The Chevy Silverado is an indisputably popular pickup truck. Travel on any road, highway, or to any parking lot, and you’re bound to see the remarkably rugged truck. The vast fandom surrounding this truck is no accident. Rather, it’s the result of years of tireless innovation on the part of Chevrolet. The Silverado has many iterations, each of which offers its drivers the capabilities, performance, and durability that make a truck stand out among the pack. It’s the perfect companion for work, daily commuting, and longer travel. Plus, it can go off-road like a beast. In fact, it’s hard to find qualities we don’t like about the Chevy Silverado. Despite how common the Silverado may be, there are some enlightening facts that you may not know.
If you’re in a position to choose your next truck, the answer feels obvious. Whether you’re shopping new or used, a Chevy Silverado has value like no other. The second-hand market is full of opportunities to get behind the wheel of a truck that has many more years of high-octane performance ahead. It may not be obvious, but because the Silverado has been around for decades, it has seen some unique models that have since become highly sought-after. It has seen the release of several limited editions, special packages, and stand-out specs. When the time comes to figure out which used Chevy Silverado for sale best suits your needs, it’s worth giving a few of these previously released limited models a look.
What’s In a Used Silverado
The first Chevy Silverado 1500 was launched for the 1999 model year. It’s currently in its fourth generation, having gone through numerous evolutions as shifts happen in the automotive industry and customer expectations grow. Even if you do find yourself hunting for a special Silverado, there are a subset of qualities that are standard in recent years of the truck. The Silverado 1500 is well-known for its impressive powertrain, towing and hauling abilities, and off-roading prowess. While the exact specifications depend on the year and trim level, there are other aspects that can be found across the board in the current generation.
With over twenty years of history, the Silverado has had an interesting and inspiring rise to its status as one of the best-selling vehicles, rivaled only by the Ford F-150. It’s a top performer for Chevrolet and GM. A little fact that’s overlooked is that the Silverado 1500 used to be the Chevy C/K. When Chevrolet built the C/K, starting in 1960 and discontinuing it in 1999, the top trim of the model line was called the Silverado. When the C/K was retired, the new full-size pickup kept the Silverado name, which is now synonymous with the bowtie brand. The new era, the “Silverado” era, brought about many firsts within the automotive landscape. The truck was a pioneer in using hydroforming to make lightweight yet durable steel. It was also the very first truck to employ hybrid powertrains.
The last several years of the Silverado 1500 are all about choices. From numerous powertrains to three different transmissions and plenty of convenience packages to enhance your overall experience, these Silverado models come in an unimaginable amount of combinations. You can find ones with rear-wheel or four-wheel drive or one of three seamless transmissions. The various engines include ones that focus on efficiency and others that focus on pure power. Some of these engines include the 2.7L turbocharged inline-4 (which received an upgrade for 2022), the 4.3L EcoTec3 V6 (which was discontinued for 2022), the 5.3L EcoTec3 V8, the 6.2L EcoTec3 V8, and the 3.0L Duramax Turbo-Diesel I-6, which had an update in towing power for 2022 and output for 2023.
Special Editions and Limited Trims
The 2003 Silverado SS was one of the first unique spin-offs that stands out among the greater spread of Silverado trims. If you were to get your hands on a used Silverado SS, you’d have something very special on your hands. The SS was powered by a massive 6.0L Vortec engine that delivered 345 horsepower, paired with a four-speed transmission. The later version includes a Z60 performance suspension and 20-inch alloy wheels, making it a champion on rough terrain.
In 2019, Chevrolet dedicated a lot of energy to releasing special edition packages for the Silverado 1500. In fact, they offered a total of eleven special edition trim levels. The 2019 Silverado 1500 LTZ and Z71 trims were available as a Centennial Edition that came with Heritage bowtie emblems, 22-inch silver-painted wheels, chrome tow hooks, and a unique Centennial Blue exterior paint color. That same year, they offered the Redline Edition for the LT, Z71, and LTZ that came with red tow hooks and off-road assist steps, 20-inch black wheels with red accents, a Black Silverado badge with a red outline, and a black grille with surroundings.
There was also a Midnight Edition available on select crew cab configurations with black 18-inch wheels and black door handles with matching mirror caps. A special edition called the Realtree for the 1500 crew cab LTZ and Z71 models features a Realtree exterior camouflage graphics package, black off-road assist steps, and embroidered head restraints. Even the base model WT came with a special edition called Black Out. When paired with a regular cab or a double cab, the Black Out Edition sports a black grille and headlamp bezels, deep-tinted windows, and black Chevrolet bowtie emblems throughout.
The following model year also brought about some special edition releases that give customers that one-of-a-kind experience. The 2020 Silverado 1500 had its own version of the Midnight Edition. Available for the LT, Trail Boss, and Custom Trail Boss trim levels, the 2020 Midnight Edition is the ultimate off-roading edition. It includes a factory 2-inch suspension lift, the Z71 Off-Road Package with Rancho mono-tube off-road shocks, an automatically locking rear differential, skid plates, black Silverado badging, an all-black grille, black exhaust tips, red recovery hooks, and Goodyear Duratrac off-road tires.
If you’re not an off-roading enthusiast and prefer a more city-oriented special edition, the 2020 Silverado Rally Edition might be for you. Available on the Custom and RST trims, the street-focused Rally Edition delivers a sporty aesthetic for your truck. You can pick between exterior paint colors, including Black, Red Hot, Silver Ice Metallic, or Summit White. With the Rally Edition, your Silverado 1500 includes a body-colored grille, black Rally stripes on the hood and tailgate, black Chevrolet tailgate lettering, black badging, 20-inch black painted wheels, black bowtie emblems, and black exhaust tips.
Used Doesn’t Have to Mean Ordinary
Chevrolet has been producing special editions of the Silverado 1500 for years. These customized trims and packages deliver style and substance while raising the overall value of your truck. We often feel like we’re relinquishing our choices when shopping for used vehicles. However, the Silverado takes that fear out of the equation. Throughout the years, Chevy has released a vast selection of thrilling special edition models like the Midnight Edition, Rally Edition, Centennial Edition, and many others. It speaks to Chevy’s dedication to innovation and delivering a product that gets the blood pumping. These special editions, along with the Silverado 1500’s impeccable standard features, create a blend of style and performance that are rare in the vast landscape of pickup trucks. Explore these options and others as you set out to find the perfect used Silverado model. You’re on the right track to something very special.
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