2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Regular Cab Long Bed 4X4

Author's Rating:

Pros: Decent Gas Mileage for such a big truck. Hauling Capacity

Cons: Rust Issues Ride can be jarring Reliability Sub par

Ease of Loading:

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend this truck because of its power and towing capacity.

Author's Review
I purchased this truck in 2005, as a Certified Used truck. It had 40,000 miles on it.
I am glad it came with a full warranty because I ended up using it!

First problem I had was the emergency brakes. They barely worked. I decided to test them about a week after I bought the truck. I was traveling about 40 mph on a straight country road. I pressed the Emergency brake pedal to the floor and the truck was barely slowing down. I took it to the local dealer, and they said a pin that was needed was missing. I am not a mechanic, so I have no Idea what they are talking about. The dealership supposedly fixed the brakes. I tested them afterward, and the improvement was only marginal. I still was not able to stop the truck with the emergency brakes effectively. The regular brakes worked flawlessly and very powerfully. I decided I would have to live with poor emergency brakes at this point.

Second Problem was the rust. This Truck had a lot of rust issues in the engine area, and along the frame. The local dealer told me, if I ever needed anything replaced on the truck, the bolts would need to be cut off. Well guess what, the Exhaust Manifold shields rusted right off. One day I was driving down the highway and I heard this rattling noise, and my steering wheel felt funny. I pulled over to the side of the road, opened the hood and one of the shields fell off and jammed itself between the engine and the steering column. So I took it to the dealership and they had to replace both exhaust manifolds along with the shields because everything was so rusty they could not get any bolts out of the manifolds. They also had to replace the oil fill tube. I am glad this truck was still under warranty.

Third problem was a coolant leak. It took many visits to the dealer to find this leak. They put dye in the coolant and discovered it was an intake leak. It was finally resolved by putting a new gasket on the intake manifold.

All of these problems happened within the first 3 months of ownership. The vehicle was certified and only 3 years old. I feel that this is too many problems for such a new truck.

Other than mechanics, the truck had some positives. It could haul a lot of weight with factory build. We have a family business that utilizes a trailer for our business. Most of our trucks require extra springs in the back so they do not sag while pulling the trailer. This truck did not need any extra help. It handled the loaded trailer just fine(about 8,000 lbs. total)
The truck was equipped with the 6.0 Liter Vortec. And an automatic transmission. It was also 4X4. Even considering all of this it still got 13.5 mpg in the city and 16 mpg on the highway. I feel this is good fuel economy for such a workhorse. The engine also provides plenty of power to haul heavy cargo, pull a trailer, or just about anything a person would need a truck for. It has excellent passing power at highway speeds.
The ride is jarring, but what can be expected from this type of setup. Smooth roads feel great, but hit a pothole, or an uneven rail road track, and you better be wearing your seat belt, because you might fly out of the cab.

If you need a truck that will be used for heavy hauling, or towing this is the truck for you. If you plan on getting the weekly groceries in it, then it is overkill. A regular half ton would be a better choice.