Sturdy and Durable Truck

I am the proud owner of a 1991 Chevrolet K1500 Regular Cab, Short-Bed truck. My father owned this truck from 1991-2001 and since then I have been the owner. I grew up with this truck and have many fond memories of it.

My father purchased this truck new in February 1991. He ordered it with the Scottsdale package. As of February 2002 the truck had 245,000 miles. The engine, a 5.0L V-8, was replaced after 220,000 miles. The truck has never, every broken-down and has needed only minor maintenance, most of which you can do yourself on these older trucks. The initial coat of paint wasn't the best (it started peeling after a few years), but the coat I have on there now has been there for over 10 years.

My version is a 5-speed manual. It shifts smooth in all forward gears, but on cold mornings you have to slam it into Reverse, but it always goes in. The clutch is very sturdy and hard to burn up. The truck also gets excellent fuel mileage, that I estimate is around 21-City/25-Highway. And if you want speed, I've had mine tuned up to over a 100 several times (though the speedometer only goes up to 85).

I am avid mud-bogger and I recently put a 6-inch BDS suspension lift and 36x12.50 TSLs on the truck. These are very large tires and the truck pushes them fine (although I can no longer use Overdrive, which is no big deal). Normally this causes a lot of problems for older trucks, but I have had very few. The 4-wheel drive has never given me any problem.

The truck will haul whatever you need. I recommend a tool-box so that you can keep stuff stored in your truck safe and dry. It is also a workhorse for towing. I have pulled a 1954 Massey-Ferguson tractor 6 hours straight with it at interstate speeds and it never gave me a problem. I suppose the truck could easily handle medium-size campers.

The truck handles a little rough. Even after a recent alignment, it will always tend to go a little to the left. However, you can drive it easily with one hand (which you must be able to do in a manual truck like mine). The truck is also has a very short stopping distance, despite the fact that it only has a pair of Anti-Lock brakes. It may have something to do with it being a manual, however, b/c I've driven my friend's truck (which is a 1990 automatic version) and it took longer it stop. In wet weather, stopping distance is barely increased, if at all.

The interior is very spacious. I have fit 5, yes 5, people in the cab of my truck. And a couple of them were pretty big guys. The bench seat is comfortable enough, but on long trips it can get it a little stiff (I'm talking about 3 hours plus). The standard speakers also held up for a dozen years before I had to replace the two front ones, while both rear speaker are still original and can blast with the best of them.

I would highly recommend this truck to anyone. These trucks are built "Like a Rock". Many of my friends have these model trucks and no one has ever been dissatisfied with them. If you want a truck for work or play, then this is your ride.