10 Things You Should Know Before Buying A Chevrolet Silverado (New Or Used)

For the better part of the 20th century, Chevrolet's top-of-the-line pickup truck offering came in the form of the C/K, the main competitor to the Ford F-Series before that was called the F-150. This platform gave us some of car enthusiasts' most beloved vehicles, like the K5 Blazer and GMC Jimmy. A replacement for the Task Force line of trucks, which everyone compares Mater from Cars to, the C/K lineup introduced some pretty major improvements and new features.

After well over three decades on the market, Chevrolet finally retired the C/K in the late '90s to make room for an all-new half-ton pickup truck called the Silverado. The Silverado, along with the nearly identical GMC Sierra, improved things further. This has led both to become some of America's favorite pickup trucks.

Today, the prospect of a new or a used Silverado is pretty tempting, but some things are worth noting. The new trucks offer a solid lineup of trim levels and powertrain combos, while the older trucks have some reliability issues and other potential rough edges to look out for.

When it comes to powertrain combos on the latest Silverado 1500, Bob's your uncle. The 1500 models offer four powertrains, two of them being gas V8s, one being a diesel I6, and one being a 2.7-liter gas turbo four-cylinder. The TurboMax four-cylinder is new for 2024, and it promises very competitive towing and hauling while providing massive improvements to fuel economy. Leave it to Chevy to extract 310 horsepower and 430 lb-ft of torque from a four-cylinder engine. Even GM haters have to admit, that's pretty impressive.

Elsewhere, the 5.3-liter EcoTec V8 is naturally aspirated and offers a helpful 355 horsepower and 383 lb-ft of torque. If you need additional torque, the 3.0-liter Duramax six-cylinder puts out 305 horsepower and 495 lb-ft of torque, a decent improvement over the outgoing LM2.

The most powerful of the three powertrains is the larger 6.2-liter EcoTec V8, with 420 horsepower and 460 lb-ft of torque. While not as torquey as the diesel, it beats out the other two in terms of raw horsepower. An 8-speed automatic transmission is standard, while a 10-speed automatic is optional on certain trim levels and powertrain combinations. You can have either 2WD or 4WD. As for trim levels, the range starts with the base WT (Work Truck), and there's just about everything for any type of buyer. The Custom is more upscale, the High Country is pure luxury, whereas the ZR2 is for the offroad enthusiast.

First-generation Silverados and Sierras are definitely an exciting piece of pickup truck history. They were both the first of their kind after the C/K platform and in the case of the Sierra, the world got to see the original, archetypal luxury pickup truck with the Sierra C3. However, the oldest Silverados and Sierras are now 25 years old, and they are starting to show some problems as they age.

Chief among those on the GMT800 trucks are the electrical issues. According to RepairPal, one of the most common electrical issues is the CD player failing. This one is not as big since very few people still listen to music through CDs, and it's nothing that a Bluetooth FM adapter can't fix. There are more serious electrical issues here, however.

The gauge cluster is prone to bizarre behavior and incorrectly displaying speed or revs, which would require a replacement. The ground connection under the battery tray is also wonky, which can throw up an ABS light. The terminals are also prone to corrosion, and you'll need to budget a solid amount of money if your keyless entry stops working, as it will require a new remote. Even though these issues are mostly fixable and preventable, it's still something to look out for.

There are some key differences in trim levels and powertrains for the HD Silverado models between the 1500 and the heavy-duty trucks. One similarity they have is that the HD models are also, of course, available with either 2WD or 4WD, but the 3500HD adds the option of dual rear wheels. Single cabs, extended cabs, and crew cabs are also all available with the HD.

The trim levels, however, are scaled back. The HD models don't offer a sporty RST trim leaving only the WT, Custom, LT, LTZ, High Country, and ZR2. The ZR2 trim level was previously unavailable on the HD models, but it's now available to take on the Tremor-equipped Ford Super Duty trucks.

Powertrain options are also cut in half; the Silverado HD is available with only two engines. Both of them are V8s, and they're both the exact same displacement; only one is gasoline, while the other is a turbodiesel. The 6.6-liter gas V8 has 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque with a 3.73 rear axle, whereas the 6.6-liter Duramax diesel has 470 horsepower and a whopping 975 lb-ft of torque, with a 3.42 rear axle. A 10-speed automatic transmission courtesy of Allison distributes power to the wheels.

The Duramax diesel engine has been around for almost 25 years now, and it has gone on to power well over a million trucks since its first appearance. Throughout the years, it has gone through numerous revisions and redesigns, and it has had its ups and downs in terms of dependability and performance. One of the sweet spots in the Duramax lineup is undoubtedly the LBZ.

Launched in 2006, the LBZ strikes the perfect balance between reliability, performance, as well as headroom for modifications if you're into that sort of thing. One of the main reasons why the LBZ is so durable is its lack of emissions control equipment. It's commonly known that modern diesel engines have a lot of issues because of DPFs and EGR valves, but the LBZ only makes do with an EGR valve.

There is, however, one downside to the LBZ: it was only offered for two model years. Only the 2006 and 2007 Silverado and Sierra HDs came with the LBZ, and then it was discontinued. This narrows down your options on the used market significantly, but if you can find a well-maintained LBZ, it definitely won't let you down.

In the relentless race for every modern pickup to tow and haul more than the other, the Silverado has managed to achieve some pretty impressive figures. For the latest Silverado 1500, the maximum towing capacity is 13,300 pounds. While the F-150 beats it by only 200 pounds, the Silverado bests the Toyota Tundra and its measly 12,000 pounds, not to mention the RAM 1500 and its 11,570 pounds.

As for payload capacity, the Silverado 1500 can take up to 2,260 pounds, which is also pretty impressive. The F-150's 2,455 pounds capacity is slightly better, but the Silverado basically matches the RAM 1500 and its capacity of 2,300 pounds and easily beats the Toyota Tundra and its 1,940 pounds.

The HD trucks, obviously, are much more capable. Then again, they better be, with up to 975 lb-ft of torque on tap. The new Silverado HD can tow up to 36,000 pounds, which is good, but not quite as good as the competition. The new heavy duty RAM can tow 37,090 pounds, but the Ford Super Duty trucks take the cake with up to 40,000 pounds of max towing. Up to 7,234 pounds in the bed is possible with the Chevy, which is unfortunately not as good as the RAM HD's 7,680 pounds and Ford's seriously impressive 8,000 pounds.

No Silverado is safe from reliability issues, but if any of them have major and frequently occurring issues, that would be the third generation trucks. The GMT K2XX trucks debuted for model year 2014, and they only lasted until 2018 before the current Silverado took over.

We're not exactly sure what happened at GM during this time, but the third generation Silverado wasn't exactly favorably received when it came to long-term reliability. The amount of recalls issued between 2014 and 2018 speaks volumes about that, but there are also some general problems that the K2XX trucks can't escape.

Believe it or not, according to RepairPal, some of the issues we mentioned on the first generation Silverado are still very much present here. Wonky air conditioning, failing steering wheel position sensors, failing transfer cases on 4WD models, and the ever-present CD player issues are still here. If you're looking for a used Silverado, it's best to stay away from the K2XX trucks if you want to spare yourself of headaches.

For those who don't need a heavy duty pickup with a bowtie on the front, there's now a different way to have your cake and eat it. Chevy recently introduced an electric version of the Silverado, dubbed simply the Silverado EV. It's based on the Ultium architecture, and it's a thoroughly modern, battery-powered take on the Silverado that we all know.

With it being electric, of course, the Silverado EV brings along some major benefits. One of those being the midgate, which allows you to extend the length of the bed by folding down the rear seats, a first for a Silverado. There's also a massive frunk, all-wheel steering, and up to 754 hp in the RST trim level, which is pure insanity. Not to mention the endless amounts of technology, including the ability to power your house. There's more, as Chevy still promises up to 10,000 pounds of max towing and up to 440 miles of driving thanks to the massive battery pack, though probably not both at the same time.

The only caveat is, as of September 2024, the Silverado EV RST is the only one you can order. In money terms, that means almost $100,000 for a Silverado. If that's too much, you'll have to wait for the more utilitarian, but still impressively equipped WT.

While maybe not as bad as the third generation trucks in terms of reliability, the second generation GMT900 Silverados are also prone to a few issues here and there. The second gen was available with the aforementioned LBZ Duramax, so you shouldn't have any notable problems with the engine if you end up going for that, or indeed, any of the others.

However, in an impressive but also befuddling showcase of consistency, the GMT900 Silverado and Sierra are prone to the same sort of issues as the third generation trucks, according to RepairPal. Failing fuel pumps, failing AC, failing CD players, and all the ones you read before.

A lot of these issues seem to happen at around 100,000-150,000 miles, so ensure with the seller that the truck you're looking at has had some preventative maintenance done. If it hasn't, you might be met with a nasty surprise.

The 2024 and 2025 Silverados remain competitively priced in the hot pickup truck market. The absolute bottom end of the Silverado 1500 range is a basic Work Truck with a single cab, regular bed and the TurboMax four-cylinder engine with 2WD, paired up to an 8-speed automatic transmission. This package starts at $38,795.

For the bells and whistles Silverado 1500, that would be the High Country. This one is, as you might expect, exclusively available as a crew cab with 4WD. The TurboMax engine is also removed from the lineup, leaving the two V8s or the diesel, along with the 10-speed automatic transmission. With the 6.2-liter V8, this option starts at $71,185.

As for the Silverado HD, the 2500 actually offers both the WT and LT trim levels on the basic single-cab version, with the former starting at $47,295 for the 2WD model. Expect to pay around $10,000 extra if you want the 6.6-liter Duramax, depending on the specification. The top of the line Silverado HD would be a High Country 3500 dually with the diesel engine, and that'll set you back a pretty steep $87,585 for the 2025 model. As for the Silverado EV, again, as of September 2024, only the top-of-the-line RST is available, and that's almost $100,000.

If you'd prefer to go used for your Silverado, don't worry: there are some solid options on the market, though not everything is worth buying. For first gens, high mileage examples are aplenty, but those aren't really worth looking at. Around 100,000 miles should be ideal, and one of those with proper maintenance will set you back around $10,000 to $12,000. Again, ensure with the seller that it has been properly maintained, and get ready to iron out some of those aforementioned gremlins.

LBZ-equipped second gen trucks have started their journey towards value appreciation, as it's very difficult to find one for less than $25,000, and that's with high miles. Otherwise, second generation trucks float around the $20,000-$30,000 mark, depending on mileage and trim level. Around $25,000 should get you a well-maintained, well-equipped example with not too high miles.

Finally, the third generation trucks have actually depreciated significantly. Even though owners haven't managed to put as many miles on them, K2XX Silverados can easily be found for $20,000, and that's with less than 100,000 miles. $25,000 should get you an earlier model that has been well-maintained and has a pretty good list of stuff on the window sticker, though be wary of the aforementioned reliability concerns.