One is prettier than the other! That’s basically it. If you want a morel luxurious interior go with the GMC.
If I were to be in the market for a “work” truck I would seriously consider buying a cab and chassis and having a small flatbed put on. I replaced our standard bed with an 8’ aluminum flatbed after I got rear-ended by a post in my riding arena. You would think that a steel post bolted to a concrete footing would not move much; you’d be wrong, however!!! 
Our local Featherlite dealer had a nice aluminum flatbed that they had special ordered and then the guy didn’t take it. It sat there for almost a year so I got a pretty good deal on it. Flatbeds can run from several hundred to several thousand dollars, depending on what you buy.
If you go Edmunds or some other “build it” website you can find out how much deleting the regular bed saves. Add that to the cost of a liner (when I had mine done by Rhinolining it was about $650, IIRC). Those two figures, combined, will likely be about have of what it would take to buy a decent, mid-level, 8’ flatbed. As a worktruck the flatbed is wonderful.
We bought a crew cab because it is vastly more useful than a straight cab or extended cab. I would suspect it also enhances resale value.
Last time I priced new trucks I had to sit down! They are “dear” to say the least.
Good luck in your search. 
G.
G- yeah…my heart does a little tango when I think of the cost of a new truck. Gulp! On the other hand, this is a fairly good investment. I’d have it for at least 10-12 years (or longer), and the resale value of a mid-mileage used diesel, well-maintained is significant. Boy, have I learned that in this search! If hubby and I wanted to get a travel trailer, we’d be set. I can haul when I want to, without having an ulcer develop due to calculating the cost of gas (WA has the one of the top three highest gas costs…yay). I don’t think a flatbed would be the way to go for us, but I do admire them for the hay hauling capacity, if nothing else. I’m a woman who gets excited over trucks, loads of gravel, and well-stacked hay. My husband counts himself lucky. 
I say go new, but that’s because I saw my first 2015 Chevy 2500 while at work a few weeks ago and freaked the poor guy out a little by staring so hard. Sorry guy, you weren’t doing anything wrong, but dat truck tho!!
However, I personally vowed to never buy a new truck and always get one around two years old. You can swing a lot of deals at a dealership, esp if you have the cashola and good credit. Ask for them to extend you a warranty or offer free oil changes on a newer truck. See what they may throw in, it doesn’t hurt and usually they will because if they are a good and honest dealer, they have already gone over their truck and know it’s good and won’t balk at it. If it’s a good truck, they won’t lose money on offering it.
I went to Sunset Chevy in the Puyallup area when I was looking for a newer truck. They were terrific, massive thumbs up. I traded in a beat to shit 95 F350 and a 06 Ranger, got more than I expected on the Ranger and about right on the big truck for trade-in values, and left with a 01 2500 Silverado at under Bluebook. And after a week or three, one of the “thingies” that lines the exterior wheel well fell down and was rubbing the tire, I went back and they tacked it back up for me.
If you want something specific, see if the dealer will locate it and ship it in. Cars are lucrative to sell, not to sit, so if a dealer can find one somewhere else, both dealers usually want to give you the truck and get it off their lot. XDH and I got a good deal on a Ford a couple years ago because it was a dually and had been on the lot for a year, and they wanted it g-o-n-e.
As for cab size and bedliners: mine is extended, and I do wish I had an extended cab for the bigger back seat… However, after getting used to that for seven years, remembering to open a club/quad cab like a regular door was an exercise in frustration (xDH’s was a quad cab), and really, the back seat size is decent-ish for smaller peeps. It’s more that the door doesn’t open really wide that frustrates me. This is my back seat with everything open, you can see it’s not bad (and fits tack…). And definitely spray-in!! There are brands other than the biggies, and they all offer “lifetime” warranties. I got one in xDH’s truck, so when the guard on the circular saw got hung up and didn’t come down, and I set the thing down on the tail gate and it chewed through the liner and into the metal, I went back and said “hey I’m a stupid girl, don’t laugh” and they patched it up. He never knew, still doesn’t. :winkgrin: I have had one on all my trucks save the two Fords I had most recently, and the beds had started to rust in both, even the newer Ranger.
I am curious ---- I have a Chevy Avalanche 2500 (3/4 ton) and I ADORE it. It is 12 years old now and, other than oil changes, it has needed nothing done to it.
The only downside is, because of the little wings, I can only use a BP, not a gooseneck. But in all other ways, it is my dream truck.
CC, have you ever looked at/considered an Avalanche? For years I would drive 3 or 4 horses from Ky to NC and back — over the Appalachians mountains and could cruise at 65 going uphill.
To me, the Avalanche is “sedan on the inside” and “truck on the outside”. I got leather seats and other stuff and paid $40k. It is still worth $20k (I have been told) but I have no interest in letting it go for several more decades.
It was my only car for 9 years – when I got a Nissan Cube for running around town. And it looked as good going out for a night on the town as it did working around the farm or hauling horses.
ETA: EEEEEKKK – Chevy is discontinuing the Avalanche – so the last Model is cheaper than in prior years. 
Here is a comparison between the Avalanche and the Chevy/GMC pick ups. Important difference is that the Avalanche is built on a Suburban chassis, while the pickups are, essentially, 2 pieces stuck together, so the Avalanche is much smoother.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/chevrolet-avalanche-gets-a-living-funeral-before-its-demise-next-year/
Now I have to decide if I want a new Avalanche before it goes away.
LH- I need a full size, long bed to haul my own hay from my guy’s hay sheds to my small farm–can’t use a trailer due to the barn/drive/house configuration. And I really need a diesel, not an option in the Avalanche. I have Subaru I drive daily (paid for, and I’ll always have one–best cars ever!).
I have a gas Chevy 2500HD extended cab and a Hawk 2H trailer. It’s a great set-up. The Chevy has a larger extended cab area than other trucks, and it’s always been plenty for me, from kid in a car set, to two dogs, to using that seat for hauling tack AND suitcases, etc. I’ve even ridden in the back seat myself and it’s plenty comfy. My truck is a 2012, so probably not too different from the new trucks. The integrated brake controller works fine and the hitch is good. The only thing with the hitch is that it’s a large (2.5"?) receiver, with a 2" sleeve inside. This works just fine, but one time I told my son to take the hitch out and he didn’t take the sleeve out too and I lost it somewhere on the road and had to buy a new one. Just something to watch out for if they still make them this way (or just buy a 2.5" hitch).
I replaced our standard bed with an 8’ aluminum flatbed after I got rear-ended by a post in my riding arena.
:lol:
However, I personally vowed to never buy a new truck and always get one around two years old. You can swing a lot of deals at a dealership, esp if you have the cashola and good credit. Ask for them to extend you a warranty or offer free oil changes on a newer truck. See what they may throw in, it doesn’t hurt and usually they will because if they are a good and honest dealer, they have already gone over their truck and know it’s good and won’t balk at it. If it’s a good truck, they won’t lose money on offering it.
I agree - buy a decent used truck that has already done the tank in value once it was driven off the lot new by someone before you.
But I think the OP was having trouble finding a used one that fit her criteria - that’s why she was turned onto looking at new trucks to begin with.
New vehicles, especially trucks, are so expensive! My last one was brand new, and I said I would never buy another new one again either - you drive them off the lot and crap, they depreciate immediately and much below the price you just paid. If you don’t have a huge down payment, you already owe more than its worth (OP said she had a decent down payment so that may not apply but still!)
A lot of the new diesels have eco friendly features that almost make the price tag worth it…esp when it comes to MPG and the lower - 0% interest rates that you can get on new vehicles.
No help on the used vs. new discussion, but thought I would chime in because I was shopping for the same thing that you are this past winter… Duramax, long bed, either extended or crew cab, <100 k miles. I shopped in western WA as well as eastern WA/OR and northern ID. I found that the prices were horrible in western WA (I was looking more around the Seattle/Olympia area rather than Vancouver/PDX, but still). I found a few trucks that were okay but the dealers were unwilling to negotiate much at all and prices were well above blue book, and for good reason, because the trucks still seemed to be flying off the lot! In the PNW there are lots of Canadian imports for these trucks, which I was told that you should be cautious about since it is harder to get full vehicle history.
I shopped aggressively for a full 2 months before I ended buying a truck in southern ID, where the prices were more reasonable. I paid another dealership to drive and inspect the vehicle before I went down to drive it/pay for it (I was pretty sure I was going to buy it but made sure I could still back out when I saw it)/drive it away. Dealing with some of the paperwork long distance sucked, but I think that was more an issue with this particular dealership. I LOVE this truck; it is awesome to have the diesel going over mountains. And it only had <30k miles on it and was priced better than trucks with double the mileage around Seattle…
[QUOTE=SuckerForHorses;8165055]
:lol:
I agree - buy a decent used truck that has already done the tank in value once it was driven off the lot new by someone before you.
But I think the OP was having trouble finding a used one that fit her criteria - that’s why she was turned onto looking at new trucks to begin with.
New vehicles, especially trucks, are so expensive! My last one was brand new, and I said I would never buy another new one again either - you drive them off the lot and crap, they depreciate immediately and much below the price you just paid. If you don’t have a huge down payment, you already owe more than its worth (OP said she had a decent down payment so that may not apply but still!)[/QUOTE]
Generally speaking the “late model, gently used” truck will be the better buy as first year depreciation has been paid for by somebody else. BUT, when the dealer offers a rebate plus 0% for 60 mo. on a new truck you really have to carefully rethink that assumption. While it still might be more expensive to buy new the DELTA might be small enough that it’s worth it (considering new condition, warranty, etc.).
G.
I am so confused… why have I, my entire life, thought that GMC was the less premium?!?!
Maybe it has to do with that old commercial: “That’s how we spell Iowa; we spell it G-M-C”?
(Clearly, I never have really looked at the prices or features!) :lol:
Back to your regularly scheduled programming.
[QUOTE=Guilherme;8165308]
Generally speaking the “late model, gently used” truck will be the better buy as first year depreciation has been paid for by somebody else. BUT, when the dealer offers a rebate plus 0% for 60 mo. on a new truck you really have to carefully rethink that assumption. While it still might be more expensive to buy new the DELTA might be small enough that it’s worth it (considering new condition, warranty, etc.).
G.[/QUOTE]
True. Plus if the OP has a sizable down payment, it’s not as bad.
For someone who has virtually no down payment, buy a few years old.
Bad time to buy a new truck. With gas prices low, every short sighted person is buying trucks left and right. I think you can go up to 4 model years old and still get the same interest rate at a credit union as if you were buying new. I can’t answer your original question. I thought the only difference was the decal they slap on there once they come off the same assembly line.
If you can’t find a used one that meets your needs, it’s a great time to buy new! I live in the land of pickups, so there’s a ton of inventory, just not what I want (need a Dodge? Ford? Yup, plenty of used up, driven hard, put away wet ones to be had…Chev/GMC? Nope, not so much). I’ve found a few that meet my needs, but they are sold within days of hitting a lot if they are fairly priced. Unfortunately, I’ve run up against many that are lifted, of questionable title, have been in accidents… no thanks!
My CU can get me a good rate, I’m going in this week to talk to them. If I can get it below 2% I’ll be thrilled. No 0% rates right now, sadly.
i have 2 Chevy 2500HD - one a 2001 gas and one a 2009 diesel. The 2001 gas has the crew cab (the “half doors” that you can’t open until the main door is open) and the 2009 diesel is the extended cab with 4 full doors. I LOVE the extended cab. It is much handier to be able to get in the back of the cab without opening the other door. Plus there is SO much more room in the back for horse show stuff! The seats easily go up so you have a ton of floor space. Since there is rarely more than 2 people in the truck, my back seats stay up most of the time.
I really, really love my Chevy diesel. Mine doesn’t look anything like a work truck. The outtside is all tricked out in chrome and it has leather seats (that are heated!), navigation, etc. I would have never gotten such a fancy truck but it was a 2009 that we bought in June 2010. I believe someone custom ordered it and then backed out. Dealer wanted to get rid of it and we got a great deal.
I used to work at a GMC dealership and the GMC’s were definitely the lesser than truck then about 12 years ago. I haven’t priced then any time recently but I’m also surprised to hear that the GMC is considered superior now. The mechanics at that dealership said that the Chevy’s were a better truck too. So I’m in opposite land here! Plus I drive Fords…
There is a whole field of study known informally as “irrational economics”. They’ve proven time and again that people as a group buy more when they have a higher and a lower price point to choose from.
David
[QUOTE=cowboymom;8166283]
I used to work at a GMC dealership and the GMC’s were definitely the lesser than truck then about 12 years ago. I haven’t priced then any time recently but I’m also surprised to hear that the GMC is considered superior now. The mechanics at that dealership said that the Chevy’s were a better truck too. So I’m in opposite land here! Plus I drive Fords…[/QUOTE]
It’s considered “superior” in terms of trim levels, basically, and the rest is all marketing.
They’re literally the exact same structurally and mechanically, so there really is no “better” truck.
[QUOTE=DHCarrotfeeder;8166382]
There is a whole field of study known informally as “irrational economics”. They’ve proven time and again that people as a group buy more when they have a higher and a lower price point to choose from.
David[/QUOTE]
Interesting. I’ve heard of this before. Any recommendations for “quick and dirty” reading to explain the basics?
G.
