Restored 1985 Chevrolet S-10 Tahoe Maxi-Cab 4×4

I never thought I’d see a restored Chevy S-10, but this one has reportedly been “lovingly restored,” yet the seller also says several times that it’s a “survivor,” is “preserved,” and is “highly original.” I… yeah, I’ve got nothin’. It looks great, no matter what it is, and you can check out this restored / preserved / survivor / original 1985 Chevrolet S-10 Tahoe 4×4 Maxi-Cab here on eBay in Montclair, California, where they’re asking $22,500, or you can make an offer.

As with 90% of humans, I always look at the photos first, and I was hoping this S-10 was original. It would have been amazing if a truck this nice were original, especially seeing the underside. It looks like it’s been coated with something, and that wouldn’t be original. The extended cab, or what Chevy referred to as a Maxi-Cab, is a perfect cab for me, with just enough room in back to store some things inside, but not having four doors, which I’d never need in a car, let alone a truck. Here’s a somewhat dark but fun brochure on these trucks.

The driver’s door or the trim appears to be a little off, and some of the photos exhibit what looks like a bit of orange peel in the paint, but maybe they did from the factory, too? I know a lot of you have owned S-10s, and hopefully you can shed some light on anything (or everything) I’ve missed here. The bed looks great, as it should if this truck has been restored and is priced above $20k. The seller gets a solid AAA+++ on the beautiful photos, by the way!

The exterior is Silver Metallic, and the interior is Blue Special Custom Cloth, according to the seller. You can see the all-important twin shifters: a five-speed manual and a two-speed transfer case for the 4×4 system. This is a first-generation S-10, and they were made from 1981 for the 1982 model year, until the end of 1992. I love the square design over the next-gen trucks, but that’s just a personal preference. Behind the front bucket seats are a couple of small seats that fold away so you can store even more back there, a very nice feature.

This clean engine is a Pontiac-sourced 2.5-liter OHV Iron Duke inline-four with 92 horsepower and 134 lb-ft of torque when new. Backed by the transfer case and five-speed manual, sending power to all four wheels as needed, the seller says this is a lifelong California truck and is an AC delete truck. Oddly, they don’t say how it runs or operates, but I’d have to assume that it works as good as it looks. Any thoughts on this restored S-10?