1989 Chevrolet C1500 5.7 F/I from North America

Summary:

Dependable Fast truck!!!

Faults:

-thermostat (temperature scared me so I downsized the thermostat.)

-New Serpentine belt (average wear)

-I was told by the last owner that it has had a new transmission in it and a new battery installed in it.

General Comments:

I haven't had the truck for to long, but in the time that I have had it it has seemed like a real dependable truck (like all Chevy's) It really has the pick up with the 5.7L F/I and the 5 speed manual. I really enjoy driving it and would recommend it to others.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th March, 2004

1989 Chevrolet C1500 Cheyenne 5.0 305ci V8 from North America

Summary:

An expensive and slow piece of junk

Faults:

Gas tank was rotten through and leaking and had to be replaced at about 286000km.

Coolant leak at 287000km, was found to be a leaking intake manifold.

At 289000km the coolant was still leaking, was found to be a cracked block.

Replaced motor at 289000km.

Replaced alternator at 289000km.

Replaced ball joints at 289000km.

Replaced seized calipers at 289500km.

Replaced exhaust system at 290000km.

Differential in rear began to make noise and clunked constantly at 293000km.

General Comments:

This truck was nothing, but trouble, most of the parts replaced, such as the alternator were only 2 or 3 years old. Gas mileage is poor, about 13mpg on the highway and 9 in the city. The truck handles terribly around corners and the brakes are very, very poor. Performance is horrible for the gas mileage and size of the motor. I usually get left in the dust by little imports with 1.6 liter four cylinders. I am not happy with GM and would never ever buy another one.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th February, 2004

16th Feb 2004, 14:10

Come off it. Look how many kilometers it's done. Do you expect nothing to go wrong?

17th Feb 2004, 15:06

As I said before, most of these parts replaced were fairly new.. for example the alternator was about 2 years old with 10000km on it and the previous owner had all receipts for every scheduled maintainance since new

12th Jul 2004, 16:23

If you had obtained the truck when it had lower mileage, you might have headed off the problems you got stuck with. I sympathize, as my last three trucks (C1500, S10, Datsun) had undersized or brass rads and should have had better thermostats, considering what they protect. Chevy's sold in Texas have huge rads, as evidenced by the removable cutout you will find next to yours. Cornering is in large part a function of shocks, and I'd bet you are due for some. Poor acceleration can be solved by getting rid of the old style pellet catalytic and putting in a high flow newer one (or just a pipe!). You will be surprised. Obviously regular front end lube was not regular enough, and a regular oil spray will forestall any general rot which has set it. Scheduled maintenance is not the same as preventative maintenance or preemptive fixes. A trans oil cooler is a good pre-emptive fix, for example. The stock one on your truck uses your rad ballast... which is a lame compromise design. Good luck!

2nd Feb 2011, 07:44

Truck = fast, didn't know that was so important. Maybe you don't have a big enough cowboy hat if you know what I mean. Also makes me wonder why the engine blew...