Opinions on the new Colorado are solicited from those who own one. Been made a pretty good offer to purchase one and need to make up the old frontal lobes quickly. It is that or a 2-door Blazer and I've owned a 4-door previously. The rebates end Monday, so I gotta move if I'm gonna move on one of these.
Don't let them make you think "you gotta move" or you will miss out. Whether its a rebate or some other thing they want to call it the bottom line price that you will have to pay before Monday or after Monday probably won't change.
The trick for you is to be able to find out what that price is. Some buyers are better at doing this than others. Some pay more, some pay less.
The "rebate" hype is to get people into the showroom and it is a tool to sell vehicles for them but it doesn't necessarily change the bottom line price you will have to pay to get a given vehicle.
.... just some friendly advice from a fairly successful former car salesman
The Colorado is a good truck with fewer problem than the 2nd generation S-10 when that came out in 95. If you really want dependability buy a Toyota or Nissan though.
Yeah right , another typical if its made by slant eyed owned company it's got to better loser. You were doing pretty good up until that point. Whitelightning
Hey, Whitelightning....you were doing pretty good until you start up with ignorant racist crap like the above. You have good advice, you know what you are talking about when you are talking about fixing vehicles....leave the racial slams at the door.
Ian
On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 03:40:55 GMT, "Bud Lite" wrote something wonderfully witty:
Where and when ever possible I buy American first & European second. The Japanese had us beat on quality for a while, but we have caught up. When all other options fail then an only then will I buy Japanese products. Matter of fact I'll buy Korean before Japanese.
I am married to a Korean woman and her Mom was a Japanese slave labor worker. Long-term justified dislike for Japan and anything Japanese in my household. Many old-school Koreans feel that way.
Rebate hype is always hype. Bought my 2004 Sierra CC in August and actually got the maximum rebates available. Kept watching after I bought it and the rebates kept going down.
This is good advice Bud thanks. Shop around, don't tell them when they play games and ask what have you got for a price so far and we'll beat it and stuff like that. Tell the salesdick you are going to shop around some more at other dealers and leave after you get his price and if it turns out he gave you the best price than go back and get it there in the end.
I know Japan made trucks might be a little more dependable and last longer but Chevy dealer is close by and parts are cheaper.
On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 16:34:32 GMT, "Harvey DiddleSquat" wrote something wonderfully witty:
Yeah it is all good advice and I know how to buy a truck, car. motorcycle, boat, house, and so on and so forth all the same thing. If I told ya`all how many motorized vehicles I've bought in my lifetime ya wouldn't believe me.
I want/am looking for opinions on the truck itself. Does anybody have or know of someone with a Colorado, are they happy with it, any issues, so on and so forth. I've read Chevy's marketing shit, I've read a couple of professional reviews, now I'm looking for "real world".
They only last longer because most of the owners have them dealer services. Most of the Toy owners I meet won't even think of having someone other than the dealer touch them and spend lots of $ doing so. They brag about their Toy having 150k and I tell them my repo auction, mud raced, college student driven, rarely maintained, many times overloaded s10 has 170k and they change the subject real fast. I don't own a Colorado but looked at them because the one thing I would change about the S10 is to make it a bit bigger so it would be a mid sized. Gm labeled the Colorado/Canyon midsized but when you compare the specs they are within an inch of the s10 in most ever dimension, add that to the rack and pinion steering, less torquey engine and poor interior ergonomics and it was a big disappointment to me.
Hi!
Maybe this is what you are looking for? I gave a Colorado a test drive just because I was curious if it was really all the "new and improved" that GM cracked it up to be.
William The Guesser
It wasn't that long ago, no more than two months that some one had posted about his Colorado. If I remember he had the I-5 with a manual gear box. He pulled a small boat behind it. He stated the power was adequate, not as much as the 4.3, but it got the job done, the fuel mileage pretty good, slightly better than the 4.3 on the highway, about the same in town. I haven't looked at it because I find the thing is just plain ugly as sin. Ugly seems to be the watch word these days for light trucks. Seems designers have a mistaken idea that ugly translates into tough. The real problem with what you are asking is it hasn't been on the market long enough to know. Whitelightning
Will have had my Canyon 1 year next week, 34K kilometers.
Regular cab SLE with the 4-banger.
I am extremely pleased with the truck. Good mileage, decent ride, plenty of power. I've had as much as 1500 lbs in the box, no appreciable squat, and no problem with the power. I don't tow.
My only complaint, and I have an appointment with the dealer this week:
On the driver's side, there is road salt coming in along the side of the seat, visible on the carpet and collecting on the lower part of the seat belt. It is not coming in at the bottom of the door, I am guessing that it is sucking in through the cab vent somehow.
I have not had it to the dealer for any other complaints.
Mechanically, it has been perfect. We have had some cold weather in Ottawa this last while, and no trouble with starting etc. At my last tire rotation (30k), they measured the front pads at 90%. A pleasant surprise after regularly chewing through a set of pads and rotors every 30k in my last car, a '98 Malibu.
I would recommend it.
I recently sat in one at the dealer. I have a 2000 S-10 that hasn't given me any trouble.
I agree with some of the other posters about the looks...or lack of. I just don't think they look good at all, but I realize GM didn't consult me when they designed them. :-)
But the seats sure were not as comfortable as my S-10. YMMV.
Good luck
On Sun, 30 Jan 2005 18:42:36 GMT, "William R. Walsh" wrote something wonderfully witty:
I would actually in the market for another S-10, I've owned three, if they still made them. Gave serious consideration to a lightly used `03, but couldn't together as good a deal as a New Colorado. It maybe time to slip over to the dark side and buy an F-150, or perhaps even a new Titan, but I am price sensitive. Perhaps a Dakota, but I really am a GM guy through & through except for my Mustang.
Many of your impressions are similar to mine. Their is an overall Japanese feel to the interior. Especially on the base Z71 model with the flat bench seat that does not tilt, provide much lateral support, nor reclines very far. Visually I noticed the same thing as you did. Everything looks far away. Looks about three block to the glove box which I really couldn't reach from the drivers seat. Perhaps all this interior space they are talking about is an optical illusion. I found the I4 to be very loud when I was outside the truck and the sales-monkey was driving it up. It Roared.
Thanks for the reference.
Hi!
Glad you found that useful.
The one I drove was an extended cab model with the I-5 motor and what I guess was supposed to be a "fancy" interior.. It too seemed awfully loud and nowhere near as smooth/quiet as my 4.3-fired S-10 is. I read the sales literature and noticed that GM included an "accidental start protection" circuit of some kind. They should have done that on the S-10, where (with a
4.3 V6) I have made that stupid mistake. (If you think that's especially dumb, know that a 6.2L Diesel-fired 1984 Sierra was my daily driver...and it was quite loud.)I was also surprised when I lifted the hood. I seem to recall everything being very compartmentalized. I think even the battery was inside some kind of metal box, but that could be wrong.
I think that getting an '04 S-10 was actually possible...but it would have been a quad cab with the short bed. To my way of thinking that is also a goofy looking truck.
Someone did actually find a way to make the Colorado look *worse* than it does now. I saw two owned by some auto parts store with "conventional" square headlights and a slightly different front end. Seeing those made me do a double-take! I really meant to get pictures, but I haven't been back to that store and probably won't be a for a while.
William The Guesser
On Mon, 31 Jan 2005 03:50:32 GMT, "William R. Walsh" wrote something wonderfully witty:
Well hear is the story in all it's bloody and gory detail. I've owned one S-10 or another since an `86 model which was a base stripper reg cab. Iron Duke with 4-speed, no A/C no Radio. It was all I could afford at the time. Kept it until it died a horrible screaming death (I beat the shit outta that truck). I then moved up to an extended cab in `94. Still pretty much a base model, but I had A/C. It went to the great S-10 boneyard early last year and I replaced it with a `02 extended cab that was loaded full-up. I bought it used as I do most of my vehicles. Well come the start of this school semester my daughter asks to borrow it because she has a lot of stuff to move back into her place at college. Well she called her Mom back up and told her she was keeping my Truck and I could have her beat to shit raggedy-assed `98 Olds Acheiva. Hence my quest for a new vehicle which lead me to the Colorado since I could actually get that cheaper right now then an `03 extended cab S-10. Now the truth is told.
BTW -- I have decided to pass on the deal. After reading your review, what put into words what I could not describe, I realized I really don't like it. Also, the damn insurance is to freakin high.
Got to
I have a 2004 Colorado Crew Cab, ZQ8 suspension and also own a 1998 S-10 Ext. Cab ZQ8 suspension
- The Colorado ride, handling, & interior noice is far superior to my S-10.
- S-10 has a better interior, better finished off, Colorado interior is cheap looking.
- Gas mileage is about the same for both the Colorado & S-10
- Acceration is about the same for the Colorado & S-10, but the Colorado is a lot smoother, never towed with either vehicle so I can't comment on towing.
- Traction control is highly recommended if you're not buying a 4X4 and are doing any winter driving.
- Excluding the traction control the Colorado tracks and handles better than the S-10 during winter storm driving.
- Never had cold Winter starting issues with the S-10 or the Colorado.
Haven't had any problems with our Colorado and I would recommend them.
Wait a second, you're getting all high and mighty about how bad the Japanese were, yet you would still buy a European (read: GERMAN) vehicle second after an American vehicle. How many wars and how many people have the Germans killed?
On Wed, 02 Feb 2005 20:44:53 -0500, Richard Beri wrote something wonderfully witty:
Go back and read exactly what I said. It is a tad different when it is a direct family member involved. Anyhow I never said German. I've owned a Fiat & a Triumph Spitfire. Should have never sold that damn Spitfire. Should have never bought that damn Fiat.
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