Faults:

Water pump leaks - replaced 2X at 90,000 & 180,000 miles.

Catalytic converter clogged and replaced at 130,000 miles.

Instrument panel gauges - every individual gauge (mine has 6 gauges) has failed and been replaced at different intervals.

Rust is now developing above the rear wheel openings.

General Comments:

Full size crew cab pickup trucks with 8' long beds are a beast to drive because they are so long. The Avalanche is not a heavy duty pickup, but it is a practical vehicle with unbeatable utility. It has a full size 8' pickup bed when the mid-gate is open, and with it closed it is a comfortable 6 passenger crew cab truck with manageable length.

The Avalanche is very comfortable for long drives. Mine has a front bench seat and it comfortably held my wife and four children on many long trips when we were a younger family. At 190,000 miles it still has no problem cruising down the highway at 75 mph, and I do not hesitate to drive it anywhere.

The most expensive repair since new was replacing clogged catalytic converters. Be warned that this $1,000+ failure will happen regardless of anything you do, somewhere between 100k and 150k miles. I also replaced the water pump twice due to slow coolant leaks, but there have been no other drivetrain repairs. The instrument panel gauges eventually failed and this is a common problem for this model year.

I bought new in 2003, and if there were an alternative vehicle with a mid-gate arrangement I would consider it, but there are none, so I may keep it until it rusts away!

Faults:

After 2 months, the fuel pump was changed, and the water pump and wheel bearings were replaced; not bad given the miles at purchase.

General Comments:

Slow off the line and not great on gas, but I knew that going in through research. But I would drive this truck anywhere. Never had a more reliable truck with so much pulling power.

This truck is also a money maker; you can pull almost any size trailer to make some good side money or have your own business, which is the reason I bought it.