A few years ago, a family friend asked for my help in selling a truck very similar to this one, a 1989 Chevrolet Silverado with the short, stepside bed and 5.7L V8 under the hood. I ultimately stepped away from selling it as my recommendation on the asking price was well under what they felt it should sell for, but in seeing this truck listed here on craigslist for $14,000, I’m wondering if their expectations weren’t as out of line as I had thought. The truck does present well and it’s a rare manual transmission example, so it does check most of the boxes for someone shopping for a 90s-era Chevy pickup. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pat L. for the find.
For me, trucks like these are a bit of a canary in the coal mine: are they showing us where the market is going to go? For the longest time, the fourth generation of the Chevy C/K has been the golden retriever of the truck world: faithful, dependable, and capable of doing many things well. Unfortunately, everyone and their mother also bought one (sort of like one out of every three families in suburbia with the golden retriever), so they can hardly be considered rare. Even the actually limited production Chevy SS hasn’t exactly caught fire in the marketplace, with driver-quality examples trading hands for well below $20,000.
In some ways, though, this truck is the SS you couldn’t buy. It has a stick and a stepside bed, along with a V8 not making significantly less power than a genuine SS. In many ways, this is a sleeper truck in that your insurance company won’t bat an eye about it and the guy siting next to you at the light in an F150 from the same era won’t realize you can row your own gears. The interior of this truck is in excellent condition, especially considering it has 80,000 miles on the clock, and that’s likely another reason for the high asking price. It really does look like it was loved since new, and the color scheme is a nice change of pace from the typical bordello red we see in this era of Chevy trucks.
The engine bay is sparkling clean, with not a hint of dirt or oil staining to deter you from moving forward with an offer close to the asking price. Right now, we don’t flinch when we see a C/10 pickup in excellent condition with the short bed and a manual gearbox, as those are $20,000 trucks all day long (if not more.) This is the next generation of that model, which offers all of the aesthetic appeal with the added comfort and convenience that comes in any subsequent generations of a long-lived model line. So, the asking price may not be so crazy after all, and perhaps I should have listened to my friends when they asked for real money for a similarly equipped Silverado. Do you think this is a sign of things to come?
Wow. the pictures look great for 80,000 miles. nice truck.
I had the 1996 version of this. V8, 5-speed, and a posi rear end. Truck was quick and a blast to drive. It was bright red with a cloth bench seat and air. Great truck!
A nice looking pickup that looks like it was well cared for. A lot cheaper than a new one.
A lot better built one too, and a person could repair it when needed.
Hmmm….somethings not right. It certainly presents well in the CL ad. It’s a Cali truck, but it needed “Brand New Windows, Fresh Paint, Frame Power Coated”? The passenger side mirror housing is folded in, and it appears that’s hiding the fact that the mirror itself is missing. I’m left wondering what unfortunate experiences this truck may have had, and what needs might be lurking under the surface.
…and why does the passenger side have two buttons for what seems like locks – but the driver side doesn’t?
The two buttons for the windows should be on the drivers side.
If all is well with this truck, it could be the sleeper deal of the day. These pickups are worlds better than the overpriced, overcomplicated and oversized garbage they are making today.
They upgraded or in my opinion down graded the headlights because in 89 it was the 4 glass headlights I personally think looked better than this solid one but every one has different tastes on what looks good. Being a white truck I would spend the extra to paint the grill and the mirrors white to match leaving the bowtie in red
From 1990 -93 , I drove the identical white on blue Chevy with the stick .It’s important to note that this is NOT a typical truck transmission , but rather a Getrag unit that shifts like a sportscar.Totally stock ,I beat 2 454 SS’s in stoplight drags , and chirped the 60’s on the 2-3 shift at will.Every time the GM service techs got their hands on my truck,they’d ask what mods I did , and how come they couldn’t find them LOL.The truck was bone stock , dead nuts reliable ,and decent on fuel .My wife still laments selling it.Interesting is that $14,000 is what I sold mine for in 93 , and It’s a nice value on this one.
Located in Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Truck certainly does have a replacement passenger door, or at least a different door card. Window crank on that door has been installed but this is a power window, power door lock door panel. Unlike the driver’s door!!! also, like someone else noticed, no glass in the rear view mirror. Many questions not answered. Stay away, just my opinion.
I had an 89 4×4 step side 5.7 with the 5 spd. Everything went wrong with it starting with a front axle leak. It killed a bearing but GM wouldn’t replace it.
The AC servos stuck in vent unless you set them in the middle( learned after many trips to the dealer. ) Tranny was hard to find at 130k when 5th gear bearing went and ended up with one rebuilt from GM with a bad syncro. Fun truck but frustrating as hell. I don’t miss it. I sold it at 148k and it hydrolocked at 150k. My buddy put a crate motor in and took it to 260k.