Utimate Hunting Truck

Hello Everyone,

Today I want to discuss vehicles that we use for hunting. For the past few years I have been commuting 60 miles per day to work in a 2001 Dodge Ram (average of 14 mpg). The truck was fully capable of doing all of the on and off road tasks required of hunters. I sold the truck this summer due to the price of gas and purchased an Hyundai Accent hatchback (29 mpg average) to battle my commute.

About a month ago my wife, kids and I moved to just south of Nashville. The move put me about 4 miles from my job. My need for the econo-ride has not been as apparent now that I live so close to work. It would certainly come in handy if I planned to hunt Cheateam WMA everyday, but Smyrna boasts a WMA of it's own, Percy Priest Units I and II. The land of which is only a couple miles from my back door.

Two weeks ago a friend showed me some additional public land to hunt that was within 3 miles of my home. The only problem with this land was that it has uneven dirt roads which the lil Hyundai would lose its undercarriage driving on. I didn't considered the cars limitations off road when I purchase it because the areas that I had been hunting were level and easily driven by a regular car. I had planned to add a trailer hitch to the Hyundai to drive the deer out of the woods and a luggage rack to the top to allow more cargo carrying capability. Those plans were changed, however when I noticed the all new 2008 Chevy Silverado.

Let me first say, there is no shame in driving a little car into the woods for your hunting adventure. The akwardness of the smaller vehicles can be limited by cheap and available upgrades (ie., roof rack, trailer hitch and platform, chains for tires, etc.). The smaller cars do get much better gas mileage then even the smallest of trucks. So, if you're commuting a great distance to work and can only afford one car make it an economy car. Cheaper on gas and better for our environment.

That being said... WOW! The Chevy Silverado is easy on the eyes. It is the best truck available according to 40 professional reviews not the least of which is JD Power and Associates.
http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/
http://www.cars.com/go/crp/research.jsp?section=reviews&crpPage=reviews.jsp&makeid=9&modelid=2757&year=2008&myid=&acode=&mode=&aff=mother

JUST A FEW OF IT'S AWARDS
Best Gas Mileage
Best Truck in inital quality
Lowest cost of ownership
Visit the Chevy website for a complete list of it's awards.
http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/

The Chevy Silverado has the smoothest ride of any car or truck that I have EVER driven. I have four kids so we have been driving a minivan for most of our family outings until now. The interior seating will accomodate my whole family if they were grown not to mention the tiny frames they currently sport. The truck won't replace our minivan, but it is nice to know that if the van breaks down we have a capable backup.

I purchased a two wheel drive version with traction control. I made the decision based on financial reasons and my driving needs. I may consider adding chains to the truck in case of an emergency (while in Wisconsin), though I don't anticipate a need as I almost never really needed the four wheel drive in my Ram in Wisconsin much less Tennessee. I don't anticipate any trouble from this decision.

The truck has all the power features (ie., power windows, door locks, steering, brakes, cruise control and so on), XM radio (3 months free), On Star (emergency plan free for one year), hands free phone (thru On Star/ Verizon free 30 minutes, approximately 15 cents per minute to add minutes and the unused minutes rollover for a year unless you add more minutes within that time in which case the minutes rollover for another year).

I purchased the 1500 Vortex 4.8L, V-8 with an automatic transmission. This baby gets between 14 city-19 mph highway which is the best gas mileage of any full sized pickup truck with the same size engine. I was surprised to find out that there wasn't any gas savngs between the largest Chevy V-8 and the V6. Their gas mileages are exactly the same. I have filled it up once and it averaged 16.4 mph. I have done mainly city driving with the AC on high. So I figure that I will be averaging 16-19 depending on highway or city driving.

The rear seats move completely up and out of the way to allow all of mine and my buddies hunting gear to store neatly in the truck to keep it dry and less conspecuous to would-be thieves. The keyless entry and alarm are added security features that I know I will enjoy.

The sticker price on my truck is $29,180 plus tax, tags, destination and doc fees. GM has a special "Employee Pricing" event where you pay what they pay. Additionally, they have some rebates and 2.99% financing through GMAC financing. The truck ended up costing me around $21,000 before the usual laundry list of fees. I felt that I was well taken care of and that I got the best deal that I ever could have at TEAM CHEVROLET in Smyrna, Tennessee.

If you are in the market for another truck take a look at the Chevy Silverado. You may be as impressed as I was. I believe the Employee Pricing event ends the end of September so hurry in and check to see if your Chevy guy can help you into a new Silverado for $8000 less then the sticker price.

God Bless,
Sean