Been there...done that
KOREDISH,
I had a '99 QC SB 4x4 Auto and traded it on an '02 QC LB 4x4 ETH/DEE this September. The '02 is a better truck in almost every way.
GOOD POINTS:
Rides a lot smoother
Aluminum wheels w/larger tires
4 Wheel disks!
Better paint quality
Better headlights
Relays for everything
Easier fuel filter changes
Better lift pumps? (Maybe... please?)
BAD POINTS:
No vanity mirrors in sun visors
No tailgate trim
No bed-side molding
No rear-wheel liners
Far less under-hood insulation/sound-deadener
My fuel mileage is almost the same on the new truck with only 5200 miles vs. the old truck with 38,000. I don't know if it's a by-product of the front axle CAD delete, but the new truck is also much easier to put in 4x4, both stopped and moving. The trip computer on both trucks are off, the new truck by 1. 5mpg under actual and the old truck by 1. 9mpg over actual.
I'm really happy with the new truck, like it better than the old one. Don't get me wrong, if they weren't offering 0. 0% financing for 60 months, I would have spent $3000 on the '99 (transmission and mild engine BOMBS) and been almost as content as I am now. Notice I said "almost"? I think that's mostly because there's nothing like a new vehicle to make someone happier
-Adam