Silverado - Extended or regular cab?

[JWK]

We are having a really hard time deciding on a truck. The Chevy Silverado gets really great reviews from everyone (including our mechanic). There is a regular cab, 8' bed basic model from '05 with 49,000 miles on it for a really good price in our neighborhood. Original owner. We have two children, ages 9 and 12. I'm afraid to get in a situation where we will need to take two vehicles to do something (like go camping). I also know from owning trucks with regular cabs before that going shopping can be a pain.

My wife argues that we can always use the car to go shopping, the times we wish we could ride all four of us in the truck won't be enough to justify how much more it will cost to find a similar low mile truck with an extended cab. Also, the bed will be shorter on the extended cab, so no easy loading of plywood sheets, drywall, etc. I argue this is like her arguement about how seldom we will need to do this.

The truck for sale also only has the 6 cyl. engine. My wife argues it's enough to pull our tractor on a trailor (total weight will be under 3500 lbs.) for the few times we do it. I would like to have a small eight cyl., but again it will be that much more to try and find one.

Am I over doing it? The truck for sale is in good shape with no frills. I will have to install a towing package. We figure we will have to spend $4K to $5K more for a similar truck with extended cab and small 8 cyl. engine.

Talk me down. We really need a truck. My head hurts.

[Fae]

We just sold a silverado regular cab and bought a dodge ram mega cab which my DH loves but it is just to big for me. Having said that I would not go back to a regular cab because there is just not enough room especially with two kids.

[Tarheel]

These are excellent trucks with the V6 engine. We have 2 that we use in our business. 1 truck has 235000 miles and the other has 270000 miles. No major problems out of either. Serviced regular and drive them.

The 3500lb load is going to be the max towing with the V6. I have a large saltwater boat that I have pulled a time or two but that's been for short distances. Just not enough truck to stop the load safely.

On the extended cab only you can answer that question. Mine does not have it but it sure would be nice at times.

I think when I bought both trucks they were $16,000 each. Good basic trucks... no frills but they do have a/c, am/fm/cd.

Good luck on your decision, I don't think you will be sorry with the truck.

Mileage averaged new around 20mpg and now is around 18 average.

[RedneckPete]

Extended cab.

I'd seriously look at a Toyota Tundra.

Pete

[HermitJohn]

Extended cab either means you get a short bed or a very long pickup. I wouldnt want one, but then I live alone and drive alone. Suppose if I had kids and could only own one vehicle then extended cab would be only solution. Probably I am influenced by memories of an old 4 door Dodge pickup with 8 ft bed from long ago. A more unweildy beast you can not imagine. Think it was made for contractors hauling workers around. I cant imagine a family wanting to use it and frankly gas mileage sucked.

[ksfarmer]

Originally Posted by HermitJohn

Extended cab either means you get a short bed or a very long pickup. I wouldnt want one, but then I live alone and drive alone. Suppose if I had kids and could only own one vehicle then extended cab would be only solution. Probably I am influenced by memories of an old 4 door Dodge pickup with 8 ft bed from long ago. A more unweildy beast you can not imagine. Think it was made for contractors hauling workers around. I cant imagine a family wanting to use it and frankly gas mileage sucked.

I can second HermitJohn : I have a silverado crew cab with a 6 1/2 ft box. It's great for a load of passengers on a longer drive. I really like it. That said, don't dare try to get into a parking space in wally world, the ailes aren't wide enough to swing into a space. It needs about "40 acres to turn this rig around". I also have the 6.0 liter motor and on a good day with no load it gets 13 mph. When I pull the travel trailer, it gets 8.5.!!!

[tyusclan]

If you get the regular cab, V6 you will regret it and wish you had the V8 extended cab.

[Ravenlost]

We have the extended cab and I love it. I actually drive the truck more than hubby does! And, when we travel or have company, we always take the truck. It's so much more comfortable than the car and handles better too!

The car has basically become hubby's work vehicle (he has a 45 minute commute each way and the car gets better gas mileage). When we buy in the future, we'll buy another extended cab.

[upnorthlady]

I'll probably be in the minority here, but hubby and I would never own an extended cab. All you end up with is a short little box on the truck, which can't even haul lumber without sticking way out, and even hay bales barely fit. You end up with something that isn't quite a car and isn't quite a truck, and gets lousy mileage to boot - in our opinion, an extended cab truck is a "city boy's truck", a "girly truck". Out here in my neck of the woods, we all need regular cab trucks to haul hay (those big round bales), firewood, minnow tanks, lumber, scrap iron, machinery, equipment, etc. etc. Those short little truck beds don't get it. When you need to go someplace, take the family car............

Anyway, just my opinion, don't be yelling at me.

[timfromohio]

Get the extended cab. If you need to haul plywood, lumber, or bales of straw you can put the tailgate down, get out some straps, and move out. You don't have that option if you need to haul extra people. I have a regular cab and really wish I had an extended cab. I also have a 6.5 foot bed and don't think the extra 1.5 feet is that big of a deal. If you don't need to haul a lot of stuff, the V6 is adequate. I have an F150, short bed, regular cab, V6 - stripped down, el cheapo truck. I can get 20mpg driving back and forth to work (not in the winter when the gas formulation is changed though) and have had over 3,000 pounds in it (way over the load rating).

All that said, I would seriously consider a commercial-duty truck (F250 or 2500) for my next truck.

[Linda J]

Extended - Ford F150. Hubby is a Ford salesman. If you are ever in Marble Falls . . . Gas mileage about 18 mpg on highway, pulls the horse trailer with 2 fat quarterhorses, no trouble. Leather interior, cd player, air (we're in TX, for heaven's sake). You need 8 cyl for a trailer, I would think, if you're doing any kind of hills.

[Ramblin Wreck]

Lots of good thoughts/advice above. I have a small V8 GMC Sierra regular cab long bed 4x4 work truck. It's perfect for hauling hay or tractors, and the long bed really comes in handy more often than you might think. However, there are times I wish there was the extra seating/secured storage that comes with an extended cab. Maybe you and your wife should put a pro/con list together (specifically as it relates to you and your family) of the two different truck configurations you are considering. Possibly the answer will be apparent.

FYI: My mileage with the small V8 is consistently in the 17-18 MPG range for normal use and about 14-15 when towing a heavy load.

[nappy]

We all have our own reasons for liking our vehicles. Ours is a Chevy Silverado '06 duramax diesel and a crew cab for just the two of us. That choice came about after owning an extended cab Dodge....we disliked those back doors which opened the wrong way to load groceries between parked vehicles. You have to open the front door to open the back door, and with a grocery cart next to the truck we couldn't get both doors opened. In the extended cab many times we had to pull out of the parking space just to put things in the back seat. Our crew cab doors open just like a four door car. Being a diesel our mileage is different from a gas powered trucks. On the highway we can get 21-22 mpg but short runs to town it goes down to 17-18. However, pulling a 29 ft. 5th wheel we get only about 12. It is given routine maintenance with no major repairs so far at 74,000 miles. I don't often drive it as I feel it is too long even though it has only a 6 1/2 ft. bed. It is difficult to find adequate sized parking spaces at shopping centers that are large enough to just "swing in". You need to find what suits your uses and family preferences. Best of luck in your search.

[MaineFarmMom]

We have 05 and 09 V8 extended cabs. We had a regular cab truck for three years about eight years ago. Never again.

[Welshmom]

I think the kids kind of help make that decision. You need an extended cab to move extra people, period.
I've got one, and it gets used a lot. If I lived alone, I'd get a reg. cab with the long box. I have a 12 ft. trailer for longer or bigger loads.

[FL.Boy]

You can get a 8 foot bed an extended cab, don't worry about the v-6 i pull 6,000 lbs around with mine all the time.

[65284]

I have a 01 Silverado 4X4 extended (not crew) cab with the Duramax/Allison combo, 6 1/2 foot box.

Although more than 2 passengers can ride in comfort it's anything but a sissy truck, it's capable of, and does a lot of work. It easily tows my trailer loaded with cattle and I also haul a good bit of plywood, lumber, posts, gates, and a lot of other things. And, it gets about 20 MPG not towing and around 13 loaded. I haven't found the 18 fewer inches of bed to be a handicap at all.

Unless I have some bad luck I expect this truck, with good maintenance, to last me as long as I need a truck. If I should have bad luck I will buy another as close to this one as I can find.

[Wayne02]

Originally Posted by tyusclan

If you get the regular cab, V6 you will regret it and wish you had the V8 extended cab.

I agree with this assessment.

I've owned both the full sized regular cab and the extended cab with 6.5' bed. I was very concerned when going to the 6.5' bed that I'd miss the 8' bed but it has turned out to be a non issue with one caveat. You can haul sheets of plywood by just leaving the tail gate down and securing the load, or leaving the tailgate up and just let the end of the plywood stick over the top of the tailgate. Further, you can haul very long pieces of lumber with the simple addition of an extender that fits in the hitch receiver and effectively extends the length of the bed for really long items. The 6.5 will of course haul a little less firewood and what not but I've really not found it to be much of an issue.

The one caveat to bed length is if you plan to purchase a slide-in camper as they can be very hard to find for the short bed models as compared to the 8' models.

I just don't see how you have much choice, with two kids you are going to need that rear seat unless your wife is willing to stay home on the camping trips and you can use the three belts on the front bench seat of the regular cab for you and the kids. Btw, I strongly encourage camping trips as a good way to enjoy time with the family. Many good memories are made on family camping trips.

V8 vs V6, I'd go with the V8 if possible as you can always haul a small load with a larger engine/capacity if needed, but you cannot (or should not) haul a large load with a smaller engine.

Fuel mileage? Check the specs, run the pay-back numbers. Not a lot of difference between the small v8's and the 6 in mpg, especially not compared to the extra capacity and comfort of a smooth running small V8.

People occasionally ask me how much mpg my truck gets (current one is 6L v8) and my reply has been the same over the last 38 years of truck ownership. I don't know, I simply don't know. Why should I check it, I know it's bad, it's a truck for crying out loud, I didn't buy it for the mpg. If you want mpg get a honda car. There are trade-offs in everything and you will curse that truck every day of the year if it is underpowered or under capacity for what you really want to do with it.

First step is to be honest about what you want the truck to do, and the answer to your question will become apparent based on your true requirements.

[mekasmom]

Extended cab.
My husband drives a Dodge with the extended cab. We love it. If you have to haul something too big for the bed, you just take a flat bed trailer with you.

His is a four wheel drive, so the gas mileage is about 18-20 mpg or so, not great, but not horrible.

[JWK]

Lots of good responses here. Thank you all for taking the time. Just to be clear, we have a small Nissan that gets great gas mileage. Getting the regular cab would involve taking both car and truck on a trip of any sort. However, we don't get to do that very often, maybe once a year. Lots to think about. My head still hurts.