Blog

There is a stigma around buying other people's hand-me-downs, usually applied to soft goods like clothing or bedding. Appliances and tools generally don't inherit the same negative connotations, but that doesn't mean they're infallible. Have you ever purchased something that had an underlying issue you weren't aware of before you bought it? Any vehicle can have issues—whether it's a Ford, Honda, Toyota, or even a Chevy—and these issues can often be beyond your control... but what is under your control is trust. more Trust between both parties is crucial for a successful investment. If you purchase a high-quality pre-owned vehicle—one built by a reputable manufacturer and provided by an equally reliable dealership—then you have a far smaller chance of running into issues. This is why it's important to purchase a pre-owned vehicle from a trusted dealership, especially if you're on the hunt for used Chevy trucks for sale. And that leads us to our topic at hand: What are the upsides to purchasing a pre-owned Chevy Silverado 1500? This is one of the most easy-going pickup trucks on the market; it can maximize your workflow and make you more productive, both in a professional and personal sense. There's obviously no end of reasons to buy a brand-new model, so what are the benefits of buying a used model? How does that affect the overall experience? The Significance of the Silverado 1500 Think about it: How many different models do you see on the road on any given day? Sure, there are hundreds of duplicates, but you're likely to see over a dozen unique types of vehicles in just your average grocery store parking lot, not to mention the whole drive there and back. What do all these vehicles have in common? Well, unless they're somehow all the Chevy Silverado (or its chief competitor, the Ford F-150), then none of them are best-sellers. For those who don't follow automotive sales, the Silverado is the second-best-selling vehicle in the country and the best-selling vehicle for Chevrolet; it's their pride and joy. Chevy has been a dominant truck manufacturer since the late 1910s, while the Silverado 1500 has been around since the late 1990s in its current form (after being preceded by the venerable C/K line of pickup trucks that had been a part of Chevy's lineup for over 50 years). This was at the turn of the 21st century, and the sales of pickup trucks weren't slowing down. SUVs had begun to create a name for themselves—even Chevy released SUVs like the Tahoe and Trailblazer—but it was the Silverado that kept fans hooked on Chevy in the early 2000s, from its world-class powertrain engineering that Chevy is famous for, to its scalability, with three unique sizes available at the time of purchase. There's no question that the Silverado deserves its praise, but what specifically are the advantages of buying one that's pre-owned? A Great Launching Pad If you don't pay close attention when buying a used car, you may miss out on features that newer models offer. But is it fair to assume that a used car is only being sold because the original owner wanted to upgrade? Not necessarily. Sure, drivers may trade in their old vehicles to buy a newer version, but that doesn't mean you're getting the crumbs of the automotive experience. So, when you buy a used Silverado, you can expect a vehicle that radiates quality, no matter its age. For a real-world example, let's look at the 2014 Silverado 1500. The 2014 Silverado is officially ten years old, but has performance aged? The 2014 Silverado comes standard with a 4.3L V6 engine that outputs 285 hp and 305 lb-ft of torque. You can also get one of two V8 engines, including a 5.3L V8 engine that gets 355 hp and 383 lb-ft of torque and a 6.2L V8 engine with a four-wheel drivetrain (4WD). The 6.2L V8 engine in the 2014 Silverado outputs 420 hp and 460 lb-ft of torque and, with this powertrain, along with other variables like cab size and trailering packages, can achieve a maximum towing capacity of 12,000 lbs. Because the 2014 Silverado is ten years old, the heaviest portion of its depreciation has already made its impact, dropping to a value far more affordable—but this is not indicative of a decline in quality. (Depreciation sees the most significant changes in the first five years, with your vehicle's value slowly trickling down thereafter.) You can easily find a used Silverado from this generation, which was then succeeded by the current Silverado generation, launching with the 2019 Silverado 1500. However, the 2019 model isn't the best one to purchase for efficient drivers because it only comes with a V8 engine—but the 2020 model is another story entirely. This is about the time that 2020 models will start showing up on the used market, as the standard leases on that model year come to their end; if they're leasing another vehicle with the same dealership, then their still-young trade-in will soon appear for sale on that dealership's lot. The 2020 Silverado is an incredible place to start if you want to save money while still getting a technologically-current pickup. If you're purchasing a 2020 Silverado 1500, the standard powertrain might not tow as much as the 2019 model, but it can tow thousands more than the 2019 Silverado 1500 if configured right; and there are many variations of the 2020 Silverado 1500—even more than the latest model. Your 2020 Silverado can be fitted with a turbocharged I-4 or even a turbo-diesel I-6, or you can replace the standard V6 with updated versions of the 5.3L and 6.2L V8 engines. The sky is the limit! Why You Should Purchase a Pre-Owned Silverado 1500 Now we tackle the big question: Is buying a used Silverado a good idea? You may have guessed, but buying a used Silverado 1500 is not a good idea… because it's a GREAT idea! The Chevy Silverado makes for a spectacular pre-owned truck, but why? At the end of the day, your vehicle is what you make of it—but when you purchase a Silverado 1500, you're unleashing your ability to become a more spontaneous, adventurous, and generally more handy person with the right tool for the job. (Be prepared for family, friends, and acquaintances to start entreating you for favors.) Not everyone has insider knowledge on automobiles, and often the only way to truly be convinced that a truck is worth buying is to hear other people tell you that. With the Silverado 1500, although we're here to tell you that you'll love the truck, you should take one for a test drive and see for yourself—it's an experience that you'll be glad you explored before you make your decision. Once you've decided which car to buy, you're obligated to lay in the bed you've made—unless, of course, you have an excellent trade-back program available through your dealership, like the one we have at Edwards Chevrolet. Buying a Silverado 1500 will change your life the day you buy it, and you likely won't ever want to let it go, but in the same way that you found your pre-owned truck, you may repeat the cycle someday after finding another vehicle you like better. You may be in that spot now, and if that's the case, come on down to Edwards Chevrolet 280, try a pre-owned on for size, and get yourself a gleaming battle-tested best-seller like the Silverado 1500.

The Chevy Colorado can do it all, from navigating crowded streets to bounding through the mud while off-road. The Colorado has been available for about 20 years now, though not continuously, and in that time it's earned a lot of fans among pickup drivers. If you're looking at used Chevy trucks for sale and are particularly interested in what a Colorado has to offer, then the model year you choose will be crucial. Even a single year's difference can have a huge impact on the sort of performance and features you can find with your Colorado, particularly when it marks the start of a new generation. more We're always happy to answer your questions and help you find the perfect truck here at Edwards Chevrolet 280. In that spirit, let's go through some of the most important model years to watch as you're looking at your options. Other model years can still be great, but having these ones in mind makes it easier to guarantee you'll get certain features or trim levels. Just remember to look beyond the model year and look closely at the details of any particular used truck you're interested in before making a purchase. The 2004 Chevy Colorado The inaugural year for the Colorado is a great place to start, though you won't find too many of these at used car dealers since they're pushing two decades at this point. Still, this was a terrific year for the Colorado, which launched with a 2.8L I-4 engine that offered 175 hp, with a more-powerful 220-hp 3.5L option available. Rear-wheel drive (4x2) was standard from the very beginning, though four-wheel drive (4x4) was available, so you can find 2004 models with either drive type. Numerous cab sizes were also offered, including two-door standard cabs and four-door Crew Cab models. These first models also had a pretty simple trim selection with just three options: the base, the LS, and the LT. As you might expect from a truck born two decades ago, amenities and tech features are pretty limited, although leather-trimmed seating and a six-disc CD changer (remember those?) were available. Of particular note was the available Z71 Off-Road suspension—a name that has remained an important part of the Colorado ever since. The 2007 Chevy Colorado Still part of the first generation for the Colorado, the 2007 model saw a minor revision, including a facelift to update its curb appeal. Perhaps more importantly, however, this update included two new engines: a 2.9L I-4 that offered 185 hp and an advanced 3.7L option with 242 hp for boosted performance. You can see that both of these engines were more powerful than the ones the Colorado launched with, and these kinds of innovations and improvements can be seen throughout its impressive history. In addition to its updated grille, new paint colors for the exterior were offered for 2007, along with new wheels and other options. The 2013/2014 Chevy Colorado The most noteworthy aspect about the 2013 and 2014 models of the Chevy Colorado is that they don't exist. Although the Colorado had proven itself pretty popular early on, sales had been on a bit of a decline in the years leading up to this point. Even updates for the 2007 and 2009 model years weren't enough to boost those numbers back up, and Chevy realized they needed to give the Colorado an injection of excitement with a full redesign. This took some time to develop, so you won't find this truck from 2013 or 2014, but it made a huge splash when it returned the following year... The 2015 Chevy Colorado For the 2015 model year, Chevy launched an all-new second generation of the Colorado with a complete redesign that took some visual inspiration from the full-size Silverado. New materials and superior engineering help make the frame of the 2015 model significantly lighter than previous ones, with high-strength steel to ensure it can still handle anything you throw at it. It launched with a 2.5L I-4 engine that offered 200 hp, with an available 3.6L V6 engine that boosted performance with 305 hp; both were offered with a six-speed automatic transmission. A five-speed manual transmission was available for the standard engine, so keep that in mind if you're looking for a used truck with a manual. With this second generation, Chevy slightly expanded on the trim selection with a Work Truck (WT) with more features, an LT with improved standard features, and a Z71 off-road-focused trim level. Since these models were released less than a decade ago, it's pretty easy to find plenty of them in their diverse trims and equipped with all kinds of available features. One thing to note is that a diesel engine quickly became available for the Colorado but not until the 2016 model year, so if you're interested in a 2.8L Duramax I-4 turbo-diesel engine with 369 lb-ft of torque, then you'll want to look at a later model. The 2017 Chevy Colorado Since the fully redesigned Colorado launched for the 2015 model year, you won't find huge changes on 2017 models, with one important exception to note: the 2017 Colorado offered an all-new ZR2 trim level. While the Z71 is a great choice for heading to your favorite campsite or dealing with a lot of gravel and dirt roads, the ZR2 is the peak off-road experience for the Colorado. This first appearance included a wider track, a factory-installed two-inch suspension lift, Multimatic DSSV dampers, and much more. If you're looking to do some serious off-roading in a used Chevy Colorado, then you definitely want to look for 2017 or later models of the ZR2 trim for the best trail performance possible. The 2021 Chevy Colorado For the 2021 model year, Chevy gave the Colorado a facelift and update that includes a new grille, front fascia, and tailgate for an improved overall look. A dealer-installed one-inch leveling kit also becomes available starting with this model year, along with new 17-inch wheels found on the WT and Z71 trims. The LT model for 2021 started with an 8.0-inch infotainment display and a new Chevy Infotainment system, improving and updating this truck's tech features and functionality. Also of particular note, the ZR2 trim received an update for 2021 with a new grille, front fascia, and overall look, plus new exterior colors; meanwhile, the ZR2's available Bison Edition included front bumpers, interior details, and skid plates designed in partnership with American Expedition Vehicles (AEV) for even greater off-road capability and style. Now to Narrow Down Your Options As you can see, the model year you look at greatly impacts the performance, features, and overall look and feel of the Chevy Colorado you get. You probably don't want to go as far back as the first few model years, if only because they'd be difficult to find, but even a Colorado from the end of the first generation can still be a great option with a lot of life left in it. We're particularly big fans of the second-generation Colorado, and models from 2016, 2017, and 2021 are among our favorites for pre-owned trucks designed for the modern age. (Of course, with a third-generation Colorado launching for the 2023 model year, we'll soon see a wide range of exciting new options for pre-owned Chevy trucks in the years ahead.) Once you've chosen the year you like, you can look at different used models and find the perfect engine, trim, and features that meet your needs.