with the stepper motors and failing grain of wheat light bulbs in the cluster eventually, but that's easy. Driving around in those is like driving around in a giant recliner. Super comfortable. Big 15 MPG easy chair. Ha.

I think I see the push button 4WD control peeking out from behind the steering wheel? Good snag if it's 4WD. The electric actuator that shifts the transfer case also can go out, and mine did, it's an easy and cheap replacement. It'll act like the switch is bad, but it's the feedback loop from the rotary encoder and the lights on the buttons, not the buttons doing wrong things. The buttons are easy to test, they're just series resistors. But I replaced both anyway.

My recent issue with the fuel pump replacement and then subsequent stalling and misbehavior had us all chasing ghosts between me, the senior tech at one shop I use, and folks online attempting to help out... And it turned out to be a loose connector. But the throttle body is now really clean, as is the MAF sensor! Haha.

Other than a slight slip in the transmission between 2nd and 3rd that will eventually mean the downfall of the transmission, and I'm pushing 150,000 on it and it did tow heavy quite a bit earlier in life, those items above are the only problems in 100,000 miles. Well that and the seat wearing out... Ha.
 
GM just released some details on the 2017 Colorado/Canyon. Looks like they are getting a revised V6 and 8 speed automatic. So if you are still thinking of getting one hold off until the 2017's hit the lots.
 
ktup-flyer said:
LS3. Oil pump failed with 45k. Camaro though, not a C6.
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That sucks! Only major issue I heard about on the big LS engines was the damper wobble and it not being pinned, not sure how different they are from the vetts to the camaros though.
 
Grum.Man said:
GM just released some details on the 2017 Colorado/Canyon. Looks like they are getting a revised V6 and 8 speed automatic. So if you are still thinking of getting one hold off until the 2017's hit the lots.
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In the words of click-n-clack...never buy the first year after major changes.
 
timwinters said:
In the words of click-n-clack...never buy the first year after major changes.
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Generally good advice, though I believe both the engine and transmission have been around in other GM vehicles prior to the Colorado.


JKG
 
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