Author Topic: The New or Old Ones (Read 1535 times)

Davetrp243 · « **on:** February 09, 2003, 01:03:26 PM »

http://www.chevrolet.com/silverado/images/gallery/gallery_major08.jpg

I tend to like the older style better, like 80-95. Am I the only one who believes that the new ones look too fake, or cheap?? To much plastic, and electronics. What do ya think?? (click on the link above) :?

Old Syko · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2003, 05:31:36 PM »

Dave I think the problem is, they quit makin trucks that are trucks 20 or more years ago. Made a livin slingin wrenches for 25 or more years and believe me, when they decided to try to satisfy all the soccer moms and office dwellers the truck industry went belly up. Nowdays if you need a truck for a truck you have to buy a 3/4 ton or a 1 ton with a diesel and 4 wheel drive to the tune of 40 or 50 grand. Guess what! At these prices you still get the cheap plastic crap.

Then again, I probably just feel this way because I came from a time when men were made of steel and boats were made of wood.

Hud · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2003, 06:18:41 PM »

Seems to me that the old trucks were pretty well shot at about 60 to 80 thousand miles. Now days we can wrack up a couple hundred thousand miles before we are starting to get any breakdowns. These new ones also have power to spare and fairly good milage.

When I was looking over one of the last ones we bought. I saw what I thought was a 8-track player built into the sidewall by the back seat. My younger son, Brad, informed me that it was a CD changer, not a 8-track. Then he asked what a 8-track was. Now I have to buy my cowboy songs on CDs. That seems wrong somehow.

My oldest son, Nick did have his own "92" F-250 pickup burn up. It was amazing how little was left. The cab was completely empty, no sign of the dash at all.

Hud

JoMiBru · « **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2003, 08:07:15 AM »

Well, some of the stuff provided in the new ones are nice, and comfortable. However, I do not see where half of the stuff they provide you with comes in use.

Pluto · « **Reply #4 on:** February 19, 2003, 06:45:30 PM »

I have to admit I like the way older trucks look. In fact most 1/2 ton trucks made today are cars with a 8 ft. bed that can't haul much, can't plow with them and for the most part around here don't get off road much.
It's like owning a el camino.
But thats why they now sell up to F450 pick ups. You see F350's or 3500's or what they call 1 ton trucks they have replaced yesterdays 3/4 ton trucks, I believe that todays F250's and 2500's or what they call 3/4 ton trucks have replaced yesterdays 1/2 ton trucks.
You see this is because some damb yuppie or soccer mom cant ride in anything that may bounce or be firm cuz thats not the way their BMW or Lexis rides.
The major advantage of new trucks (once you have learned the new rating system) is the last hundereds of thousands of miles with limited overhaul costs. Older trucks (like my old 71 Chevy) required lots of maintenance, points, plugs, caps, rotors, etc and when you had 100,000 miles on it it was time to rebuild the engine. This was quite inconvenient and costly.
Ya I miss my old truck and it sure looked good, but I dont miss the head achs that went with it.
Today I own a 93 ford with 145,000 miles on it and a new F350 diesel and would not trade them for the world. By the way I live up north where they dump tons of salt on the roads and my 93 still has a solid body, in 82 I had to scrap my 71 Chevy because it burnt a quart of oil a week needed a full rebuild and major body work- it had 150,000 miles when we said good bye.
But I still miss the way my old trucked looked...TOUGH and ready for anything.

Selmer · « **Reply #5 on:** February 20, 2003, 04:28:06 AM »

I'm going to have to go with the old school preference on trucks. Maybe some of you don't consider it a truck, but my father bought a Chevy Suburban new in 1973 and last winter we had it restored to original condition with the exception of changing it over to electronic ignition. I love this beast with a 350 V-8 and it gets 13-15 mpg, not a whole lot worse than the newer trucks. I like the square lines, I've about had it with this curvy crap that make it look like an El Camino on steroids and the Suburbans have gone the way of the hormonal soccer mom, no longer are they an offroad hunting vehicle, they are an urban assault vehicle that never sees mud and only sees snow if they get up before the plows. The restoration job on the 73 cost less than half of the cost of a new Suburban and I don't have to deal with the computer chips and crap that I can't fix at home. My father in law and I can overhaul the engine in his shop and not worry about messing up emissions controls or any of that stuff, give me the older, better trucks!!!
Selmer

Selmer · « **Reply #6 on:** February 20, 2003, 04:32:33 AM »

I forgot to mention that the original engine in the 1973 Suburban went 247,000 miles before we needed a rebuilt, we put in a 1986 350 rebuilt and it went 150,000 before needing and overhaul and that was just this past fall that that was done. I expect another 150,000 out of this job and then some more.
Selmer

xnmr53 · « **Reply #7 on:** March 24, 2003, 08:38:12 AM »

Hud,

Are you sure that it isn't because you drove the older vehicles a lot harder?

Those vehicles aren't the only thing getting older you know. :mrgreen:

HogFan · « **Reply #8 on:** April 10, 2003, 10:33:28 PM »

DAVE,

I had an 85 Chevy, and you could not tear it up, man I loved that truck. My wife finally made me get rid of it in May 2001. I had that thing cherried out. 350 bore .030, Edelbrock carb, etc. etc. Now I have a 2000 Ford F150, but only after buying a Dodge that was nothing but trouble! I never thought I'd own a Ford, but now own two, and love them, but still miss my old Chevy!

HogFan :lol: