I’d heard that the “1990s generation Chevy truck” — i.e. the GMT400 — was good. Say the name “GMT400” in any automotive gathering, and you’ll conjure up a crowd of true believers who will talk your ears off about stout G80 differentials, torquey TBI 350s, and indestructible NV4500 transmissions. I’d never owned a GMT400 because I’m more of a Jeep person, but a few months ago I scored a rust-free five-speed 4×4 1989 Chevy K1500 for only $4900 — a deal I could not pass up. And now I get it: The GMT400 might be the GOAT.
I’ll admit that I tend to throw around the term “GOAT” a bit too loosely, when really it should be reserved for the likes of Lebron James/MJ, Tom Brady, and the WW2 Jeep. But you get the idea: The GMT400 is seriously, seriously good.
I said as much in my report right after I first got behind the wheel back in January, but now that the newness of my relationship with the truck has faded, instead of the rose colored glasses coming off they’re now firmly bolted to my noggin.
I’m writing this because I’ve been daily-driving this truck for weeks, as I’ve been moving across town. Since I’m way, way too cheap to hire movers, I’ve been filling my K1500 to the brim and driving it probably a hundred miles every couple of days. In this past month, I’ve put at least 1500 miles on the truck, and my overwhelming takeaway is: This truck doesn’t feel as old as it is.
I expected this 36 year-old truck to ride significantly worse than any modern pickup I’ve piloted, but it just doesn’t. I’d have to drive them both back-to-back, but based on my recollection of what a recent Ford Ranger FX4 felt like, the GMT400 doesn’t ride any worse.
Watch Motor Week‘s review of the new-for-1988 GMT400 Chevy truck, and you’ll hear things like “The most sophisticated pickup truck ever” and “The Cheyenne blasted through out test course feeling like a sports truck.” You’ll hear about how aerodynamic the truck is, how the flush mounted windshield and lack of vent windows contribute to a quieter ride. You’ll hear about the good handling thanks to the independent front suspension and you’ll hear about the solid braking. Plus there’s this: “Get inside the Cheyenne and you’ll find one of the roomiest truck cabs around.”
But that review is as old as the truck. A good truck in 1987 doesn’t translate to a good truck all these years later. But in this case, it does.
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What I look for in a pickup truck is a combination of factors: 1. Simplicity/reliability 2. Durability 3. Off-Road Capability 4. Towing/payload capability and 5. Comfort.
Back when I was in my 20s, I’d have thrown “comfort” out the window (and indeed, I did), but nowadays it’s not that I’ve gone soft, it’s that I’ve piloted far too many vehicles that offer both truck-ish capability and comfort. I’m no longer impressed by vehicles that don’t. And yes, most modern trucks are much more comfortable than my Chevy and offer way more towing capability, but no modern truck offers the number one thing I want in a pickup: simplicity/durability/serviceability. And frankly, most modern trucks are a step backwards in terms of off-road capability.
So when it comes to crowning a pickup truck GOAT, I just can’t put a modern pickup truck into contention. And I also can’t put a really old one with a three-speed, overdrive-less gearbox and solid front axle (I think pickups should all have IFS, as the sheer geometry of trucks limits them so much off-road that the advantages of a solid axle are significantly diminished) that make highway driving a chore. The ultimate combination is something that’s new enough to be a smooth highway cruiser but old enough to forego all sorts of electronic gizmos and sensors and other complexities that are hard to repair. And the GMT400 fits right in there.
One thing I noticed right away when I first hopped in is something you might not expect from an older truck: it’s humongous. No, the GMT400 may not look big from the outside compared to a modern Silverado, but inside it is massive. When I sit in my Jeep J10 pickup and close the door, that door comes right up to my left elbow. Honestly, the distance between that door panel and my steering wheel is a bit tight. But on this K1500, the door panel seems like it’s in a different zip code than the driver — it bowes outward with the truck’s exterior door panels and makes the front bench seem like it could easily seat four adults across.
Firing the truck up, I grip a stylish but airbag-less steering wheel, and turn the key in the ubiquitous Saginaw steering column (which is loose, as millions of tilt Saginaw columns are due to internal bolts vibrating loose), only to hear a surprisingly quiet Chevy 350 fire up instantly under the hood.
I slide that five-speed into gear (a surprisingly tight and engaging five-speed that just snicks into gear, even if it’s one of the weaker earlier Getrag five-speeds), pop the park brake via the dash-mounted release, and smoothly trade clutch pedal for accelerator as the truck takes off.
On city streets, the K1500 is maybe a little on the firmer side, and its steering radius is laughably huge, but at any speed over about 30 mph the truck just cruises. The aerodynamic mirrors and general cab profile — while not exactly slippery by modern standards — mean the cabin is quiet even at 75 mph.
Sure, with only 210 ponies, the truck is glacially slow, but 300 lb-ft of torque means it’ll steadily get you up the steepest of grades even with a heavy load.
My biggest complaint about the early GMT400 is the seats; they don’t tilt, there’s no headrest, and they’re a bit flat and upright. They look cool, but I’d much prefer the mid-’90s GMT400 seats.
Whether the GMT400 is the GOAT is, of course, is probably not something we’ll agree on. It doesn’t have a Cummins 12-valve, it looks a bit plain in some folks’ eyes (I think it’s handsome), it’s not the most comfortable truck ever (many give the GOAT title to the GMT400’s successor, the GMT800, and while a 6.0 V8 with a 5-speed is extremely cool — or even the 8.1 with the 6-speed — I like the looks of the GMT400s a bit more) and it offers modest towing and off-road capability relative to the kings of the segment. But it’s competent everywhere. It’s spacious, handsome, reliable, comfortable, easy and cheap to work on, capable off-road, and devoid of any major flaws.
So if the GMT400 isn’t the greatest truck of all time, it certainly comes close.
An inexpensive truck that runs, is easy to repair and you don’t need to worry about the cosmetics of because it is not a collectible (yet). Sounds like the best kind of truck for the average suburban household that needs a truck occasionally.
Lost my 95 F-150 Std Cab/8′ bed in my divorce last year. Kills me reading this…
I’m more partial to Ford but these are lovely. Trucks to this point were “gentlemanly”. All my farmer uncles had them. Purposeful, reliable, diligent, conservative and quiet but refined and appreciative of comfort. Then the low-class loud trashy Ram came on the scene and ruined the full-sized truck “space.”
I used to hate the 2nd gen Ram but now see it as a lot more sensible than any full size of the past ten years.
Have you come up with a name for it yet? It needs to have a showdown with the Marshal.
An old truck like this doesn’t officially become yours until you put a dent in it during a job.
I had an old Dodge (87 D200), and currently old Ford (92 F250) but never a Chevy. I’d love to get one of these but would never find one in that condition in the Northeast.
K1500 is 4 wheel drive. C1500 is 2. 4 wheel drive vehicles ride more stiffly than 2wd.
“What I look for in a pickup truck is a combination of factors: 1. Simplicity/reliability 2. Durability 3. Off-Road Capability 4. Towing/payload capability and 5. Comfort.”
What I look for in a pickup truck:
1 row of seats.
2 doors.
3 pedals.
Preferably a 2wd GM truck with manual windows, locks, and mirrors.
Less stuff to go wrong.
I’ve daily-driven three trucks continuously since 1991 and they’ve all met these specifications. The first one from 1991 to 1999, the second one from 1999 to 2015, and the third from 2015 to the present.
It would be nice to find a GMT400 or GMT800 with a 5-speed someday. Or an early S-10.
There were a lot of good trucks in this time frame. The GMT-400 Similar gen F150, Dodge Dakota, Jeep Comanche, Toyota Truck. They all had an honest simplicity with just the right amount of refinement to make them very livable.
DT hates Ford…it’s official! 😉
A big thing about a truck like this is that you can use it.
About 15 years ago, my neighborhood got slammed by multiple tornadoes. Nobody hurt in the neighborhood, but trees and fences down everywhere, powerlines all over the place, flooding and general chaos. The entrance to the neighborhood was clogged with debris and it didn’t take long for the neighbors with chainsaws to run out of gas trying to clear it.
At the time, I had an old S10. It ran well, but wasn’t pretty. My next door neighbor had a brand new Avalanche 4×4. He refused to try to drive out because it might scratch the paint on his new truck. So, I gave it a go with my old S10. Lost some paint, didn’t care. I drove and found what everyone needed to get back to work. One of the cans of 2 stroke oil leaked and the rubber bed mat reeked for a while, but who cares? Had stuff to do.
For the 2 weeks until we got power back, that old S-10 was used every day to make runs out for supplies. Generators, wiring, gasoline, food, whatever. That brand new truck sat there not being used for over a week because all the debris might scratch the paint.
It’s insane what you can do with an old truck, when you don’t care about calling insurance about a couple dents. In addition, the beds are waist high not chest high, so they are easier to load and unload and a standard cab long bed like David’s isn’t limited that much by how much can fit in it.
I wouldn’t want to daily an old truck like this GMT400, but I would love to have one as a second vehicle.
We got a 24″ blizzard in Pittsburgh Feb 2010. The only cars mobile on our street day of were a Dodge Ram and my WJ (’99) Grand Cherokee. I spent 3 hours the next day dragging my daily a foot or two at a time to a cleared street so my wife could use the 4×4 (the outskirts and highways cleared faster than the city, they had places to put the snow). My 70 mile round trip drive Monday was easier than her 5 mile city drive!
“The Marshall” is the ideal truck. I don’t want to have to worry about scratches, dings, dents, etc… during actual use! I hear – are you putting that ***** in the SUV? Yeah – it’s 20 yrs old, paid for and IDGAF about minor blemishes in the cargo area anymore.
I live in the South and almost never have to drive in the white stuff as a result. We have a 18 year old minivan with nearly 300k miles. The carpeting is heavy vinyl now, the center seats are long gone and if it isn’t full of dogs, it’s full of lumber. It’s so funny to pull up to load up plywood and see someone with a new truck trying to figure out how to load that tiny bed without damaging their $60k truck. They will start to snear about how we are going to load all the lumber in our van and be shocked when we just start laying 4×8 sheets on the back floor and then putting 2x4x10s on top and let them run under the center console.
As for winter driving, the van would be ok, but I like having a stick better. If I lived in an area that got the white stuff more, I would want winter tires, a stick and a car and my wife would want to move.
I had an old 91 Nissan hardbody, single cab, 5 speed 2wd. Thing was every bit in as bad of shape as you can imagine having paid $500 for it. But it just ran and ran really damn well. The biggest issues I had was making sure the bed was loaded with stuff large enough not to fall out of the rust holes and not to fill the tank up past 3/4 as the filler neck would leak.
And you used the hell out of it, while if you had a $90k King Ranch Platinum Carbon Edition truck with a 4′ bed, you would be scared of scratching the paint putting too many bags of groceries back there.
Damn straight. That little sucker would pull a 16′ bass boat down the highway at 70 no problem too. I miss the older, honest little trucks like that.
Maybe the ideal truck just is 30 years old. Especially for those of use who don’t really need a truck daily for work, but do use one for the house or various projects.
A 30 year old truck is still cheap and easily available.
A 30 year old truck will be similar in function to more modern trucks, but without some of the more annoying newer features.
A 30 year old truck is old enough that you won’t feel bad using it for actual work and adding miles, and wear and tear. But it is not yet old enough that you feel bad wrecking a classic.
A 30 year old truck will still have parts available with relative ease, so finding those parts won’t feel like an archeology expedition.
A 30 year old truck will have significant advice available for how to work on it, but finding that advice won’t feel like an oral history project documenting the last dregs of a generation.
There’s some truth here.
All the truck I need is a ’90s mid/full size for hauling – not towing. I’m driving 100 miles max and DGAF about economy and highway driving manners. You hit the nail on the head. ’90s gives you EFI and computer control the ’80s trucks often didn’t have. OBDII is a godsend.
I’ve so far failed to find any “cheap” truck that doesn’t require significant body work to be upgraded to “decent” shape. Or maybe some have a catastrophic mechanical failure instead.
One of these days maybe I get lucky. I’d be doing a project right now if I had a bed to carry some 12′ long lumber home.
I miss when trucks were not all so damn tall.
More so than length or width the ever increasing overall height of trucks has been an annoyance as someone who lives in a house built in the 1st 5 years after WWII who’s garage door opening is not large enough for a 77-79″ tall truck. But could without issue fit this era that clocked in around 70-72″ tall.
And long — the normal truck I borrow is a long bed extended cab ’03 4X4 F250. It’s like docking the Queen Mary.
This. Even my ’05 Tundra is stupid-tall from the factory. Bed ramps sit at an angle that’s basically unusable and you feel like you have to polevault into the cab. You don’t need that much ground clearance on a normal 2wd truck.
You have discovered the awesomeness of a 90s pickup truck, they have engine management computers so they run well and are reasonably efficient. But most of the truck is still analog. My 1995 F-150 has 4×4 with manual hubs and transfer case, manual windows, manual locks, and no back seat. It is like driving down the road sitting on a couch. Look over your shoulder and you are looking directly into the bed. It’s a little bouncy on the rare patch of rough roads, but load up the bed and it really settles down. These trucks biggest enemies are the engine computer going bad (it can be hard to find replacements) and rust.
I’d love to own a mid-90s F-150 with the fuel injected 300, a stick, and manual everything.
Uhh, didn’t you actually buy “The Marshall” for Jason? Granted I too prefer the later Areo nose and dash, but otherwise same truck.
Have drive both and would be hard choice which to own, Aeronose Ford or GMT400 – you really can’t go wrong with either.
The is one of the few GM products I have genuine affection for.
My affection has grown as trucks have become more outlandish each generation.
I love articles like these because I’m firmly in the camp of “GMT400s are the best trucks ever”. Currently replacing a blown front shock on my ‘96 K1500, but when its shocks were doing what they were supposed to,I honestly prefer a GMT400’s ride over my wife’s ‘21 Silverado. I will continue to sing GMT400 praises, and I fully support The Autopian doing the same.
Plus the front shocks are super easy to replace since there are no springs in the way.
A proper working truck. No delusions of grandeur, just gets the job done. Assume you have stopped freaking out about the gearbox and are just driving the thing?
Why do you need to go faster? It’s a TRUCK. That is all the power and torque needed to get work done. Just pretend you are being paid by the hour and relax.
I find modern trucks to be certainly be nicer in terms of materials, fit and finish, but they still ride and drive like, er, trucks. A friend has a $100K+ Dodge Cummins 3/4T that has an interior that would suit a fine luxury sedan, but that just means I wouldn’t want to get in it in muddy clothes, and the ride is still shake, rattle, roll, and bounce unless you have the bed fully loaded and a big-ass trailer on it. Then it is just unpleasantly firm. Which he frequently does, being a contractor. But even he only drives it when he has to.
Yeah I’ve stopped caring. Thing drives great; sings a little at stoplights, but nothing appears to be getting worse, so that tells me it’s fine for a while.
Things can get worse of a long time before you need to limp and old GMT400 into a part store parking lot to fix it with the tools that have fallen under the seats.
My opinon is you will be happy with any late ’90s era Big 3 half ton (or even mid-size) pickup for regular duty except towing.
Why wouldn’t you be happy towing? How fast do you need to tow? My folks towed GIGANTIC campers and boats all over creation with the mighty 135hp GM 6.2L n/a diesel 40 years ago. I tow a 7000lb boat around with my 185hp LR Disco I most summers. It’s really not a problem unless you happen to live in the Rockies or something.
I see no need to go much over 60 while towing heavy things. Slow is safe. So many idiots make boat yards ales all over the Maine Turnpike every summer because their Canyonero can haul their fishing boat effortlessly at 85mph – but it can’t stop or turn it when something happens in front of them at that speed.
No doubt, I have towed a 12′ enclosed U-Haul with my MDX without issue, though I was close to the weight limit. Right lane at 60-65 across MI and OH. No problems even when I hit the hills coming back into PA. Braking is probably the one thing the older trucks lack compared to newer models.
Brakes are easy to upgrade. And of course, going slower means you need less brakes.
So true – the speeds I see people towing at scare me.
And you KNOW they have paid no attention at all to the tires, wheel bearings, and brakes on the trailer.
Amen. I’m in Maine weekly. Between Autopian and BaT I’m buying this guy a beer one of these days.
That would be fun! I’ll probably be up there in July, we should figure something out.
David, you are a glutton for punishment. Rent a u-haul and do everything in a day or two. The u-haul has better space to pack in lots of stuff and includes a ramp where you can use a 2-wheeler to easily roll in and out your boxes. You may even be able to recruit some friends for an afternoon to help with the bigger stuff.
Definitely gonna get a U-Haul trailer for the big stuff.
It’s also a time factor. Driving one pickup load at a time takes time. Load it all up in one shot and you’re done.
Professional movers make life significantly better!
These trucks hold up a lot better against modern competition than I’d have ever thought. I expected a lot more “upgrading” my ’95 2500 to a ’15 model a year or so ago, but essentially what I got was a backup camera, working AC and slightly fewer broken plastic bits rattling themselves apart. I’ve been kicking myself whenever the coworker I basically gifted the ’95 to rolls up to work and tells me (again) how much he loves the truck, and will continue doing so until the inland SoCal temps shoot above 85 and stay there for six months or so…
Inherited my grandads 95 silverado a couple of years ago. It’s got almost 200k but it still looks and rides like new. I drive it almost every day.
I love mine, for all the reasons you stated in the article. Only thing I’d change about it is I’d really like one that is 1 year newer, and I wouldn’t kick an NV4500 out of bed. Being a ’95, my 454 is down on power and torque compared to the ’96 Vortec models. (plus OBDII would be great) The TBI, while simple and always willing to go, is a bit limited.
As a work truck it fits most of our needs. Dump runs, home center, light loads.
I really like the GMT400, but I think the GMT800, while still being an older vehicle, is superior in nearly every way. The best part about the GMT400 is that they were really good for being dirt cheap. In a world where people are asking $10-15k for rust-free examples (because MN), they are a much worse value proposition, and your money is better spent elsewhere.
My 99 Suburban is up for sale after I have had it for 5 years. It is a great vehicle, but I was ready for a replacement and tired of rusty fasteners.
Tell us more about this Suburbo please.
Asking, etc. Assume you are in Mn. Where and tell me about rust? Thanks
I tend to have bondo-smell flashback episodes whenever I see one of these trucks. We had two shop-trucks, an ’88 and an ’89 that were put through the paces at the body shop I worked at in the nineties. Both were builders picked up at auction and one was sold as it wasn’t being used too often. The other soldiered on for years, and was rust-repaired/repainted at the 180,000 miles point. That was my boss’s favorite truck and I think it was used all the way through his retirement at which point the salt had taken it’s toll once again.
Mmm… bondo dust and stale Viceroy cigarette smoke. That’s the smell of a good work truck.
a GMT 400 with 14 bolt out back and D60 up front gave it’s entire drivetrain to my CJ7. Can’t say that it was a bad thing. the only drawback really is the jeep front radiator size limitations and exhaust routing with an Atlas dropping on the passenger side.
My ’97 K3500 has six way power bucket seats. Super comfy. It’s my redneck limousine. No where near as good a condition as yours, though. And being a 1-ton, the ride is pretty harsh.