While pickup trucks are perennial best-sellers here in the U.S., today’s Nice Price or No Dice Colorado represents a model that remains relatively rare. Let’s see if that can equate to its value and the seller’s asking.
Have you ever heard the joke about the Hipster who burned his tongue on a piece of pizza? Yeah, he ate it before it was cool. (whomp-whaah)
Liking things before they reach a critical mass of public perception can be one way to stand out in a crowd. That sort of nascent hipness surrounded yesterday’s 1998 Kia Elan Vigato since almost no one outside of a few automotive trivia experts are versed in the model’s existence. However, that rarity couldn’t overcome the Kia’s somewhat lackluster presentation in the ad which led to its CAD$8,900 asking price falling in a narrow 55 percent No Dice loss. I guess Huey Lewis was right about it being hip to be square.
Now that you have that song stuck in your head, let’s move on to today’s candidate and the conundrum that surrounds mid-sized pickup trucks. The issue with mid-sized trucks is that, while people like us seem to be clamoring for them, people who actually own them oftentimes gravitate toward wanting something larger.
Take this 2017 Chevy Colorado Z71 diesel as an example. The ad describes it in glowing terms — “Great condition, Fully Loaded 4x4 Diesel Z71 four-door long box with 130000 highway miles.” The seller then offers up the reason for selling it — “Really love this truck but had to get a bigger truck.”
“Had to get a bigger truck” seems to be the mantra of all the private party Colorado diesel sellers on the market these days. I guess that works a lot better than ads saying “Hate this damn truck! You’ll hate it too!”
For someone still in the mid-sized truck mindset, there’s a lot to like on this red over black long bed. First off, there’s that motor. Here in the States, the Colorado and its GMC twin, the Canyon, are the only trucks offering a diesel engine in a mid-sized platform. The mill is an Italian-designed 2.8 liter turbodiesel four, built in Thailand and marketed by Chevy as a Duramax. In the Colorado, it was factory rated at 185 horsepower and a meaty 369 lb-ft of torque. Behind that lies a six-speed automatic and push-button four-wheel-drive.
This being a Z71, the truck is pretty well loaded with gadgets and geegaws, including power windows and locks, and cruise control. This is obviously no stripper truck despite its size. The bodywork looks to be in fine shape for the miles with no issues evident in the paint nor any work-related damage to the bed, bumpers or gate.
Inside it’s much the same story with upholstery that looks clean. The driver’s seat does show some wear in the side bolster, an issue hidden in some of the images in the ad. Considering the truck’s youthfulness, a replacement seat shouldn’t be too hard to source and may be a cheaper route than reupholstery.
A clean title rounds out this Colorado’s list of up-sells. To make that title your own, you’d need to come up with the $26,000 asked for the truck. You could potentially buy a brand new Colorado for about twice that, but with General Motors pulling production out of Thailand, you likely won’t be able to get the diesel motor after the 2021 model year.
What do you think, is this mid-sized truck with its fuel-sipping engine a good deal at that $26,000 asking? Or, does that price make you think the seller might be Rocky Mountain high?
You decide!
Spokane, Washington, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Dale C. for the hookup!
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