Pre-Owned: 1999-2006 Chevy Silverado/GMC Sierra

Sometimes a truck is just a truck. It doesn't have to be a fashion statement; it doesn't have to look like a car with a glandular problem. A truck is simple: two boxes up front (hood and cab) and a bed in the back. Make it big, strong, and capable. End of story.

That might well have been Chevy's mantra when redesigning its full-size truck for the 1999 model year. The C/K series had run its course, seemingly trumped by the shapelier Ford F-150 and Kenworth-like Dodge Ram. So the clear course was evolution, something the Silverado and similar GMC offering, the Sierra, reflected. The new trucks were larger, better featured, improved in small ways on many fronts and offered with more powerful V-8 engines. As ever, there were several permutations of cab, bed, engine, and drivetrain combinations.

While the interior plastics were often criticized, the cabin itself remained large, comfortable, and incrementally roomier than the outgoing C/K series. On extended-cab versions, a third rear door was standard for the 1999 model year. By the next year, Chevy had figured out how to give the extended cabs four doors, although the rear pair remained aft hinged. Finally, in 2004, the Silverado gained a light-duty crew-cab version that sacrificed bed length for more backseat room; all full-size doors were front-hinged. The crew cab was offered only with the six-foot shortbed; the eight-footer remained an option on regular and extended-cab models only. (We should note Chevy and GMC still offer a 1500 HD crew cab, but it's actually based on the 3/4-ton model.) Several trim levels were offered through the years, including the base, LT, and upgraded LS.

For the launch of the Silverado series, Chevy improved the Vortec V-8s in myriad ways, increasing power and upping efficiency to improve fuel economy. The base engine was the OHV 4.3-liter V-6, which is recommended only if your fleet buyer has an eagle eye. The 4.8-liter V-8 started the season with 255 horsepower but eventually grew to 270 by 2005; it could be ordered with a five-speed manual or a four-speed automatic. Unless you find a commercial unit, the vast majority of 4.8s have the autobox. The next step up was the 5.3-liter V-8, starting at 270 horsepower (and ending with 310 in 2005), with a whopping 315 pound-feet of torque; it came only with the automatic. Finally, for midyear 2003 the Silverado SS arrived, packing a 6.0-liter V-8 with 345 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque.

The Silverado/Sierra became far more rugged and reliable than their C/K forebears, but still not quite Toyota-like in quality. The big problems seem to be with brakes and transmissions. Consumers have complained about easily warped rotors-until the 2005 year, all Silverados had four-wheel discs-and failures of the ABS components. Some 1999-2002 Silverados were recalled for ABS-sensor replacement. It's critical that any Silverado you're considering stops straight and true without shuddering or brake-pedal pulsing. There's a smattering of complaints of premature transmission problems, excessive oil consumption, and a variety of minor electrical ills. As with any truck, you'll find those that have been worked hard and not maintained should be the ones you run from, and those that have led lives of luxury are the ones you'll want.