97's werent intercooled, and so they are a little weaker of course. I was also told that if a oil pump shaft breaks and you dont know it, the truck will drive itself to destruction. Where as the 99 ups will go into shutdown or limp modes...plus I agree with Logan, I like the 99-00 motors. I do like the 97 body style esp the SRW CC models, but then again, I love my body style trucks too!