Solid Simplicity – 1989 Chevrolet C1500 2WD Pickup – SOLD!

A nice simple two-door, half-ton pickup truck.  Good luck finding one brand new. If you can find one, the truck is likely too big and in our humble opinion too ugly.  We’re convinced that’s why vintage trucks are growing in popularity and price. Our latest example is this 1989 Chevrolet C1500 two-wheel-drive half-ton pickup originally listed in January 2022 on Craigslist in Bourne, Massachusetts (Boston) equipped with a simple bench seat, a 305 cubic inch small block V8, and factory air conditioning the seller report is not working. What makes this C1500 special is the number of undercarriage pictures the seller provides proving what a rust-free truck this example is.

Currently offered for $12,000, comparing that price against the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool confirms the private seller has their C1500 priced between this guide’s #3 “Good” estimate of $10,700 and its #2 “Excellent” appraisal of $21,800. It’s worth noting that the prices of these GMT400 C/K trucks are now on this rise as many enthusiasts get priced out of buying the earlier Square Body generation.

The fourth and final generation of Chevrolet’s C/K line of light-duty trucks debuted on the new GMT 400 platform in 1988.  This is the final generation of Chevrolet truck to feature a traditional small-block V8 and was also the last to use the “Silverado” name as a trim level rather than the brand name for the truck.  This is also the generation that started differentiating between the light-duty GMT400 models such as the one featured here and the heavy-duty GMT800 chassis-based 3/4ton and above trucks.  In our humble opinion, this is the last good-looking single cab truck Chevrolet made.  The latest generation recently introduced only served to further cement our opinion.

The Retro Video Archive Channel provides this 1988 vintage Chevrolet technical overview of its then-new GMT C/K line of trucks:

This truck forms the perfect basis to either use as a daily driver or swap in an LS V8 as it’s a nice solid palette to start from. 

Here’s the seller’s description:

“1989 C1500 rear-wheel drive.
Bought the truck off a friend in the midwest which never saw snow or salt.
Wanted to do an LS6 swap but I’m involved in a first-generation Cummins restoration currently
305 Automatic.
Air doesn’t work.
Bed in perfect shape with no dings from work.
Videos can be sent.
NO ROT.“

Daily As-Is or LS Swap: what would you do with this 1989 Chevrolet C1500 Pickup?  Comment below and let us know!