2003 Chevrolet S-10 Xtreme

If any of you have ever seen this truck, you know how incredibly attractive it is. (You can have a look at my new truck at http://www3.telus.net/superfly/truck.jpg) It gets looks from anyone and everyone, and it's just plain fun to drive. At first look, it's very obvious that GM has targeted the younger crowd -- maybe that's why I bought it.

I purchased this truck on Sept 2, 2005 (for a REALLY good deal) and haven't looked back. Before this, I was driving an '88 Tempo which was falling apart, so it's really nice to have a newer vehicle. More to the point of the story however...

This truck is great. The Chev S-10 is a very well-built, stable, and refined compact truck to begin with. It's available in all the standard truck options: 2 or 4WD, regular or extended cab, fleetside or "Sportside" box, and almost every comfort option known to man. These trucks come standard with a 2.2L inline 4-cyl that pumps out a WHOPPING 120hp (riiight), but for an extra few bucks, you can opt for the plenty powerful 4.3L Vortec V6 -- rated at 190hp and 250 lb-ft of torque. Transmissions include either a 4-speed automatic w/overdrive, or a 5-speed standard. In any case, the truck has plenty power, but for the sports enthusiast, the 4.3L V6 teamed to the 5-speed is the only way to go.

Along with all these wonderful options, GM also offers the "Xtreme Sport Appearance Package" in either Base or LS trim. The Xtreme package features a lowered suspension (2 inches lower than the standard suspension), a 360-degree ground effects package, colour-coded bumpers and grille, standard bumper-integrated fog lights, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. My truck is equipped with the 4.3L V6, 5-speed manual transmission, and the LS trim package: CD stereo, dual air bags, high-back seats, and 16 inch wheels. The V6 has more than enough power for the size of the truck -- it beats almost everything on the road. It could definitely use a dose of horsepower, but the low-end torque is more than adequate for a good solid feeling of power. Wind noise is minimal at all speeds, and the Auto Volume feature on the radio to compensate for wind speed saves endless tweaking.

The 4.3L is a very large V6, and along with the displacement comes a hungry nature. The fuel mileage isn't great in this truck (I get an average of 20-25mpg with mostly highway driving), but this could be due to the fact that I'm used to getting 35mpg on a bad day...

Overall, I'm very happy with this truck. Everywhere I go, people are always commenting on it, it beats almost everything on the road in a race, and it feels solid on the road. I honestly don't think I could have made a better purchase for the price.