Is the Chevy GMT400 Simply the Perfect Pickup?
Though the Chevy GMT400 isn’t completely devoid of flaws, it’s good enough to potentially declare the perfect pickup at the moment.
In the automotive enthusiast world, many have long longed for the old days in terms of times when we could go out and purchase simple, affordable, and rather utilitarian trucks. That’s precisely why the values of those older pickups (i.e. square body Chevys, specifically) have skyrocketed in value over the past few years, as newer trucks become more and more expensive – not to mention far more complicated. In that realm, at least one person out there thinks that the Chevy GMT400 from the 1988-2998 model years might just be the closest thing to perfect one can find.
The Chevy GMT400 platform and its many variants underpinned a variety of vehicles other than the Chevy C/K, such as the GMC Sierra, Yukon, Blazer, and Tahoe, and those vehicles represented a pretty big step up in terms of modern styling and amenities compared to their peers. Today, longtime car guru and journalist David Tracy of The Autopian owns a 1989 Chevy K1500, which he purchased for a mere $4,900 a few months ago, and it has thus far impressed him in a major way, it seems.
In fact, Tracy says that the Chevy GMT400 is “seriously, seriously good,” and even goes so far as to refer to it as the GOAT (greatest of all-time) when it comes to pickups in general, which is high praise for someone that’s devoted his fair share of time to driving all kinds of vehicles over the years. This comes after Tracy spent weeks driving his K1500 on a daily basis, using it to move across town and racking up quite a few miles in the process.
What’s particularly interesting is that Tracy notes his vintage pickup “doesn’t feel as old as it is,” as it offers up surprisingly good ride quality, it’s quiet, and also quite spacious inside. On the downside, the truck’s turning radius isn’t great, and it’s “glacially slow,” but there’s enough low-end grunt coming from the 350 V8 underhood that towing and hauling isn’t an issue, either. The seats are flat as well, which is Tracy’s biggest complaint. However, that isn’t enough to dissuade him from appreciating the Chevy GMT400 for what it is – perhaps the perfect pickup.
“It’s spacious, handsome, reliable, comfortable, easy and cheap to work on, capable off-road, and devoid of any major flaws,” Tracy concludes. “So if the GMT400 isn’t the greatest truck of all time, it certainly comes close.”
Photos: Chevrolet
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