Start with what the Chevrolet Silverado is: a 2-door regular cab (1999–present) / 3-door extended cab (1999–2000 1500 and 2500 only) / 4-door extended cab (2000–2014) / 4-door crew cab (2001–present for HD; 2004–present for 15, built from 1998, when airbags, anti-lock brakes and Japanese build quality became the world standard. What it meant takes a little longer.
How it came about
The Chevrolet Silverado is a range of trucks manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand. Introduced for the 1999 model year, the Silverado is the successor to the long-running Chevrolet C/K model line. Taking its name from the top trim level from the Chevrolet C/K series, the Silverado is offered as a series of full-size pickup trucks, chassis cab trucks, and medium-duty trucks.
The fourth generation of the model line was introduced for the 2019 model year. The Chevrolet Silverado shares mechanical commonality with the identically related GMC Sierra; GMC ended the use of the C/K nomenclature a model generation prior to Chevrolet. In Mexico, high-trim level versions of the Silverado use the Chevrolet Cheyenne name (not to be confused with the 2003 concept) starting with the LT trim; Work Truck and "Custom" trims are still called Silverado. The Silverado is among the best-selling vehicles in the United States, having sold over 12 million trucks since its introduction in 1998.
Under the skin
The record carries the shape — a 2-door regular cab (1999–present) / 3-door extended cab (1999–2000 1500 and 2500 only) / 4-door extended cab (2000–2014) / 4-door crew cab (2001–present for HD; 2004–present for 15. The engine, output and weight have not yet reached the open record, and MotorJury does not guess at them.
Family and rivals
In the Chevrolet line-up the Chevrolet Silverado has a clear place: it replaced the Chevrolet C/K / Chevrolet/GMC C/K / International Light Line pickup / International D series/International TerraStar (for International CV, Chevrolet Kodiak / Chevrolet Kodiak/GMC; the factory was Flint, Michigan. The cars a buyer would have weighed it against include the Audi TT, the Peugeot 206, the Ford Focus. Its Chevrolet stablemates include the Chevrolet Adra and the Chevrolet C-10.
Owning one today
Buying one now means $29,200–$61,000 for a typical example, and running it — fuel and maintenance at its age — costs about $3,405–$4,580 a year. Insurance sits around $1,580–$2,640 a year. The figures are class-level estimates from the federal record, with the formula on the methodology page; the model-year pages carry complaints, recalls and repair costs year by year.