Hey good ppl, I'm shopping for my first truck!

[bradleyheathhays]

How truly great the day will be when I finally drive my first truck home. I've wanted one for years now, but being the tight a&! that I am I haven't let myself spend the money. Now I've got a little business going where I need to haul a trailer, and have 8-10k to spend on a used half-ton. I'm not too familiar with older truck models, but the first ones that come to mind are the Silverado and Sierra 1500s before 2007, when they started to have the fuel management system problem.

Are there any other issues the 2006 and previous models have that I should be aware of before I go test driving? I'll end up poking all over the thing before I go handing over that much money, so if I know what issues to look out for hopefully I'll be able to save myself a lot of headache. After doing a 500 mile search here in the Midwest I'm seeing plenty under 150k miles, and some upwards of 250k, so I'm feeling good about finding one with some life left in it.

[70cst]

The GMT800's are pretty rock solid. The model years 1999-to mid 2007 are the years to look for. I just purchased a 2000 SLT-Z71 with 96,000 miles but I would not hesitate buying one with 150,000 miles but .. look for rust. Mechanics are much easier and cheaper to fix than a truck loaded with rust. I searched for a 4x4 specifically.
Good luck. I paid $13,000 for mine but you will find a lot of trucks in your price range.

[Richardman1992]

I’ve got 227k miles on my truck now, it’s been in my family since May of 05 and in my possession since January 2011. Still on the original 4l60e, the front diff leaks, but that’s fairly common. Change the oil on a regular basis and don’t abuse it, and it’ll serve you well for a long time.

[joesscamaro]

I'm in Eastern NC and I just bought a '04 Z71. I had the same thought in mind...pretty much anything pre-07. I'm no expert, but don't be surprised to see a little oil residue from the rear main seal leaking. Pretty common issue. The truck I bought has 81k miles and was garaged kept by an older gentleman and still has the rear main leak. It is very minor and doesn't even show between oil changes. The stepper motors in the instrument panel are common for going out. Pretty simple fix. Rust in the rocker areas are quite common, also. The steering shaft bearing...or something on the steering shaft, is another common issue. You might hear a slight clunking from the steering column, but I think it's a straight forward fix. I just love this year truck because it's a V8 and not switching from 4 cyl to 8 cyl mode and it has a 4 speed transmission. 4l60e's don't have the greatest reputation but I'd take one over this new stuff any day!

[LS short box]

I always advise to everyone to take the truck to a mechanic you trust and have them check it out. Might cost a couple hundred bucks but could save you a bunch of money.
I would not consider anything with rust.