Anyone got any good, the bad or the ugly complaints on that year of truck...
2003 Silverado 6 cylinder automatic
- Thread starter CourierDriver
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A friend of mine has a snow plow/ landscaping business and has 3 or more GM pickups at any one time. He says the older pickups were made much better. Went down hill around 2008.
Vortec 4.3 seems to be a good engine-esp. since it has the pressurized (non-Deathcool) expansion tank, guessing it'll have a 4L60E transmission, which isn't super strong for heavy loads or towing. They're pretty rust-prone around here, guessing TN wouldn't be as bad. Comes down to the usual-how many miles, how much $, maintenance records?
4.3 isn't a bad engine, 4L60E should live a pretty good life behind it unless really abused - as I understand the '60E lives a shorter life the more power is put through it and the heavier the loads are it tows.
That wasn't Chevy's best era for electrical components - Every truck I've seen from that era has some kind of glitch in the gauge cluster. But there are numerous places that reman those so it's not impossible to fix.
That wasn't Chevy's best era for electrical components - Every truck I've seen from that era has some kind of glitch in the gauge cluster. But there are numerous places that reman those so it's not impossible to fix.
Bud_One
Site Donor 2022
I bought a new 2000 GMC Sierra Stepside regular cab with the 4.3 and the 4L60E .
Not a fast truck or powerhouse by any means but it did the job and hauled stuff .
I had it a year and sold it to a buddy of mine that drove it to 317K miles , it was stolen from his driveway one night.
Only issue he ever had was a heater core that gave out.
He worked for the railroad and it saw mostly hwy miles. I drove it when it had around 250Kish and it still drove like I remember it when it was new.
Not a fast truck or powerhouse by any means but it did the job and hauled stuff .
I had it a year and sold it to a buddy of mine that drove it to 317K miles , it was stolen from his driveway one night.
Only issue he ever had was a heater core that gave out.
He worked for the railroad and it saw mostly hwy miles. I drove it when it had around 250Kish and it still drove like I remember it when it was new.
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
I had a 2000 Silverado with the 5.3, a friend bought an identical 2001 with the 4.3 mainly for better mileage. It never got the mileage my 5.3 got and he complained about it every day he owned it. There was a problem with the rear calipers corroding solid in salt areas, not sure when/if they fixed that issue. Nothing wrong with that 4.3, just a little down on power.
Originally Posted By: AZjeff
I had a 2000 Silverado with the 5.3, a friend bought an identical 2001 with the 4.3 mainly for better mileage. It never got the mileage my 5.3 got and he complained about it every day he owned it. There was a problem with the rear calipers corroding solid in salt areas, not sure when/if they fixed that issue. Nothing wrong with that 4.3, just a little down on power.
Agreed-the 4.3 tends to do best in lighter vehicles (S-10/-15/Sonomas & Astro/Safaris)if one doesn't carry a lot of weight they're OK, but they drink gas when worked hard, or even short tripped. If you're going to tow or haul weight, I would hold out for a small V8.
I had a 2000 Silverado with the 5.3, a friend bought an identical 2001 with the 4.3 mainly for better mileage. It never got the mileage my 5.3 got and he complained about it every day he owned it. There was a problem with the rear calipers corroding solid in salt areas, not sure when/if they fixed that issue. Nothing wrong with that 4.3, just a little down on power.
Agreed-the 4.3 tends to do best in lighter vehicles (S-10/-15/Sonomas & Astro/Safaris)if one doesn't carry a lot of weight they're OK, but they drink gas when worked hard, or even short tripped. If you're going to tow or haul weight, I would hold out for a small V8.
Get 4.8 for better mileage and power.
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