Chevrolet Colorad/GMC Canyon.

[Basement Yeti]

Are these trucks any good both as daily drivers and as light off road vehicles? With the possibility of my van being total from a collision, and the very real possibility of me getting rid of the van anyway. I am doing a bit of light research.

Much thanks.

 

[wyojoe]

There are several threads about building the Colorado or Canyon into an expedition rig on this forum. There is a lot of good information in those threads.

There are also dedicated forums for the "355 twins" as they are commonly known, though in reality they are really triplets if you include the Isuzu badged version. 355 Nation and Colorado Fans are the two dedicated forums I know about.

I have a 2005 Colorado 4x4 Crew Cab Z71 that I really like. It has almost 170,000 miles on it from use as both a daily driver and a light off road/exploration vehicle. I've taken it around the western U.S. on numerous occasions, and very recently returned from a trip to Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming that I took it on. I haven't taken it on any extreme trails, but I've been on some pretty rugged forest roads, and it's always served me very well on my travels. Obviously, the truck could be built to tackle rougher trails, but I like the versatility it now offers as it is. About the only major thing I haven't done to my truck that I plan to do is to lift it a little bit with a rear add-a-leaf and by cranking up the front torsion bars.

I'd suggest searching this forum to look at the Colorados that have been shown, and using the information provided to make your own decision about whether these trucks will meet your needs.

 

[Basement Yeti]

I actually did a search for the Colorado and it only brought up one thread. Weird. I will do a bit more digging. Thanks! Any other opinions, would be appreciated.

 

[4x4x4doors]

I'd basically add "x2" to what wyojoe has said. Mine's an 08 version of his and only has 24K on it so far. It suits my needs well.
I believe the reg cab would be better out of the box for tougher trails because the shorter wheelbase. The extended cab rides the same wheel base as the crew cab but has a 6 ft bed where the crew only has a 5 ft bed.
If you could find Isuzu that suits your needs, it will likely cost less to buy but is the same truck with some vaiations in trim, most notably the grill.

 

[Basement Yeti]

I was just talking to my brother and he says that the Colorado's have an issue with their rear drum brakes locking up, and this issue has not been fixed.

 

[4x4x4doors]

News to me. I've seen some issues posted where folks have a hardtime getting the drums off when doing a brake job. Also the parking brake cables are poorly placed from the factory (running below the frame) but it doesn't take much to reroute them as long as you do it before they get snagged.

 

[nmatcek]

They are versatile little trucks. I've tackled some pretty decent trails in mine and pulled plenty of full-size rigs out of the sand at the coast. I don't know what thread came up when you searched but here's mine. http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/63879-2008-Chevrolet-Colorado-build It definitely makes a good daily driver as well. I've got a Rancho lift with add-a-leafs in the rear so it's not the nicest ride in the world but it is a truck after all. My truck has the 3.7 I5 but they offer it with a V8 now as well. Not sure how the fuel consumption compares but I imagine the V8 would be a good choice if you are going to load it down for long trips.

 

[colodak]

my biggest gripe, they don't have the interior space and ingress/egress for the back seat as their competition. Dodge Dakota, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier all have more interior space, the Toyota and Dodge have the easiest backseat access for a 4-dr application. Engine wise, Chevy and Dodge both have optional V8's, Nissan has an optional long bed for the 4dr Frontier. I've looked at all 4 of these trucks for some time, I own a Dakota as a result. The biggest downside, the Chevy and the Dodge have the most limited aftermarket support for mods. That said, there are a couple of Colorado's on here that are modded.

 

[gmcpimpin]

I owned a 05 Canyon 4x4 regular cab 3.5 5 speed for 3 almost 4 years, and put close to 50,000 miles on it. Great trucks, I really beat on mine and it always delivered, quick too being a 5 speed 3.5, However I had a few issues with mine. 1 the front brakes are a "captive" rotor design witch means the unit bearing of the front axles it actually outside the rotor. So if you ever had todo a brake job (Which I highly recommend you do youself, since its very expensive to get it done at a shop) just be aware its not as simple as pulling a rotor off. Second the front axle seals tend to leak overtime, dosn't really effect reliability and they are easy to change out in an afternoon, but it could be used as a nogotiation point (Their will be a little oil around the CV shaft on the differential.). U-joints is always a common failure point ($20 aftermarket ones that are greaseable are a worthy investment). Overall they are easy to work on, cheap to fix and very reliable. I can't speak for anything more than a regular cab on interior space, but their was a lot of room behind the seats, 4WD worked great always and some come factory with a rear locking differential (RPO G80). If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

[Alltwistedup]

My question is what are you comparing it to full size, Dakota, Toyota. I know I would rather park a small truck then a big truck in a parking lot everyday. Their are plenty of times I can sneak my s10 into something off road that my full sizes does not fit. Pretty much anything will hold up to light off road work IE 2 tracks with the occasional obstacle but the bigger stuff means bigger repair bills.

 

[Basement Yeti]

Thanks for all the great info guys. I am just working through the motions of 'what do I get' if my van gets totaled.

About the post above me, I saw a Colorado today and got up close and gave it a good look and I have to say they are about the same size as my van, and I can squeeze my van into some tight spots.

 

[wyojoe]

News to me. I've seen some issues posted where folks have a hardtime getting the drums off when doing a brake job. Also the parking brake cables are poorly placed from the factory (running below the frame) but it doesn't take much to reroute them as long as you do it before they get snagged.

I agree. I'm not aware of rear brake lockup issues either. I do know from the forums and my own experience that getting the drums off when doing a brake job is difficult at times.

They are versatile little trucks. I've tackled some pretty decent trails in mine and pulled plenty of full-size rigs out of the sand at the coast.

I've taken my truck on some pretty rugged trails, and I chickened out well before the truck's capabilities ran out. This only happens when I'm out exploring alone, and when no one knows where I am, but I can think of quite a few times that's been the case. The G-80 locker seems to work well in my truck, and has helped me get through some pretty tough spots on a number of trails.

My truck has the 3.7 I5 but they offer it with a V8 now as well. Not sure how the fuel consumption compares but I imagine the V8 would be a good choice if you are going to load it down for long trips.

While in Utah a few weeks ago, I saw a V8 Colorado parked in a parking lot at a park I was visiting. As I was admiring it, the owner returned, so I started asking him about it. He said he had an '05 with the 3.5 and really liked it, but he wanted more power to tow his 18' travel trailer, which I'd guess weighs about 4000 lbs. He bought the new truck with the V8, and has been very satisfied with it. He said he gets about 13 MPG while towing the trailer in mixed driving. A smaller, lower profile trailer would likely allow even better mileage.

 

[nmatcek]

That's pretty good for an 18' 2 ton trailer.

 

[onelow1ton]

I have owned 3 colorados and my newest is a v8 and love it and I also have never heard of the rear drum lockup but I have had to work to get them of on my 05to change the shoes

 

[Northern Explorer]

Been happy with mine. Check out the link to my build thread in my sig if you haven't seen it already.