Greetings all.
I recently purchased a one-owner 2005 Colorado with 121,000 miles.
Truck is a 2WD regular cab with the 3.5L Inline 5 and a 5 speed manual. Only a few extras like the 3.5L engine. I was looking for a utility vehicle not a luxury barge. At the time of purchase it definitely needed some TLC.
Interior was pretty dirty. Previous owner had a dog (I presume) and it shed a lot inside the cabin.
--Largely fixed with a through, seats-out, vacuum job. I might consider replacing the carpet as it is still stained in places but at least it's not filthy anymore
On the factory 60/40 seats, the driver's bench seat upholstery was torn and worn out. Ditto with the foam. All the crevices on the passenger seat were chock full of dog hair. The stuff had managed to worm it's way into the weave of a fabric so even a vacuum wouldn't remove it.
--Decided to replace the factory seats with a pair of bucket seats from a Hummer H3. I removed the seat covers from both H3 seats and ran them through the laundry to clean the dirt and grime off of them from the wrecking yard. Still need to reassemble the passenger seat.
No Cruise Control (or tilt column)
--Fixed by installing a combo switch assembly from a manual trans Hummer H3 (same part as in a manual trans Colorado with cruise). While I was at it, I picked up a tilt steering column from an automatic 2004 GMC Canyon and installed that after I stripped the automatic stuff off of it. Many thanks for the how-to's here. Super useful.
Front Turn Signal/Cabin Light 15A fuse was blown causing hyper-flashing and no cabin lights.
--Some wiring related to the extra load air bags in the rear was done extremely poorly and was intermittently shorting to chassis ground under the dash. Fixed for now.
Left tail light was broken and the right one was cracked allowing moisture infiltrate.
--Replaced both units with new OEM tail light assemblies.
Some cosmetic body damage: Left front fender dented. Left side of rear bumper is pushed in. It also buckled what would otherwise be the left rear fender. For the price I paid, and the intended purpose of this vehicle, the body damage doesn't bother me.
Some positives include the one piece Undercover Classic brand tonneau cover that would otherwise cost ~800 new. The tires are nearly new Michelin Defenders with most of their tread left. Despite the previous owner's poor interior cleaning habits he was meticulous about changing the oil every 3000-4000 miles. There is also a proper hitch receiver installed so if I need to tow something, I can.
All that being said here is a photo from the truck's good side:
![Image]()
(Please pardon the white schmoo on the bumper from the headlight polishing I was doing.) It's "blacked out" because the PO painted the front with Plasti-Dip. Will probably remove it at some point.
If you've made it this far, I have a question. Is there a good place on the forum to keep a general diary of work done or upgrades performed to one's vehicle?
I recently purchased a one-owner 2005 Colorado with 121,000 miles.
Truck is a 2WD regular cab with the 3.5L Inline 5 and a 5 speed manual. Only a few extras like the 3.5L engine. I was looking for a utility vehicle not a luxury barge. At the time of purchase it definitely needed some TLC.
Interior was pretty dirty. Previous owner had a dog (I presume) and it shed a lot inside the cabin.
--Largely fixed with a through, seats-out, vacuum job. I might consider replacing the carpet as it is still stained in places but at least it's not filthy anymore
On the factory 60/40 seats, the driver's bench seat upholstery was torn and worn out. Ditto with the foam. All the crevices on the passenger seat were chock full of dog hair. The stuff had managed to worm it's way into the weave of a fabric so even a vacuum wouldn't remove it.
--Decided to replace the factory seats with a pair of bucket seats from a Hummer H3. I removed the seat covers from both H3 seats and ran them through the laundry to clean the dirt and grime off of them from the wrecking yard. Still need to reassemble the passenger seat.
No Cruise Control (or tilt column)
--Fixed by installing a combo switch assembly from a manual trans Hummer H3 (same part as in a manual trans Colorado with cruise). While I was at it, I picked up a tilt steering column from an automatic 2004 GMC Canyon and installed that after I stripped the automatic stuff off of it. Many thanks for the how-to's here. Super useful.
Front Turn Signal/Cabin Light 15A fuse was blown causing hyper-flashing and no cabin lights.
--Some wiring related to the extra load air bags in the rear was done extremely poorly and was intermittently shorting to chassis ground under the dash. Fixed for now.
Left tail light was broken and the right one was cracked allowing moisture infiltrate.
--Replaced both units with new OEM tail light assemblies.
Some cosmetic body damage: Left front fender dented. Left side of rear bumper is pushed in. It also buckled what would otherwise be the left rear fender. For the price I paid, and the intended purpose of this vehicle, the body damage doesn't bother me.
Some positives include the one piece Undercover Classic brand tonneau cover that would otherwise cost ~800 new. The tires are nearly new Michelin Defenders with most of their tread left. Despite the previous owner's poor interior cleaning habits he was meticulous about changing the oil every 3000-4000 miles. There is also a proper hitch receiver installed so if I need to tow something, I can.
All that being said here is a photo from the truck's good side:
(Please pardon the white schmoo on the bumper from the headlight polishing I was doing.) It's "blacked out" because the PO painted the front with Plasti-Dip. Will probably remove it at some point.
If you've made it this far, I have a question. Is there a good place on the forum to keep a general diary of work done or upgrades performed to one's vehicle?
