I have a 2000 extended cab Chevy Silverado, the first Chevy I've ever owned. I've had a few Fords in the past (the little Courier was made by Mazda and was wonderful). I made the switch because the extended cab PU had head rests for the back seat bench passengers. This is a safety feature that only a couple of trucks had that at the time. I also got an extra inch for the backseat passengers, important when you have tall kids.

What surprised me and has been the best feature of this pickup is how well it was designed. Need to change a head lamp or tail light? There are a couple of rods that are pulled out and the whole unit lifts easily to be worked on, or one screw comes out and everything is on a hinge and easy to get to. Need to find almost anything under the hood and it is not only easy to find, it is easy to work on. My mechanic said the Chevy pickups from 2000 to about 2007 (last time we spoke about this subject) were the best designed pickups he's had to work on. I don't know about the newer ones, but it seems to me, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Mileage isn't great, 15/22, but I've been careful about how much I drive, and try to avoid one-item trips.

Last week I put in a new windshield; after 9 years of driving, the glass was pitted enough to make driving in rain or into the sun difficult. There are so many Chevy pickups around that use this windshield that installed, it cost $200. Last time I replaced a windshield was in a Ford Explorer and I think it was closer to $500. I've put 107,000 miles on this truck and it's still a great vehicle. I expect the next 100,000 to be as easy as the first.

Any time you're buying a new vehicle you need to inquire about replacement parts (it's like buying a new printer--you really need to ask about the ink prices, not the printer prices). Is there something special to the vehicle, like designer tires or lights or a battery or something that WILL NEED replacing that has no aftermarket versions that will break the bank? There is nothing on this truck that has been difficult or particularly expensive to replace when the time came.

Good luck! And don't be seduced by that new car smell the first time you sit down in a vehicle!

SRS