Anyone here daily drive a completely stock mid 80's C10?

[KevH]

I've owned three GMT800's in the past 15 years and my family has owned a couple others.

I'm considering buying a completely stock 1984 GMC Sierra Classic rwd with a 305. It's a clean California truck with all the emissions crap still intact.

Anyone here still drive one of these?

Am I going to regret stepping back in time?

[old Rusty C10]

I use a 79 as my beater for the area the 82 I just cant

[mongocanfly]

I drive my 81 all the time..love the old trucks...but mines not exactly stock anymore...LS/nv4500..no regrets..

[hotrod farm truck]

Yes, I do ...1984 C-1500. 4.1 litre 250 straight 6. 68,000 miles. been daily driving for 3 years now. 20 miles to the gallon. enjoy driving it very much.

[Alex V.]

It ain't a Model T. Just not the dummy-proofed space ships of today with rev limiters, traction control, oil life and tire pressure monitors, etc. Mild changes in driving and maintenance expectations will have you wishing you'd taken the old truck when you wind up in the new one.

[Malo83]

Still driving my ORIGINAL 83 Silverado, 305/700R4 with 230K on the clock, bought new and has been my daily driver since, all the smog equipment is still there and working, won't win any stop light to stoplight races but she's been dependable and never left me stranded

[vht]

I sold my 07 1500 HD 4x4, and I'm redoing a 84 K10 to drive. Won't be a show truck, but I want it to look nice. I love the older trucks. Couple things I won't miss, the yearly tax bill, mine has antique tags, and the over priced insurance. Plus I love working on the older stuff. I worked at a chevy dealer for 5 yrs, and 5 Ford dealerships for 18, I'm sick of working on this new crap. Plus Ford sucks, new or old, just my opinion.

[Keith Seymore]

Mine was a daily driver for thirty years and 220k miles; retired last November.

K

[KevH]

Originally Posted by vht

I sold my 07 1500 HD 4x4, and I'm redoing a 84 K10 to drive. Won't be a show truck, but I want it to look nice. I love the older trucks. Couple things I won't miss, the yearly tax bill, mine has antique tags, and the over priced insurance. Plus I love working on the older stuff. I worked at a chevy dealer for 5 yrs, and 5 Ford dealerships for 18, I'm sick of working on this new crap. Plus Ford sucks, new or old, just my opinion.

Is K10 your primary vehicle or are you going to drive it now and then?

[KevH]

Keith - I sent you an e-mail to your GM address.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by KevH

Keith - I sent you an e-mail to your GM address.

Received. I'll formulate a response today.

K

[Gasasaur]

The only vehicle I owned for two years was an '84 C10. I sold it to buy my '87 V20 and now that's the only ride I have.

I say enjoy 'em every day!

[D13]

Having owned 69 c/10, a slew of 80's c10/c20's, a couple 90 GMT400's, and a 99 GMT800:

the 69 is rather crude.

The later 80's squares have good creature comforts. I personally like vinyl bench seats (buckets and my back don't agree). parts are cheap. Ride is OK depending on spring package. Handling is OK. Trucks are simple to work on. Fit and finish stock is Ok. Parts cheap. 3/4 tons will beat your kidneys. No air bags so I won't let my kids drive them, except maybe a 'burb where mass helps.

GMT400 - owned a 454SS and a 4.3 powered work truck. AC is a MUST as the aero package rams air into the cab with the windows open. Braking is a bit better, handling is similar, easier to park as the front tires are moved forward, better radios, a bit quieter in the cab. Extended cabs available, good for toting stuff. Better fuel economy. Ride is a bit better but not much different. Parts are more expensive. Late ones have air bags.

GMT800 - huge improvement in ride quality. Much quieter in the cab. Better handling. Braking has integrated ABS, not a personal fan. Much harder to work on. LS motors are a treat, big power, good economy. Uncomfortable seats and belts, at least in the early years. Much more susceptible to rust. Parts get a little more pricey. A mild fender bender will bend your frame.

So there's my personal summary.

Daily driver? Equinox, 30+mpg. Preferred driver? A square, because the seat comfort and I'm kind of a different guy. At 196k my GMT800 is headed to parts this spring, and I'm trying to decide which of my 200K+ squares to rebuild.

[LT7A]

Already some really good responses here. Especially from D13, thinking about saving that post for future reference, dang. I'm responding because I have a truck that fits almost exactly your description. My story is that I bought it as a parts truck and 100 miles into my 200-mile trip home I realized I couldn't pull it apart because it drove too nice. It's nothing particularly special, but it looks cool, and doesn't need much to be a neat old truck.

[Ric's/86]

I've been driving one of my 84's (350 Engine/350 Trans.) for more than three years to work. Every time I have a smile on my face.

[vht]

The 84 will be my driver, KevH, if I can ever get it done. I got a 96 cutlass cerra, old work car, that I use. It"s hauled everything, don"t have to worry about getting it dirty. Also got my 72 chevelle, it only comes out in nice weather, but it does get the miles put on it. If you make it dependalbe, you can drive it anywhere. I rebuilt the brakes, front end, and U joints on my K10 for a little of nothing. Try that with a late model.

[vht]

My chevelle.

[KevH]

Beautiful Chevelle. A '67 is on my "someday" list.

[DieselSJ]

I daily drive my 87 R30 CC dually.

[Texas Agman]

Here at the ranch I drive a 1985 Silverado C10 regularly, but don't overload it or work it real, real hard. New paint, crate 350, 700R, 3;73, and 230,000 miles. I've had this truck for 17 years and have driven Chevy mid-80s trucks for over 30 years. I guess the motor blows me out of the "stock" category, but the motor has been in since 2003 and it replaced a 6.2.

[junkman]

My primary transportation is a 83. 305/th350c. Drivetrain is all stock except for a edelbrock 600 and I put a vortec serpentine setup on it for the bigger alt and newer style a/c compressor. I drive about 80 miles a day to work, gets down the interstate 75 no problem, gets about 16mpg. I love the truck. the best mod I've done is an 88-98 bench seat. Made it alot more comfy and roomy in the cab. I will say I appreciated wipers and dimmer on the column. With the seat where I'm comfortable to drive, I can hardly reach the dimmer, and constantly leaning forward to fiddle with the wipers. I've been meaning to look into adding some sort of intermit mod for it too, you kind of miss that when your constantly having to bump the switch to clear the window in a mist.

[Gotenntitans]

Get it and drive it. My dad is still driving his '87 GMC every day. GTT

[68longhorn]

Been driving my 86 swb since 08. I bought it at 105k, its got 190k now. It has the original 305/700r4 combo and has AC. It has all the smog equipment and passes MD emissions tests

[tucsonjwt]

It really comes down to creature comforts and safety. Others will disagree, but airbags, anti-lock brakes, etc. do help with regard to safety.

For a daily driver I would choose a 2000 and up modern pickup. Quick and reliable starts, much better fuel economy, better ride comfort, etc. There are savings with having an old beater (insurance, most parts, etc.) but if you fix an old square up nice it will cost you a lot of money. Old squares are getting scarce out here in the southwest desert where the premium sheet metal will be, and aftermarket parts are all Chinese, so you can't count on low prices for good parts. Also, the interior parts are not much cheaper than newer model parts, plus you can find newer truck oem used parts on Ebay or at the junkyards cheap.

For a daily driver and comfort, I would look for a 2000 and up Tahoe or Yukon, and 4WD if you need it. I have owned many new ones and they are the most comfortable for me. If you really need a pickup truck you are likely hauling a big load and that won't be easy on your nice old truck, so I would just rent or borrow a pickup when you really need one. These suvs with high miles can be had for $6-8K and are usually in good exterior condition, many with still good original paint. I would get 17 mpg city/22 mpg highway with these big SUVs.

[Malo83]

Sorry but have to disagree, my 83 is comfortable enough, AC blows cold, no heat but not needed, don't commute so mileage is not a problem, lots of thumbs up from people, creature comforts come with my 08 Malibu LTZ or the wifeys 2015 GMC Terrain DENALI