What Years Did Chevy Produce Cateye Silverados & How Much Do They Go For Today?

Though it feels like the Silverado has been a mainstay in Chevrolet's truck lineup since the company's early days, the pickup didn't actually make its debut until the late 1990s. The Silverado has become one of the most impressive additions to the Chevy truck stable in the years since, with drivers responding as much to the truck's hauling power as to its intimidating looks. 

As one might expect, the look of the Silverado has changed considerably since the first generation trucks hit the streets in 1999, with older builds all but unrecognizable next to the likes of the SlashGear-approved 2024 Silverado EV. Perhaps one of the more unexpected re-designs for the popular build came in the early 2000s when Chevy delivered the so-called "Cateye" Silverado. That is, of course, a playful nickname bestowed upon a certain run of the Chevy Silverado featuring slightly slanted front headlights that some drivers feel give the build the distinct look of a feline on the prowl.

One look at the front grill of those Chevys, and you can see that nickname is more than fitting. However, the so-called Cateye design on the Silverado did not stick around particularly long, with Chevrolet only manufacturing trucks with those distinctive headlights between 2003 and 2007, with 2007 sporting the Cateye for just some of the trims. The automaker swapped to a more traditional front grill look the very next year, fitting the Silverado with a more traditional squared headlight — a switch that only made the Cateye era more unique in the line's history.   

Cateye Silverados remain desirable on the used truck market, in part because of the truck's power output, with the Vortec 6.0 liter and the vaunted Duramax diesel engines being available options during the build's brief production run. In recent years, the Cateye Silverados have become quite popular with vehicle modders, who reportedly favor the vehicle's singular design features as much as they do the availability of aftermarket parts. 

Whatever the case, the trucks remain desirable at resale even if there are some things you'll need to consider before buying a used Silverado. While the truck's looks, power, and modding potential have made Cateye Silverados popular among modders, price is likely just as big a part of the equation as Chevy's from that era are not prohibitively expensive. In fact, per Kelley Blue Book, a 2003 Silverado will only set you back between about $5,000 and $10,500 used, depending on the trim package included. The price is about the same for a 2004 Cateye, though KBB notes that prices could range up to over $11,000 for that model year. 

The 2005 models are currently on par with the '04, according to KBB, with the valuation site claiming the 2006 model year ranges between just over $6,200 on the low end and about $12,200 on the high end. Not surprisingly, the final — and thus most recent — model year for the Cateye Silverados boasts the highest beginning resale price, with vehicles starting at roughly $6,500. However, as opposed to the '06 models, KBB notes the '07 builds can likely be had for under $12,000, even with the upper echelon of trim, capping out at about $11,700.