1996*GMC*SHORTBED
I'm Awesome
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2010
- Messages
- 152
- Reaction score
- 38
...bought mine new in 1996. still have it. and always will...
Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.
Now that the wife is taken care of I am thinking what I will replace my daily with. I am considering finding a southern older SUV then stripping and rebuilding it in similar fashion to what I did with my K2500.
This.Buy an older model that will meet your needs, go completely thru the vehicle and spend some of that saved money to address any concerns and drive with confidence.
GMT400's weren't perfect from the factory either. They've just been around so long we've sorted out most of that mess already. I don't disagree with the sentiment, just saying, none of these vehicles were put together with 100% accuracy.
BTW that gap isn't the only issue; looks like they just barely missed the bottom corner, too. Probably leaks there in a car wash situation.
Richard
After being in the auto repair business for 35+ years, 10 as a tech and 25+ running shops, I have seen the gambit of quality problems with my very favorite GM products.
My girl owns a 1990 K2500 with 129k on the clock and runs like a top and is way easier to take care of and a joy to work on. I told her, "never ever sell this truck".
I own a 2005 Tahoe Z71 because IMO, that NBS is the best years of the Tahoe's and like has been said, less electronics and by 2005 the kinks were worked out of the 2000-2006 models. The biggest problems started with the 2007 and newer models, especially with the AFM systems that everyone wants to disable.
On the Tahoe/Yukon Forum I belong to, another great forum by @Shaggy, as the years get newer you see way more problems and downtime at the stealerships. This is especially true with the 2021+ years. When you think of what the new ones cost, it makes me crazy how bad the quality is when you pay all that money.
Buy an older model that will meet your needs, go completely thru the vehicle and spend some of that saved money to address any concerns and drive with confidence.
Agreed. The early years of the 400s had paint issues too. I guy I worked with back in the mid to late 90's, had an '89 or '90 1500, that had almost no paint on the hood and roof. It was a wide spread problem, not isolated to the 400s of that era.This forum does see GMT400 trucks in a rose colored glasses way (duh?!), but there were a slew of problems that these trucks had. @Schurkey and @df2x4 will say that 4L60Es and 10 bolt rear axles aren't that durable. JB3 brakes were so bad that GM discontinued their use in the early 90s, and (from my experience) interior plastics in 95+ trucks are cheap and brittle. Aftermarket parts also seem to be a mixed bag of quality as GM has discontinued making some parts for this truck.
Agreed. Before I got into pickup trucks, a HS buddy of mine told me that "you'll pay for a truck one way or another". Either you get a newer truck with minimal repairs, but have large payments on it, or you'll get an older truck that you can pay off, but have to spend a bunch of money overhauling to make it mechanically like new.
This forum does see GMT400 trucks in a rose colored glasses way (duh?!), but there were a slew of problems that these trucks had. @Schurkey and @df2x4 will say that 4L60Es and 10 bolt rear axles aren't that durable. JB3 brakes were so bad that GM discontinued their use in the early 90s, and (from my experience) interior plastics in 95+ trucks are cheap and brittle. Aftermarket parts also seem to be a mixed bag of quality as GM has discontinued making some parts for this truck.
That QC inspector gonna get that 25% pay raise though. Well deserved. /s