- Jul 22, 2015
- 2,724
A couple of days ago, I thought I'd be buying a 2003 Silverado 1500HD. Owner was to install a new brake line; I'd drive the truck, and if everything was OK, finalize the deal for $4500.
If the owner had gotten that done in anywhere near a timely matter (he took it to a mechanic), I'd probably have the truck in my driveway now.
But he didn't.
You ever get that feeling when you know something isn't right, you know you're being lied to, etc. - but you don't have the proof to call the person out on it?
The owner was to have the brake line fixed yesterday morning. Then he was having all four replaced. Then it became evening. Then it became this morning 10am, and everything was done last night, just waiting for me to come down & pick it up.
As I drove for an hour, and drew near the garage to pick it up, my phone rings. It's little brother. Him, I can deal with - a friendly sort, but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I don't hold that against him - if you talk to me with respect, I'll treat you the same.
Little brother proceeds to tell me that the mech is just *starting* the brake line replacement, and the car won't be ready for 2 - 2.5hrs, per the mechanic.
By now, I'm at the pickup site. He's all apologetic that it isn't ready. I'm not upset with *him*, and I tell him that. I also tell him that I'll deal with him only from now on, and we discuss his brother for a bit; I give him some 'brotherly' advice, and we stop in the garage to see the mechanic at work.
Since it's an hour drive each way, there's no point in going home. I had wanted to fetch the trailer early this morning from where I keep it stored, but this fiasco has put all of that on hold. So I'm not happy.
I go to an IHOP to drink coffee and kill time on my cell. Couldn't even order food, because I wasn't hungry. The cooks & staff must've been watching World Cup on a TV, because every so often, you'd hear them cheer - loud enough to reverberate through the entire restaurant. Loud enough so that every table full of customers must've paused and looked in the direction of the kitchen. What the hell - it only happens every 4yrs, right? I found out later that the match was S. Korea vs. Mexico - while I don't follow soccer, I'm thinking that should be Mexico's match to lose. They're happy - I'm happy. Everyone's happy.
After 2hrs, I decide...they must be close, and I'm 25min away. I start driving back.
NO sooner do I start out, when little brother calls me. Now it's going to be another 2hrs.
Since the car is on a lift, I tell him I'm gonna continue on & look at the car, while the mech is finishing up, and can he tell the mechanic I'm coming.
Little brother advises that if I do that, the mechanic is likely going to stop working.
I think to myself... So the F*ck what? If your vehicle is 'strong', it shouldn't matter if I want to look at it a little more. So I message the brother that I'm going to run an errand. And I call another owner with another 1500HD who had priced his truck at $5800. He calls back in 5min. Want to come now? No problem. When can you get here?
30min later, I pull up, and now I know karma has smiled upon me...
At 140K, this truck actually has fewer miles than my Envoy, now.
The body & interior are in even better shape than the first truck, and it already has nerf bars. Lucky me.
Time for the test drive, and Torque tells me there's a random misfire (P0300). Everything else is OK, code-wise.
Since I was driving the Accord, I had no creeper (or Tech 2) with me...wasn't expecting to be looking at another truck today. Grrr...
The 4WD has no issues shifting / driving in all modes (I couldn't disconnect the transfer case to put it in 'N', but I might have been doing it wrong - almost sure of that, as I recall what I was doing - I needed to be in Park to do that, and I wasn't.)
The only thing that isn't working...A/C is out, but he was upfront on that. Another "just needs a recharge" story. I'm thinking that the rest of my summer is going to be spent in Canada...LOL
There's a shaking from driver's side front end under load that gets worse at highway speed. Doesn't bother me that much; now that I've replaced almost all of the Voy's front suspension. Even if I have to replace everything on that side including the half axle - I'm not fazed. If I don't have to crack open that driveline, I'm a happy camper.
I'll probably need to spend the coin to put at least new front brakes on, since it's gonna pull 5000lb of trailer, and they feel like they're on the last 1/3 of their life. Can't wait to see what 8-lug rotors cost... ugh...
I ask the owner to read the 'G'xx codes from the SPI label in the glove box. G80...and GT4. Crap... a 3.73. Funny how when I found the Voy, I was overjoyed at finding 'GT4'...and now I'm bummed because it's on this truck (there's only two options for this model -- 3.73 and 4.10 -- and 3.73 isn't *terrible*. I can look at it as 10% FE improvement over the 4.10. It's *still* a 14-bolt HD axle, for chrissakes, right? LOL
30 min later, for $4800 - only $300 more than I was prepared to pay for the other truck... I now own *this* 2003 instead... (yeah, it's a Sierra...LOL...can't get away from GMC!)
Basically the same trim level - it's an SLT, vs the LT2 (?) that the Chevy had. I lose the tonneau and that 4.10 gear, but gain a bedliner, and --really important for my height-challenged @ss! -- assist steps. And this tailgate works. Very little rust on it & the rest of the truck. And although the rockers on this truck were also repaired by some amateur, at least the paint matches!
The two things that struck me as odd... the seatback recliners on this truck are *manual*. NBD, as long as they work. And no 2-position memory. Since I'm the only one driving, I can live with that.
But the really 'big' thing that struck me... it has leather interior, but *no* evidence of front seat heaters.
I'll miss the seat heaters - especially for my back.
All things considered, though - it turned out to be a good day!
Like I said - things happen for a reason...
If the owner had gotten that done in anywhere near a timely matter (he took it to a mechanic), I'd probably have the truck in my driveway now.
But he didn't.
You ever get that feeling when you know something isn't right, you know you're being lied to, etc. - but you don't have the proof to call the person out on it?
The owner was to have the brake line fixed yesterday morning. Then he was having all four replaced. Then it became evening. Then it became this morning 10am, and everything was done last night, just waiting for me to come down & pick it up.
As I drove for an hour, and drew near the garage to pick it up, my phone rings. It's little brother. Him, I can deal with - a friendly sort, but not the sharpest knife in the drawer. I don't hold that against him - if you talk to me with respect, I'll treat you the same.
Little brother proceeds to tell me that the mech is just *starting* the brake line replacement, and the car won't be ready for 2 - 2.5hrs, per the mechanic.
By now, I'm at the pickup site. He's all apologetic that it isn't ready. I'm not upset with *him*, and I tell him that. I also tell him that I'll deal with him only from now on, and we discuss his brother for a bit; I give him some 'brotherly' advice, and we stop in the garage to see the mechanic at work.
Since it's an hour drive each way, there's no point in going home. I had wanted to fetch the trailer early this morning from where I keep it stored, but this fiasco has put all of that on hold. So I'm not happy.
I go to an IHOP to drink coffee and kill time on my cell. Couldn't even order food, because I wasn't hungry. The cooks & staff must've been watching World Cup on a TV, because every so often, you'd hear them cheer - loud enough to reverberate through the entire restaurant. Loud enough so that every table full of customers must've paused and looked in the direction of the kitchen. What the hell - it only happens every 4yrs, right? I found out later that the match was S. Korea vs. Mexico - while I don't follow soccer, I'm thinking that should be Mexico's match to lose. They're happy - I'm happy. Everyone's happy.
After 2hrs, I decide...they must be close, and I'm 25min away. I start driving back.
NO sooner do I start out, when little brother calls me. Now it's going to be another 2hrs.
Since the car is on a lift, I tell him I'm gonna continue on & look at the car, while the mech is finishing up, and can he tell the mechanic I'm coming.
Little brother advises that if I do that, the mechanic is likely going to stop working.
I think to myself... So the F*ck what? If your vehicle is 'strong', it shouldn't matter if I want to look at it a little more. So I message the brother that I'm going to run an errand. And I call another owner with another 1500HD who had priced his truck at $5800. He calls back in 5min. Want to come now? No problem. When can you get here?
30min later, I pull up, and now I know karma has smiled upon me...
At 140K, this truck actually has fewer miles than my Envoy, now.
The body & interior are in even better shape than the first truck, and it already has nerf bars. Lucky me.
Time for the test drive, and Torque tells me there's a random misfire (P0300). Everything else is OK, code-wise.
Since I was driving the Accord, I had no creeper (or Tech 2) with me...wasn't expecting to be looking at another truck today. Grrr...
The 4WD has no issues shifting / driving in all modes (I couldn't disconnect the transfer case to put it in 'N', but I might have been doing it wrong - almost sure of that, as I recall what I was doing - I needed to be in Park to do that, and I wasn't.)
The only thing that isn't working...A/C is out, but he was upfront on that. Another "just needs a recharge" story. I'm thinking that the rest of my summer is going to be spent in Canada...LOL
There's a shaking from driver's side front end under load that gets worse at highway speed. Doesn't bother me that much; now that I've replaced almost all of the Voy's front suspension. Even if I have to replace everything on that side including the half axle - I'm not fazed. If I don't have to crack open that driveline, I'm a happy camper.
I'll probably need to spend the coin to put at least new front brakes on, since it's gonna pull 5000lb of trailer, and they feel like they're on the last 1/3 of their life. Can't wait to see what 8-lug rotors cost... ugh...
I ask the owner to read the 'G'xx codes from the SPI label in the glove box. G80...and GT4. Crap... a 3.73. Funny how when I found the Voy, I was overjoyed at finding 'GT4'...and now I'm bummed because it's on this truck (there's only two options for this model -- 3.73 and 4.10 -- and 3.73 isn't *terrible*. I can look at it as 10% FE improvement over the 4.10. It's *still* a 14-bolt HD axle, for chrissakes, right? LOL
30 min later, for $4800 - only $300 more than I was prepared to pay for the other truck... I now own *this* 2003 instead... (yeah, it's a Sierra...LOL...can't get away from GMC!)
Basically the same trim level - it's an SLT, vs the LT2 (?) that the Chevy had. I lose the tonneau and that 4.10 gear, but gain a bedliner, and --really important for my height-challenged @ss! -- assist steps. And this tailgate works. Very little rust on it & the rest of the truck. And although the rockers on this truck were also repaired by some amateur, at least the paint matches!
The two things that struck me as odd... the seatback recliners on this truck are *manual*. NBD, as long as they work. And no 2-position memory. Since I'm the only one driving, I can live with that.
But the really 'big' thing that struck me... it has leather interior, but *no* evidence of front seat heaters.
I'll miss the seat heaters - especially for my back.
All things considered, though - it turned out to be a good day!
Like I said - things happen for a reason...
