Values for GM’s full-size trucks (1988–2002) are still rock-solid
Like a rock
I’m six years old again. I’m in my grandma Squeak’s living room, playing with Hot Wheels on drab brown carpeting.
I was as strong as I could be
In the kitchen, Grandma is making some sheet-pan cookie concoction. An early 1980s TV set hums before me. Onscreen, a tableau of concentrated, unfiltered Americana flashes by.
Like a rock
The people onscreen congregate and toil around some boxy Chevrolet trucks. A contractor shows some architectural plans to two other folks with the documents unfurled over the truck’s slab-like hood.
Nothin’ ever got to me
A blue shortbed crashes through slime and mud. A rodeo cowboy jumps in his crew cab to escape a charging bull. A towhook snaps taut, erecting the structural framing of a barn. I’m transfixed.
Like a rock!
I think a sizeable portion of the millennial and Gen-X population has some memory sequence parallel to mine. All you’ve gotta do is queue up Bob Seger’s gravelly, rawhide anthem to trigger a thousand-yard stare. Chevy’s tremendously successful “Like a Rock” campaign that ran from 1991 through the early 2000s sold a lot of trucks. Judging by Hagerty Price Guide values, it continues to do so today.
General Motors’ full-sized trucks and SUVs produced between 1988 and 2000 (2002, if you count the HD family) have long existed in a liminal space in collecting. The GMT400 trucks, as they’re collectively known, were positioned as direct evolutions of the ultra-popular Square Body Chevy C10 and GMC Sierra, and they exited the scene just as full-size SUVs were beginning to take over every school carpool line. Now, surging interest and values in these trucks has us humming one of Mr. Seger’s biggest hits as we investigate what might behind this gradual rise to collectibility.
In the past three years, values of Chevy GMT400-series trucks have increased by 63 percent. No coincidence, calls to Hagerty agents for quotes on insurance for the trucks have increased 58 percent in the same period. For GMT400 GMC trucks, values are up 52 percent, with 53 percent growth in insurance quotes.
It’s no surprise the Chevys bring more money than the GMCs, even if they are the same under the skin (and even the skin ain’t that different). Enthusiasts naturally prefer certain body styles, as well. For instance, the latest Hagerty Price Guide pegs a 1988 Chevy K1500 4×4 two-door fleetside short-bed pickup at $15,600 in Good (#3) condition. That’s nearly 80 percent more than three years ago. And perhaps because so many of these trucks lived exceptionally hard lives, collectors are paying a hefty premium for the finest examples. Find an Excellent (#2) ’96 short-bed with a 255-hp small-block V-8, and you can expect to shell out more than $35,000.
If you’re thinking that sounds like a lot of coin for a mass-produced truck churned out more than a quarter of a century ago, we’re with you. But the rise is not without precedent.
First, remember that the long-lived Square Body generation of trucks appreciated early among insurgent truck values. Caveman simplicity, stout dimensions, testosterone styling, and a cavernous engine bay transformed these vehicular cudgels into street rods, backwoods 4×4 brawlers, cherry boulevard cruisers, weatherworn workhorses, and everything in between. People love these bricks because they’re brutish and simple.
It’s 1988, and here comes the GMT400. Computer-aided design took on a larger role than it ever had before in the design and production of the new truck. Still ludicrously boxy by today’s standards, this generation previewed the slow trudge toward today’s curvaceousness, with semi-rounded edges, flush fittings, and sedan-style doors.
The biggest changes hid underneath the new sheetmetal. Four-wheel-drive K-series trucks packed a new independent torsion-bar suspension, and ABS made its first appearance on GM trucks. Compared to the relatively floppy and rust-prone Square Body, the new GMT400 platform incorporated extra galvanized steel and a fully welded frame featuring a boxed front section for extra rigidity.
Powertrain options are stout, too. The base engine is a 4.3-liter Vortec V-6 with enough torque to serve as basic work truck and transportation. Most of the more expensive GMT400s come to market with one of the V-8s, whose displacements started at 5.0 liters and spiked to a mighty 8.1 for the HD haulers.
All this relative modernity, while still remaining rugged, the semi-simplistic mechanicals, and the masculine design—in the long run, the combination proved to be the best of both worlds. Hagerty Price Guide editor Greg Ingold has owned three GMT400 trucks over the years, and he’ll be the first to sing their praises.
“I appreciate how GM refined the idea of the truck,” he says. “They made them nicer to drive compared to the Square Bodies. They’re nothing like the near-luxury trucks of today, but they’re not too utilitarian.
“The GMT400 is sort of that goldilocks truck. GM got it just right, and the people who own them seem to appreciate them for that reason.”
By and large, the GMT400 was considered just an old, used truck for the better part of 25 years, and the values reflected this. But, for those of a certain age, the love never faded.
There’s a lot to love. Between no-frills, never-gonna-break work trucks and the stylish, high-performance 454 SS, the GMT400 fills quite a few niches. (The 1990–1993 1500 454 SS is the most valuable of GMT400s, with Condition #2 values creeping close to fifty grand.) When they do break down, parts supply is absurdly comprehensive and you can fix them with basic tools. Just ask Hagerty editor-at-large Sam Smith how simple and lovely his old 1500 Cheyenne was.
It gets better. The GMT400’s blend of modernity and old-world aesthetic attracted customizers and hot-rodders like Carlisle does Corvettes. The “Sport Truck” subgenre of hot-rodding erupted while the truck was new, with big names like Boyd Coddington and Belltech creating “static dropped” customs with neon paint and vibrant graphics.
And, like so many “vintage” trucks, this one seems to appeal to a broad swathe of collectors. Plenty of millennials and Gen-Xers are showing interest, but one in every three people calling us about these trusty trucks is a baby boomer.
That wide interest, along with the stunning appreciation we’ve seen for trucks and SUVs of all stripes, leads us to believe that the rise of GMT400s is no fad.
And now, since you’ve made it this far, we’ll give you some TV time:
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it.
Hagerty currently insures my black 1991 Chevy modified C1500 sport edition. ‘Sport’ edition parts are even more rare to find than the 454ss! Bought it used like 25 years ago and I am only the 3rd owner. About 93,000 kms on the ODO, 2 seat high back buckets, light grey interior and no rust. Love the looks/style of these trucks!
No surprise this series of trucks are the next “thing”. I predicted it ten years ago! They have a lot going for them.
Not mentioned is the fact that this series was fuel-injected from the start: TBI (“Slobber-Jection”) up through ’95, then MPI from there. This greatly improved drivability and economy over it’s predecessors.
Love my 92 OBS GMT400! Completely rebuilt, with way more HP than the 454 SS, it’s ready for its next owner! 😩
These were/are great trucks. Only weak spot is the crappy plastic interior bits. (S10’s were the same way, even when new>>the headlight switch on my ’88 broke and had to be fixed with epoxy as the new one was overpriced.) Hopefully the aftermarket will reproduce.
I have a 97 Silverado ext cab short box 4X4 with the Vortec 5.7 and 4l60E with the 3rd door. Great truck and rides better than anything else the other 2 domestics had to offer. The truck is coming up on 200K is still very tight cab wise. The only thing I can fault is the poor quality paint from this era. I call it Old Flaky!
If you are considering one of these I would recommend a 1995 or later as the interior is far superior to the early ones with much more comfortable seats. In 96 you got the Vortec engine in the V8’s and it is much more powerful with better fuel mileage.
The auto trans typically go around 150K but once you get a good rebuild on them you should be good to go. Fuel pumps also go around the same mileage and aren’t easy to change as the tank needs to be dropped or removal of the bed is another way to access them if you plan to do other work in that area. I’ve considered getting a newer model but don’t think that I’d be as happy with them as these seem to be the sweet spot of ride, handling and dependability without being a big hassle to work on normal wear items.
I sold my 2001 GMC 1500 Sierra after getting 2016 GMC Sierra. When it was leaving our driveway my
wife cried, she said that was the most beautiful truck she had ever seen. To this day I wish we still had it.
These models were the last of the good looking GM trucks. The present styling they have is just obnoxious & is just a chrome/plastic mess. Ford & Ram at least have a little thought put into it, not just see how many lights & grill pieces you can stack together before you put a hood on it
Trucks ! Who gives a sh**t.
I would say most of America as the F150 has been the #1 in sales for quite some time. I know a lot of people only use them as a car but there are a lot of us that put them to use as they were intended to be. Do you really want to haul a load of fertilizer in your 80K SUV?
My ’94 C2500 Suburban Silverado with 454 runs as strong as ever. Sell it, they said. Turn it in to cash for klunkers, they said. She might not be the prettiest around, has some rust and could use a paint job. Still, I would never let her go, and now, people are starting to appreciate what a great truck she always was and is. Also, if you have an older Chevy truck, be sure to join the Chevrolet Legacy Club.
My younger brother and I jointly own a 1997 Chevrolet Silverado Z-71 extended cab. It was a really clean one-owner “Grandpa” Truck. It was special-ordered brand new by the original owner. It had a two page window sticker with it. It’s at 107,000 miles and we did do a few maintenance items on it. It’s green over gold with the tan leather interior, and it still looks really good. I took it to a couple of Cars and Coffee Events, and it got a lot of attention. We bought it in September 2020. It’s basically a garage Queen, but I make sure to at least drive it a few miles a month. And we still do an occasional “dump run” with it.
I had 3 of those General Mistakes Corporation trucks all of them were junk.have 2 Fords from the same era with no problems.
love my 1991 GMC 1500 2×4 it came with dual fuel gasoline and propane , Short box A/C P.S 4 speed auto
take look It was restored 2 years a go . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BDUuHcDqW4
I have 96 GMC K1500 4×4 I bought that is 500 miles from 300K, with not a dent in it. I don’t where the PO drove all those miles, but he never scraped anything. Good looking, rugged, and rides nicely.
I love it, and it won’t be for sale until after I’m gone.”
I bought my 1999 1/2 Silverado, single cab, long bed in May 2000. Twenty-two and one half years and 335,000 miles later, I still drive it everyday. It’s got a few nicks and dings here and there, but it still looks sharp. I only really started spending real money on it after 20 years; starter, a/c compressor, intake manifold. I’m still on the original alternator and all the other stuff. It is so reliable and has been with me through many life changes, so I’m a little sentimental about it. It’s an amazing truck and I plan to drive it another 20 years.
My daughter was born in 98 and we wanted something safe to bring her home from the hospital. The new 99 Chevy Suburban was out and one look at that SUV and I was hooked! Had everything a young family needed plus I knew I could tweak it with some aftermarket goodies. 23 years later, we still have the Suburban and I still drive it almost everyday. It’s been across the country, the desert, mountains through shallow creeks, snow storms and with 275,000 miles it still runs great. New valve/Head job perked it up and we tow a toy hauler with. It’s a part of our family and now the kids are grown and on their own. I drive it because it’s fun and ain’t nothing like hearing the sound of a healthy 5.7 350 V8! Happy trails to my fellow trucksters!
Great trucks! I have a 1997 extended cab 1500 Silverado that still smells new. Blue seats are still soft & supple. Thanks for the article. Been debating if I should sell. But maybe a should hold after this article. Only 13k miles so thinking it’s too nice to drive. My husband has a 1997 Ford. He is wondering why the Chevrolets are worth more. Good read. I’ve shared it with him so he can see your points on why Chevy & GMC.