Hey everyone! This is my first post on this forum and i hope im asking this in the correct category I'm been wanting to buy my first truck for some time now, and im debating between these two. One being a 1989 Chevy 1500 and the other a GMC sierra 2500 from 1988. Chevy has 137k miles and the GMC has 121k. Ill make it clear right off the bat, i dont NEED the 2500 for anything as im not towing or hauling heavy stuff, BUT the 2500 has a 5 speed manual whereas the 1500 has the 4 speed automatic. I will try to see and drive them in person next week but i wanted to ask for your thoughts on this. I just need are a daily driver that i can occasionally do light truck stuff with. The 1500 is more than enough for my needs but is it worth getting the beefier (and i assume less fuel efficient) 2500 that i wont even really use to its full potential just because it has a manual transmission? How much more reliable would it be over the 4 speed automatic? Both trucks have the 350. 1500 seller says its a one owner texas truck and everything is running smooth, 2500 seller says its from south dakota originally but spent most of its life in california. he says its running good but the brake hoses need to be replaced. ill post some pics of both trucks for you guys to look at. Forgot to mention, the Chevy 1500 is also 1000 bucks cheaper


Chevy 1500 https://imgur.com/a/F8D7eR6

Gmc 2500 https://imgur.com/a/T3Xsg7E



Thank you for the help and i look forward to hearing your takes on this!!! Appreciate it

 

Well, being an owner of a 1996 C1500 with 202,000 miles on the original automatic transmission (4L60E), you could *potentially* get a lot more miles out of the C1500. The C2500 with the manual will obviously have less cost if you ever have to replace a clutch or something, as manuals are just inherently simpler and cheaper to work on.

To me the more likely source of issues will be the engines. I've never done anything to the transmission on my 1996, but have replaces the intake manifold gasket twice during the past 30 years. Both times the intake manifold started leaking coolant, thankfully OUTSIDE the engine, and not into the engine. The second time it was literally spraying up out of the valley of the V8.

I always take what the seller tells me with a grain of salt, and suggest caution in this case - since you really don't know how long it was up north before going out to California. And California does have mountain climates with salted roads for that matter, in areas.

One piece of advice my father instilled in me growing up was to never buy a car that had spent any time "up north", due to the potential for rust and corrosion from the road salt. I would look very carefully at the frame and rocker panels on that C2500. I've seen pictures of our trusty GMT400 vehicles with even the frame was almost rusted through, and even the bed bolts were rusted, versus mine, which spent its entire life in Alabama and Georgia, doesn't really have a spot of rust underneath.

 

Followup - just clicked through to the pictures. It looks like they included a few shots from underneath on the C2500, indicating no rust that I could see.

I would base the decision on how they each drive. I will comment that the C2500 seems a little cleaner.