1984 GMC S-15 4x4 2.8 V6 2bbl carb from North America

Summary:

Reliable workhorse

Faults:

The headliner has unglued from a leak in the corner of the windshield.

Windshield wipers motor has a damaged gear inside; works, but really sluggish.

One of the front wheel bearing went bad. Got a good used one from the junkyard for $40.

The floor rotted from the previously mentioned water leak. Patched it myself for free.

The reverse light bulbs burned out.

The fuel tank sending unit stopped working. Found a burned wire too close to the exhaust manifold and replaced it.

The brake switch was working 1 time out of 3, so I replaced it for $20.

Worst of all, the front differential broke open when it was property of the previous owner, and he never knew nor told me... So it's not 4 wheel drive anymore, too bad...

General Comments:

For the amount of money I have spent on this $350 truck, I'm really satisfied with all the work it does for me. It's my secondary car, so it is not used that often, but on the drivetrain point it is ultra-reliable. The 2.8 V6 with the carburetor is far from being a performance engine, but it will still carry good loads, at around 17 mpg.

I don't know when I will get it retired, but I am sure it will give me some more years of good service after sitting for around 10 years in the driveway of my neighbour.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th May, 2010

1984 GMC S-15 Sierra 1.9 from North America

Summary:

Good dependable workhorse

Faults:

Nothing major went wrong with it.

Alternator @160K.

Park brake cable became stuck from time to time.

Autolite spark plugs had a tendency to crack on the insulator. Switching to Bosch plugs cured that.

Had a habit of springing an exhaust leak at the converter.

When I sold it it was ready for a clutch.

General Comments:

I drove it daily for two years. With no power anything, no a/c and a 4-speed manual it wasn't the most comfortable truck to drive, but I could always count on it.

The little Isuzu built 1.9 was down on power but made up for that with excellent durability. It had adequate power in the city, the highway it was okay cruising at 70 but not much faster. I flogged it pretty hard at times, and it always took it in its stride, and returned good mileage and used little oil between changes. It averaged 21 mpg in the city, and about 26 mpg on the highway.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 12th June, 2008

1984 GMC S-15 Sierra extended cab 2.0 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Look for something else

Faults:

Almost everything on the truck had to be replaced before I got to 100,000 miles.

Alternator

Carburetor

Transmission

Engine

Water Pump

Radiator

Rear End

Front End (ball joints, spindles)

General Comments:

This was easily the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned. I have never seen so many things go wrong on one vehicle. The only reason I kept fixing things was because I was into the truck for so much money pretty early that I hated to simply part with it.

The 700 R4 transmission blew out 3rd gear at a stoplight one day. Amazingly enough, I was able to continue to use gears 1,2 and 4. It was pretty comical watching me climb hills at 30mph on the interstate in 2nd gear and then go flying down the other side to try and get it into 4th (overdrive).

The carburetor was a constant source of aggravation, and would occasionally leave me stranded for 20 minutes at a time on the side of the road until it decided it wanted to pump fuel once again.

Other than the fact that I spent entirely too much money keeping this thing up for 50k miles it was pretty comfortable and got OK gas mileage for a pickup with an 80hp 4cylinder engine.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 29th December, 2004