Sixes, Stickshifts, And Short Beds: 1990 Chevy C1500 vs 1998 Dodge Ram 1500

Good morning! For your mid-week Showdown we’re going to look at two beat-up old short-bed trucks, one from Chevy and one from Dodge. Both are manuals, both are V6-powered, and both run and drive just fine according to the sellers. Sorry, Ford fans; I couldn’t find a comparable F-150 to add to this mix.

I sort of guessed what the outcome of yesterday’s vote would be, and I was right. It’s hard to beat a decent-priced Honda Civic, especially a desirable model that hasn’t been messed with. The Civic Si left the base-model Dodge Stealth in the dust.

Many of you called the Stealth “bloated” or “underpowered,” and yeah, with what’s basically a minivan V6 hauling that much car around, you aren’t going to impress anyone with sheer acceleration. But speaking as a fifty-one-year-old guy with more things that hurt every morning, comfort counts, and a bigger, heavier car is just going to be a nicer place to be. Twenty years ago, I’d have taken the Civic in a heartbeat, but now, I think I’d rather have the Dodge.

Now, let’s talk trucks. Historically, short bed single cab manuals have been the enthusiast’s choice when it came to full-size trucks, and if it has a stepside bed, even better. They may not haul as much stuff, but they look cooler doing it. Such trucks are more likely to be basic models, though, which means six-cylinder engines are common. Only one of these is a stepside, but they’re both sticks with V6 engines. Let’s see what you make of them.

1990 Chevrolet C1500 Cheyenne – $2,600

Engine/drivetrain: 4.3 liter overhead valve V6, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Dallas, TX

Odometer reading: 198,000 miles

Operational status: “Excellent motor,” the ad says

I suppose it goes without saying that I’m a fan of the GMT400 trucks. I own one, and it’s high up on my list of favorites of all the vehicles I’ve owned. Like mine, this truck is powered by the basic three-fourths-of-a-small-block 4.3 liter V6. Unleash the fury of all of its one hundred and sixty horsepower, and it sounds just like the school bus you rode to third grade in. Unlike mine, this truck has a five-speed transmission, geared more for play than for work.

The seller is a person of few words, so we don’t get a whole lot of information to go on here. But there isn’t a whole lot to this truck mechanically; the throttle-body fuel injection system is simple and robust, the NV3500 transmission is pretty bulletproof except for some issues with sloppy shift linkages, and since it’s 2WD, there’s not much going on underneath either. It has air conditioning, and the compressor looks kinda-sorta-newish, so maybe it even works.

This truck appears to have had some upgrades above its original Cheyenne trim level. The floors are still rubber, but the seat has been replaced by a more cushy bench seat, maybe out of an up-level truck, or maybe out of some luxury barge or other. The plastic dash is, of course, trashed; they get brittle and fall apart long before the rest of the truck does. And unless I’m mistaken, the grille and headlights have been replaced with a later Silverado grille and composite headlights; this should have big rectangular sealed-beam headlights and a gray plastic grille.

It has also been painted – if you want to call it that. The flat red is primer, I would guess; the truck appears to have been red originally. GMT400 stepside bed sides are fiberglass, and this one looks like it has lost a few arguments with parking lot bollards. The rear bumper is also absent; it looks like it might have had a fiberglass roll pan back there at one point, but that’s gone now too.

1998 Dodge Ram 1500 – $3,700

Engine/drivetrain: 3.9 liter overhead valve V6, five-speed manual, RWD

Location: Fort Worth, TX

Odometer reading: 300,000 miles

Operational status: Runs and drives great

In 1994, Dodge surprised the truck world with a whole new line of trucks, styled to look a little bit like big rigs, but with comfortable, car-like interiors. Sales went from “Oh right; Dodge makes trucks too” to “Hotcake sellers wish business was this good.” This truck wasn’t the first step towards pickup trucks taking over the market, but its place in that history can’t be denied.

This truck is equipped with the smallest available engine, a 3.9 liter V6 which, like Chevy’s 4.3, is basically a V8 with two cylinders hacked off. And like the Chevy, its placement at the far back of an engine bay designed to accommodate much longer engines makes for a comically large cooling fan shroud. The trucks have one other thing in common as well: both use the same New Venture 3500 five-speed transmission. This one has been rebuilt recently and has a new clutch. The seller says you could “drive this truck anywhere,” despite its high mileage.

The seller didn’t see fit to include any decent interior photos, but what we can see is what’s expected: basic rubber floor mats, sturdy cloth upholstery, and an aftermarket stereo wedged into the dash. It’s all dusty and a little bit broken-looking. This is one area where I really do miss ’60s and ’70s trucks; steel dashboards and vinyl seats age better than all the modern plastic stuff. It all gets equally beat up, but the old interiors wear it better. This just looks tired.

It’s pretty tired outside, too, with sun-scorched paint and missing trim. It looks straight and rust-free, though, which is something. And I like the basic steelies with beauty rings; they’re good honest truck wheels.

Short-bed single-cab trucks like these are useful for work, but it has always seemed that their primary purpose was to look cool. These are both too old and tired-looking to impress anyone, but they’ve still got some life left in them. And just because they have V6s now doesn’t necessarily mean they need to keep them. But which one is a better deal? You tell me.

(Image credits: Craigslist sellers)