2004 GMC Sierra: My 1 year review

[Arizona Slim]

I realized yesterday that I’ve had my Sierra for a year now. Here’s my review.



Vehicle: 2004 GMC Sierra 1500 SLE Crew Cab – 5.3L Vortec V8, 2WD

Options: Power drivers seat, steering wheel mounted controls, locking rear differential, towing package

My current family fleet consists of two 2004 GMCs. My wife drives a Yukon, which we have owned for almost two years, and my truck is a Sierra half-ton crew cab that I’ve had since late July 2004. These trucks are very similar, including nearly identical interiors, so much of the pros and cons of the Sierra can be applied to the Yukon as well. Let me start by explaining how I arrived these purchases.

At the ripe old age of 29, I have owned 11 vehicles – 5 used, 6 new; 5 trucks, 5 cars, and 1 SUV not counting my wife’s Yukon. I have a serious case of the-grass-is-greener syndrome that I can’t seem to shake. When I’m driving a truck, I long for the ride and handling of a car. When I own a car, I miss the utility of a pickup. Going backwards, my previous 5 vehicles were: ’04 Pathfinder, ’02 Tundra, ’02 Acura TL type S, ’00 Passat wagon, and an ’01 Civic Si. Some of these I owned simultaneously. When my daughter was born, we quickly figured out that the Acura was too low and didn’t have enough cargo room to be a comfortable family hauler. Being that my lovely wife would not be caught dead behind the wheel of a minivan, she beat me about the head long enough to convince me that the Yukon was the way to go. My previous experience with domestic vehicles included only my first truck, a ’79 Chevy which promptly died a horrible death, and my mom’s ’93 Ford F150 which required a new transmission every other week until she unloaded it. Needless to say, I was concerned about buying American. But the Yukon had the space we wanted, the image my wife wanted, and at $1000 below invoice it was a lot of truck for the money. Around the same time, I traded in my Tundra because the baby car seat didn’t fit in the tiny back seat. I got the Pathfinder, which was a good around-town car, but at 19-20 MPG on premium fuel, I figured I might as well be driving a truck that could tow my boat better and give me more flexible hauling options. So after shopping every crew cab truck except the F150 (don’t like the looks) I wound up back at the GMC dealer where I got my truck for $500 under invoice, plus $2000 off from my GM credit card, plus $2500 rebate. Final price was about $23,500 before tax and fees. Again, a lot of truck for the money.

What Works

Let me first say that I view cars and trucks as very different animals, and I expect different things from them. I like my trucks to be dependable, tough, and good at towing and hauling. If style or flash are high on your list of wants in a truck, you’d be better off looking at a Titan or an F150, because this truck definitely shows its age inside and out. Aside from being a crew cab, the exterior is classic and classy pickup in style and proportions. It doesn’t turn any heads, and that’s fine by me. The Vortec 5300 is a fantastic engine. It pulls strong at any speed, tows my 5000lb boat with ease, and still manages 16-17 MPG with mostly city driving or towing. The automatic tranny is robust and works especially well in tow mode where it shifts quickly and firmly. It may only have 4 speeds, but the engine and transmission work so well together I really don’t care how many speeds it has.

I’m sure you’re familiar with the interior of the Sierra/Silverado, I don’t have any pictures. Suffice it to say the interior won’t win any beauty pageants. But being that I treat my trucks like trucks, the interior is what won me over versus the Nissan Titan. In my truck, all the knobs are sturdy and easy to grip. The buttons are big, and the automatic climate control is just automatic enough that it doesn’t annoy me.

In my 12 months of ownership, the truck has had only one warranty repair for a sticky throttle body. The Yukon has also had only one issue – a climate control switch had to be replaced at about 10,000 miles.

What Irks

This was the worst handling of the trucks I test drove. It tends to wallow at highway speeds, and potholes can really upset the rear end. With even a small load in the bed, the ride improves considerably. The rear seats flip and fold, but there is no storage in back, like in the Ram Quad Cab. Also, the center console/arm rest could have been more thought out like the Dodge, and should at least include a couple cup holders like the Tundra. The tires that came on the truck are absolute junk, and are an obvious cost-saving measure. Poor grip all the time - in wet or dry conditions, in turns and on the boat ramp. Seriously, if anyone offers you a set of General AmeriTrac’s for free, don’t bother. As soon as I have a spare 500 bucks I plan to invest in a decent set of all-terrains. I like the overall look of the truck, but the front end sits way too low even for a two wheel drive. I like the stance of the Tundra a lot better. Also, the standard 16” wheels could stand to be an inch bigger, which they are on the ‘05s and ‘06s. The transmission can be caught flat-footed sometimes when coasting and then accelerating.

What Else I Drove

Here’s a quick synopsis of what I compared against, in order of preference:

Nissan Titan: Pros: Best engine; nice looking interior; 5 speed auto; decent price
Cons: Paper-thin interior plastics; odd looking exterior especially on crew cab; couldn’t get locking or limited-slip diff except with off road package, which I couldn’t afford.

Toyota Tundra: Pros: Stance; exterior styling; roll-down rear window; functional interior
Cons: Weakest engine; expensive; interior not any more exciting than Chevy/GMC; my last Tundra was not very reliable

Dodge Ram: Pros: Big bed; pulls strong with Hemi; storage solutions; lots of configurations available on dealer lots;
Cons: Cramped rear seat (dealer breaker); front end too low on 2WD; exterior needs an update; ponderous transmission

I didn’t drive the Ford F-150 because the exterior looks horrible to me. The bed sides are way too high, probably so they could claim highest cargo volume or something. I like the Ford Super Duty trucks, but they were out of my price range.


Conclusion

The Sierra is a good no-excuses truck for towing and hauling. Worth a look if you can get a good deal, but the Titan is also a good choice if you place a high value on style. If I had it to do all over, I still couldn’t bring myself to buy the Titan – the interior is too low-grade and the exterior just doesn’t look right to me. If the Toyota had a stronger engine it would be right there in the running.

[vanquish25]

Excellent review! People who are interested in purchasing a full-size pick-up should read your review.

[giagastormer]

Excellent review. Which rear end do you have? For a while, my dad owned a 21' Four Winns boat, weighed around 4,000 lbs. His '00 Sierra (SLT, 5.3, etc) had the 4:10 rear end, it could tow the boat without even noticing it was there, literally. Plus, when he wasn't towing something, he could smoke the tires until the end of tomorrow. Then when he bought his '03 Sierra (5.3, SLT, etc) he got the 3:73 rear end. After hooking the boat up for the first time, he couldn't believe the difference. Towing the boat wasn't nearly as easy as it was for his '00. Plus, the truck wasn't nearly as quick either. The two trucks were the exact same configurations too - ext cab, short bed, Z71, SLT, 5.3.

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by giagastormer

Excellent review. Which rear end do you have? For a while, my dad owned a 21' Four Winns boat, weighed around 4,000 lbs. His '00 Sierra (SLT, 5.3, etc) had the 4:10 rear end, it could tow the boat without even noticing it was there, literally. Plus, when he wasn't towing something, he could smoke the tires until the end of tomorrow. Then when he bought his '03 Sierra (5.3, SLT, etc) he got the 3:73 rear end. After hooking the boat up for the first time, he couldn't believe the difference. Towing the boat wasn't nearly as easy as it was for his '00. Plus, the truck wasn't nearly as quick either. The two trucks were the exact same configurations too - ext cab, short bed, Z71, SLT, 5.3.

Thanks, guys. My truck has the 3.23 rear end. I would have gone for the 3.73 or 4.10 if one was available. I only ever towed my boat with this truck, the Pathfinder, and the Tundra. Comparatively, the Sierra out-tows both by a wide margin, even with the 3.42 rear.

[Arizona Slim]

Fixed the picture (I think).

[balthazar]

Very useful review- nice job. I agree with you sentiment- trucks should be functional and ergonomically sensible over 'pretty' or 'new'. Chevy/GMC interiors certainly are functional & well-equipped.

With all due respect, I have to ask RE: >>"’79 Chevy which promptly died a horrible death, and my mom’s ’93 Ford F150 which required a new transmission every other week until she unloaded it. Needless to say, I was concerned about buying American."<<

Why would you extend the experience of a mere 2 models to the 100+-some models of the country the 2 were from? Last I checked, the U.S. Government does not run the domestic auto industry and the extrapolation is invalid. After all, your tundra was poor in reliability yet you subsequently bought a pathfinder. Just curious.

[giagastormer]

Still no picture. Ahhhh, that explains your excellent fuel economy for city driving....

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by balthazar

Why would you extend the experience of a mere 2 models to the 100+-some models of the country the 2 were from? Last I checked, the U.S. Government does not run the domestic auto industry and the extrapolation is invalid. After all, your tundra was poor in reliability yet you subsequently bought a pathfinder. Just curious.

That's a very rational, reasoned response. But what can I tell you? I guess I'm not always rational and reasonable. Both my experiences, and those of other family and friends left me doubting that America could still build decent cars and trucks. I'm not trying to convince you that's true or that you should apply my logic, but it is what it is.

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by giagastormer

Still no picture. Ahhhh, that explains your excellent fuel economy for city driving....

I can't get the pic to work . Its up for a while, then it disappears. Anyway, its nothing too special just a white crew cab, all stock... Yeah, I've gotten pretty good mileage considering how big a truck it is. Having the 3.23 rear end probably makes a difference.

[balthazar]

Originally Posted by Arizona Slim

That's a very rational, reasoned response. But what can I tell you? I guess I'm not always rational and reasonable. Both my experiences, and those of other family and friends left me doubting that America could still build decent cars and trucks. I'm not trying to convince you that's true or that you should apply my logic, but it is what it is.

OK, as long as you realize the reasoning is illogical. To your response I then say: fair enough, and granted.

BTW- My '94 F-150 still runs very strong @ 133K. Pulls double it's trailering rating with little-to-no effort on occasion, too (5500 lbs vs. 2300 rating). S'been a damgood truck for me.

[Arizona Slim]

Originally Posted by balthazar

OK, as long as you realize the reasoning is illogical. To your response I then say: fair enough, and granted.

Wow, great. Thanks for granting me that. Your experience with your F-150 probably explains why you never lost faith in American car companies. But come talk to me after you buy a brand new truck that eats trasmissions like they were tic tacs and your brother's new Stratus starts smoking the second day he owns it. Obviously there were lots of American cars made in the 80s and 90s that were rock solid, but there was also a good amount that were junk.

[Strapping.Young.Lad]

Originally Posted by giagastormer

Excellent review. Which rear end do you have? For a while, my dad owned a 21' Four Winns boat, weighed around 4,000 lbs. His '00 Sierra (SLT, 5.3, etc) had the 4:10 rear end, it could tow the boat without even noticing it was there, literally. Plus, when he wasn't towing something, he could smoke the tires until the end of tomorrow. Then when he bought his '03 Sierra (5.3, SLT, etc) he got the 3:73 rear end. After hooking the boat up for the first time, he couldn't believe the difference. Towing the boat wasn't nearly as easy as it was for his '00. Plus, the truck wasn't nearly as quick either. The two trucks were the exact same configurations too - ext cab, short bed, Z71, SLT, 5.3.

I like four winns boats there nice,My friend had 1 in osoyoos and it was a brand new 1.It was wicked.

[Arizona Slim]

Update: I jinxed myself by saying my truck's only had one problem. Today I noticed a shake in the steering column when turning. I think the intermediate steering shaft problem has reared its ugly head . I'm taking it in on Friday to get it lubed (assuming that's the problem).

[bobo]

Good, fair review. I have a '05 Silverado 1500 Crew Cab, and I share your opinion on a lot of things. In particular, the steering and handling are best described as sloppy. The interior needs refinement, but overall it's an incredible amount of truck for the money. If the GMT900 offers significant fixes in these areas, I'll probably trade my truck in, in a couple of years.

[Starbreaker666]

Great review. Not sure why you did not get a 4x4 truck though. I did not even know they made 4x2 trucks anymore....=) Just teasing. Looks good man.