Used 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Extended Cab Consumer Reviews
See Edmunds pricing data
Has Your Car's Value Changed?
Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.
2 years and running!
I've had this truck for 2 years now and overall, I'm satisfied. Never really been a Chevy guy, I've always bought imports. My truck before this one was a '06 Titan Crew 4x4. I love the rear doors opening to 170 degrees and the electric side windows. The ride comfort is the best I've experienced in a 4x4 truck. The exterior styling is great. I was expecting better fuel mileage from this truck. The best I've got is 17 MPG. I heard that some people are getting well over 20 MPG. Mines is equipped with the 20" wheel package which may or may not be contributing to my poor fuel mileage. The 4 speed transmission took some getting used to coming from the 5 speed tranny in the Titan.
Not exactly what I expected it to be.
I bought my truck slightly used in the summer of '09 with 22K on the dash. I have 86K now. Last summer at 65K my transmission went out on me. And my only indicator was that at highway speeds the RPM's would jump up about 1500 and back down speratically for about a week before it locked up on me on the service road of a busy freeway. Had to drive it in reverse half a mile to a gas station to park it. Also, there have been electrical issues with the drivers side lock not locking when I press the remote and window switches not working. Oh, and I'm on my 2nd battery already. Can't figure that one out. Stabilitrak disengages at times. Looking to get out of it already.
- LT1 Crew CabMSRP: $14,99949 mi away
- LTZ Extended CabMSRP: $13,50065 mi away
- Work Truck Regular CabMSRP: $6,80092 mi away
My first new truck
I have wanted a truck for some time and choose this vehicle over the F-150. My experience so far with this vehicle has confirmed I made the right choice. I particularly like the fact that it does ride very smooth. I don't like the fact that the air conditioner automatically switches back to outside air. I haven't figured that out yet.
Great Truck
First off I will say I only buy GM vehicles. I bought this off lease loaded with every single option in good as new condition for just under $25k with 29k miles on it. I traded in my 2003 silverado for this one. This is hands down the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. Very comfortable and quiet ride , beautiful interior , pretty good gas mileage and tons of power from the 5.3 v8. The only problem I have is with the exterior design. While the truck looks great it is a little lower in the front which makes going through those snow banks a little difficult. I dont want to crack the plastic in the front. My 2003 had better ground clearance. Great truck for the money..
Top-of-the Line
Drove a 93 Toyota 4x4 Ext. cab I bought new for 15 years (200k) & loved it. Was planning on a new Tundra, researched all the 1500s & Silverado is hands down the best. 5600 miles since 4/7/08, runs like a fine watch, quiet and smooth. If I take it easy 17-18 mpg in city with some freeway, 20-22 on the hwy on the DIC. You can drop 1-1.5 mpg off the DIC mileage & be close. If you get into the torque, goodbye mileage. You can be a hyper-miler if you watch the DIC, learn when to coast on your daily drives, and save your brakes & dollars. I don't have any major complaints, it is as reviewed by many here. I have Z71, wanted Z85 w/6-spd tran. but they ship mostly Z71 on lot. I'll drive it 15+ & like it!
New 2008 truck
New system that cuts 4 cylinders off not so effective. Best mpg's 18. Expected better. I'm not an aggressive driver and usually maintain a constant speed. Mostly highway driving. Very nice ride, but not as responsive as my Nissan Titan was at 16.5 mpg
1500/LTZ-6.0 Liter V- Max/Z71
Driving this truck is like driving a Cadillac, it handles the curves of the road smoothly. I used to own a Ford Ranger. With the 1500/LTZ-6.0 Liter V- Max/Z71 I still get the same miles per gallon as the V-6 Vortex Ranger, but I have the advantage of a full sized truck with more towing capacity.
Nice, but.......
I bought new a 2008 LT with Z71 package. It now has 116,000 miles on it. I would like to say trouble free, but that has not been the case. I change the oil myself every 10,000 miles and use Royal Purple and a top of the line filter. I have never had to add oil between changes, so that part is all good. Now for the bad. (A) the fuel line ruptured spraying gas all over, including in proximity of the catalytic converter, forunately now fire resulted. Even though it was off of warrenty the dealer fixed it for free as it was a safety issue. (2) at around 90,000 miles I noticed that the cover on the left CV joint was torn, and grease was everywhere. I had to have that repaired and in the process a new wheel bearing was installed. (B) at 116,000 miles the right wheel bearing failed. I have never had a wheel bearing failure in any of the vehicles I have owned, and I dont understand this. I don't work the truck hard, it is not used in harsh environments. Other than these issues I like the truck, in fact, there is nothing I don't like about it, but this causing me to consider another make other than GM for my next truck.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
This is the truck to get
I have been on the market for a truck for about a year, and this is by far the best out there. I test drove a Ford, Dodge, Chevy, Nissan and Toyota. I went with the Chevy as it was the best by far. The Dodge and Ford looked cheap on the inside. I honestly don't see how anyone could pick the Ford over the Chevy. Great comfort.
Bye Bye Diesel
I had an F-350 when the fuel went over 4.68 a gal I had to get rid of it. I've always known Chevy was a good ride. This truck is great so far, I do find I drop power once in a while going around corners like a fuel hiccup. It's only second or two but it feels strange. The fuel mileage was great while I was watching it but it drove my girlfriend nuts so I stopped (took it off instant miles per gallon) since then my avg fuel mileage went from 16.5 to 15.8 so watching what you're doing while driving helps slow stops and gradual speed take offs does a lot. I also am a bit frustrated with the seats I can't keep the lint off.
Chevy finally delivers
Born into a "Bow Tie" only family and being the first to purchase a Honda due to lack of confidence in any American segment, I can now honestly say, Chevy has learned! I feel confident in the truck's performance, comfortable with better build qualities inside, and safe. 15000mi and not a problem (Honda CR-V blew up its A/C unit at 14000 and power window problems never stopped). OnStar is a great feature I feel should be on every car, not just GM (needs to be cheaper). Rear-ended by a Camry (crushed its front end, nothing to the truck) and an F-150 (crushed its front end and fender, bumper damage to my truck). Best fuel mileage for a 5.3L compared to others. Great truck!
Best Silverado Yet.
I have owned three Silverados so far..1995, 2000, 2004SS, and my new 2008 is far superior. The options that are available are excellent. I opted for the extended cab LT2 package with the Texas Edition upgrade which includes fog lights, special 20" rims, and cargo management system. Stickered for $33,000. Out the door with gap insurance and extended warranty I paid $23,480. Thanks to employee pricing of course. If you have your doubts, just test drive one...there is a reason people refer to the Silverado as the Cadillac of trucks.
Not impressed with American trucks
I drive this because its a company truck. Let me first say I am biased because I hate automatic transmissions- they stink for mountain driving, and I live and work in the mountains. The auto gearing is terrible for steep descents on this truck and other automatics. The truck has got 6000 miles on it and the gas gauge just broke and the check engine light came on. It is constantly beeping with alerts and warnings. It does not go smoothly in and out of 4wd and 4 lo is super hard to get into. I am comparing this to my 1989 (almost 20 years older) Toyota which shifts in and out of 4wd and 4lo way smoother- (and the gas gauge still works.) Otherwise this is a very comfy and smooth truck.
Love this truck!
I am very impressed with not only the look of this truck, but the way it performs. I've only had it a few weeks and had many compliments on it. This could be the best truck purchase I have ever made.
2008 Chevrolet Ext. Cab LTZ 6.0L
I went truck shopping and drove the competitive model Ford, Toyota, Dodge and Chevy extended cab trucks. I was replacing an F150 that had been a very very good truck for the 7 years I owned it. Not one issue ever. So naturally I was inclined towards the Ford. After driving all the trucks I decided on the Chevy. I likes the power from the 6.0L compared to the Ford which seemed pretty weak in the pwer department. The Toyota used very poor interior materials and rode terrible. The Dodge was nice but the bed was 6.25 feet compared to the others 6.5ft bed. Overall the Chevy offered a great combination of features with the LTZ package and the Vortec Max package.
so far, GREAT TRUCK!!
More power & gearsI live in MN. I have the Z71 off road. Been a great truck during the winter and summer. This is my first new truck. I love it. I am getting about 18 to 20 MPG on highway. New style black truck with 18" rims looks very sharp. The fuel mgmt does help but doesnt seem to stay in 4cyl for very long even on strait level areas. Truck drives and handles very nice. Kind of tough to park in tight areas but thats to be expected with a truck. Quiet smooth ride. I have used the remote start and it is great. My only complaint about that is that it shuts off after 10 minutes. Should be at least 15 minutes for a MN winter to defrost windows and heat truck up.
RPM Change while driving/Idle Change...?
The Chevy dealer said that this was "Normal an that it was the alternator" kicking in. The truck while driving at any/every speed will idle up an then back down about 100 RPM's. I have put duel flowmaster exaust on it and now this is undeniable. You can also feel it in the truck itself when it kicks in almost every 30 seconds or so. Im pissed! I payed alot for this truck, and work hard for my money. I hate beign lied to an I feel like that is just what Chevy did! Do any of you guys know what this might be, or what it sounds like? Thanks for the help, -Jon
Very Disappointed
As much as I like the ride, comfort, power and gas mileage of this vehicle, its extremely unreliable. In the past 6 weeks, I've had the vehicle in the shop 4 times (14 days total) for various problems that have required major work on the transmission and engine. I have had various other problems with the transmission and drivetrain in the past that the dealership has not been able to fix, or refused to fix under warranty. Am done buying GM products!
Wish I had may Dodge Back
Purchased this truck new, to get the fuel management system, in December 2007. In Jan. 2009 the check engine light came on. This continued with repeated trips to Dealer. Well, we have had to replace a map sensor, valve spring, 2 oxygen sensors (not under warranty), manifold and gasket,& wiring to cargo lamp. That's not the end. We now have no dome light, there is a chattering noise by the dash board when you let off the gas and go from 55 down to 40-45 (very annoying). We traded a 2 year old Dodge P.U. (fully loaded) for a Chevy (with less on it) and all we got was approx. 3 miles more to the gallon on gas, and a truck with problems and not a comfortable to ride in. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!
Awesome truck
Am very pleased with this truck. My first time owning a full size pickup, so far I put 1200 miles on and no problems. Am averaging 17.7 mpg around town. Will be taking on a trip later this summer, hope to improve on that number.
Chevy doing great things
As an owner of Chevrolet trucks all my life, I cannot believe the drastic changes on the new Silverado. I have had mine for over a year now and I absolutely love it. As a commuter of 30 miles to work each way and then recreation. The gas mileage for a full size truck is unrivaled. You can notice a big change when the active fuel management kicks in because the gas gauge will actually rise it is incredible. It is nice to not have to sacrifice power for fuel economy. Seats incredible comfortable and extremely versatile.
A tad disapointed in this one
Nice design of the new body style. Very comfortable as well. But, why oh why has GM made the 1/2 ton trucks so low to the ground. Had to put a 2.5" leveling kit in the front to take that nose dive out of the front end. Also, they made a change in the steering that is way too responsive. The slightest little movement and you're going off into the next lane which does get very scarry with any hiway traffic. They put the radio controls a little out of reach so changing the station on the radio has become a frightening situation. The old steering response in my 2002 2500HD was great and a more relaxing drive. Now it's more of a stressed drive than before. Why can't a good thing be left alone.
Replaced my old Chevy Pickup
Just bought this truck to replace my 15 year old Chevy Silverado half-ton pickup. Got the LT1 package with 5.3L V8. First trip had 19 mpg with combined city and highway. In just the city, it seems to only get about 11 mpg. The truck is very quiet and rides well. So far, I'm quite pleased. Pricing was good in Sept with the GM employee discount and additional 5K discount. Also got $1800 off with my GM card savings and I qualified for an additional GM company card bonus of $500. Every little bit helps in this crazy economy!
Like a Rock
Very nice truck. Extremely quiet interior and very comfortable. It is a pleasure to drive. Stereo sounds great.
Had my last Ford
The last 3 trucks I have bought have been Fords. I used to drive Chevys but for some reason I bought a few Fords. The last was 07 F250 4x4 and that was the worst riding truck I have ever owned, anyway I bought the 1500 LTZ and so far I am very happy. The ride and drive are extremely good for my application. The fuel management I don't understand, sitting at a red light it runs on all cyclinders, I thought this would be a great time to save fuel. Overall I am pleased so far, but have less than 1000 miles.
4500 Awsome Miles and Counting
This truck is an absolute pleasure to drive. The 5.3L engine is strong although the transmission shifts could be tighter. The handling is more car than truck like. We've had a rough winter in the northeast but the Silverado handled the snow and ice with out a problem. Fuel mileage is 18.5mpg on the highway and 14 to 15mpg in town, but I knew what I was getting when I went with the 5.3L engine. The build quality on this truck is second to none.
Chevy rocks!
I have a friend whom had a older Silverado and put over 500,000 miles, his current is 07 Silverado ands has over 300,000 miles. @325,000 the transmission was replaced. . He has some oil issue's. I personally have 08 Silverado with 81,000, only issue. . Actuator driver door.. keep it up Chevy !
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Love It!
Great truck. Fit and finish excellent and have received many compliments in the short period I have owned it. All aspects of the vehicle top shelf and the best in any pickup I have owned. (5 so far) Gas mileage about 16.8 around town which what I was getting in my SUV. Example of great American engineering..Chevrolet
Purchased new; 7 years and 90,000 miles later
In my experience this is a good, but maybe not great truck. Kind of a hybrid between a station wagon and a truck, lots of room and comfort in the cabin, not a lot of bed space. I've had a few irritating problems, like having to replace one of the seat belt latches and tire pressure warning lights that don't work, but nothing major. I'm looking for a new truck to replace it and will end up choosing either a Ford F-150 or another Silverado, probably the extended cab though rather than the crew cab model. I'll just go with the best deal I can find.
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Remarkable power, handling, and styling.
Moved up to the truck from an S-10 to tow our boat The ride is amazing, especially for a standard-size truck. Plenty of power. I am getting about 19 MPG, with mostly highway driving. That is not bad, I think, for such a capable vehicle. The fit and finish is the best I have seen on a truck.
Quality truck
Family is real happy with the new truck, looks sharp and has a nicer ride than a car. Plenty of room even for the family. I like the extended doors. Truck gets great gas mileage compared to other trucks in its class. An all around solid truck.
Extremely Disappointed
Unfortunately, for all the good attributes this truck has, power, performance, comfort, gas mileage for a big car, it's an extremely unreliable vehicle. I've had it at the dealership 4 times in the last 6 weeks for various issues that have required major repair. Fortunately, I found a good dealership that has made the repairs under warranty. The selling dealership was horrible. Along with all the other problems I've had in the past, I could never recommend this vehicle. The other funny thing is that some things that one dealerships says is covered under warranty is not at another dealership.
The great American truck
The truck does all things well , when highway traveling you can get up 20.5 mpg @ 65/ 70 mph which is very good for its size v8 with 315 hp,however because of its length and long wheel base it takes more effort to park , I usually park in so I can drive out. All things considered it is very comfortable even with its Z 71 package The only real dissatisfaction is the front right wheel bearing developed play and failed prematurely at 72,000 mi. thus failed the state inspection. The dealer installed a new on at a cost of $600 plus. The left side started making noise at 95,000 so I brought it to my local garage, it seemed the bearing self destructed and was so loose the caliper had wobble and rubbed against the rotor ,a very dangerous condition. In all my years of driving never had bearings not one fail and I am 76yrs. I wonder if there is a class problem or its a marginal design issue. The local garage charged $348 vs the dealer's $600 plus.
- Safety
- Technology
- Performance
- Interior
- Comfort
- Reliability
- Value
Last in a long line of Chevys
After owning five previous Silverado models and getting over 200,000 miles on each without problems, I am disappointed in the 2008. At about 50K miles, the door locks began to work intermittantly. Now three of them do not work at all. The passenger side mirror has been fixed under warranty when it stopped adjusting, now it is not working again. The transmission has always clunked into first when stopping or lags to downshift until you take off. Dealer said this was normal but it acts just like a sticking torque converter. Painted surfaces on interior is sub-standard and flaking off. Latest problem is the vent selenoid on the fuel system...only $160.00. This may be my last Chevy!
Chevy runs deep in repairs
Hello all! First off this truck is not what the dealer told us it was. We purschased it new. Run good when we first got it. Truck has been in the shop for more then 3 repairs. Chattering in the front dashboard, door locks have been not locking, the drivers door cable broken in side of it in order to open it. The check engine light has just came on as my dad left work today. The truck is about 100 miles overdue for a oil change but that shouldnt be the problem considering it has 79% oil life left. We have the 4 door version which is very nice for trips and fits us well. My dad has had enough of this truck. and will never buy chevy again. GM has lost alot of customers on this truck!!!
2008 Silverado 1500
Several annoying features that detract from an otherwise solid design. (1) Steering wheel too far forward. You really have to slide forward to get a comfortable position thereby placing your knees very close to the lower dash. (2) No locking fuel filler door. (3) No grab handle for the driver. GM uses the weak excuse that a wiring harness goes up the driver side pillar. (4) Poor design lower dash trim panel (closest to your knees) that protudes rearward instead of forward further reducing leg room. (5) Poor radio control placement. The most used knob, the one to change stations is on the far right. This makes a long reach. Should have been on the left of the radio.
Well designed and improved
I'm going into my third year of this vehicle and I am mostly impressed. The build quality is better than many of the foreign trucks for the first time ever, and a huge step up over previous models. Gas mileage for me has been about 15.5mpg with mostly city driving and a lot of 4wd in the winter. Other than a fender bender which caused no body damage other than the PLASTIC flashing below the bumper that was easy to remove, I've had no mechanical issues. The cloth seats are comfortable but collect lint like mad and already are falling apart at the seams. The ride is great though, and the back seats easily fit my 3 kids on 6 hour fishing trips without a problem
poor quality
bought this truck as a demo with 6000 miles rides nice 4/4 works good put 10000 per year on truck, seats are falling apart, lint everywhere, back door handles falling off, paint peeling, I picked this truck over a toyota, because of good deals from GM i had also bought a 2004 silverado that had numerous power steering problems, should have gone with my gut and got the toyota, next truck will be a ford or toyota, ive given GM enough business
Nice truck from GM
before i bought this truck i test drive a new tundra and the tundra is very bumpy, but this Silverado rides smooth and i can't even hear the wind on the window. i love the leather design and the smooth ride of this truck. But there is always a problem to very single vehicle out there. i just have my power door lock and power rear view mirror (passenger side) fixed. and one time all of my interior lights and speedometer, mile indicator, and all gauges just shut-off by themselves while i was still driving. But they came back up in the morning when i went to work and no problem ever since.
Half Breed
I bought what started out as an LT1. I ended up with a combination LT1, LT2, and LTZ. I have the 6.0 MAX in it, skid plates, stabilitrack, max towing package, aux tranny and oil coolers with the KN2 option. Love this truck. Not my first Silverado, but the best so far! Only thing lacking on this vehicle is the NAV system. Wish I had opted for it. XM is great, but it has very poor ability to receive local AM/FM bradcasts with its antenna design. I am going to the shop this week and see what can be done to improve local radio reception. There must be another digital antenna with a 2 1/2" mast molded into it. No more 5.7's being made. 5.3 is about 324 CI and 6.0 about 364 CI. Rec 6.0
Truck
Great truck all around. Def gas mileage upgrade to my 05 Hemi. Looks interior and exterior are awesome. Lots of great features. Remote start. All kinds of bells and whistles. Only one problem a little thing called a driveline clunk. Such a new problem on a new truck dealership didn't know what to do initially. But now its fixed. Other than that couldn't ask for more. The back doors are sick due to the 180 opening. back windows roll down. Chevrolet def made some up grades.
Chevy work truck
The Rebate back in 2008 was the main selling point. I have been very satisfied with the performance and reliability of the Chevy. The only setback so far was that the battery died on me after about a year of service. I would not recommend the Ext cab with small rear doors, when parking in a lot, next to other cars, the doors extend to far out and you cannot open them, and if they don't open all the way to 180 degrees they will close by themselves, usually pinching your legs if your leaning in the back. I have the 6 cylinder and wish the MPG were better. The rear suspension holds the bed very high & makes it difficult to reach in. If rear seat could be removed it would be a nice feature
2008 silverado 1500
Overall a great truck, there are a few problems though. Glad I got the extended warranty. Just under 60k and it stopped running with reduced engine power code. Five months later just over 60k stopped running again same code. Both times dealer could not find a problem, reset computer and gave it back. Have a thumping in trans or rear end, cant find that either. The passengers side door lock no longer works by the power switch. Great gas mileage, 22 mpg hwy. Great power when running.
Pile of Garbage!
As much as I like this vehicle for its performance, styling, and comfort, the reliability is absolutely horrible. In a recent 5 week span, I've had it in the shop 4 times, once to have a valve replaced, twice for major transmission work that involved its removal, and twice for fuel injection problems. This does not include the cracked transmission cooler, Belt Tensioner, body molding, and numerous Slip Yoke problems I have had with it. And the service at the selling dealership has been equally as horrible, and I caught them billing GM for work they did not perform. Needless to say, I filed a Lemon Law Claim last February on the vehicle. Absolutely would not recommend this vehicle.
Won't stay running!
Since my last review on 7/8/10, the truck has been in the shop twice. Now Roadside assistance says the dealer is out of the 20 mile range and I had to pay the tow company for the extra mileage, was towed from this address before with no issues. The reduced engine power code came back twice and the truck wouldn't stay running. The dealer is once again claiming they can not find a problem, but they would sell me a new truck. They want to give me 14K as a trade?!?! Paid 32K two years ago, so much for holding any value. Going to contact GM Corp. Mon to see if they are willing to offer any assistance. Probably not, next stop will be the lawyers office. Don't Buy this vehicle!
5.3 = more go, same flow
Like another revewer here, I also traded in my '05 for the '08. They are two entirely different trucks. I loved my '05 but missed it for about 3 seconds after I drove the new one off the lot. Chevy went back to the drawing board with this one. It is a serioulsy great truck. Looks great, handles great. If you plan on carying any kind of load, I would strongly recommend the 5.3 liter. (I never tried the baby 6 cylinder) With a lumber rack, Camper shell, and full of tools, I can still get upto and maintain highway speeds like it was empty. (and about the same mileage)
So much better than my previous Z-71
My lease was up on my 06 Z-71 LT3 truck in October 08, so I decided to buy the new 08 for about $2500 more than it would have cost to buy the 06 off of the lease. Wow! What a huge difference a redesign can make. Same basic powertrain, but 5.3 now with flex fuel, same 4L60, but I am almost sure that GM has stopped using that junk rear end supplier that plagued the previous body truck. They claim the new truck is 146% stronger in the frame, and I would say that much and more. I like the Active Fuel Management, but it doesn't seem to work above 70, or on an incline of any sort whatsoever. Overall A+
Must have been built on a holiday
I purchased this truck used with 17 k on it. In the 5 month I have had it it has been to the dlr 5 times and monday is #6. Trans leak,main seal,body molds,mpg,u-joints. It now only has 26k. I also am only getting 15 mpg. I love gm and must have just got a lemon.
Great truck bad mpg
Great truck, comfortable ride, plenty of power. Although, unlike my last 2005 Silverado & 2003 Sliverado with the same 5.3L engine without active fuel management that got 20-22mpg hwy, this truck is only getting 13-14mpg hwy. Active fuel management doesn't really seem to work.
Great Truck, Terrible MPG
I too am expericing the terrible mileage. 12 in city, 17 on HWY, V-6. Chevy must have been testing this truck downhill when posting the MPG. Great to drive and up high. Quiet, great audio sound, OnStar is a first for me and love it.