Should Saratoga Drivers Buy a Chevy Silverado 1500 or Colorado?

Saratoga is a picturesque part of NY, with easy access to plenty of off-roading areas, lakes, and other places for fun exploration. With all of these options available to you, you are going to need a vehicle that can keep up, and we’d recommend that vehicle be a truck. Furthermore, we’d recommend that truck be a Chevy Silverado 1500 or a Chevy Colorado. Both of these Chevy truck models offer rugged capability that is perfect for getting you anywhere the spirit of adventure takes you, and they still work great for your everyday commute.

As your Saratoga, NY, Certified Pre-Owned Chevy truck dealer, we would also recommend buying one of these trucks that has already seen a little bit of love. If you intend to use your truck for traveling off the pavement, it is better to go with one that has some miles on the odometer. However, we know that used vehicles can sometimes come with a bit of risk, which is why we recommend going with a Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) truck option. These models will come with the lower price tag of buying used but with some of the warranty guarantees that accompany a new vehicle. So, which CPO truck should you buy?

The Benefits of Buying a CPO Chevy

You may also be wondering what the Chevy CPO program entails. A truck that is labeled as CPO means it will be under six years old, will have gone through a 172-point inspection, and it’ll come with a handful of warranties. The warranties you’ll get with your CPO Chevy truck include a six-year/100,000-mile Powertrain Limited Warranty and a 12-month/12,000-mile Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty. Buying a CPO vehicle has many benefits over buying one from the normal used lot. For example, each CPO truck comes with a CARFAX history report, two free maintenance visits, and if you don’t like it, you can return it within three days/150 miles to exchange it for another GM model.

Saratoga Drivers Deserve Capable Trucks

Before we get more into it, there’s something worth addressing: the Colorado and Silverado 1500 are both capable pickup trucks, and when configured correctly, you may wind up with more performance than you need. On the surface level, the first difference you’ll see between the Silverado 1500 and Colorado comes down to price. The Colorado is regularly the cheaper of the two, which is true on all fronts––new, CPO, and used models––bearing any exceptions like extra implemented features or packages. On the base level, the Colorado is far less powerful than the Silverado, but that may be perfectly fine for many aspiring shoppers.

The 2020, 2021, and 2022 Colorado models have a base 2.5L I-4 engine that outputs 200 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque, which are perfectly serviceable for Colorado models equipped with it. You can also find models with a 3.6L V6 that puts out 308 hp and 275 lb-ft of torque or a 2.8L turbo-diesel I-6 that generates 181 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. If you are looking for a relatively cheap truck option and don’t need high levels of towing capacity, then the Colorado is the best possible place to start. Although it can’t keep up with the ratings for the Silverado, that’s not its goal or job. Instead, the maximum towing capacity of 7,700 lbs (or even the base engine maximum of 3,500 lbs) is an ample amount for a pickup truck of its price range.

In the current state of the CPO market, your base Colorado will tow 3,500 lbs, and your base Silverado 1500 would tow up to 7,900 lbs. However, if you purchase a 2017 Silverado 1500, your base towing capacity will instead be 5,500 lbs. The 2017 Silverado 1500 will be leaving the CPO lot before too long, so you may be in luck as the 2018 Silverado 1500 increased the standard towing capacity thanks to the transition to a 3.3L V6 engine instead of the previous 3.5L V6.

A towing capacity of 3,500 lbs with the Colorado will be perfect for those who are interested in towing but may not utilize it often and also those who want a pickup truck and not an SUV that can tow identical or higher ratings. However, the Colorado is far more capable than meets the eye because if you opt for the best powertrain on many models, it’ll tow upwards of 7,700 lbs. This is the type of towing you’re more likely to associate with a midsize truck, and you’ll still likely be paying less than you would on a Silverado 1500. As a side note, both trucks can be equipped with four-wheel drive, which is ideal for those snowy New York winters.

As mentioned, the base Silverado 1500 regularly tows upwards of 7,900 lbs, but given the price difference between the Silverado 1500 and Colorado, this is all but unexpected. The Silverado 1500 has a maximum towing capacity of 13,300 lbs, which is about 73% more than the Colorado’s best powertrain. Simply put, from a performance perspective, if you’re purchasing a Colorado, it’s because you don’t require Silverado 1500-esque performance, are looking to save money, or both. Any Saratoga driver should consider this when shopping for either of the two trucks.

Take Your Space

Performance and price aren’t the only two things that separate the Colorado and Silverado 1500 from one another––the size of the beds is also important. The Colorado is a midsize truck, while the Silverado 1500 is a full-size truck, and it’s noticeable in person, with one of the most noticeable things being the available bed sizes. The Colorado has been offered with one or two different sizes, while the Silverado offers three.

Starting with the Colorado, this truck gives drivers an ample amount of cargo space and still works as a versatile pickup truck, but is more suited for drivers who want their truck to do the occasional handiwork but often used for leisure. The Colorado has historically offered long and short beds, but some models stick with one available bed size. If you run a small business in the greater area of Saratoga, the Colorado may fit your requirements depending on what you do because the 5.2-ft bed gives you 41.9 cu.ft. of space. However, if you buy a Colorado model with the available long bed, such as the 2020, 2021, and 2022 models, the long-bed increases cargo space to 49.9 cu.ft.

As for the Silverado 1500, the three available bed sizes are similar across a wide range of models. The smallest Silverado 1500 bed you can purchase is a 5.8-ft long bed, equating to 62.9 cu.ft. of space. Compared to the Colorado, the Silverado 1500’s standard bed size offers 50% more cargo space. You’re the only one who knows how much cargo space you’ll need, whether it’s more akin to what the Colorado offers, or what the Silverado offers. However, the 5.8-ft bed is only the beginning, as the following two beds only increase in size.

The middle road for the Silverado 1500 gives drivers a 6.6-ft bed, which increases the cargo space to 71.7 cu.ft. Lastly, if you know you need an extraordinary amount of cargo space, the Silverado 1500 can be equipped with an 8.2-ft bed equalling 89.1 cu.ft. of space. This isn’t only 41.65% more than the standard Silverado 1500 bed size, but it’s almost 113% more than Colorado models can offer. Silverado 1500 models with the 8.2-ft bed are immensely larger than the Colorado, so if you know the Colorado won’t be enough, you’ll have your answer on which of the two trucks you should purchase. However, if cost is a concern, you can still find many ways to make the most of your Colorado.

Come Get Your Truck at DePaula Chevrolet Today

Saratoga drivers have a tough decision to make, but we’re here to help, so visit DePaula Chevrolet. You’ll find both of these trucks available on our CPO lot, and we’ll help you figure out which one suits your lifestyle the best. The truck you purchase is a momentous occasion in your life, and this is especially true if you’re in the market for your first pickup truck. No matter your skill set or knowledge of automobiles, we’ll make it easy to find your dream vehicle at a competitive price. At DePaula Chevrolet, we’ll help you keep your truck running for the foreseeable future by bringing your car for maintenance and service visits to our certified technicians at DePaula Chevrolet’s on-site service center. Visit us at 785 Central Avenue in Albany; we’re only about 30-40 minutes away from Saratoga.