I just bought a 1993 C1500 Chevrolet Silverado pickup 2WD pickup & I'm hoping that I got a good deal so please tell me, I'm desperate for feedback?!
It runs REALLY well & As far as I have seen it has no issues with the power train (I watched an old video of SK on a 1994 saying the transmissions are a bit weak but I've seen nothing to indicate any issues so far). I have to be VERY careful with the gas because it will spin the rear tires if I'm not VERY careful. It has just over 203000 miles on it. I did spring for the permit handicap parking plates (about $200) (I'm handicapped) so I never have to worry about plates on it ever again. There's a bit of rust & flaking paint on the body but the frame is good As far as I know. The interior is in great shape & rides pretty smooth for a pickup. It has a tape deck that I put a Bluetooth adapter into so I can play music from my phone AND talk hands free (required in my town & a good idea in any case) that works well. It also has a tool box in the bed that came with it that I had to get the locks rebuilt with new keys. There is, from what I can tell, a common problem with a short in the windshield wipers (sometimes they work & sometimes not). Also soon after I got it the drivers window quit rolling down. The other problem is that a previous owner cut an access hole in the bed under the tool box to access the gas tank but I plan on just going to a junk yard & cutting out a patch to go over it & bolting it over the hole, unless someone has a better idea? Any other information you may need please ask!?
Well back in old days, they used to make good trucks. It's a 30 year old truck but it depends how much did you paid, as long you don't pay too much and if it's taken care of, it can last for some time.
I paid $800 for it.
$800
Not that much, so when it breaks (what I do not wish or want) you can always sell the usable parts of it.
(or a second life as chicken-coop: chicks love listening country-music off a tape-deck 😀 )
You’ve got a gold mine, my friend. OBS (“old body style”) GM trucks are having a day right now. They are not as overpriced as the square body generation, so people are looking at them as affordable project trucks. You can easily find both OEM and aftermarket custom parts.
the trucks themselves are old of course, but mostly solid. Less rust issues than older trucks. And the power trains are usually solid. Easy to service yourself, and cheap to get parts.
Be prepared for strangers to offer to buy it.
PS: if you’re spinning the tires in summer, you’ll probably struggle in the winter. I’d start budgeting for some better rubber.
I put a Bluetooth adapter into so I can play music from my phone AND talk hands free (required in my town & a good idea in any case) that works well.
A better idea is just to turn the phone off when driving. That's what I do. (There are other sources for music.) Even with a hands-free setup, talking on the phone is too distracting.
As far as the truck itself they were certainly made better back then than they are today but it's still 30 years old. If things like rubber fuel lines and brake hoses have not already been replaced they are going to need attention. Other wear items may need replacement (fuel pump, water pump, etc.). Once those kind of things are dealt with though as long as the frame is not rusted out that thing could last practically forever. The only other issue I can think of is a lot of mechanics won't work on pre-OBD2 vehicles. So you either need to find an old-school guy or work on it yourself.
Heck, for $800 even if it lasts just a year or two you're ahead of the game and if taken care of it should last a lot longer than that.
Those were really solid trucks, after that series they started going down hill.
I know what you mean about the gas pedal, those things were touchy, and had power.
Though the engines and transmissions did pretty good, often they would start having some trouble around 200k, I know my cousin had to rebuild his engine at about 220k.
The nice thing is, they can be rebuilt, and for cheap, at least back then. I say keep it and fix it, it will likely outlast most of the garbage coming off the production line now.
