2019 Trail Boss questions

Chebby · August 30, 2019

First poster here. Considering buying a 2019 Trail Boss while the deals are good. I would be making the jump from Toyota (currently have a 2012 4Runner). I need a truck, and I like the apparent simplicity of the Custom level Trail boss.

• How’s yours holding up?

• How easy is it to maintain yourself? I love the simplicity of my 4Runner. I’ve modded and maintained it pretty much all myself (installed all new suspension, UCAs, rear diff breather, etc...I do all my own brake jobs, oil changes including diffs/transfer case, etc...). The 4Runner will become my wife’s DD when I get a truck.

• I see advertised prices of $39k-40k. Should I expect to be able to get deeper discounts than that this weekend?

• Does there currently exist an add-a-leaf package to replace the block lift in the rear without changing ride height?

If if you’ve made it this far, thanks for your time!!

Cpl_Punishment · August 30, 2019

I don't own one so I can't answer any of your questions but if you peruse the forum for a while, you will notice some extensive discussions on the lack of interior features in the Custom. The big one is that, while the centre jump seat folds down, it does not have any kind of storage in it. If you're serious about buying one, I'd recommend taking it for an overnight test drive and trying to essentially do everything you would expect to with it and use it the way you normally would to see if it will work for you.

Doolin-Dalton · August 30, 2019

10 minutes ago, Chebby said:

First poster here. Considering buying a 2019 Trail Boss while the deals are good. I would be making the jump from Toyota (currently have a 2012 4Runner). I need a truck, and I like the apparent simplicity of the Custom level Trail boss.

• How’s yours holding up?

• How easy is it to maintain yourself? I love the simplicity of my 4Runner. I’ve modded and maintained it pretty much all myself (installed all new suspension, UCAs, rear diff breather, etc...I do all my own brake jobs, oil changes including diffs/transfer case, etc...). The 4Runner will become my wife’s DD when I get a truck.

• I see advertised prices of $39k-40k. Should I expect to be able to get deeper discounts than that this weekend?

• Does there currently exist an add-a-leaf package to replace the block lift in the rear without changing ride height?

If if you’ve made it this far, thanks for your time!!

I have a 2019 Trail Boss Custom Trim Z71, overall am very pleased with it. This is my 3rd Chevrolet Truck that I've purchased new. I'll try to answer your questions best I can.

1) Holding up very well, Chevrolet Trucks when serviced properly will easily yield 300,000 miles and more on the same engine/drive train. Seats are very comfortable, cloth seating is a nice strong fabric, ergonomics of the interior (cabin room) are A+.

2) Very easy to maintain, there is ample space underneath to change your oil without need to lift the truck. There is a plethora of aftermarket parts, mods, kits and tuners that will keep you busy for the next decade if you are so inclined. In addition, imho if you keep your truck for 10 years, I've always thought or had an appreciation for older trucks, when people "Lift" them with 4" and 6" suspension lifts, it's a way to have the truck born again.

3) Specs on my truck and what I paid: 2019 Trail Boss Custom, Double Cab with 5.3L V8 L82 Active Fuel Mgt that converts to 4cyl when cruising (easily yields 20-22mpg) Packages the truck came with $2495 Off Road Appearance Pkg {Tonneau Cover, Sport Bar, Off Road Side Steps}, $800 Custom Trim Convenience Pkg {Remote Start, Electric Lowering Tailgate, LED Bed Lights, $275 Infotainment Pkg {SiriusXM, OnStar, WiFi} Total MSRP $46,060. Price paid after 20% Chevrolet Sales Campaign for Double Cab, $37,496 "OTD" (The price of the truck was $34,100, plus $1595 Freight, $1500 Virginia Sales Tax, and $200 in Title, Fees)

4) What you didn't ask: Custom Trim level exterior and mechanically I am 100% happy and believe it is a GREAT Value. There is always going to be something and for me, that is that the Custom Trim does not come with Radio controls on the Steering Wheel. It is blanked out on the right side. It bothers me alot.

Chebby · August 30, 2019

1 hour ago, Cpl_Punishment said:

while the centre jump seat folds down, it does not have any kind of storage in it. If you're serious about buying one, I'd recommend taking it for an overnight test drive and trying to essentially do everything you would expect to with it and use it the way you normally would to see if it will work for you.

No storage in the fold-down armrest/console? That's hard to believe. My 02 Suburban had a bench seat up front with the fold-down center seat back and had loads of storage.

Chebby · August 30, 2019

56 minutes ago, BobbyAlton said:

I have a 2019 Trail Boss Custom Trim Z71, overall am very pleased with it. This is my 3rd Chevrolet Truck that I've purchased new. I'll try to answer your questions best I can.

1) Holding up very well, Chevrolet Trucks when serviced properly will easily yield 300,000 miles and more on the same engine/drive train. Seats are very comfortable, cloth seating is a nice strong fabric, ergonomics of the interior (cabin room) are A+.

2) Very easy to maintain, there is ample space underneath to change your oil without need to lift the truck. There is a plethora of aftermarket parts, mods, kits and tuners that will keep you busy for the next decade if you are so inclined. In addition, imho if you keep your truck for 10 years, I've always thought or had an appreciation for older trucks, when people "Lift" them with 4" and 6" suspension lifts, it's a way to have the truck born again.

3) Specs on my truck and what I paid: 2019 Trail Boss Custom, Double Cab with 5.3L V8 L82 Active Fuel Mgt that converts to 4cyl when cruising (easily yields 20-22mpg) Packages the truck came with $2495 Off Road Appearance Pkg {Tonneau Cover, Sport Bar, Off Road Side Steps}, $800 Custom Trim Convenience Pkg {Remote Start, Electric Lowering Tailgate, LED Bed Lights, $275 Infotainment Pkg {SiriusXM, OnStar, WiFi} Total MSRP $46,060. Price paid after 20% Chevrolet Sales Campaign for Double Cab, $37,496 "OTD" (The price of the truck was $34,100, plus $1595 Freight, $1500 Virginia Sales Tax, and $200 in Title, Fees)

4) What you didn't ask: Custom Trim level exterior and mechanically I am 100% happy and believe it is a GREAT Value. There is always going to be something and for me, that is that the Custom Trim does not come with Radio controls on the Steering Wheel. It is blanked out on the right side. It bothers me alot.

1) Great to hear!

2) That sounds great, too, although I probably won't go crazy on this truck.

3) $37.5k OTD is a great deal. Did you pay cash or did they do the 0% for 60 or 72 months with you?

4) I can't believe that radio controls on the steering wheel aren't standard in 2019. That would bother me a lot, too. Not necessarily a deal-breaker though at this point.

Thanks!

Cpl_Punishment · August 30, 2019

33 minutes ago, Chebby said:

No storage in the fold-down armrest/console? That's hard to believe. My 02 Suburban had a bench seat up front with the fold-down center seat back and had loads of storage.

For whatever reason, they decided to have two different bench seats in these trucks. This is a screenshot from the build and price for an LT.

Doolin-Dalton · August 30, 2019

On the $37.5K, I had a bank draft, so I was able to walk in with the loan pre-approved and a check with a "not to exceed" amount, where you simply need to write the amount and sign the check.

If you are able to do something similar with your bank, I would strongly recommend that process because car dealerships are setup to take advantage of you. They will ask you "what kind of payment are you looking to be at" and stupid things like this - which I am sure you know, has nothing to do with what you should be paying for xyz vehicle. The price of the vehicle should always be the lowest amount you can garner, based on all the market research you have done and what you are able/willing to pay for it. Yes, we all have a monthly payment in mind, but they take advantage of that and start to confuse you, and slide in as much as they can on the sales price to get there.

The Radio Controls (lack of) on the Custom Trim is very frustrating. It is mindless. That being said, I did purchase on eBay, a new leather steering wheel with the radio buttons from a 2019 SIlverado that was in an accident. That truck only had a couple of miles on it. I'm going to go thru the process to have it operational, likely will involve some discovery and programming, but I will post and share results when it is completed. If it can be done for less than $4000-6000 (which it can) then that is money saved in comparing Custom Trim vs LT Trim.

Edited October 18, 2019 by Doolin-Dalton
security PII

Chebby · August 30, 2019

21 minutes ago, BobbyAlton said:

On the $37.5K, I had a bank draft from Navy Federal Credit Union, so I was able to walk in with the loan pre-approved and a check with a "not to exceed" amount, where you simply need to write the amount and sign the check.

If you are able to do something similar with your bank, I would strongly recommend that process because car dealerships are setup to take advantage of you. They will ask you "what kind of payment are you looking to be at" and stupid things like this - which I am sure you know, has nothing to do with what you should be paying for xyz vehicle. The price of the vehicle should always be the lowest amount you can garner, based on all the market research you have done and what you are able/willing to pay for it. Yes, we all have a monthly payment in mind, but they take advantage of that and start to confuse you, and slide in as much as they can on the sales price to get there.

The Radio Controls (lack of) on the Custom Trim is very frustrating. It is mindless. That being said, I did purchase on eBay, a new leather steering wheel with the radio buttons from a 2019 SIlverado that was in an accident. That truck only had a couple of miles on it. I'm going to go thru the process to have it operational, likely will involve some discovery and programming, but I will post and share results when it is completed. If it can be done for less than $4000-6000 (which it can) then that is money saved in comparing Custom Trim vs LT Trim.

That's great advice. I'm concerned with three numbers ONLY: OTD price, loan term, and interest rate. I'm bringing as much of a down payment as possible. I'm not willing to let monthly payment factor into my decision as I plan to double up and pay off early anyway. If I can get OTD for <$35k with 60-72 months at 0%, I'm in.

And I'm with you–I'm already thinking about how to put a different steering wheel in and wire up the controls that it's missing. It's 2019 for crying out loud. That is totally ridiculous.

Here's an awful story for you. There is a Toyota dealer in south Nashville that tried to pull a fast one on me on my last purchase (a Prius for commuting). We worked out an OTD price that I was happy with, and I was going to make a large down payment and finance $10k. When they gave me the "what kind of monthly payment do you want" line, I said I don't care, let's do a 60 month loan. Well, my credit was so good that it put my monthly payment below the bottom number of the range they had estimated on their sheet for a 60 month loan term. When I went back to financing, those jerks added $1700 to my loan amount to pull the monthly payment up to within the range they had estimated on their sheet. AFTER I specifically said I'll finance $10k even and I don't care about the actual payment amount. The contract they had in front of me had total borrowed amount at $11,700 with the payment smack in the middle of their estimated range. I was so mad at their obvious and extremely dishonest bait-and-switch. They will never get my business again.

Edited August 30, 2019 by Chebby

Chebby · August 30, 2019

Well, I went and test drove one. I was underwhelmed. Here are my impressions, in case someone else is considering a Trail Boss and would like the feedback:

Pros:

- quiet ride. It drives like a truck with all-terrains and a small lift. This is to be expected. I was impressed with how quiet it is inside the cab.

- great visibility

- the crew cab version is absolutely cavernous, and that bed seems bigger in person than it does on paper.

- locking tailgate

- blacked out bumpers (i happen to not like chrome, even though it usually holds up better than paint on bumpers)

- when cruising (thankfully this truck actually has cruise control ) I didn't notice any of the cylinder deactivation. Very smooth.

Cons:

- the aforementioned lack of audio controls on the steering wheel. Unbelievable.

- the center front row seat folds down, and it has cupholders and a small cuplike area for spare change, but like @Cpl_Punishment said, there is no compartment inside. Also unbelievable in 2019.

- no seatback pockets, no storage under or behind rear seats (bottoms fold up only; seatbacks do not fold down). What in the world were they thinking?!

- the 5.3 was...underwhelming. Maybe there's a break-in period. The one I test drove only had 12 miles on it. It felt like it had to really work on the on-ramp or when passing at highway speeds.

- the 6-speed shifted hard several times.

My overall impression is that this is a bare bones work truck with an off road package. It has bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and a 4G LTE hotspot, yet it is missing interior storage that has been standard on vehicles for DECADES. And no audio controls on the steering wheel...what is this, 1998??? I appreciate simplicity in vehicles, but this is too spartan for me. Thanks for the input everyone!

Cpl_Punishment · August 30, 2019

There's another thread on the go right now where most guys are praising the new 5.3 with the 8 speed that's available in the higher trims. So maybe take a look at the LT/ RST/ LT Trailboss if you're interested in spending a bit more.

Limelight · September 2, 2019

On 8/30/2019 at 7:52 AM, Chebby said:

First poster here. Considering buying a 2019 Trail Boss while the deals are good. I would be making the jump from Toyota (currently have a 2012 4Runner). I need a truck, and I like the apparent simplicity of the Custom level Trail boss.

• How’s yours holding up?

• How easy is it to maintain yourself? I love the simplicity of my 4Runner. I’ve modded and maintained it pretty much all myself (installed all new suspension, UCAs, rear diff breather, etc...I do all my own brake jobs, oil changes including diffs/transfer case, etc...). The 4Runner will become my wife’s DD when I get a truck.

• I see advertised prices of $39k-40k. Should I expect to be able to get deeper discounts than that this weekend?

• Does there currently exist an add-a-leaf package to replace the block lift in the rear without changing ride height?

If if you’ve made it this far, thanks for your time!!

I came from a 2011 4Runner (Antman on T4R Forum if you were over there) and now have an LTZ 5.3 with the ZR1 package.

You up will appreciate the power over the 4Runner and the ride is much better- it actually handles better with much less body roll, which I didn’t expect. The interior has waaaay more features - even in the lower trim levels.

The oil changes are incredibly easy as well. Filter and drain are right next to each other and the oil fill is easy to access- no more cartridge filter, removing the skid plate crap like on the Runner.

I miss the 4Runner for the ability it had to go anywhere effortlessly(especially with the mods I did to it)- but overall I like this Silverado so far and do not regret my decision. A small lift and tires and I’ll be good to go!

Limelight · September 2, 2019

6 minutes ago, Limelight said:

I came from a 2011 4Runner (Antman on T4R Forum if you were over there) and now have an LTZ 5.3 with the ZR1 package.

You will appreciate the power over the 4Runner and the ride is much better- it actually handles better with much less body roll, which I didn’t expect. Fuel mileage is astonishing to me. Close to 28 on trips and over 20 daily mixed- still improving as it breaks in too! The interior has waaaay more features - even in the lower trim levels.

The oil changes are incredibly easy as well. Filter and drain are right next to each other and the oil fill is easy to access- no more cartridge filter, removing the skid plate crap like on the Runner.

I miss the 4Runner for the ability it had to go anywhere effortlessly(especially with the mods I did to it)- but overall I like this Silverado so far and do not regret my decision. A small lift and tires and I’ll be good to go!

Edited September 2, 2019 by Limelight

TBHiker · September 2, 2019

I got so used to not having audio controls on the wheel that I stopped using my wife's when I drove her car. Forgot she had them. Save 10grand and buy a custom TB. Great looking truck at an awesome value.

Chebby · September 2, 2019

8 hours ago, Limelight said:

I came from a 2011 4Runner (Antman on T4R Forum if you were over there) and now have an LTZ 5.3 with the ZR1 package.

You up will appreciate the power over the 4Runner and the ride is much better- it actually handles better with much less body roll, which I didn’t expect. The interior has waaaay more features - even in the lower trim levels.

The oil changes are incredibly easy as well. Filter and drain are right next to each other and the oil fill is easy to access- no more cartridge filter, removing the skid plate crap like on the Runner.

I miss the 4Runner for the ability it had to go anywhere effortlessly(especially with the mods I did to it)- but overall I like this Silverado so far and do not regret my decision. A small lift and tires and I’ll be good to go!

Antman!! Most of what I did to my 4R I learned from your massive thread! Oil changes, trimming rocker panels, taking doors apart and swapping handles (that may have been Sp8ball’s thread), etc... everything I wanted to mod or fix I consulted Antman’s thread first to see if you had a writeup. Ive got to be responsible for a significant number of those 1M+ views hahaha.

I liked the Trail boss a lot. If I get one, I would look into the possibility of finding another steering wheel and wiring for audio controls as well as finding a center seatback that flips down with a storage compartment in it.

Limelight · September 2, 2019

1 hour ago, Chebby said:

Antman!! Most of what I did to my 4R I learned from your massive thread! Oil changes, trimming rocker panels, taking doors apart and swapping handles (that may have been Sp8ball’s thread), etc... everything I wanted to mod or fix I consulted Antman’s thread first to see if you had a writeup. Ive got to be responsible for a significant number of those 1M+ views hahaha.

I liked the Trail boss a lot. If I get one, I would look into the possibility of finding another steering wheel and wiring for audio controls as well as finding a center seatback that flips down with a storage compartment in it.

Someone on here has swapped the steering wheel already but getting the controls to work requires software revision that I’m pretty sure hasn’t been done yet by the aftermarket. Nothi g in these is as easy as plug and play- even adding factory fog lights requires programming...

You should really look into a TB LT.

Edited September 2, 2019 by Limelight