2005 Chevrolet Silverado LS Extended Cab

I have been looking for a new truck to replace the 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2 Wheel Drive 1500 with 4.3 V6 which the lease was coming up on. Since I was satisfied with the last Silverado I started my search there and first looked at a Siverado HD 2500 but found this truck to be much more than I required. I then started to look at the Siverado 1500 Series and decided I wanted 4 wheel drive for the inclement weather we often have and a extended cab for some extra room for the family and my gear when I travel for Reserves.
I found what I was looking for a 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 4x4 extended cab with an LS package and heavy duty towing package. The truck was also equipped with the 5.3 V8 310 HP engine,Automatic Transmission, Air Conditioning, Cruise Control, Power mirrors and much more.
Price was a big issue and at first I could not seem to get anywhere near where I needed to be so I shopped around looked at the Ford F 150 which was an attractive truck and Ford offered some very good deals. I also checked GMC about the same as the Silverado and armed with the info I gathered went back to the Chevrolet. This process took more than 30 days but I was finally able to work a price that I could live with So it paid to shop around and compare.
This truck is very comfortable with a 40/20/40 Cloth seat. All instruments are easily visible and acessible. The extra cab makes it seem very roomy. The rear seat does seem to have limited leg room but should work nicely for children. The ability to open the rear section of the cab makes for very easy acess. I went with the 5.3 V8 engine with 310 HP and found it to be quite responsive and powerful which gives me confidence that I will be able to tow easily with this vehicle. I have only computed fuel mileage around town and that came in at 14.97 miles per gallon not that far off from what the 2002 used with the 4.3 V6.
The 4 wheel drive has 2 wheel drive, 4 wheel drive high, 4 wheel drive low, and 4 wheel drive auto which will engage the 4 wheel drive if the wheels start to slip.
17 inch tires and Alum. rims are sharp looking and the truck gives a great ride on most roads. The heavy duty towing package includes trailer hitch and the truck is all wired for towing from the factory.
The AM FM CD player sounds great and has excellent reception for when you are in very rural areas.
Mirrors are all power and easily adjusted for different driver from the control on the drivers door. The sliding rear window makes for great air flow on those days it is warm but not hot enough for air conditioning.
At 409 miles my experience with this truck is limited but I am impressed so far as my knowlegde grows I will update this review.
At 23000 miles truck developed what is best described as a rattle in the steering wheel When I serviced it I discovered loose inner tie rods I took the truck back to the dealer who replaced the intermediate shaft in the steering column which took care of the rattle and replaced the inner tie rods, This is a common problem on these vehicles and is covered by the warranty