88-94 vs. 95-98 Interior Debate

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Ruff Idol

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Which interior style do you like better and why? I'll start. I've only owned 1 GMT400 so far, a 92 C1500, and I absolutely love the older style in garnet red. Feels like driving a COUCH and the controls remind me of an old Fisher Price toy or something of the sorts - definitely retro to say the least. I have gotten nothing but comments on it. The chicks dig it, HA!

What are some things you like about the newer style? For one I'm jealous of that additional HVAC vent under the steering column... and it appears a bit comfier with more room for drinks
 

someotherguy

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What are some things you like about the newer style? For one I'm jealous of that additional HVAC vent under the steering column... and it appears a bit comfier with more room for drinks
Look at the transmission hump carpet area in any regular 95-up and you'll notice a ton of stains. This is due to the absolutely worthless cupholder in the center of the dash. In my old '96 I used it to just keep spare change and clip my phone to..

95-96 have again, useless cupholders on the passenger side of the dash as well. They're fine if the truck never moves.

The seats seem to fall apart quicker on 95-up; the foam rots and turns to dust and the seat frames break at the corners way more often than previous generation.

The A/C controls go bad often

The interior door handles are flimsy and break often (though this is almost always due to sagging doors from worn hinge bushings)

The power window switches get flaky after a number of years/usage

I'm sure I could come up with more things I hate about 95-up interior but you asked what I liked about them. Not much. :D

Richard
 

packer0440

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I'll always be partial to the red interior of my 92, and I prefer the retro look of the stereo (especially the graphic equalizer). There are also more unique interior combinations of color and material, unlike the newer ones that are pretty much uniform in terms of styling. But I do like the additional features of the 95-up models like the fold down middle seat and the standard cupholders in the dash (even if they aren't the best, better than having to hunt down an 88-94 cupholder which is probably worn out or a center console and buckets). Having a tach standard is also nice (big upgrade over the moonie gauges if you happen to have 88-91).
 

TonyM

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I like the 88-94 myself. The seats in the 95 and up are just all around uncomfy, and they feel like they have less room with the giant dash and "thicker" door panels. But the one thing I do like is the window switches are horizontal which of course adds to the "thicker" panel. Theres just no satisfying me lol
 

Fireball5657

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Personally, I love the early interior. My truck is a 1994 with almost every option and it's really a great place to be. Mine has the power cloth bucket seats and I've been on a 8 hour road trip with a few friends and none of us were even a little bit sore. The rear seat passengers weren't very cramped, but they were also under 5'6", anyone taller would have a hard time fitting back there for long trips. The console is way bigger and more durable on the older interior, mine has the pull out cupholders in the dash and the two pairs in the console and they all work pretty well, the stock radio looks super unique, especially if you have the graphic equalizer, though I do wish they had CD players and not just a cassette deck, but I guess this dash originally came out way before CDs were mainstream so it's hard to fault it there. Anyways, the dash is pushed pretty far back so on extended cabs, so there's a ton of room, I like the shape and style of the door panels, but I do wish they had backlighting for the window and lock buttons, overall I really like the older dash. Pretty much everyone that gets in the truck loves the dash and the style of the drivers section with all the buttons and the green LCD screens and green cluster backlight. The graphic equalizer is also a fan favorite. It's not perfect though, the gauge cluster is a bit cluttered on the tach versions, the rubber steering wheel that came on most of these never really holds up well, the climate controls are needlessly complicated to a newbie, I wish more models had the power mirrors, the glove box is useless, and the cardboard backed door panels are a little head scratching. Now that doesn't mean I don't like the newer interiors, the gauge cluster is super clean and easy to read, I've always liked the din and a 1/2 stock radio, even if they are kinda junk, the climate controls are almost too good, if a bit unreliable; having a CD player is nice, the door panels seem to hold up a bit better, and I love that almost every button is backlit. I definitely have some complaints with the newer interior though. The glove box is bigger for sure, but they all seem to have latching issues and sound like they're made of the cheapest plastic GM could find. I mean it's barely a step above a second gen dodge truck. The seats seem to rip more often and aren't quite as comfortable, but that's entirely subjective, the console is small and has plenty of crappy plastic, don't even get me started on the door handles, and while the white backlighting on everything is more modern (by 90's standards) the green backlighting on everything in the older interior is way better looking and just has more character. Overall I like both a lot, but the older dash has more character and style.
 

98chevy2500SS

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I prefer the 95-up most days, more so the 95-96 dash than the 97-99 dash. The radio is the right spot, the vents are in decent spots and the HVAC controls are more "user-friendly" with dials than the electronic push button HVAC on the 94-older. I like the 95-96 dash because there's no airbag taking up space, and it doesn't make the dash look so busy to me. Rolling down the windows on these interiors are a little more ergonomic to use as well. Power mirrors were standard on these trucks, unless it was a W/T. Seats are usually comfortable, but like others have said, they deteriorate quicker than the older style seats. Also, third door was an option on these interiors, which is another huge plus.
 

Cadillac Bob

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I prefer the new interior design but I do get peps that prefer the older I feel the layout is better vs all crammed into drivers area only type look and as long as your glovebox isn’t jammed full of stuff they shut just fine but I also have a wife that has problems closing mine all the time like damn woman chill out like it’s life an death problem over there like you can’t handle closing back something you opened? SMH anyway my interior is top of the heap since it’s a Escalade but they do both have pros and cons for each style but I know for me I choose the newer version
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454cid

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The power window switches get flaky after a number of years/usage

Sometimes I think my truck is an anomoly..... I have had zero isses with my window switches. The driver's side does feel a little mushy now, but it still always works. Also my seat is pretty decent. The material is starting to wear now, and I do have a little hole, there, but not the big attacked by a wild animal look that I often see on other trucks.
 

TacosnBeer

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I have had both and feel the older style just makes me happier... the raised section on the dash in front of the driver just feels more sporty to me. The newer style dash really looks like **** the more you pull it apart and put it back together... the old style is simple and clean.
 
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