I believe someone upstairs was looking out for me but physically, if I was driving my wife's Mitsubishi Lancer, I would be dead.
You see, due to a medical emergency, my foot got stuck on the gas pedal, I rear ended a car going over 100mph before careening through the median, missing oncoming traffic on a three-lane road, and finishing it all off by missing a concrete pole by a foot and knocking down a brick wall over 100ft long.
Have you ever seen the aftermath of a car going through a brick wall? The spot where the car hit will be collapsed. Not here. The whole wall collapsed... All of it!
That's a story not to be told here but the truth is, I don't know what I could have been in that would have been safer. I had to be cut out with the jaws of life. The truck was a pancake. I don't know if it's a safety feature but the bench seat buckled - if it didn't, the roof would have crushed my skull.
You would understand why for a long time I wanted to get a new one. I settled on the Lexus - also an all-steel car - but if I had to get a truck, I would buy one of these for sure.
They're selling in pretty good condition for below $3,000. Sometimes way below. Here is just one I saw on Craigslist... Not too shabby.
It comes with a Vortec motor which packs a nice punch. It will spin the wheels and it's enough to get the truck to 140mph (I should know). With the 5.3l Vortec V8, the truck makes 320 horsepower with 335 ft-lbs of torque.
I realize that I sound completely biased but let me just say this. Yes, I happened to be in this truck when it happened, and I think F-150s and Tacomas are both good trucks, but consider this. This truck I crashed, my father's actually (yep - that's two cars), was bought a few years old with maybe 20k and was at about 245k miles when it died.
This whole time, it had no problems. I mean, no, it didn't have one single problem that would have made the truck have to be serviced. It was obviously maintained well but the bastard drove as good as new the day it died. But me and my family really found the reliability of this truck to be outrageously strong!
And if you're wondering, yes it was a work truck. It has pulled boats and other heavy things. It had many trips to construction sites. It did its duty and ultimately it wasn't even a mechanical failure that killed it unless you count smashing the thing into a wall. The tranny and engine were both strong and everything else showed no signs of giving up, either.
We had the extended cab with the long bed and you can easily fit six people in one of those. The bed is huge too. There's not much else to say. It's a sturdy truck and it won't leave you stranded. Hell, it may save your life one day.
The only other thing you might be wondering is the gas mileage but it wasn't so bad. It got about 18-20 gallons in the city if I drove it calmly (not super slow). That's really not bad. The Vortec engine really has a strong kick to it. You floor it and a second later, it revs up and puts you in your seat a little bit.
Being a big truck, it still felt nimble to me. It was fun to drift in. And there are few things sexier than a lowered or bagged 2002 (that specific generation) Chevy Silverado. In black.
I've seen one with dualie wheels in the back, no bed, an awesome exhaust, and a decal stating, "Money well spent."
If you need a truck, just get one. Do it. No but really - drive the three trucks I mentioned (screw the Ram... Juuust kidding!) and decide for yourself. I would like to know if you have driven them all.
The interior quality is very good. The cloth seats never developed a single rip, even considering we transported dogs in that truck. As a matter of fact, nothing but the radio was broken inside and there were no problems outside. It's built very sturdy so if you're going to use your truck for work, consider this part too. The floors are even made out of a compound you can just spray out with a hose.
If this truck has never crossed your mind, I sincerely hope you check it out. You might like it.
Still not convinced?
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