I own a '99 K2500, and I love it, for the most part. I have a remanufactured ATK long block 350 with about 10k miles, a transmission with about 25k, and the rest of the truck has about 175k on it. I also upgraded to a heavy duty four core radiator with the engine swap. My drivetrain is pretty much bulletproof internally for my intended uses, but I'm having lots of little problems outside of the engine. Starters, alternators, batteries, vacuum leaks, brake booster, etc... I think that it will be a fantastic truck if I ever get all the bugs worked out, and would then be willing to drive to South America and back. I would never buy a 1/2 ton truck for anything more than daily commuting and jobs. The brakes and bearings just can't hold up like the heavier parts do, but sometimes efficiency becomes more important than brute strength. I've towed 26,000 gross loaded pounds for over 1,000 miles. It didn't go as fast as I wanted to sometimes, but it got there safely, and with the trailer brakes, everything came to a stop when it should.