I was told, I didnt research it, that General Motors just doesn't make two seemingly IDENTICAL trucks for the hell of it, and give them different names. And that GMC compared to Chevy was like comparing a STIHL string trimmer to Craftsman. (so to speak.) Parts will swap out, but they aren;t the same "grade" of material. True or False?

 

I don't know if its true or not... but I have always viewed it as different levels of trim packages... Meaning if you broke down the trims of LS, LT and LTZ into numbers 1,2, and 3 for Chevrolet, GMC would be 1.5,2.5, and 3.5...

They are all the same mechanically that I know of, its just extra features and some styling... though I do believe the Heavy duty options go into the GMC's and not the Chevy's for larger vehicles...

 

I've owned several of both though out the years. And I believe the differences were much more obvious in the past, than now. GMC (back then) always had the tougher/more working approach, much like the International Pickups as compared to others. But as in2pro as stated, it's whittled down to a issue of trim.

Though I believe that Chevy has the market share of the two, I sincerely hope that GM continues the GMC line. I'd hate to see yet another Monument of vehicle performance and reliability go by the wayside.

Tex, if you're considering a new vehicle purchase, I strongly urge you to give the GMC a close look. I personally don't consider the two as competition, but complimentary, and among these legends, none better can be had.

Our sister can use all the help she can get.

 

When put into SUV form nowadays the GMC Yukon gets pretty much any and everything the Cadillac Escalade does. Just different interior and exterior trims. Most Tahoes nowadays can get all the same options as well. Kind of like what was said before. The real differences were in the earlier years. Now not so much. I mostly think its due to cost.

 

One thing the hail repair shop said was that Chevys, now we're talking about 88-98, had a single wall cab roof, where as GMC had a double wall roof. They found this out when they pulled the headliners off and tried to fix the roof in the conventional manner by pushing out the dents. Ive had other mechanics say it was different grades of bolts and materials. Really things you cant see, beyond the obvious trim differences. But then when one starts going to AutoZone and the like, buying new tie rods, and what now, then you are actually "un-GMC-ing" your truck. At that point, its no longer "professional grade" as the TV commercials put it. IDK, I like both.

 

If you want the "professional grade" you will need to go with the ACDelco parts, AC has professional grade parts for most repairs, I used the professional pads on my Tahoe when I did the brakes. Auto Zone and the like I am finding don't carry ACDelco parts often times... you may need to find an authorized ACDelco dealer.
If you are in Texas, I know that A-Line auto parts is an authorized dealer...

You can also find a lot of the AC parts on Amazon and Rock Auto...you have to look for and ask for them sometimes, otherwise you get the standard stuff or in the AutoZone you get there "equivalent" brand