Ongoing saga since my 2007 GMT900 lost it's frame due to cancer in 2021 when prices for used cars were out of control. I want another truck for light duty towing (project and/or partout cars with uHaul trailers) and around home duty. And before anyone says it, I'm glad your minivan/hatchback/moped or whatever else you use a truck works for you, but for my current stage of life I need a truck. I end up borrowing my in-laws trucks 3-4 times a month on top of towing needs.
I need to sell my Mazda6 to pivot into a truck, let's say I can get $3,500 for it. I refuse to buy anything used north of the Carolinas. So I'm checking on used GMT800's near my parents house in central NC. I've found lot of nice GMT800's and GMT900's for really good prices and mileage near 100k.
Question is - think DD duty for a GMT800 1500 with a 5.3 or a 4.8 is a bad idea considering the newest one made is almost old enough to vote. Or should I stick with a GMT900 with a 4.8 or be prepared to perform and AFM delete on a gen Iv 5.3?
We've had our 06 CCSB since new in July 2006. I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a daily. I thought the 4.8 died with the GMT800 platform and all the 900 were 5.3DOD motors which I would avoid like the plague.
bobzilla said:
We've had our 06 CCSB since new in July 2006. I wouldn't hesitate to use it as a daily. I thought the 4.8 died with the GMT800 platform and all the 900 were 5.3DOD motors which I would avoid like the plague.
The 4.8 definitely continued into the GMT900s, at least in the truck variants.
I'd own a GMT800 before a GMT900. Still has the same corrosion issues, but it sounds like you've got that sorted by buying in the south. I have heard the brake lines rust out down there, too, just not as quickly.
In reply to eastsideTim :
Had those replaced this past spring on ours. Line kits are fairly cheap and readily available.
I don't think you'd have any issue with one as a daily. With the GMT400's becoming the new popular truck platform, the 800's are the oldest (i.e. cheapest) model out there and are right in the sweet spot on cost.
Parts are stupid cheap online with next day delivery or available in stock at every parts store you can find. I joke that any time you see an ad flyer from a parts store that says "random part starting at....", 99% of the time, it'll be for a GM truck.
They run forever. They may not run well, but they will run. Mine's got 151k on it and it leaks and squeaks and rattles and belches and only left me stranded recently when the starter finally died. $50 and and hour in the driveway and it was up and running again. I parked it at the start of the pandemic, with a full tank of fuel, and still runs as good as it ever did. I'm going to daily it again, so I had to finally drop some money on tires (mine looked like the desert in July with all the cracks) and rebuilt the front end which both will probably last me another 10 years.
The 4L60E gets a bad rap for going bad, but they're so common, rebuilt ones are still cheap.
I could probably "restore" it with a rebuilt motor, transmission, fresh interior, replace the brake system, etc and it would cost less than 25% of what a new one would.
I don't think you could go wrong with one, especially on one with 100k miles.
-Rob
This could be my go to if it is in fact rust free - which it looks. No response to my texts though.
2007 gmc sierra 1500 for sale - Morgantown, WV - craigslist
In my neck of the woods a GMT 800 is still a new truck and is still a daily I'm also in Central North carolina. I wouldn't hesitate in a heartbeat around here. Granted I daily at GMT 400 so I may not be the best judge
When looking, you might want to expand to include the Avalanche if you can stand the extra plastic. At least around here, they seem to be cheaper than 4 door trucks.
-Rob
I more or less DD my GMT800 Suburban and it's great aside from gas mileage. I picked it over a similar GMT900 because the GMT800 interiors hold up better, the seats are more comfortable to me, the GMT800 second row seats fold flat which for my use case is important, big metal bumpers hold up well to other peoples' poor parallel parking skills, and no AFM. Perks for the GMT900 were they're a bit quieter, a bit newer, 6 speed automatic is nice. It ended up being easier to find a nice GMT800 than a nice GMT900 for the money in my case, also.
We've daily driven our '02 Avalanche for 21 years and 275,000 miles. Still going, I wouldn't worry about it at all. Does require a fair amount of maintenance, though.
IME the 2wd / coil-front GMT800 1500s drive really well; they're earliest domestic fullsize pickups that drive like cars that I have found. 4x4s aren't baaaad, the 2wd ones just have better dynamics. Obvsly a non-starter if you require or prefer 4wd for whatever reason.
All the other things have been covered. They litter the earth, so there's parts and info to fix anything that crops up anywhere. They're invisible to civilians and street-level bureaucrats alike. Later models are nicer, but also more complex and expensive.
There's an '05 1500 near me for $6,500 asking price. Problem is, though, you'd have to come to AZ to get it.
I loved my 2002 suburban.. If not for the rust, I'd still have it
I currently DD a 2005 Silverado and love it. I've had 5 or 6 GMT800s and still think it's a good mix of value, reliability, and decently comfortable.
One thing to note, mileage is programmed into the instrument cluster on these. Low mileage cluster swaps are definitely a thing. I learned that the hard way when I sold one and the buyer ran a Carfax.
eedavis said:
IME the 2wd / coil-front GMT800 1500s drive really well; they're earliest domestic fullsize pickups that drive like cars that I have found. 4x4s aren't baaaad, the 2wd ones just have better dynamics. Obvsly a non-starter if you require or prefer 4wd for whatever reason.
All the other things have been covered. They litter the earth, so there's parts and info to fix anything that crops up anywhere. They're invisible to civilians and street-level bureaucrats alike. Later models are nicer, but also more complex and expensive.
Agree. My GMT800 5.3 rwd was pretty decent to drive. It had a nice, precise rack n pinion steering and the coil over front suspension was pretty good. my only complaints were towing 5k with the 4 speed auto wasn't the best and air intrusion between the driver door and the suicide door for the extended cab. Bought it with 150k and did regular maintenance.
The GMT900 would be my preferred truck recommendation due to the 6 speed automatic transmission. it makes a good difference in towing performance and making the truck a bit more peppy. I bought one but Unfortunately I needed the diesel 2500 because I now tow heavy. The steering box is annoying and not very precise comparatively.
Have to have 4x4 because Pittsburgh. This one looks like a dream:
https://www.facebook.com/share/P5q1XeGWoC4Xv151/?mibextid=79PoIi
I prefer the GMT800 over the GMT900.
I had a 2005 Tahoe that I sold when I moved due to lack of available parking and kept my 2011 Silverado 1500 as my only vehicle. Both wound up needing transmissions around 170k. The 4L60e was much cheaper than the 6 speed (less than $3k installed IIRC). GMT900 6 speed trans was a little over $5k in 2022 for a reman unit installed and took 3 weeks to arrive. Shop said that parts availability for the 6 speed was limited at that time and they (obviously) had no idea what parts were needed until they got it torn down so they couldn't tell me if or when they could get the parts that would be needed to rebuild until they tore it down. It was my only vehicle at the time and I couldn't wait for an indefinite period. The MPG gain for me was less than 1 MPG with the 6 speed. That combined with the AFM/DOD concerns on the GMT900 have me looking at replacing it with another GMT800. Problem is the southern 4x4s are pricey now due to winter.
As everyone has already said, the GMT800 is a great platform. I've had a 2004 Tahoe Z71 that had the most comfortable seats of any car I've owned. It only ever needed minor maintenance stuff that was all pretty cheap. The gauge cluster WILL go out on these but there are enough people that repair them that it's not a big deal. I currently have an '04 single cab Silverado that I autocross every now and then but is also a perfectly fine daily. No major problems with that either just MAF sensor, ignition switch, and rear brake calipers were a pain to get off when it needed new pads/rotors
I will say that if you do plan on doing any towing, no matter how light, get a bigger auxiliary transmission cooler. Everyone complains about the 4l60e being "unreliable" when it's really just that the factory cooler isn't good enough. Also if you get an '05 or '06 you get electric radiator fans if you're interested in that
brandonsmash said:
There's an '05 1500 near me for $6,500 asking price. Problem is, though, you'd have to come to AZ to get it.
I think we should talk....
That one's listed on a private board. If you're serious I'll see if I can't link y'all up. I kind of have a surfeit of vehicles at the moment until I sell one of my own trucks and probably one of my Miatas, but I may be able to help with storage for a little bit if necessary.
In reply to brandonsmash :
We'd love to find another ccsb 2wd with a good body. Swap in my low mileage drivetrain and interior bits. Not this year though.
Absolutely love my 03 Yukon XL Denali that's been my daily for almost 3 years now and has moved across the country twice. It does not get great gas mileage but 6.0L and AWD will do that. Both the seats and the ride is more comfortable than my wife's 2011 Escalade ESV. The GMT800 SUVs seem to be much more affordable in the Carolinas than the 1500 trucks from my experience.
Really leaning heavily towards a GMT900 again. Besides the 5.3 AFM/DOD nonsense it really is one of the best trucks made IMO.
