Damn roman. I really felt that intro. Especially as my melancholy runs deep... Had a long comment explaining why I feel this way, but youtube deleted it! basically stating I will probably never own a desirable regular car, im banned for 4 years because of a broken law with drug driving (doctor prescribed and been on it for 20 years, drove buses, taxis, off road forklifts etc etc for a living and yet never had an accident on my meds....) But its also our future, tin foil hat not needed. The bull shite narrative of climate change, where over 50 years of predictions and not one correct - want corruption in government to own us totalitarian like, leaving us to rot in so say smart cities and owning nothing but allegedly happy..... I don't just fear for myself, but Especially my daughter. I long for the days where I relive freedom to just drive and escape!! .....single tear roles down cheek.😢
Roman needs to review a BROWN truck or van. Preferably a Malaise Era BROWN truck. A BROWN custom conversion van would be ideal.... with a working 8-track sound system! Warning: it may put Roman in a coma but, we'll be entertained when it happens.
This is my truck, so glad this episode finally came out! Thanks Nick for not holding back! Let me address some of the comments. I did no modifications to the truck, aside from repairs and maintenance like replacing dangerous 13 year old dry rotted tires. Yes 2nd gear went out about 2 months after I bought it. It would still drive fine, but hold first till about 35 mph, then drop into 3rd. I drove it to the shop to get it rebuilt. I replaced most of the brake hardware and the master cyl because the brakes basically didn't work. All the other mods to this truck are from the previous owner, who did in fact say "That's a good truck" every 4th sentence while I was talking to him. lmao
I feel you man. I have a 96 chevy 2500 ext cab long bed 4x4. Same color interior and 60-40 seat with fold down. I'm jealous of that 3rd door. I don't have that. Managed little over 16mpg on a long freeway drive once long time ago, but I don't know what it gets now. It was actually totaled about 4 years ago. Last couple feet of cab along bottom and 1st foot of bed at bottom was all it took. I took the payout and kept the truck. Still a lot of little issues I need to fix though.
Ah, my bad! Sorry I misinterpreted and thought those were your modifications. Thank you again for offering up your truck, and for providing such a fun film day. I still don't think we've ever gotten such wild variation in light over the course of a single shooting day!
We have a 99 sierra 2500 at work. We hide it so they don't get rid of it. Everyone loves it. It's almost the same size as a modern Ranger but actually capable with a usable bed.
@@herbiehusker1889cuz it's OLD and they think it gets far worse milage than it does. The reality is these 350s get the same milage as the new trucks except on the highway where all the cylinder deactivation and computers go autistic.
It's also the same size as a modern sierra 2500. Same width, length within 2" of the same config on the modern truck. The new one is just taller. Both are 80" wide.
I gotta say this, though I had an 87 Ford F150. It was a very simple truck with a bench seat. The only three options it actually had were an automatic transmission, cloth, bench seat, and AC. My band had a gig, and my truck didn’t have enough capacity to pull the equipment trailer, so my Pastor let me his truck, which was one of these. That was the most comfortable truck I’ve ever driven in my entire life. The seats were wide from my ample rear end, the seats were plush, it drove so smoothly, I think it even had carpeted fender wells.
@@_RiseAgainst I think that mid-90s GM trucks were way better. I do think Ford caught up in 1997 though when they brought out the bubble trucks. Even if the trucks weren’t built as durably as they used to be.
My dad had a 93 extended cab extended bed chevy truck that was a diesel. Minor problems aside that thing was definitely the most comfortable vehicle I’ve ever ridden in. Passengers would always fall asleep, it was quiet and until it was nearing the end the thing had great power. If it had the engine and transmission replaced with the newer duramax/allison combo it would be a damn near perfect truck. It was all stock minus a K&N filter and a mod that moved the temp sensor because GM had them so far down in the engine it would cause the thing to die while nowhere near overheating. That one nearly sent us into a river and off a cliff.
@@herbiehusker1889 These days, I'd say buy another one if the opportunity arises, and just keep fixing it up. Parts are still available, and they're much more DIY friendly than any current offerings! :)
Those two generations were peak GM truck. Everything before was nice but merely building up. The GMT900 and later are cheaply built, boring, uncomfortable, and unreliable. The 400 and 800 are modern enough to be daily driven, reliable, decently well built, and extremely comfortable.
It sounds like the truck was fine but the Roman didn't like the fact it was nothing more than just a truck. Or at least being a low option truck, didn't deserve the GMC badge. It wasn't more than a silverado.
I just bought a gmt400 Tahoe, and can confirm, these things are way quicker than they should be. Found myself doing 80 on an entrance ramp for the freeway and then found out that the ABS on mine did in fact work.
THAT has some of the worst rot you’ve seen? Holy hell, I envy you guys. My dad’s 2000 K3500 was rotted MUCH worse than that when we had our falling out seven years ago. I can only imagine what that thing looks like now.
@@GoldenGrenadier New York does, but there aren’t really any enforcement mechanisms. You can’t get around the emissions testing for newer vehicles (you have to plug into the car and it phones home to Albany), but the safety part? You can pencil-whip that part all day long if you have no conscience.
The 'bouncing' you were feeling most likely came from those tires. I put E rated KO2's on my 2016 f150, and it went from beeing a plush comfy ride, to a harsh, jumpy and way more 'truck' like experience. Story Time: Recently, I Spent 8hrs and about 600 miles in an 89 K1500 after rats chewed through the wiring in my truck, and we had to use the Chevy to get to the closest rental car. The truck lives at a rural property, has ~140k miles, and only gets driven 4-5 times a year. As I approached the end of my journey, I was in love with the truck. The simplicity, the way it just effortlessly handled 600 miles round trip when it hadn't gone more than 20 miles at a time since it was new. They're crude, un-refined, and not for the comfort minded. But I would take one of these over a 2024 model any day of the week.
I have a 97 k2500 I have 220k on it. I absolutely love it. It’s pretty much bone stock other than a straight pipe, with a flowmaster. And a K&n intake. It is so comfortable, smooth on the highway. Drives a buck down the shitty Rhode Island highways every day, without a blink. It rides almost as good as my dads 2017 Silverado. I think this truck was so rough for you guys because of the body lift. I absolutely love these trucks. Tough, reliable, smooth.
This example is just a badly beaten example. I have driven many of the GMT400’s with 350 motors and they were fantastic trucks. Good examples with refreshed bushings and suspension parts still feel and drive great and better than some modern trucks. And as far as his transmission he just is not having the work done in the right places or he is getting a mild miss and the computer is taking it out of lockup and wrecking it. It’s a 28 year old truck. Believe me. 28 years ago it was just fine.
That’s what I thought watching this video. It obviously needs shocks, the front end appears to need going through as evidence by constant minor steering corrections, and it likely needs new bushings. All of those components are normal wear items for any vehicle and easily replaced by a shade-tree mechanic or DIYer. This truck would be a pleasure to drive again once the worn components are replaced.
@@beansthecat2687 This is my truck and yes, it does need all of those things. I'm sure it would drive twice as good with shocks alone, all of that stuff is factory and in bad shape. It will get new bushings, shocks and body lift removed eventually... just not right now. I put enough money into it to get it back on the road safely for now.
As far as transmission goes, nope pump was dying and killed 2nd gear clutches and torque converter. I drove it to the shop with first and third gear to get the rebuild. If you reset the obd2 codes with a scanner, which were calling out 2nd gear slipping. It would try 2nd gear again, slip instantly, throw CEL and shift from 1st to 3rd.
@@legendFROMnova Hey, thanks for responding! The GMT-400 platforms are legendary and a true piece of Americana. I owned 3; 1994 Z-71 1500 swab single cab, a 1994 k-1500 extended cab with a 6.5 turbo diesel, 4l-80, and a 14 bolt rear end, and a 1996 GKM Sierra K1500 extended cab short bed with the 5.0 VORTEC engine. Anyway, cool truck, my dude! Glad to see you’re keeping the legend alive!
I learned to drive one of these, it’s one if my favorite truck platforms, reliable, parts are cheap and easy to find, super easy to work on and easy will outlast any Toyota (as long as It doesn’t rust out). I’ve seen 3 of these with over 400k miles
@@12yearssoberThe GMT400 and the GMT800 are nearly the same platform! The GMT800 is just the 400 platform with incremental improvements across the board.
i learned to drive when i was 7 in a 1994 GMC sierra stepside . my grandpa gave me that truck and i i drove it until it had 387k miles . i pulled the motor and started a rebuild , someone stole the truck . towed it away . i looked for weeks . i think about that truck every day , it felt like home . listening to your valid critisims was harder than it should have been . it wasnt the best truck , but it was everything to me and i would do anything to get it back . sometimes the rust and creaks of a cheap vehicle can transcend its own limits , and become a part of a human being . i wont ever forget that gmc , or all the memories i had . have a good one roman thanks for the great artwork .
Age and condition have a lot to do with one's impression of the final C/Ks, owing to just how barebones they are. Having experienced these when they were new or near new they were actually quite nice. Nice enough to fall asleep riding in them. The steering's always been loose just because of the steering and suspension design, but the GMCs specifically always had nice seats and were quieter inside than my family's contemporary F-150. If they built these new, people would like them. If you drive one that's survived this long you question how people even put up with them in the first place. The reason for the latter is so many people drove them into the ground precisely *because* they were that "functional" kind of nice when new. The '92 Dodge Ram got a lot of sideways glances and made people tense up, and the '96 F-150 made a lot of traditional truck buyer shake their heads and say it was too much like a car, but these were just... An Truck. Nothing more, nothing less. Just An Truck.
Yeah this generation was pretty mediocre. It lacks both the antique charm of previous generations and the luxury of newer ones. That does however make it the perfect work truck, since there's nothing worth taking care of.
My dad had a stock 94 4x4 Z71, bought it new and he drove that truck then the wheels fell off. Probably the best truck we ever had in the family. 94 1500 z71 4x4 350 95 3500 single cab dually 454 97 1500 single cab short bed 350 91 1500 extended cab 350
@@BalooUrizaVirginia has inspections too and I’m surprised this passed safety ( it doesn’t have the inspection sticker located on the drivers side windshield probably didn’t pass )
I gotta say, I've had probably 4 of these platform trucks and I absolutely love them. Two were 3/4 ton 6.5 diesel suburbans. They were awesome, so much so that when one got totaled, I went out and bought the exact same one to replace it. I will say on the bigger size trucks the brakes leave a bit to be desired. But they are just a truck, way more comfort than a square body, nicer ride and Interior, but still basic. Everything you need, nothing you don't. I currently run a 04 ram 3500 crew cab dually cummins 6 speed, and it's phenomenal since I actually tow heavy and need the power, but I'll always have a soft spot for the gmt400.
I drove a couple 2500 Suburban 454s for work and I loved them. Super comfortable for a work truck; could haul pretty much anything (including eight people). Decent on rougher/muddy roads even with street tires. Brakes were ok; could have used an upgrade especially when used for towing horse and ski boat trailers (lots of manual shifting was needed lol).
I've had 7 of these, a 99 tahoe (lifted and featured on my channel) and currently have a 92 c3500 dually Sierra. I love these trucks. A good blend of electronics but reliable mechanical components. Mine is a 454 tbi and a 5 speed nv4500 transmission with a 12 bolt full floater. About as bulletproof as you can get in a truck.
@@sergeantspeed5941 As long as you keep an eye on the fuel pump (at least on the 5.7)! You're totally right about the blend of mechanical end electronics. Clamshell or rear hatch?
Suburbans with a gas engine drink like crazy. I think our '96 with a 350 might have touched 10 mpg. Towing nothing, full of nothing. Mind you, towing or hauling didn't make the mileage any worse. It stuck together pretty well, except for the 4WD unit (pushbuttons didn't do what they were supposed to). The one surprising failure was the door handle. They're metal, how did it break?!
Nick- your music skills have come so far from the early years of RCR, I absolutely love this single. I know I’m one internet stranger, but keep doing what you’re doing man, you’re killing it. 🤘🍻 (Also, I enjoyed your review 😂)
Yes the vortec 5700 was the final form of the gen 1 small block. Basically a 50s engine with a goofy OBD2 compatible fuel and ignition system jerry rigged to the top.
It continued for several more years as the Volvo Penta and Mercruiser marine engines. That version is best known for powering James Bond's boat (probably the other boat, too) in World is Not Enough. It's final version had full MPFI.
I had a 97 GMC z71 and that truck was an absolute gem. It actually kinda ripped for what it was too. Had a 96 c1500 after that ran a 15.8 stock besides h pipe and muffler.
I had the 2WD version of this exact truck, and I loved it. It was a great truck until I started having transmission problems and bought a new one. That was 17 years ago, and I'm still driving the "new" one.
@@Turshinnah. The gmt800 is only famous cause of the third gen small block. At the core of it, they drive the exact same as the 400s. These don't try to be sleek while getting the same mileage. They just work.
They don't drive the same. I know because I own both. The gmt800 drives way nicer, & they're both z71's. The steering is more precise and ride is better. I drive a 2014 chevy at work and it drives like crap compared to the gmt800
Those two generations were the peak of GM truck. Everything before was nice but building up to the peak. Everything after was cheaply made, unreliable, dull, and uncomfortable. The 400 and 800 have enough modern features to be daily driven, they're reliable, comfortable, put together well enough, and look good. They're old but they don't look dated like some Fords and Rams.
What do you mean, you owe it your life? Im curious because my dad hit a deer with his 96 Silverado and I remember tge broken windshield and hood but dad claimed the truck caged him
@@VoreAxalon I got t-boned by a semi at speed. I don't have any memory of the incident, but where I was sitting in that truck was the only intact part of the whole thing. Everything else was destroyed. If I had been in anything smaller or less well built, I'd be dead.
I am about as Ford-biased as it gets with trucks. I've driven a bunch of these and never understood why people think that they are the greatest creation of all time. (Yes, the 350 is good, and that's about the only think I like about them.) THAT SAID, as someone who spent their entire life in Michigan, it is really *REALLY* refreshing to see one of these with a body that still has its rocker panels and wheel wells. I can't remember the last time I saw really any truck from the 90s that looked this clean. Even for a GMC, it looks good.
Take a look around-the-clock PNW. We have tons of rust free GMT400's on the road. The GMT400 Suburban I bought a few months back for $3k has a boat load of miles, but no rust.
@@Par_x3D Oh for sure. It's not rare yet, but uncommon to see the GMT900s with no rust, especially the pickups. Ram seems to be the worst offender, I regularly see 2012-2013 Rams with rocker panels and wheel wells that match 90s trucks. The last F150 with a non-aluminum body (2009-2012) seem to be holding up the best, but they aren't totally perfect either. Ford learned after the 10th and 11th gen F150 body and frame rot issues how to (mostly) fix it for the 12th gen, before they went to aluminum. Interestingly (or unsurprisingly) the newer Tundras seem to be the most immune, at least body wise.
@@backroadsquid5280 Lucky...if only I could routinely go to the other side of the country easily 🤣 if I could go out there and bring back one truck rust free to keep, it would probably be an OJ Bronco. I *love* those things and finding one rust free (or with less than 200k miles) is basically impossible.
I used to own a 1995 Chevy K1500. 5 speed w/ manual transfer case. I installed a new clutch, alternator, brake lines all the way around, new u-joints, rear brake backing plates, etc. That thing just plain worked. Slow AF but it hauled and worked in the slow. Fricken rust bucket. But now I miss it. Was gonna do a 5.3 swap. Now I have a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT. This new 2007 has given me more problems in 2 years than that 1995 did in 11 years. That says a whole lot.
Me: got up at three in the morning, worked out, journaled, told myself I was going to have a very productive morning, RCR video comes out and I’m like squirrel!
I had a '97. I loved that truck. Pulled everything I needed, super reliable for the 4 years I owned it, got relatively good mileage, and was pretty comfortable. I wish I never would have sold it.
“For Another Straight Year I’m Broke for Christmas” kicked me off on a career change. Every weird interview or overnight project had that song playing in my head.
_This truck is not smooth or refined like new trucks_ is an extremely Millennial/Gen Z take. This old truck is an old truck. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a box with a motor, for hauling things. It wasn't meant to be a "lifestyle vehicle." It was meant to haul stuff from over here to over there. The fact that it has four wheel drive just means that it was meant to haul stuff in places that two wheel drive trucks couldn't. That's really it.
A very nice surprise this morning Nick, I enjoyed hearing your thought process on this. I grew up with these as a kid in the 90's and in my early teens in the early 00's. My uncle and the dad of a girl I knew had one and my great uncle was the chief engineer for them in Oshawa Ontario Canada❤🇨🇦🇧🇲👍
Lots of people, especially in rural places are still comfortably relying relying on gmt400s for work and daily life. The Rubbermaid interior becomes unimportant when it just starts and goes whenever you jump in.
The Z71 had torsion bars also, they all did. The difference was in the better (bilstien) shocks and the differentials. I think these trucks are great, nice powerband, good suspension design and the right sized. 4L60e was terrible, but these could be had with a manual.
Brutal.. Those are actually excellent trucks with excellent engines. Transmission not so much but they are pretty cheap to fix. I’d love to have a clean rust free regular cab short bed 2wd with that same power train.
I learned how to drive in a 94 1500 silverado that my family sold at 240k in 2001. such a great vehicle, i miss it very much and i put in at least 40k of those miles on it. The most comfortable vehicle i've ever driven, fun, and it's sad to see less and less of them on the road. I can't help but notice the ones that remain, though!
The problem I have with GM is that they are a massively huge company and time after time they take shortcuts. Its not like they don't have good ideas, it's that they screw them up at the end. The Vega could have been GMs Datsun 510, but, they screwed up the valve stem seals and made the radiator too small. It's like they rush the final steps in the process.
I just turned 41 Roman...I get it. My dad got a nearly new 96 Silverado extended cab (without the extra door) and he beat the piss out of that two tone red/silver chev hauling seed corn and trailers of it...went through one tranny and rear end but kept driving the piss out of it..and by the time my brother got a hold of it in Atkin MN or New Ulm it was spinning tires, jumping railroad tracks, blasting The Urge's Master of Styles out of the tape deck, and kicking up dirt road dust and throttiling it around every right corner pretending you were James Bond... I swear that 96 Silverado shared some of the best times of my life.
These trucks were as food if not better than the ones that replaced it. That thing is a clapped out piece of trash. A well kept one easily beats any other full size truck made the same year.
My last truck was a 96 Tahoe. It was four wheel drive not the Z71 package. It was worn out. I sold it for scrap after the 4l-60e checked out at around 220,000. I've now got a 96 4Runner and never been happier with a tuck before.
I've been suffering with a gmt400 in our fleet for closing on 2 years and this is probably the best written/most accurate review uploaded to this channel
This was a bit of a surprise to see today, my dad still has his 96 SLE 8' Bed with the same brush guard sitting by his pole barn. It still runs and drives fine, just extremely rotted and barely holding together, also with a leaking fuel return line under the cab. He has a 2022 Silverado now, but uses his GMC for dump runs and property stuff. 13 years, 100k put on it 200k now, 3 trans rebuilds, 1 transfer case, and a bunch of stuff replaced, but still turnkey. Great motor, I drove it through high school with a bad water pump pulley that vibrated so bad it eventually cracked the water pump fully in half, no power steering for a couple months was fun too
I owned a F150 for about 3 years and finally got myself a Corolla. Full sized truck are nice when you are staring at it in the parking lot, but as soon as you start driving it’s a chore.
I had a 96 GMC 1500 Sierra SLT. It was the strongest vehicle I have ever owned. Several front end accidents - just replaced panels & lights. Weekly to daily brakestands - including one where it got accidentally thrown into reverse mid-burn. Shattered a one-piece driveshaft. Drove it 15 miles in FWD, got new driveshaft, transmission was unharmed. It masqueraded as a mud truck - all it needed was a set of KO2s and it would eat and eat. Sure, it ate door handles & serp belts like a fat guy eats french fries, but when it blew up, it blew up gracefully. 2nd gear & the torque converter were pretty slippy towards the end, which ended up being the steel drain plug self-welded in the aluminum transfer case (just wasn't worth the trouble anymore). The leather was ripped (& blue). The speakers were blown. It was 2 different colors. But it also saved my life, and made countless memories by being just capable enough to do so. I wouldn't have made it through my teenage years without this truck. TL;DR these trucks are old & clapped at this point, and haven't ever been GREAT, but in their heyday of existence (2007-2013), they were the best price-to-value truck you could get in the Midwest, and they have a weird way of creating lasting memories
ive got a chevy version almost just like this that i paid $500 for back in july and didn't even check the oil and then took it on a road trip a total of 20k miles, through 42 states and the only thing that happened is we had to a front brake job a few days in in a big lots parking lot in Indiana. When we got back about 2 months later i discovered the transmission had a fairly large crack in it and the driveshaft u joint was hanging on by a thread. But regardless she never left me stranded, Long live the 98 chevy
Really glad to see they FINALLY did a GMT400 Truck, I do wish it was done by Mr. Regular. I do think Nick's opinion of these would be more positive if he reviewed one that was actually in good shape.
What makes these obs chevy/gmc trucks great is they have catalogs upon catalogs and so much aftermarket support you can make these trucks into whatever you want them to be , classic restore to completely modern with new interior etc -
Man, I love that truck. No rust, manual transfer case, extended cab, the vortec 350, and to top it off, the underhood storage! If you don’t like driving this truck, boy, imagine driving a slush box 5.0 automatic transfer case BS.
My first truck was a '94 Sierra 2500. It was one of our old glass trucks, already worked to death when I got it. I remember when it was still in service, wondering if we'd make the hundred miles back to the shop after picking up way too many sheets of glass from a cousins shop, the whole time having a killer rod knock and no oil pressure. It made the trip that way many times before getting an engine replacement. It really wasn't a great truck, but despite our best efforts it's still on the road.
One of my top 3 favorite trucks I've owned was a '97 Chevy Cheyenne. Manual everything and nothing ever broke on it. In my opinion, yes, "that is a good truck." 90s vehicles are probably the last generation of vehicles that were built to last.
Honestly you got a bad one then, I had a 1997 chevy suburban once, same platform, it was actually amazing, smooth, comfy, powerful, i got 10mpg city and 18-22 highway, and it never let me down in the time I had it, granted it was a 91k mile 1 owner example and i was financing working part time. Needless to say it didnt end the way I would have wanted
I learned to drive on my dad's 1989 K10 extended cab (not unlike this one, same color, though it was a Chevrolet and obviously the pre-facelift version) and earned my license in my mom's 1999 Tahoe. It's like the 3rd gen 4Runner: a perfect balance of the simplicity of its predecessors and the creature comforts of its successors.
I have a '96 C1500 single cab long bed with the same Vortec 5.7 V8 as this truck. I think its engine was the last of the first gen small block, as you suggest. Somewhere around '99 the 5.3 LS engine came out, with more grunt than the old 5.7. I like my truck, it has enough tech to be reliable and easy/cheap to maintain but not too much, hence none of the cylinder deactivation BS that ruined later truck engines. I think the '88-'98 generation were a great truck. Luckily mine doesn't have the rust that this one has - it was never driven on salted roads. Mine still does serious work - tomorrow I'm doing a 200 mile round trip and filling the bed with furniture and boxes. The ride becomes more comfortable with a bit of load.
Awesome review! In '99 I was a senior in highschool in Alaska and I remember falling in love with this truck. One of the hockey players at my school became my friend at the end and let me drive this truck. I never ended up getting it but it definitely made an impression on me. Also, fantastic song at the end!!!
I've probably put more miles traveling in one of these bad boys as a kid cross country then I've done driving as an adult in lord knows how many vehicles I've owned and driven. my dad's driven one of these things since 1995, shockingly the same truck.
You missed the most amazing part of this truck.. it’s doesn’t appear to have the rust spots at the rear bottom corner of the back suicide doors… this would be first one I’ve ever seen without it
I don't know man, I feel like this is a bad take. They definitely aren't great trucks by modern standpoints, but there was too much objectiveness on that truck in particular and not enough looking into what made the GMT 400 series the truck that it is. If you look back in 1988 when the GMT 400 came out it was futuristic, but back then it was smooth and streamlined and built less like a piece of utility equipment and more like something that could be an all-around use vehicle that you could drive to work all through the week, then take the family out for dinner in Saturday afternoon. Compare it to the Scottsdale and it's miles ahead of what they were, compared to the OBS Ford and it was more modern and current with its shape and design along with its interior comforts. I look at the OBS Chevy the same way I look at my generation, on the cusp of 30 I'm finding that I'm truly not Young anymore. I'm finally reaching the age where being part of the leading edge of humanity isn't what I want to be. What I hold dear and what I grew up with is considered out, and the new generation sees me as dated without looking at what my generation did to build the next step for the ones that come after. To hold the light on it and say it's a terrible vehicle by holding it only to its modern standards is a disservice to what it was at its time, and what it even still is today. The true Genesis of what a modern truck would come to be, not a utilitarian piece of equipment meant to do a job first and know your comfort as a secondary parameter. A machine that still fits in with the modern flow of traffic.
I spent a majority of my childhood in a ‘95 2wd we affectionately called black beauty. I never heard dad ever question if it would start and go. It was tough and it never gave up until the day he crashed it. I myself owned a ‘98 Cheyenne and it was the same way even beaten and worn. Chevy (and GMC) knew what they were doing when they played “Like a rock” in the commercials to sell them. They were damn near indestructible
4:57 how is this the most rot you have seen on any car and you live in the rust belt? I've seen cars and trucks 10 times worse than this. the frame is still solid and everything is intact especially for a 28 year old truck. Hell theres 10 year old trucks more rusted than this.
Your wry sense of humor is always on point. Clever, concise, compelling and ultimately creative! I imagine your highschool English is either spinning in her grave or smiling down upon you for being great...not quite sure!
Maybe I got a mid week build, but you'll have to pry my '98 Sierra 1500 4x4 out of my cold dead hands. Bone stock, save for the upgraded spider fuel injection, 130K on the clock(I commute on my motorcycle to save the miles :) ), second owner, gets 18mpg, and it's paid for itself at least twice over. Yeah, the headliner is falling down, it's got a bit of surface rust on the frame, but I get in, turn the key and drive it like a normal person.
Pretty baffled that the GMT400 is ranked this low (worse than an escape? Really?). These were made back when GM made the 'longest lasting trucks in America'. That's all they were built for. A large work vehicle that you could beat the snot out of, on road or off, every day for decades and it would still get the job done. They weren't built for comfort, efficiency, or flash. I've always thought their interiors were pretty terrible too, but that's not the point. These things are tough, and have/had a huge supply of parts behind them. It's only now, 30 years later, that a lot of these 4L60s (Which is a pretty meh transmission tbh) are throwing in the towel. I mean people literally drive these things until they disintegrate around them. In the modern world where everything is expected to break within 5 years, that toughness is worth something IMO.
After briefly owning one of these this year (97 2500 w/ 6.5 Turbo Diesel), the comments about this truck growing on you then getting old quick ring pretty true. If you get your hands on one that’s been loved, you’ll be ok. But if it’s been a work truck like mine was? Door handles will not work right even after replacing most of the components. The electrical systems turn into rats nests very quick, the dash going out or behaving weirdly is common, but man, nothing beats leaning all the way back in those huge bench seats and just toeing the throttle on something that will just refuse to die.
I've always loved the GMT400s, especially in Chevy form with the stacked headlights. It's surprising how "GM" it looks. They badged the Suburban as a Holden here (and used the dash from an S-10 to convert it to RHD), and It fitted in better than the Isuzus it shared showrooms with. Channel 7 used them as OB Vans for many years, only now being replaced by the typical Sprinters and the occasional Crafter. Would I prefer it to a locally-assembled 80s F-series ex-ambulance? no.
I grew up with these, and am aware of the Holden Suburban. I want get a post-facelift 400 (or a pre and swap out the grill) just so that I can put that badge on it. The Suburban actually wasn't the only 400 that you got or even the first. There was another, but it wasn't available to the general public (they were sold through Holden dealerships, though). Beginning in 1992, Holden brought some 400 cab chassis pickups to Australia and New Zealand, and a couple of local companies converted them to ambulances. Unlike the Suburbans, which left the factory in Mexico with those modified S-10 dashes you mentioned, they arrived LHD. The same company that built the ambulance bodies handled the RHD conversion. They also didn't have Holden badges. They retained the GMC badges that most of them originally left the factory with, and some of the New Zealand units were Chevrolets (with the Sierra model name for whatever reason).
Roman is correct about the small block. It traces its lineage to the original 1955, though it evolved several times since then to add modern features like fuel injection. The LS that replaced it in '99 was a clean-sheet, even if they kept some dimensions the same (I think the bore spacing) just to preserve some historical ties.
I still own my ‘97 Sierra 1500 that I got with 118k miles at age 16 in the mid 2000s. It’s nicknamed “La Toxica” because it’s been a toxic relationship replacing or tinkering with every drivetrain component. Yet!…. I love it.
I have the Silverado variant 2wd version that just rolled over 350,000 miles today, original drivetrain. They will last forever if taken care of. And with the price of trucks today, I'll take this.
As a Mexican I’m obligated to own this or an F-150 from the late 90s (just like my father before me). One time when the 1999 F-150 was being fixed, the mechanic said it’d take a couple days and he let him use a Chevy 1500 from the same era. It felt like sitting in a brick and after that the Ford’s ride quality felt like a Rolls Royce in comparison
Click here go.getenteredtowin.com/regularcars
To get entered to win the CL55 Amg
Damn roman.
I really felt that intro.
Especially as my melancholy runs deep...
Had a long comment explaining why I feel this way, but youtube deleted it!
basically stating I will probably never own a desirable regular car, im banned for 4 years because of a broken law with drug driving (doctor prescribed and been on it for 20 years, drove buses, taxis, off road forklifts etc etc for a living and yet never had an accident on my meds....)
But its also our future, tin foil hat not needed. The bull shite narrative of climate change, where over 50 years of predictions and not one correct - want corruption in government to own us totalitarian like, leaving us to rot in so say smart cities and owning nothing but allegedly happy.....
I don't just fear for myself, but Especially my daughter.
I long for the days where I relive freedom to just drive and escape!!
.....single tear roles down cheek.😢
Can first prize be the maintenance cost of the CL55 in cash value? Second prize could be the car.
@@michaellowe3665 😆 🤣 😂
I still have that RENNtech built 2015 E63s wagon for your review
700hp and 800tq to all 4 wheels
Roman needs to review a BROWN truck or van. Preferably a Malaise Era BROWN truck. A BROWN custom conversion van would be ideal.... with a working 8-track sound system!
Warning: it may put Roman in a coma but, we'll be entertained when it happens.
This is my truck, so glad this episode finally came out! Thanks Nick for not holding back!
Let me address some of the comments. I did no modifications to the truck, aside from repairs and maintenance like replacing dangerous 13 year old dry rotted tires.
Yes 2nd gear went out about 2 months after I bought it. It would still drive fine, but hold first till about 35 mph, then drop into 3rd. I drove it to the shop to get it rebuilt.
I replaced most of the brake hardware and the master cyl because the brakes basically didn't work.
All the other mods to this truck are from the previous owner, who did in fact say "That's a good truck" every 4th sentence while I was talking to him. lmao
A real nice truck .a man can work on and not throw wrenches or beers.
Thanks, "Its a good truck"@@Dankcatvacs
I feel you man. I have a 96 chevy 2500 ext cab long bed 4x4. Same color interior and 60-40 seat with fold down. I'm jealous of that 3rd door. I don't have that. Managed little over 16mpg on a long freeway drive once long time ago, but I don't know what it gets now.
It was actually totaled about 4 years ago. Last couple feet of cab along bottom and 1st foot of bed at bottom was all it took. I took the payout and kept the truck. Still a lot of little issues I need to fix though.
Ah, my bad! Sorry I misinterpreted and thought those were your modifications. Thank you again for offering up your truck, and for providing such a fun film day. I still don't think we've ever gotten such wild variation in light over the course of a single shooting day!
Hey bud, that’s a good truck your got there
We have a 99 sierra 2500 at work. We hide it so they don't get rid of it. Everyone loves it. It's almost the same size as a modern Ranger but actually capable with a usable bed.
Why would they want to get rid of it?
@@herbiehusker1889cuz it's OLD and they think it gets far worse milage than it does. The reality is these 350s get the same milage as the new trucks except on the highway where all the cylinder deactivation and computers go autistic.
@herbiehusker1889 it's a municipal fleet vehicle. They auction them off after a few years usually.
HDs didn't fully carry over to GMT800 until 2001
There were both GMT400s and GMT800s in 2000
8600 gvwr and 9200 gvwr
It's also the same size as a modern sierra 2500. Same width, length within 2" of the same config on the modern truck. The new one is just taller. Both are 80" wide.
I gotta say this, though I had an 87 Ford F150. It was a very simple truck with a bench seat. The only three options it actually had were an automatic transmission, cloth, bench seat, and AC. My band had a gig, and my truck didn’t have enough capacity to pull the equipment trailer, so my Pastor let me his truck, which was one of these. That was the most comfortable truck I’ve ever driven in my entire life. The seats were wide from my ample rear end, the seats were plush, it drove so smoothly, I think it even had carpeted fender wells.
I'm guessing that 4" lift is responsible for some of the comfort and NVH issues Roman experienced.
/not an apologist
I think GM trucks were way ahead of Fords in this Era. At least light duty trucks.
@@mphilleo Yeah. The mods done to this truck kind of remove the GM creature comforts from the 90s I remember
@@_RiseAgainst I think that mid-90s GM trucks were way better. I do think Ford caught up in 1997 though when they brought out the bubble trucks. Even if the trucks weren’t built as durably as they used to be.
My dad had a 93 extended cab extended bed chevy truck that was a diesel.
Minor problems aside that thing was definitely the most comfortable vehicle I’ve ever ridden in.
Passengers would always fall asleep, it was quiet and until it was nearing the end the thing had great power. If it had the engine and transmission replaced with the newer duramax/allison combo it would be a damn near perfect truck.
It was all stock minus a K&N filter and a mod that moved the temp sensor because GM had them so far down in the engine it would cause the thing to die while nowhere near overheating. That one nearly sent us into a river and off a cliff.
To me these and the GMT800s will always be what a truck looks like
We had a GMT400 Suburban. You couldn't kill it sold it with 250k. We replaced it with a GMT800 Yukon, sold it at 300k miles. Wish we still had it.
@@herbiehusker1889 These days, I'd say buy another one if the opportunity arises, and just keep fixing it up. Parts are still available, and they're much more DIY friendly than any current offerings! :)
Those two generations were peak GM truck. Everything before was nice but merely building up. The GMT900 and later are cheaply built, boring, uncomfortable, and unreliable. The 400 and 800 are modern enough to be daily driven, reliable, decently well built, and extremely comfortable.
Or a obs ford
Which is interesting, as when these came out when I was a kid, they were largely made fun of for being too rounded and car-like.
Maybe you got a bad one, because the GMT 400 is a fantastic truck. All of mine have been awesome and the went down the road great.
Nick just doesn't
Know trucks.
I have to agree, these trucks are still good looking and reliable. They have respectable power and a good ride with nice steering feel
It sounds like the truck was fine but the Roman didn't like the fact it was nothing more than just a truck. Or at least being a low option truck, didn't deserve the GMC badge. It wasn't more than a silverado.
I just bought a gmt400 Tahoe, and can confirm, these things are way quicker than they should be. Found myself doing 80 on an entrance ramp for the freeway and then found out that the ABS on mine did in fact work.
THAT has some of the worst rot you’ve seen? Holy hell, I envy you guys. My dad’s 2000 K3500 was rotted MUCH worse than that when we had our falling out seven years ago. I can only imagine what that thing looks like now.
It's not frame rot until you can toss a 3/4" socket through both frame rails
That’s really nice underneath for Upstate NY. (I wish we had a word for “Midwest mint”).
@@rogue107 exactly! I’m half an hour from Syracuse, and this truck looks like it’s 5 or 6 years old.
I think Pennsylvania has inspection standards that kind of filter out most of the rust buckets.
@@GoldenGrenadier New York does, but there aren’t really any enforcement mechanisms. You can’t get around the emissions testing for newer vehicles (you have to plug into the car and it phones home to Albany), but the safety part? You can pencil-whip that part all day long if you have no conscience.
The 'bouncing' you were feeling most likely came from those tires. I put E rated KO2's on my 2016 f150, and it went from beeing a plush comfy ride, to a harsh, jumpy and way more 'truck' like experience.
Story Time: Recently, I Spent 8hrs and about 600 miles in an 89 K1500 after rats chewed through the wiring in my truck, and we had to use the Chevy to get to the closest rental car. The truck lives at a rural property, has ~140k miles, and only gets driven 4-5 times a year. As I approached the end of my journey, I was in love with the truck. The simplicity, the way it just effortlessly handled 600 miles round trip when it hadn't gone more than 20 miles at a time since it was new. They're crude, un-refined, and not for the comfort minded. But I would take one of these over a 2024 model any day of the week.
"Do GM fanboys even exist?"
Nick has clearly not been to a Nascar race in a while
I have a 97 k2500 I have 220k on it. I absolutely love it. It’s pretty much bone stock other than a straight pipe, with a flowmaster. And a K&n intake. It is so comfortable, smooth on the highway. Drives a buck down the shitty Rhode Island highways every day, without a blink. It rides almost as good as my dads 2017 Silverado. I think this truck was so rough for you guys because of the body lift. I absolutely love these trucks. Tough, reliable, smooth.
This example is just a badly beaten example. I have driven many of the GMT400’s with 350 motors and they were fantastic trucks. Good examples with refreshed bushings and suspension parts still feel and drive great and better than some modern trucks. And as far as his transmission he just is not having the work done in the right places or he is getting a mild miss and the computer is taking it out of lockup and wrecking it. It’s a 28 year old truck. Believe me. 28 years ago it was just fine.
That’s what I thought watching this video. It obviously needs shocks, the front end appears to need going through as evidence by constant minor steering corrections, and it likely needs new bushings. All of those components are normal wear items for any vehicle and easily replaced by a shade-tree mechanic or DIYer. This truck would be a pleasure to drive again once the worn components are replaced.
@@beansthecat2687 This is my truck and yes, it does need all of those things. I'm sure it would drive twice as good with shocks alone, all of that stuff is factory and in bad shape. It will get new bushings, shocks and body lift removed eventually... just not right now. I put enough money into it to get it back on the road safely for now.
As far as transmission goes, nope pump was dying and killed 2nd gear clutches and torque converter. I drove it to the shop with first and third gear to get the rebuild. If you reset the obd2 codes with a scanner, which were calling out 2nd gear slipping. It would try 2nd gear again, slip instantly, throw CEL and shift from 1st to 3rd.
@@legendFROMnova Hey, thanks for responding! The GMT-400 platforms are legendary and a true piece of Americana. I owned 3; 1994 Z-71 1500 swab single cab, a 1994 k-1500 extended cab with a 6.5 turbo diesel, 4l-80, and a 14 bolt rear end, and a 1996 GKM Sierra K1500 extended cab short bed with the 5.0 VORTEC engine.
Anyway, cool truck, my dude! Glad to see you’re keeping the legend alive!
Those are some pretty cool trucks. I'm just happy to get this thing back on the road, even if its not my daily. Thanks!@@beansthecat2687
I learned to drive one of these, it’s one if my favorite truck platforms, reliable, parts are cheap and easy to find, super easy to work on and easy will outlast any Toyota (as long as It doesn’t rust out). I’ve seen 3 of these with over 400k miles
I like that 90's GMC Sierra
Finally RCR takes on the GMT platform. Hope to see a 99-07 next.
It all went downhill after the 400’s.
@jefferyepstein9210 nah, the 800s are probably the best truck ever made. The 900 was far worse and it hasn't gotten much better
@@12yearssoberThe GMT400 and the GMT800 are nearly the same platform! The GMT800 is just the 400 platform with incremental improvements across the board.
@@12yearssobermaybe stay on your island, bub.
My 2005 half ton 4X4 has been pretty damn reliable, other than upper Midwest body rot courtisy of the Iowa DOT salt brine brigade.
i learned to drive when i was 7 in a 1994 GMC sierra stepside . my grandpa gave me that truck and i i drove it until it had 387k miles . i pulled the motor and started a rebuild , someone stole the truck . towed it away . i looked for weeks . i think about that truck every day , it felt like home . listening to your valid critisims was harder than it should have been . it wasnt the best truck , but it was everything to me and i would do anything to get it back . sometimes the rust and creaks of a cheap vehicle can transcend its own limits , and become a part of a human being . i wont ever forget that gmc , or all the memories i had . have a good one roman thanks for the great artwork .
Age and condition have a lot to do with one's impression of the final C/Ks, owing to just how barebones they are. Having experienced these when they were new or near new they were actually quite nice. Nice enough to fall asleep riding in them. The steering's always been loose just because of the steering and suspension design, but the GMCs specifically always had nice seats and were quieter inside than my family's contemporary F-150.
If they built these new, people would like them. If you drive one that's survived this long you question how people even put up with them in the first place. The reason for the latter is so many people drove them into the ground precisely *because* they were that "functional" kind of nice when new. The '92 Dodge Ram got a lot of sideways glances and made people tense up, and the '96 F-150 made a lot of traditional truck buyer shake their heads and say it was too much like a car, but these were just... An Truck. Nothing more, nothing less. Just An Truck.
Gmt400 is one of the trucks of all time
They’re the best generation of trucks ever made
God's work truck, as said by a buddy of mine
They are definitely one of the trucks of all time.
Yeah this generation was pretty mediocre. It lacks both the antique charm of previous generations and the luxury of newer ones. That does however make it the perfect work truck, since there's nothing worth taking care of.
My dad had a stock 94 4x4 Z71, bought it new and he drove that truck then the wheels fell off. Probably the best truck we ever had in the family.
94 1500 z71 4x4 350
95 3500 single cab dually 454
97 1500 single cab short bed 350
91 1500 extended cab 350
Heh, I'm surprised the OBS trucks ended up on Race to the Bottom... and then discovered that Roman got a particularly bad example to drive.
Noticed that too.
Yeah that thing is essentially a crackmobile.
@@MoreCycles I doubt it would pass inspection in Oklahoma. Also, Oklahoma doesn't have vehicle inspections.
@@BalooUrizaVirginia has inspections too and I’m surprised this passed safety ( it doesn’t have the inspection sticker located on the drivers side windshield probably didn’t pass )
Yeah that’s one of the few criticisms I have of RCR, sometimes the cars are just utter crap and don’t represent most units.
Absolutely cracked up at “don’t @ me unless your panel gaps are this wide”
I gotta say, I've had probably 4 of these platform trucks and I absolutely love them. Two were 3/4 ton 6.5 diesel suburbans. They were awesome, so much so that when one got totaled, I went out and bought the exact same one to replace it. I will say on the bigger size trucks the brakes leave a bit to be desired. But they are just a truck, way more comfort than a square body, nicer ride and Interior, but still basic. Everything you need, nothing you don't. I currently run a 04 ram 3500 crew cab dually cummins 6 speed, and it's phenomenal since I actually tow heavy and need the power, but I'll always have a soft spot for the gmt400.
I drove a couple 2500 Suburban 454s for work and I loved them. Super comfortable for a work truck; could haul pretty much anything (including eight people). Decent on rougher/muddy roads even with street tires. Brakes were ok; could have used an upgrade especially when used for towing horse and ski boat trailers (lots of manual shifting was needed lol).
I've had 7 of these, a 99 tahoe (lifted and featured on my channel) and currently have a 92 c3500 dually Sierra. I love these trucks. A good blend of electronics but reliable mechanical components. Mine is a 454 tbi and a 5 speed nv4500 transmission with a 12 bolt full floater. About as bulletproof as you can get in a truck.
@@sergeantspeed5941 As long as you keep an eye on the fuel pump (at least on the 5.7)! You're totally right about the blend of mechanical end electronics. Clamshell or rear hatch?
The only thing I don't like about the 400s is how horrible the brakes are, I've tried a few tricks and stopping distance leaves a lot to be desired
Suburbans with a gas engine drink like crazy. I think our '96 with a 350 might have touched 10 mpg. Towing nothing, full of nothing. Mind you, towing or hauling didn't make the mileage any worse. It stuck together pretty well, except for the 4WD unit (pushbuttons didn't do what they were supposed to). The one surprising failure was the door handle. They're metal, how did it break?!
Nick- your music skills have come so far from the early years of RCR, I absolutely love this single. I know I’m one internet stranger, but keep doing what you’re doing man, you’re killing it. 🤘🍻
(Also, I enjoyed your review 😂)
Internet stranger or no, your comment means the world to me. Thank you!
Yes the vortec 5700 was the final form of the gen 1 small block. Basically a 50s engine with a goofy OBD2 compatible fuel and ignition system jerry rigged to the top.
It continued for several more years as the Volvo Penta and Mercruiser marine engines. That version is best known for powering James Bond's boat (probably the other boat, too) in World is Not Enough. It's final version had full MPFI.
Had a 1998 GMC best truck I've ever owned period, miss it every day. The absolute epitome of what a truck should aspire to be.
I had a 97 GMC z71 and that truck was an absolute gem. It actually kinda ripped for what it was too. Had a 96 c1500 after that ran a 15.8 stock besides h pipe and muffler.
We had a 1997 Suburban and it was great, gas was just under $2 at the time and it was a great highway cruiser
I had the 2WD version of this exact truck, and I loved it. It was a great truck until I started having transmission problems and bought a new one. That was 17 years ago, and I'm still driving the "new" one.
The 90s were truly the peak of trucks.
now theyre just status symbols, pavement queens
GMT 800 Was the peak of GM trucks
@@Turshinnah. The gmt800 is only famous cause of the third gen small block. At the core of it, they drive the exact same as the 400s. These don't try to be sleek while getting the same mileage. They just work.
They don't drive the same. I know because I own both. The gmt800 drives way nicer, & they're both z71's. The steering is more precise and ride is better. I drive a 2014 chevy at work and it drives like crap compared to the gmt800
@@cavalierliberty6838 They're worse.
I love the gmt400s and 800s. Some of the best trucks ever made. My 98 is at 385k, and still daily driven.
You don’t see those miles as often with ford or dodge.
@@flagarage9498MERRY CHRISTMAS
My dad's Dakota 339k 318 v8 5 speed
I have 2 98's one rcsb and one extended cab 😬👍
Those two generations were the peak of GM truck. Everything before was nice but building up to the peak. Everything after was cheaply made, unreliable, dull, and uncomfortable. The 400 and 800 have enough modern features to be daily driven, they're reliable, comfortable, put together well enough, and look good. They're old but they don't look dated like some Fords and Rams.
I absolutely adored my 96 Silverado. But to be fair, it was also well cared for. I owe it my life, and I'm serious about that.
What do you mean, you owe it your life? Im curious because my dad hit a deer with his 96 Silverado and I remember tge broken windshield and hood but dad claimed the truck caged him
@@VoreAxalon I got t-boned by a semi at speed. I don't have any memory of the incident, but where I was sitting in that truck was the only intact part of the whole thing. Everything else was destroyed. If I had been in anything smaller or less well built, I'd be dead.
I am about as Ford-biased as it gets with trucks. I've driven a bunch of these and never understood why people think that they are the greatest creation of all time. (Yes, the 350 is good, and that's about the only think I like about them.) THAT SAID, as someone who spent their entire life in Michigan, it is really *REALLY* refreshing to see one of these with a body that still has its rocker panels and wheel wells. I can't remember the last time I saw really any truck from the 90s that looked this clean. Even for a GMC, it looks good.
First thing I noticed 🤣 I see NNBS 07s and up with rotted panels, this is impressive
Take a look around-the-clock PNW. We have tons of rust free GMT400's on the road. The GMT400 Suburban I bought a few months back for $3k has a boat load of miles, but no rust.
@@Par_x3D Oh for sure. It's not rare yet, but uncommon to see the GMT900s with no rust, especially the pickups. Ram seems to be the worst offender, I regularly see 2012-2013 Rams with rocker panels and wheel wells that match 90s trucks. The last F150 with a non-aluminum body (2009-2012) seem to be holding up the best, but they aren't totally perfect either. Ford learned after the 10th and 11th gen F150 body and frame rot issues how to (mostly) fix it for the 12th gen, before they went to aluminum. Interestingly (or unsurprisingly) the newer Tundras seem to be the most immune, at least body wise.
@@backroadsquid5280 Lucky...if only I could routinely go to the other side of the country easily 🤣 if I could go out there and bring back one truck rust free to keep, it would probably be an OJ Bronco. I *love* those things and finding one rust free (or with less than 200k miles) is basically impossible.
That's because they replaced the cab corners before I bought it!
I used to own a 1995 Chevy K1500. 5 speed w/ manual transfer case. I installed a new clutch, alternator, brake lines all the way around, new u-joints, rear brake backing plates, etc. That thing just plain worked. Slow AF but it hauled and worked in the slow. Fricken rust bucket. But now I miss it. Was gonna do a 5.3 swap. Now I have a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 LT. This new 2007 has given me more problems in 2 years than that 1995 did in 11 years. That says a whole lot.
Me: got up at three in the morning, worked out, journaled, told myself I was going to have a very productive morning, RCR video comes out and I’m like squirrel!
I had a '97. I loved that truck. Pulled everything I needed, super reliable for the 4 years I owned it, got relatively good mileage, and was pretty comfortable. I wish I never would have sold it.
The writing has hit the event horizon in this episode!
Kudos
I owned a 2000 Sierra bought new in ‘99. I loved it and I love this episode
Damn, I never thought y'all would do a GMT400. I daily drive a 93 C1500 Chevy and this video was hilariously ralatable.
Why would you buy a truck that's not a 4x4 😅
@@wut0.onot everyone needs 4x4. Also with the front ends on this generation the 2x4s are much more reliable and cheaper to work on
@@wut0.obecause not everyone needs a four wheel drive
“For Another Straight Year I’m Broke for Christmas” kicked me off on a career change. Every weird interview or overnight project had that song playing in my head.
I love how Roman gets more unhinged the closer he gets to the bottom
_This truck is not smooth or refined like new trucks_ is an extremely Millennial/Gen Z take. This old truck is an old truck. Nothing more, nothing less. It's a box with a motor, for hauling things. It wasn't meant to be a "lifestyle vehicle." It was meant to haul stuff from over here to over there. The fact that it has four wheel drive just means that it was meant to haul stuff in places that two wheel drive trucks couldn't. That's really it.
I caught myself at the fact, that I watch now more often race to the bottom vids than classic reviews. Really enjoying those
Half the regular reviews are ads for raffle tickets to win a car they already reviewed 8 years ago.
Taking the runner up prom Queen up to make-out point like “let me tear out this dash carpet and lay it on the ground so I can tear yours up”
A very nice surprise this morning Nick, I enjoyed hearing your thought process on this. I grew up with these as a kid in the 90's and in my early teens in the early 00's.
My uncle and the dad of a girl I knew had one and my great uncle was the chief engineer for them in Oshawa Ontario Canada❤🇨🇦🇧🇲👍
Lots of people, especially in rural places are still comfortably relying relying on gmt400s for work and daily life. The Rubbermaid interior becomes unimportant when it just starts and goes whenever you jump in.
Shout-out to whoever made the decision to label the intro "Roman loses his mind"
The Z71 had torsion bars also, they all did. The difference was in the better (bilstien) shocks and the differentials.
I think these trucks are great, nice powerband, good suspension design and the right sized. 4L60e was terrible, but these could be had with a manual.
Brutal.. Those are actually excellent trucks with excellent engines. Transmission not so much but they are pretty cheap to fix. I’d love to have a clean rust free regular cab short bed 2wd with that same power train.
I learned how to drive in a 94 1500 silverado that my family sold at 240k in 2001. such a great vehicle, i miss it very much and i put in at least 40k of those miles on it. The most comfortable vehicle i've ever driven, fun, and it's sad to see less and less of them on the road. I can't help but notice the ones that remain, though!
The problem I have with GM is that they are a massively huge company and time after time they take shortcuts. Its not like they don't have good ideas, it's that they screw them up at the end. The Vega could have been GMs Datsun 510, but, they screwed up the valve stem seals and made the radiator too small. It's like they rush the final steps in the process.
I just turned 41 Roman...I get it. My dad got a nearly new 96 Silverado extended cab (without the extra door) and he beat the piss out of that two tone red/silver chev hauling seed corn and trailers of it...went through one tranny and rear end but kept driving the piss out of it..and by the time my brother got a hold of it in Atkin MN or New Ulm it was spinning tires, jumping railroad tracks, blasting The Urge's Master of Styles out of the tape deck, and kicking up dirt road dust and throttiling it around every right corner pretending you were James Bond... I swear that 96 Silverado shared some of the best times of my life.
These trucks were as food if not better than the ones that replaced it. That thing is a clapped out piece of trash. A well kept one easily beats any other full size truck made the same year.
My last truck was a 96 Tahoe. It was four wheel drive not the Z71 package. It was worn out. I sold it for scrap after the 4l-60e checked out at around 220,000. I've now got a 96 4Runner and never been happier with a tuck before.
I've been suffering with a gmt400 in our fleet for closing on 2 years and this is probably the best written/most accurate review uploaded to this channel
These with the captains chairs with the folding arm rests are some of the comfiest rides in 2wd that you can get in the 90s
This was a bit of a surprise to see today, my dad still has his 96 SLE 8' Bed with the same brush guard sitting by his pole barn. It still runs and drives fine, just extremely rotted and barely holding together, also with a leaking fuel return line under the cab. He has a 2022 Silverado now, but uses his GMC for dump runs and property stuff. 13 years, 100k put on it 200k now, 3 trans rebuilds, 1 transfer case, and a bunch of stuff replaced, but still turnkey. Great motor, I drove it through high school with a bad water pump pulley that vibrated so bad it eventually cracked the water pump fully in half, no power steering for a couple months was fun too
I owned a F150 for about 3 years and finally got myself a Corolla. Full sized truck are nice when you are staring at it in the parking lot, but as soon as you start driving it’s a chore.
I had a 96 GMC 1500 Sierra SLT. It was the strongest vehicle I have ever owned.
Several front end accidents - just replaced panels & lights.
Weekly to daily brakestands - including one where it got accidentally thrown into reverse mid-burn. Shattered a one-piece driveshaft. Drove it 15 miles in FWD, got new driveshaft, transmission was unharmed.
It masqueraded as a mud truck - all it needed was a set of KO2s and it would eat and eat.
Sure, it ate door handles & serp belts like a fat guy eats french fries, but when it blew up, it blew up gracefully.
2nd gear & the torque converter were pretty slippy towards the end, which ended up being the steel drain plug self-welded in the aluminum transfer case (just wasn't worth the trouble anymore).
The leather was ripped (& blue). The speakers were blown. It was 2 different colors. But it also saved my life, and made countless memories by being just capable enough to do so. I wouldn't have made it through my teenage years without this truck.
TL;DR these trucks are old & clapped at this point, and haven't ever been GREAT, but in their heyday of existence (2007-2013), they were the best price-to-value truck you could get in the Midwest, and they have a weird way of creating lasting memories
Great episode! Always look forward to a new Race to the Bottom. Also, fantastic song, Roman. It’s the hit of the season. Happy Holidays!
4:50 Oh man, you have not seen the gem that is Northern New York GMT400 trucks.
I was like, "Is THIS truck from Phoenix AZ, Nick???"... lol
ive got a chevy version almost just like this that i paid $500 for back in july and didn't even check the oil and then took it on a road trip a total of 20k miles, through 42 states and the only thing that happened is we had to a front brake job a few days in in a big lots parking lot in Indiana. When we got back about 2 months later i discovered the transmission had a fairly large crack in it and the driveshaft u joint was hanging on by a thread. But regardless she never left me stranded, Long live the 98 chevy
The official truck of "I'm a volunteer fireman, and I drive pedal to the metal to every call because one of them's gonna be the BIIIG OONNEEE"
Really glad to see they FINALLY did a GMT400 Truck, I do wish it was done by Mr. Regular. I do think Nick's opinion of these would be more positive if he reviewed one that was actually in good shape.
We must collectively protect the Roman. He's too wholesome for this world
Bro the song holy shit!!!
Killer job Roman and great review man
Loved the insight
I love how the owner held onto his can of Coke instead of using the cup holder.
That's because the cupholders don't hold anything of appreciable size. It just flops around in there. Trust me, I've tried.
What makes these obs chevy/gmc trucks great is they have catalogs upon catalogs and so much aftermarket support you can make these trucks into whatever you want them to be , classic restore to completely modern with new interior etc -
Man, I love that truck. No rust, manual transfer case, extended cab, the vortec 350, and to top it off, the underhood storage!
If you don’t like driving this truck, boy, imagine driving a slush box 5.0 automatic transfer case BS.
Roman's rant game is LEGENDARY! I was on the floor at 13:45!
My first truck was a '94 Sierra 2500. It was one of our old glass trucks, already worked to death when I got it. I remember when it was still in service, wondering if we'd make the hundred miles back to the shop after picking up way too many sheets of glass from a cousins shop, the whole time having a killer rod knock and no oil pressure. It made the trip that way many times before getting an engine replacement. It really wasn't a great truck, but despite our best efforts it's still on the road.
One of my top 3 favorite trucks I've owned was a '97 Chevy Cheyenne. Manual everything and nothing ever broke on it. In my opinion, yes, "that is a good truck." 90s vehicles are probably the last generation of vehicles that were built to last.
Honestly you got a bad one then, I had a 1997 chevy suburban once, same platform, it was actually amazing, smooth, comfy, powerful, i got 10mpg city and 18-22 highway, and it never let me down in the time I had it, granted it was a 91k mile 1 owner example and i was financing working part time. Needless to say it didnt end the way I would have wanted
I learned to drive on my dad's 1989 K10 extended cab (not unlike this one, same color, though it was a Chevrolet and obviously the pre-facelift version) and earned my license in my mom's 1999 Tahoe. It's like the 3rd gen 4Runner: a perfect balance of the simplicity of its predecessors and the creature comforts of its successors.
took me 3 minutes to even be reminded this was 'race to the bottom' and not a regular, regular car review.
I have a '96 C1500 single cab long bed with the same Vortec 5.7 V8 as this truck. I think its engine was the last of the first gen small block, as you suggest. Somewhere around '99 the 5.3 LS engine came out, with more grunt than the old 5.7. I like my truck, it has enough tech to be reliable and easy/cheap to maintain but not too much, hence none of the cylinder deactivation BS that ruined later truck engines. I think the '88-'98 generation were a great truck. Luckily mine doesn't have the rust that this one has - it was never driven on salted roads. Mine still does serious work - tomorrow I'm doing a 200 mile round trip and filling the bed with furniture and boxes. The ride becomes more comfortable with a bit of load.
Awesome review! In '99 I was a senior in highschool in Alaska and I remember falling in love with this truck. One of the hockey players at my school became my friend at the end and let me drive this truck. I never ended up getting it but it definitely made an impression on me.
Also, fantastic song at the end!!!
I've probably put more miles traveling in one of these bad boys as a kid cross country then I've done driving as an adult in lord knows how many vehicles I've owned and driven. my dad's driven one of these things since 1995, shockingly the same truck.
When Roman does a review, you just know it will be 🔥🔥🔥
"Do you want your girlfriends IUD to fall out every time you shift"? Oh my hell, bro, that is cracking me up!
You missed the most amazing part of this truck.. it’s doesn’t appear to have the rust spots at the rear bottom corner of the back suicide doors… this would be first one I’ve ever seen without it
That's because they replaced the cab corners before I bought it!
@@legendFROMnova noice!! It’s a good lookin truck
Thanks!@@ericdoe2318
That always happened on higher trims because the extra insulation would trap moisture behind the panel. Not an issue on base model trucks.
I don't know man, I feel like this is a bad take. They definitely aren't great trucks by modern standpoints, but there was too much objectiveness on that truck in particular and not enough looking into what made the GMT 400 series the truck that it is. If you look back in 1988 when the GMT 400 came out it was futuristic, but back then it was smooth and streamlined and built less like a piece of utility equipment and more like something that could be an all-around use vehicle that you could drive to work all through the week, then take the family out for dinner in Saturday afternoon. Compare it to the Scottsdale and it's miles ahead of what they were, compared to the OBS Ford and it was more modern and current with its shape and design along with its interior comforts.
I look at the OBS Chevy the same way I look at my generation, on the cusp of 30 I'm finding that I'm truly not Young anymore. I'm finally reaching the age where being part of the leading edge of humanity isn't what I want to be. What I hold dear and what I grew up with is considered out, and the new generation sees me as dated without looking at what my generation did to build the next step for the ones that come after. To hold the light on it and say it's a terrible vehicle by holding it only to its modern standards is a disservice to what it was at its time, and what it even still is today. The true Genesis of what a modern truck would come to be,
not a utilitarian piece of equipment meant to do a job first and know your comfort as a secondary parameter. A machine that still fits in with the modern flow of traffic.
I spent a majority of my childhood in a ‘95 2wd we affectionately called black beauty. I never heard dad ever question if it would start and go. It was tough and it never gave up until the day he crashed it. I myself owned a ‘98 Cheyenne and it was the same way even beaten and worn. Chevy (and GMC) knew what they were doing when they played “Like a rock” in the commercials to sell them. They were damn near indestructible
Bob Seger is the 🐐
4:57 how is this the most rot you have seen on any car and you live in the rust belt? I've seen cars and trucks 10 times worse than this. the frame is still solid and everything is intact especially for a 28 year old truck. Hell theres 10 year old trucks more rusted than this.
I gotta say that’s a good truck
It’s a good truck
Your wry sense of humor is always on point. Clever, concise, compelling and ultimately creative! I imagine your highschool English is either spinning in her grave or smiling down upon you for being great...not quite sure!
Maybe I got a mid week build, but you'll have to pry my '98 Sierra 1500 4x4 out of my cold dead hands.
Bone stock, save for the upgraded spider fuel injection, 130K on the clock(I commute on my motorcycle to save the miles :) ), second owner, gets 18mpg, and it's paid for itself at least twice over. Yeah, the headliner is falling down, it's got a bit of surface rust on the frame, but I get in, turn the key and drive it like a normal person.
Pretty baffled that the GMT400 is ranked this low (worse than an escape? Really?). These were made back when GM made the 'longest lasting trucks in America'. That's all they were built for. A large work vehicle that you could beat the snot out of, on road or off, every day for decades and it would still get the job done.
They weren't built for comfort, efficiency, or flash. I've always thought their interiors were pretty terrible too, but that's not the point. These things are tough, and have/had a huge supply of parts behind them. It's only now, 30 years later, that a lot of these 4L60s (Which is a pretty meh transmission tbh) are throwing in the towel. I mean people literally drive these things until they disintegrate around them. In the modern world where everything is expected to break within 5 years, that toughness is worth something IMO.
Speed of lightning, roar of thunder
Fighting all who rob or plunder
Underdog. Underdog!
Love the intro. Roman or Mr. Regular going berserk is always a treat.
That outro was 🔥
After briefly owning one of these this year (97 2500 w/ 6.5 Turbo Diesel), the comments about this truck growing on you then getting old quick ring pretty true. If you get your hands on one that’s been loved, you’ll be ok. But if it’s been a work truck like mine was? Door handles will not work right even after replacing most of the components. The electrical systems turn into rats nests very quick, the dash going out or behaving weirdly is common, but man, nothing beats leaning all the way back in those huge bench seats and just toeing the throttle on something that will just refuse to die.
I love these trucks they go on forever, i have mine lowered 4/6 on 22s.
Big ghey ballin!
I've always loved the GMT400s, especially in Chevy form with the stacked headlights. It's surprising how "GM" it looks. They badged the Suburban as a Holden here (and used the dash from an S-10 to convert it to RHD), and It fitted in better than the Isuzus it shared showrooms with. Channel 7 used them as OB Vans for many years, only now being replaced by the typical Sprinters and the occasional Crafter. Would I prefer it to a locally-assembled 80s F-series ex-ambulance? no.
I grew up with these, and am aware of the Holden Suburban. I want get a post-facelift 400 (or a pre and swap out the grill) just so that I can put that badge on it.
The Suburban actually wasn't the only 400 that you got or even the first. There was another, but it wasn't available to the general public (they were sold through Holden dealerships, though). Beginning in 1992, Holden brought some 400 cab chassis pickups to Australia and New Zealand, and a couple of local companies converted them to ambulances. Unlike the Suburbans, which left the factory in Mexico with those modified S-10 dashes you mentioned, they arrived LHD. The same company that built the ambulance bodies handled the RHD conversion. They also didn't have Holden badges. They retained the GMC badges that most of them originally left the factory with, and some of the New Zealand units were Chevrolets (with the Sierra model name for whatever reason).
You say it’s some of the worst undercarriage rot you’ve seen in RCR
I was remarking on how clean the truck is
We are not the same
Roman is correct about the small block. It traces its lineage to the original 1955, though it evolved several times since then to add modern features like fuel injection. The LS that replaced it in '99 was a clean-sheet, even if they kept some dimensions the same (I think the bore spacing) just to preserve some historical ties.
The writing is incredible. .
I still own my ‘97 Sierra 1500 that I got with 118k miles at age 16 in the mid 2000s.
It’s nicknamed “La Toxica” because it’s been a toxic relationship replacing or tinkering with every drivetrain component.
Yet!…. I love it.
I have the Silverado variant 2wd version that just rolled over 350,000 miles today, original drivetrain. They will last forever if taken care of. And with the price of trucks today, I'll take this.
TLDR: old beat up truck is old and beat up. In other news: water found to be wet
Cough body lift . Also simple front end tune up
People 10 years ago: "take it off my hands!"
People 2023 with same truck: " I know what I got! No low ballers!!!" "$8000!!!!"
The owner looks exactly like i thought he would
My first truck was a 96 silverado z71. I dont remember it riding this poorly but then again when I bought it in 2010 it wasnt nearly as old.
It hurts way more than it should to have Roman crap all over one of my favorite trucks. I truly love those GMT 400's.
Are you surprised though?
yes@@Dankcatvacs
Owner has the hangdog look of a guy who knows he was born too late to be a roadie for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
🤣 I'm not that big of a Skynyrd fan if I'm honest. But there's something about that smell...
As a Mexican I’m obligated to own this or an F-150 from the late 90s (just like my father before me). One time when the 1999 F-150 was being fixed, the mechanic said it’d take a couple days and he let him use a Chevy 1500 from the same era. It felt like sitting in a brick and after that the Ford’s ride quality felt like a Rolls Royce in comparison