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1999 Chevrolet Silverado
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the 454 won't fit in the new design. just like nothing larger than the 5.4 will fit in the F-150 and F250 light. i did read that you can get all three v-8's and the 6.5 diesel in the new body design.
4.8
5.3
6.0
The only way to get the new 6000 V8 is to order the 8600 GVWR 2500. This motor comes standard in this vehicle. The 4X4 2500 comes standard as an 8600 GVWR vehicle.
There are also two different automatic transmissions. The M30 (light duty tranny) comes with the 5300 V8. The MT1 (heavy duty tranny) comes with the 6000 V8 and is only available with the 3/4 ton 8600 GVWR pickup.
When you order a 7200 GVWR 2500 4X2 with the 5300 V8, you get the M30 light duty tranny.
When you order a 7200 GVWR 2500 4X2 with the 6000 V8, you get the MT1 heavy duty tranny.
3.73 and 4.10 axles are are available with the 5300 and 6000 V8's. The 3.42 is available with the 5300 V8 7200 GVWR. A C6P axle (?) is also available with the 6000 V8.
Has anyone seen the torque curve for the 6000 V8 or the current 5.7L Chevy V8? I am curious to see a torque curve comparison of these two motors.
3.42, 4.10 and C6P (?) axles are available with the 6.5L diesel V8 which only comes as a 8600 GVWR.
Has anyone seen the torque curve for the 6000 V8 or the current 5.7L Chevy V8? I am curious to see a torque curve comparison of these motors along with the Cummins and Powerstroke diesels.
the vortec 5.7 (current 350) has majority of torque around 2000 and peaks at 2800 rpm, then starts to decline downward. the current vortecs are impressive when you put a load on them. hills nor weight phases them too much. my experience, anyway.
Well, like I said earlier, I got the chance to see 20 99 GMC,s at the local GMC dealership. These were experamental hand-made models that are destined to perform crash tests.
There were most configurations and colors available. (although not all will make it to production.) I personally like the new green color, it is pretty bright and compliments the 2X4 nicely.
I was only permitted to peek into the windows to see that the rear seat is indeed larger and for some reason, the GMC only has one rear door, not the two everyone said GMC would have.
There was only one 3/4 ton visable and it was a plain one.
The 1500 series is not supposed to have badging that identifies it as such whereas the 2500 and up will.
The front tow hooks are much smaller and thinner in diameter than the current truck.
The stepside may automatically come with plastic bed rail protection a-la Ford.
The rear-window glass is flush with the cab and devoid of metal or plastic trim.
The aluminum wheels depicted on the red GMC in the MotorTrend article are awesome in person.
The two wheel drive models seem low to the ground and almost hod-rodish with their large diameter wheels.
The beds floors have a drain hole for every grove.
The fog lights are collapseable.
The side trim on the GMC is minimal and chrome.
It was impossible to tell what was under the hood but I assume almost all had the 5300.
Those trucks are gone now but I still see one driving around town (Albuquerque) once in a while and I must admit, it is one of the first trucks that I've liked at first sight. It doesn't have the love it or hate it styling of the competition.
Alex.
If I've heard wrong, anyone, please let me know.
Ryan
Tell them to use Saturn as a model to treat employees, and keep jobs in America.
P.S. I am not a union member, and don't know anyone who is in the UAW
Here's a story: http://www.autoauth.com/topstories/aw3.htm
And links to GM where you can e-mail them your comments:
www.cadillac.com
www.buick.com
www.pontiac.com
www.gmc.com
www.chevrolet.com
www.saturn.com
www.oldsmobile.com
Wes
Now, Let's get back to 99 Chevy's and GMC's shall we?
Analysts say this will cost GM some $68 million per day in lost production, and Wall Street is supporting management, saying GM should have downsized in the 80s when Chrysler and Ford did. The CNN poll today (at www.cnn.com) is asking the public who they support. As of 2:30pm Eastern, it was 63% management, 37% union.
But like you said, let's get back to Chevy's. What do you think the impact of the strike will have on the scheduled release date of the 99 model?
If the strikes last, and the CAW backs up their threat of not using the sheet metal from the moved dies, there will only be a weeks' worth of 1999s made until the strikes are settled. GM needed the Ontario plant to be running all summer to have enough trucks for the fall launch.
If it's a prolonged strike, look for Ford and Dodge to be working lots of OT to build pickups for those who want one and/or can't wait. And with the 4 door advantage over GM's 3 door trucks, GM will lose major market share when people opt for the available trucks from F & D instead of waiting for the new GM rigs. Ford would be the big winner as Dodge can't get too much above 400,000 units due to plant capacity (boy, do they need a fifth Ram plant...).
Out of the four "groups" they defined:
- Functionalists
- Value Seekers
- Style and Image Seekers
- Progressive Truckness Seekers
they seem to have put the most emphasis on the last two groups according to the test. In other words, the people who don't need a truck, but are buying one because that's the "thing" to do right now. Full-size pickups are still considered a fad item to these people, and I just see too much compromise for these people vs the hardcore truckers who always-have-bought/do-buy/will-always -buy trucks because they need a truck. The only concession even mentioned for the "Value" group they defined is the fact that the engines use iron blocks instead of aluminum. The "Functionalists" got stiffer body and chassis, horsepower, and brakes. Everything else was aimed at the style people to move up from a car. There's no mention of improved payloads or towing numbers, and the test says that only the rack-and-pinion equipped trucks steer worth anything.
It's claimed in the article by GM that "Functionalists" no longer rule the roost when it comes to truck sales. This means GM is more interested in the high-profit-per-unit of trucks than serving the people who actually need the vehicle. Not everyone will dash out and buy a Camaro because it might be the hot thing to have; why should everyone rush out and buy a truck? You can always tell the folks who bought a pickup or SUV on hype because the first thing they ask is, "how do I get more mpg?" That means they don't even need a truck for "style" because they can't afford to fuel it.
i'm not sure if you think GM is clueless or the magazine you read was clueless.
if this magazine didn't mention anything about mechanical improvements, or functionality features, then you shouldn't base your opinions on one publication. Motortrend and Popular mechanics gaving reviews on the new GMs as basically both said, these trucks are top of the class in all departments. if you want real info for us "truckers" on these trucks, go find it. Chevy's homepage would be a good start. i've got a ---- load of info on them, from test drives in national newspapers and 3 magazines
about the styling or whatever those groups were you mentioned, they were probably talking about GMs attempt to make this a "democratic" truck. they did years of research and customer surveys and market surveys to see what people wanted. then they designed on their findings. that doesn't mean they didn't make this thing able to do any work. it has the biggest cab in the industry and the most powerful engines in the industry, stiffest frame, and carries over the same industry leading transmission.
look a little harder, there's lots of info out there.
-Motor Trend
-Truck Trend
-Truckin
-Car and Driver
-AutoWeek
-Four Wheeler
-Open Road
At no time have I heard criticism about the truck, not even the fact that they don't have a 4 door extended cab. I have word that C/D will do another test in the August issue that will be a bit more involved and a bit more critical. Press releases from Chevy's website are just that, press releases. I checked the website, filled out the info form, and got very little in return - a single page with some headline hype about what's new - no detail from the people who are actually making this thing and want me to buy it.
GM has not shown me any evidence that they have made a real TRUCK - rather, they have catered to the fad sales for those who are moving out of cars, and several of the tests have mentioned that GM is intentionally going after that group. The engine talk always seems to translate into 0-60 times. I'm not interested in how fast I can get to 60, but how much junk can I take with me and whether or not I can get it moving without having to floor the pedal every time. I don't care about 70-0 or even 80-0 braking distances. Tell me if the brakes will hold up with a full bed in stop-and-go traffic all day without fading.
Even the F150, when introduced for 1997, made an effort to attract the work-truck market by making a few high-payload models. No one is releasing any GM payload figures, just GVWR numbers. GVWR doesn't mean anything - it's how much of that is usable cargo payload vs how much is overweight truck.
I will give GM credit for the use of 4 wheel discs, and for their automatic transmissions. The rest of the truck shows little imagination on the part of the designers. Even without attempting radical redesigns like Dodge and Ford, there's nothing there to attract a D or F owner, just "familiar" looks for the current GM owners ready to trade in.
i think you'll get the numbers you want after they hit the market. of course, the strike is really throwing monkey wrenches in those plans.
basically we've been told the engines are stronger , the truck is stronger and it is bigger. the extended cabs are practically the size of a crewcab. will that give you room for your stuff?
the current chevy's have the strongest gas engines on the market, and the new one are even better. what else would you want? (if you are a chevy guy i guess)
GM designed the truck from customer input. i don't think i'm getting that across. if you are selling 700 to 800k trucks a year, why would design something totally off the wall. GM needed to redesign so they would have a total package that used all of the capabilities of today's technology. they could do what they want with styling though. ford took a hell of risk with theirs, and came out on top. but at first people were asking if it would succeed. Dodge had to try something new '94. they had no choice. they built the worst truck in the country and everybody knew it. they emphasize the "new dodge" so you forget the old one. they basically had nothing to lose with their radical design. it took a little time, but now their finally gaining speed.
i don't know what you mean by getting F and D drivers something else to choose. all we basically have for that opinion is a picture. do you make a truck decision off of pictures and some other guy in a magazine? its a start. but the decision is made when you go drive it, see what it can do. so it still looks like a chevy. if that's too much for some people, i guess GM has to live with it, but 700K people a year like it.
i could care less what they did with the styling. its the huge cabs, powerful engines, and past reliability that i think will make this truck a winner. if they ever start making it...
The big cry over the years was how Ford has an ugly truck. That talk has still never changed. Then again, their sales are continuing to climb past COMBINED sales of Chevy and GMC. Style is only one aspect and Ford always proves that with the best made truck in America.
I have always been a devout Chevy fan and probably always will be. But, based on everything I've read, heard or driven, I hate to admit that Ford does seem to have the quality advantage. Their trucks are pretty damn squeek and rattle free and feel solid. They finally addressed the ergonomic (old trucks were attrocious) and suspension issues in the current truck. To bad the gas engines are so underpowered in proportion to the gas mileage. The deisel is great but for over three grand more and for gas that is over 25 cents more per gallon, I don't see the cost-benefit advantage. Unless, you're one of the few travel trailer dealers in you area hwo is justified in buying an otherwise impracticle "Kenworth".
Dodge desperately took a chance with their redesign and it has succeeded because like Chevy's new strategy, car people were after image. To bad Chrysler spent all their money on styling instead of engineering. And, unfortunately, I think people also bought it because like Nike, everyone wanted to "just do it". (Now Nike is in a freefall in sales because now everyone has "just done it" and it has become too mainstream.) So shall the Dodge.
I'm hoping and praying the GM has truly improved its trucks. Only time will tell what the strike does.
Besides, I think I'll hold out for the four door anyway.
P.S. although I am a chevy fan, I think I like the GMC much better!
98% of the pickup owners I know in my neck of the woods, Central California, use their pickups on their farms daily and only occasionally use them to haul their boats and travel trailers. Daily, they tow tractors, spray rigs and haul bins full of fruit. They idle them for long periods when irrigating their fields.
The 10 to 1 choice for this use is the Chevy 1/2 ton X-Cab 2x4 with 5.7L gas, 3.73 gears and automatic. A few buy 4x4 Chevys. Next choice would be Dodge with the 360 gas and then the Ford F150 with the 5.4L.
The only ones I know buying the Dodge with V10 or Cummins and Ford Superduty with the Powerstroke diesel are those primarily using them to tow boats, travel trailers or horse trailers. The big heavy duty truck applications seem to be for recreational use or heavy duty commercial use like PG&E or other such utility companies. Farmers in my area primarily use Chevy 1/2 ton 4x2's for their ease of use, getting in and out of the field, the towing capability, gas engine performance and reliability.
I have been trying to find a good used Chevy at a fair price but have found that used Chevy pickups in California bring full retail price at auction and bring $2K to $3K over full retail on the dealer lots. Used Chevy pickups in California consistently bring significantly more money and are more plentiful than any pickup period. Dodge pickups with cummins also bring high dollars but are hard to find. Ford pickups bring the lowest price.
The new Chevy has more of everything than the current model and should sell well and perform well for those who need a truck. In addition, it also works well as a replacement for a car as it brings much better resale when you are ready to trade!
A 1992 Chevy 1/2 ton in good shape with 180,000 miles will bring $3,000 over high blue book in California on a dealers lot. People actually are paying these kinds of prices! No one seems to be at all concerned about buying a 6 year old Chevy pickup with a 5.7L motor with almost 200,000 miles on it. This truck has a very good reputation among people who use them as trucks and depend on them for their livelyhood.
I admittedly don't know Cali but I do know the Mid-Atlantic area from the beach to the mountains. All three trucks are well represented here. I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina and moved to Delaware six years ago. I've known many farmers and construction guys as well. I am personally in the roofing buisness and currently own 14 trucks.
Chevy Does have a good reputation but it is fading. Dodge has become a player and Ford makes a damn good truck no matter what you like. If what you said is correct, then Ford should be losing sales and not gaining. They should be hovering around 400k in sales a year, not 700k.
Resale value? Sure, Chevy is higher. Do you want to know why? Ford sells a ton-load of trucks to fleets and construction firms so their resale should be lower.
Why do firms like mine buy Fords? Best value for the best made truck. There is no conspiracy why Ford outsells GM as a whole in the truck market! GM better wake up.
on the same token, you could say "looks like a big fan of ford putting blue colored glasses on everyone."
i don't see GM fading like you do. GM doesn't have the diesel power. but every other engine across the board has more power AND gets better gas mileage than anything ford or dodge puts up. even the so called "outdated" 454 has more power than ford's new v10, and probably gets the same mileage. i don't think that v10 will fetch any better than 12-14 mpg. dodge's v10 has more power, but how far can that thing get away from a gas pump. nothing touches the 350(power AMD efficiency). and the new motors and trucks only promise to be better. that only puts competition further behind. GM has yet to put out a engine or transmission that couldn't be relied on. as far as the rest of the trucks, i've never heard of any major problems of any sort, on any model. there's a lot of people out there that think GM is right where they need to be. the consensus of this chat room isn't the exact consensus of the USA. i may be guilty myself, but don't let a little bias crawl in too much. different strokes for different folks.
My fleet does represent more Chevy's than Fords to begin with. I know Chevy. My complaint is that it seems that GM is becoming complacent with progress.
You mention that you have owned Hondas for the past years and now you're in need of a truck. Why then, would you be looking at the Super-Dutys? That is a big jump in vehicles and generally when people make that rash of decision, they become dissapointed to easily.
Plus, I did check prices on this site and where is Ford over-priced compared to GM? I think you confused trim levels with the different trucks. Any Dodge would be higher if you want the Cummins.
Check again and get apples to apples.
By the way, I love my Chevys and they have been good to me. Alas, the Fords have been even more worry-free. Overall quality is key.
I'll second Rocles comment about making sure you're comparing apples to apples. I've never heard anyone claim that Chevy trucks are less expensive than a similiarly equiped Ford Truck. My guess is that they must be fairly close in price to be competitive, although I would actually think that Chevy's would be a little more. GM averages 25 hours to build a vehicle while Ford averages 18. That's one of the reasons Wall Street is supporting management's cost cutting efforts.
As for "amount over invoice", you just have to shop around, regardless of what make of truck you are looking to buy. There is a guy on this site who ordered one of the new 99 Ford Superduty trucks from a dealer in San Francisco for $400 over dealer invoice back in March when they first came out. If he can get a Superduty for that price in Central CA, you can find a dealer who will sell a F-150 for a similar price or lower.
But hey, all of the Big Three are making good trucks. You should buy what you feel most comfortable driving. If it's a Chevy, so be it. Then again, if you're looking at buying a Chevy diesel over a Cummins or Powerstroke, I'd recommend doing a little more research.
I guess GM figures that a Chevy buyer is always a Chevy buyer. But they are wrong. I'm a Chevy FAMILY and I won't ever buy a Chevy product again. Their designs are always outdated. And I think the fact that GM has only 3-doors on it's non-Crew Cab trucks until 2000 is assinine. Dodge was late to the xtra door party, and made a splash with 4. Ford is catching up this year, and GM, well, the sleeping giant will do it eventually.
But back to AW. AutoWeek always has up-to-date information and, since it's published weekly, can get the best information before going to press unlike C/D, Motor/Truck Trend, etc. which are copy frozen 3 months ahead of printing. That's why AW is the first and only magazine I make sure to read the day I get it.
Ryan
I have heard a wide range of estimates on when pricing will be available from the end of June to some time in August. I have also heard the new trucks will arrive before the pricing does. The first '99 Ford Superdutys I saw had a window sticker with no retail prices. Maybe the first Chevys will come the same way.
Rocles: Can you supply the names of aftermarket companies who make quality rear seat headrests for the Dodge and Ford extended cab pickups. If I spend $30K on a new truck, I would want the same quality in any components I add.
I actually have used past Honda Accords to tow a small trailer and light boat. I now have need to tow a 4,500 lb. boat and plan to buy a trailer, maybe a 5th wheel, that I will load to over 8,000 lbs. I will also carry 1,200 lbs. in the bed.
I have printed Edmonds price sheets on the Fords, Dodges and Chevys and have compared trim levels and the features I want. I have done apple to apple comparisons but will repost a detailed comparison chart so we can all compare together. I have also compared the cost Edmonds posts against what Kelly Blue Book posts as dealer invoice.
If may be that certain configurations will give one company a price advantage over another. I only priced the top trim levels, with cloth interior, fully loaded including towing packages and 5.4L Ford Gas, 360 Dodge gas and Chevy 5.7L engines.
If '99 Chevy pricing goes way up, everything changes. I am comparing 1998 Chevy to 1998 Ford to 1998 Dodge.
The August '98 issue of Truckin' magazine has some great pictures of the 1999 Chevy. It also has an extensive review of the '99 GMC pickup. Both will have a 40/20/40 front bench seat.
I tried to compare prices on this site but Chevy makes it hard. They have five different trim interiors to compare to an XLT and thats not including the exterior trim packages! After much shifting for gold I came up with some comparisons.
Chevy C-1500 ext.cab with short bed. 5.7l vortec with trailer package and payload package.Throw out auto and air cond. because there was no real difference: 20,596 invoice.
Ford XLT F-150 with ext.cab and shortbed. 5.4l triton with tow package and payload package:
21,070 invoice.
Dodge Ram, yadda,yadda,yadda with their big 360 motor and similar packages: 20,985 invoice.
The Ford is 500 more and the Dodge-400. Not much of a difference to me when talking 20 grand to begin with. I admit that there were little things that I ommitted like sliding rear windows and cd players which add up on any truck. Honestly speaking, the Chevy trim packages were hard to equate with a XLT and so I gave the benefit of doubt in your favor and saved 450 dollars which could have evened things. Second, Chevy offered a 3.42 rear to compare with Ford's 3.55 but I equaled that with the motors.
I'm not talking like an expert and I surely made mistakes in this comparison. However, Ford wasn't exactly three or four grand higher than Chevy. I wouldn't respond if that was the case. Dodge was right there also. Basically, price is not a factor here. I've said this all along.
I am not attacking Chevy but all of this might be moot anyway. Lets face it, those trucks aren't being made right now. If this strike goes longer, Ford and Dodge will be selling more trucks on their lots. Especially when only the loaded GM trucks are left(typical of any maker).
GM's current threat of a court challenge to the strikes' legality will also cause the strikes to last longer, as the UAW has stated that just proves GM's unwillingness to negotiate. GM has legitimate fear of not having product during the important fall sports season (NFL, baseball playoffs) advertising campaign to intro the new trucks.
The news only gets worse. The UAW has another issue at another GM plant that they also say they will strike over. They are not striking now because they say it would not be effective since the current strike is already cripling the company. In other words, they are threatening another walkout after this strike is settled. It doesn't look good for an on-time release of the 1999 Silverado.
It's all I can do not to go off on a political tangent with my opinion of the strike, but this isn't the proper forum. Let's cross our fingers and hope for a, quicker than expected, settlement. I'd like to see some of those new rigs out on the road soon.
if they are ever going to fix the poorly
constructed third door. On my current 1998
model, it creaks, squeaks, and pops almost all
of the time under all driving conditions day after
day. Also, is this new engine going to be a flop?
It creates more horsepower and less torque at
higher rpm's, much like the Corvette engine. How
durable is it going to be with aluminum
instead of cast iron?
i know several people with 3rd door, chevy's and have not heard one person complain of a squeak or rattle. best friend has had one for 8 months, and i ride with him a lot, never heard a squeak. you might have got a lemon, one with a misweld or some other defect. you can try complaining to the dealer, but...
a whole lot about true customer service. This is
actually my second 98 Extended Cab with the same
third door problems. Consider your friends lucky
that they have solid third doors. I have talked
recently to three GM dealers and they also agree
with me that there are definite structural problems
with the third doors. When I talked to GM's
customer service complaint department, they are
also aware of the problems but they brush them
off and call them "design characteristics". To
me, that means the third doors are suppose to be
able to flex and bend creating popping and squeaking noises. Some product GM puts out while
calling the Chevy trucks "solid like a rock".
it sucks to be at the mercy of a dealer who won't be honest with you. luckily, my family has dealt with the same chevy and ford dealers in our hometown for the past 20 years, so they are straight with us and tell us things about their products that they wouldn't tell just anyone (design mistakes, flaws, etc.) because they know that to us, their honesty translates into business from us, and they are always willing to help out and fix what a warranty really should cover, and not give us the avoidance and run around. i hear lots of stories about big city impersonal dealers that really bend over the customer when he comes back in for obligated work. i consider myself lucky to be able to call my dealer my friend and not string of cuss words.
made in Oshawa, Canada plant. I live in the
Madison, WI area and most of the trucks around here are
either built in Fort Wayne, IN or Oshawa, Canada.
Unfortunately, both of mine have been made outside of
the U.S. in Canada. I have even been told by
one of the nations leading (biggest) strictly
Chevrolet dealership right here in Madison, WI that told me to "Go find
another dealership, maybe they can help you". That dealership is aware of the third door problems and they claim until Chevrolet Motor Division puts out
a recall on third doors, they refuse to fix the problem. In my opinion, they just don't have the
knowledge to fix the creaky third doors. I'm yet another loyal, yet disgruntled, Chevrolet customer.
If any one has any questions, and hasn't seen a brochure, ask me. I've got the custom brochure with interior focus and engine focus sections.
Cheers, Ryan