Full size?

[barch97]

I've been debating making the jump for a while now. My CC has not been my daily driver for a few years now but I just can't do without a "truck". Fuel economy isn't our biggest concern as full size estimates exceed my actual CC mpg. I'd sure like to increase the bed capacity and reduce the number of trips hauling leaves, mulch, etc. The boy barch is growing like a weed, thus passenger capacity/comfort is an increasing consideration. Our towing needs have changed with a travel trailer (22 ft / 4000 lbs) purchase back in the fall. Mrs barch was convinced years ago but I'm stuck in the talking myself into it stage.

As much as I would love to have another GMC badge in the driveway, there just doesn't seem to be many '11 Sierras around. To make the most of manufacturer's incentives, 2011 Silverado is the way to go. Crew Cab, 4wd, 5.3L w/ towing package (locking rear, external trans cooler, etc) and GM is doin' their best to convince me that it's the right thing to do.

$4000 Customer Cash
$1000 GM Owner Loyalty
$2000 GM Supplier Discount (wife's employer)

I suspect my CC is worth $5000 in trade and Ally Bank (gmac) is offering outstanding finance rates. This all adds up to monthly payments that seem like I'm losing money by not getting a new truck.

So, what do you guys think? I know some of you have a lot of experience with GM full size trucks. What else should I be considering? What have I overlooked? And, most importantly, what accessories do I need to have immediately? You all have been very helpful in the past with these decisions and I'm looking forward to your input this time.

[HenryJ]

Sounds like you have it pretty well lined out. I am not a fan of the 6.0L engines. They are having oil consumption issues. Quite a few 2007-up are going in for ring and piston replacements. Dodge is having similar problems with their 4.7L engine. Ford has some real issues after 100k miles. I would not be interested in either at this point. The exception to that would be a PowerWagon for offroading or a Raptor for baja. Those are BIG $$$$$$$ though.

It looks like GM did get their 4L60E transmission problems cured. The 4L65E is rumored to be very good.

If I had to consider another manufacturer it would be to look at the Toyota Tundra. It is a towing monster with that 5.7L V-8. Good mileage comparable to the Silverado, if not better. It will be quite a bit more expensive though.

Heated leather is VERY nice. I would option that for sure. Power towing mirrors are VERY expensive to install afterward. I'd consider them too.

I think you will be very happy. You will get about the same gas mileage and have more room and comfort. I hate to see you give up the little crew cab. It was a sad day for me to be sure. I still miss it at times, but that is fading. My new truck is filling the needs in a big way

[JaVeRo]

Most of the oil consumption issues I have read about have been with the Active Fuel Management engines that cut back to 4 cylinders to conserve fuel. I would stay away from them. The 01 Suburban company truck I used to drive finally died at 384k. It had been relegated to hauling a crew to the jobsite and pilot truck during the day. The transmission went out when they hit a deer and broke the cooler line. It was the original transmission with a factory cooler. New oil pump at 290k

The 2006 Silverado 4wd I am currently driving averages 16 mpg over a long time period. I am required to keep a fuel log so it's easy to calculate over several months. A lot of that is highway.

My only complaint would be the rear springs. Starting in 1999 the light duty 1/2 tons got 2 leafs with an overload instead of the 3/1 on 1/2 tons during the mid 90's. Carrying 500 lbs +/- of survey equipment and an ARE camper shell just about has it overloaded all the time. I am considering adding a leaf.

I think you will like it.
James

[barch97]

Excellent points all around. It warms my heart (and my wallet) to hear about those 290,000 and 380,000 mile repairs. It took me ten years to get to 100,000 on my CC, knowing I'll be pretty safe for another thirty years or so on a full size is awesome.

I hate to see you give up the little crew cab.

You ain't the only one. I would much rather keep it forever but it just isn't getting the job done any more. Without a doubt the best vehicle I've ever owned thanks in no small part to this here website of yours.

[HenryJ]

...It warms my heart (and my wallet) to hear about those 290,000 and 380,000 mile repairs.

I am currently driving a 2004 Silverado 4 door 4x4 as my shop truck. It now has 200k miles on it. The rear differential replaced with a G80 due to the soft side gears in the open carrier it had. Wiring repaired due to the brittle harness to the throttle body. Waterpump replaced twice (crappy NAPA part). Alternator rebuilt. Evap vent valve replaced. Steering box replaced along with the idler and pitman.
No complaints. Most of the stuff is the normal stuff you see in any model. just over 15 mpg all day long , run'n parts.

...I would much rather keep it forever but it just isn't getting the job done any more. Without a doubt the best vehicle I've ever owned thanks in no small part to this here website of yours.

Sounds just like my story. Needs change no matter how carefully you make your selection.
I have reaped countless rewards from this site too. Keep in mind that this forum is a group effort. I can not take credit for the work everyone has done here. I just try to do my best to keep things going. Thanks to everyone for the community you have all created.
Don't ever leave. We all still have lots of good information to share!

[barch97]

I'm not going anywhere. You guys are too easy to get answers from.

It just occurred to me that before I trade it in, I'm going to have to make time to fix a few odds and ends I've been putting off. So, be on the look out for a few desperate pleas for help in the coming weekends.

[HenryJ]

Your truck is under 100k miles? That makes it worth quite a bit to a dealer.
Don't be afraid to ask $6k for it as a trade. I got $7k for mine and they got asking price for the Avalanche.
$5k is trade value, $6k private sale, and dealer retail is $7900. Most are hungry for a good used truck like this. It has family appeal and the younger generation is starting to notice them too.

[F9K9]

Barch,

Something isn't right when I have to read your posts without seeing your avatar. Get that fixed before you sell the CC. No one blames you for moving on to something else but, it sounds like you are doing your research, as usual. I hope that your final choice proves to be a good one. Brule's still full of good info about many different vehicle makes.

[HenryJ]

Barch,

Something isn't right when I have to read your posts without seeing your avatar.

Found it! Small , but it is what it is

[barch97]

Just when I thought I had my mind made up, I start getting advertising in the mail for even more money off 2012s. I'm thinking the longer I wait, the more I'll save?

[HenryJ]

GM heard you might be looking for a new truck. I see they brought back the graveyard shift to meet the demand. Cranking out lots of trucks now.

[barch97]

It just occurred to me that before I trade it in, I'm going to have to make time to fix a few odds and ends I've been putting off. So, be on the look out for a few desperate pleas for help in the coming weekends.

Well, the driver side mirror and the window motor are all fixed. Now I suppose I oughta check into getting that airbag light turned off.

[HenryJ]

Suffer with all the problems for so long and then...Isn't it funny how we fix it all up nice, just before getting rid of it.

[barch97]

I hear ya, feels like I'm working for someone else but I'm sure these inexpensive little repairs would cost me a whole lot more in trade-in value.

[sonomadude4x4]

i just bought a 2007 (new body style) silverado crew cab z71 to replace my sonoma i love the truck so far and its better mpg than the sonoma was so far

[riceburnr2005]

I would like to get my hands on a crew cab duramax!!


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[barch97]

I would like to get my hands on a crew cab duramax!!

I'll thumb wrestle you for the first one

...and now it's Chevy Truck Month, I guess I was right in assuming the longer I wait the better the deals get. And, every month I wait to buy, is one less payment on our other two cars.

[barch97]

I think I've found a pretty exceptional deal on a Sierra SLE with
"LC9 - VORTEC 5.3L V8 SFI ENGINE W/ACTIVE FUEL MANAGEMENT & FLEX-FUEL CAPABILITY, Alum Cyl Deactivation"

I'm a little suspicious of the epa estimates being identical for all four 5.3L and one 4.8L V8. As we've found among members here with identical displacement, even rear end gear ratio can make a noticeable difference in mpg.

I'm also curious what is aluminum and what's not. Back in the olden days I had a plymouth 2.6L I4 dohc with an aluminum head on an iron block. The two metals expanded at different rates and different temps which resulted in frequent head gasket failure. That was almost 30 years ago, is it safe to assume this issue is no longer a concern?

[riceburnr2005]

I haven't heard great things about those flex fuel motors w/ cylinder deactivation. Lol I don't remember specifics so I guess I can't really prove myself.


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[barch97]

Looks like the new truck is on hold for a while.



Mrs Barch's Pathfinder was killing us on gas but in a few more months we'll be back to one car payment and truck shoppin' again just in time for year end incentives.

[HenryJ]

Looks like a smooth ride. Hard to tell the details, can you tell us?

[barch97]

Looks like a smooth ride. Hard to tell the details, can you tell us?

Whoops! I knew I was forgetting something.

It's a 2011 Buick Regal CXL RL4 from the Russelhiem plant. 2.4L inline 4cyl w/ 6 speed automatic. GM certified used = 60 month / 72,000 mi bumper to bumper. Same monthly payment (but a couple years longer) as we had on the Nissan. It is a nice ride although not quite as smooth as our Impala. I think Buick tried to stiffen it up to make it feel sportier and lose the "old man" image. It's fun to drive and has better acceleration than I was expecting. Full of luxury items that would have been options on most others in class. Lacks a few things I had gotten used to with other cars though, like flip out tray for sunglasses, home link buttons, coin holder (NJ = the toll state), etc. but I can definitely get used to it.

We've had it about two weeks now and so far it's getting just over 30 mpg. Compared to 16 in the the SUV, I figure we're saving about $150/month. That much more we can afford to spend on a truck.

[sonomadude4x4]

i hava a silverado crew cab 07 with 5.3 3.73 gears 4x4 new body style also have 33's and leveling kit i avg 15 on daily driving and 18 on the highway as far as the AFM i doesnt work very often beacuse of the 33's if i does cut in it only stays in for 5 to 10 seconds and as far as the oil consumption issue every thing ive read on it it seems as if u got a good truck of a bad one

[HenryJ]

... 2011 Buick Regal CXL R4 ...
We've had it about two weeks now and so far it's getting just over 30 mpg. Compared to 16 in the the SUV, I figure we're saving about $150/month. That much more we can afford to spend on a truck.

Wow, very nice. Can't wait to see what happens on the truck when that time comes.

[ApproachMedium]

The Buick is an awesome car! Glad you like it. My friend in Michigan builds these. Did you trade in your crew?

[barch97]

i hava a silverado crew cab 07 with 5.3 3.73 gears 4x4 new body style also have 33's and leveling kit i avg 15 on daily driving and 18 on the highway as far as the AFM i doesnt work very often beacuse of the 33's if i does cut in it only stays in for 5 to 10 seconds and as far as the oil consumption issue every thing ive read on it it seems as if u got a good truck of a bad one

That doesn't sound too bad considering the size/weight. Better than I've been getting in my CC lately anyway. MPG is always a concern but we have no illusions about economy in a 5.3L. Have you done any towing with yours? The primary reason for us going full size is to pull our travel trailer. I'd like to hear as many good/bad stories on dragging 4-5 thousand pounds as I can before committing to five or six years of payments.

Wow, very nice. Can't wait to see what happens on the truck when that time comes.

Thanks, me neither. Seems the longer I put it off the more I change my mind. I'm back to thinking buying used is the way to go. Taking ten grand off the price tag would leave us in a better position if we need to replace one of our gettin' to work cars. Then again with the rebates GM is still offering, it's hard to pass up the new truck full warranty. It's too bad these trucks aren't as popular in returned lease. A year or two old GM Certified would suit our needs very nicely.

The Buick is an awesome car! Glad you like it. My friend in Michigan builds these. Did you trade in your crew?

No, not yet. We've been wanting to trade up to full size but Mrs Barch's job moved about 35 miles further from home. She had been driving an '06 Pathfinder which worked out fine with her 20 mile round trip daily commute but now that it's closer to 90 miles a day, we just couldn't afford to keep filling it up twice a week. So, replacing her SUV with a more economical daily driver got bumped to the top of the new car list.

I did a little looking into the history of the new Regal before buying. It started out as a Vauxhall/Opel Insignia in Europe in 2008. 2009 European Car of the Year. GM began production of the Regal at their Opel plant in Russelhiem, Germany in late 2010 but by February 2011 shifted almost entirely to Oshowa, Ontario. We got one of the few to come out of Germany with Buick badges. It's got few a European style amenities that identify it, long wide front license plate frame, marker lights on side fenders (Canadian models are mounted on side mirrors), front & rear bumper knockouts for towing, niche w/ elastic strap in trunk for fire extinguisher. As of 2012, the trademark Buick "vent" holes (no actual hole or vent just a stick-on aesthetic) have been added to the hood, previously color matched door handles are chrome and the navigation system now has touchscreen.

[ApproachMedium]

I thought they were building these in Michigan too? I could be wrong. I know my buddy builds buicks and caddys. Hes also switched plants now once since I met him. Didnt know that car made european car of the year, thats awesome. Nice to see GM working good with the whole global platform.

As for MPG in the CC, two weeks ago I took a railfan trip to harrisburg with my friends. Averaged almost 20MPG hopping town to town in the truck on the highways and back country roads, and then on my 2.5hr trip home back to the shore. And mine has a misfireing problem on #3. I guess your mileage may vary? It seems to start to really drop off over 70-73mph.

[barch97]

I thought they were building these in Michigan too? I could be wrong. I know my buddy builds buicks and caddys. Hes also switched plants now once since I met him.

I'm pretty sure they build the Verano in the Orion Township, MI assembly plant. The Verano is very similar to the Regal but about 6 inches shorter. Like the difference between a Mailbu and a Cruze.


And, I haven't driven the CC on the highway in years. All 'round town miles, getting 14-16 MPG.

[ApproachMedium]

Thats not bad!

[sonomadude4x4]

That doesn't sound too bad considering the size/weight. Better than I've been getting in my CC lately anyway. MPG is always a concern but we have no illusions about economy in a 5.3L. Have you done any towing with yours? The primary reason for us going full size is to pull our travel trailer. I'd like to hear as many good/bad stories on dragging 4-5 thousand pounds as I can before committing to five or six years of payments.

as far as towing goes its so much better than my sonoma was /. it pulls everything ive towed like its not back there same trailers that the sonoma use to strugle with if u think about it the gas mileage is better than the sonomas and has tons more power and space... yes payments are not fun but its worth it to me to have twice the truck with the same if not better mpg s soon ill be adding a edge programer and banks ram air intake allready have a true dual magnaflow exhaust with a x pipe going into 2 magnaflow mufflers gave the truck alot more low end over just having the staiight pipe i use to have iveead people geting as much a 2 - 3 mpg s more with the programmer. intake and exhaust

[barch97]

That's what I want to hear.

The trouble I've been having is that there doesn't seem to be any standardization for advertised towing specs. Each manufacturer uses their own criteria to claim a capacity higher than the competition. Our 4L V6 Nissan claimed 6,000lbs but our trailer weighs less than two thirds of that and we could feel the toll it was taking after a few short trips. I haven't had any power issues getting the trailer rolling but rear end sag, transmission strain, brake wear, etc. are definitely a concern in my CC and the Pathfinder I had been using to tow.

I have yet to find a dealership that will let me hitch up my travel trailer for a test drive. I can't afford to keep buying trucks to try out until I get the right one. I suppose my only hope would be to rent a truck for a weekend and try it out. Will be tricky finding a rental with exact same specs considering all the power train options available.

In the mean time, we're fortunate to have my parents live near by and they've been very generously lending us their '03 F150. It's not my every day truck so it's more difficult to tell if something sounds or feels out of the ordinary but it sure tows nice compared to our Sonoma or Pathfinder.

[ApproachMedium]

F150 is a good truck for towing. My dad has a 2wd one and towed a loaded 2 axle U haul down to florida with it 7 years ago. Had no problem getting it up to 75mph even though your not supposed to lol. We used to tow a boat with our previous 4x4 bronco when I was little and 4x4 F150 after that, the first year of the 2wd we towed the same boat and dad says it ran better that way. Less front end weight in the truck made it easier to steer with the load and helped with the added weight of the trailer to the rear. I guess your mileage may vary? Every truck is different.