Like New: 1992 GMC Typhoon

I’ve had it in my head for a while now that the GMC Typhoon is darn near unobtainable. This typically happens when you follow a certain make and model for a spell, forget about it, and then go back to look at recent results. It seems there’s numerous examples of this high-performance super truck selling in the low $20,000 and sometimes the high teens, if it’s a little rough around the edges. Is there softening happening in this once-white-hot market? The 1992 GMC Typhoon shown here on craigslist has a healthy 129,000 miles on the clock but it sure looks a lot fresher than its odometer would suggest.

The seller is asking $33,000 for the truck, which actually seems a touch high in the current market. There are plenty of examples of lower mileage specimens selling for under that price, and this is simply the phenomenon of the enthusiast and classic vehicle marketplace. Sometimes vehicles are hot, and then the market shifts and new interests cause a certain model to fade to the background. The best of the best Typhoon and Cyclone trucks will always be pricey, but what we’re clearly seeing right now are examples with some miles on the clock and/or signs of use settling back down to more reasonable numbers.

Now, that being said, this still looks like an incredibly clean specimen for something with over 100,000 miles. The seller reports that the Typhoon had two elderly owners before him, and clearly, that’s a demographic that seems no need to modify this truck any further than the factory did. The Typhoon features a turbocharged 4.3-liter LB4 V6 with a healthy 285 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. These high performance, limited-production offerings from GMC quickly became known as sports car killers, far faster than vehicles designed from the start for speed.

You love seeing a mostly stock engine bay with these trucks, as many of the more affordable examples have been extensively modified. The other issue is  rust, as Typhoons and Cyclones from the snow belt love to develop corrosion behind the plastic trim. And sometimes, owners remove the plastic trim, which then goes missing and is a nightmare to track down. All sorts of minor faults can befall these ridiculously cool trucks, so finding one with no stories, no mods, and no rust is a home run for anyone in the market. I’d try to bargain down slightly for this one, as the mileage will always hold its future value back. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Tony Primo for the find.