How long will they last?

[noom14921992]

I guess this is maintenance or just general GMT400 question.

With these trucks being at the youngest 24 years old, how long could they last but how long before they are all crashed and dead?

You will always have enthusiasts, but how long before you just dont see them anymore? I still see GMT400s all day every day. most are in bad shape and used for work. like lawn car pulling a trailer or on a construction site.
but when does a car platform come to the end of its life in the world?

example would be like a chevy celebrity. I have never seen one of these on the road. but i know they sold them in the 80s. they are all basically gone.
so how long before the gmt400 is all gone?

When will it not be worth the new engine to keep it on the road or when will the transmission be to expensive to rebuild?

I am just wondering.

thanks!

 

[Drunkcanuk]

Mine is at 335 000km and going strong.
Had a transmission blow at 325 000km.

 

[noom14921992]

My current project truck has a broken odometer but it stopped at 260k

And i know many people have high miles.

But i am slowing finding out that its going to cost 3k or so just to refresh the interior with new carpet, seats seat belts and other things.
So i just figured that at some point they would just be to old for anyone to want to redo them.

 

[JohnZ71]

Even in the last few years alone I’ve seen a big difference in their presence. Before I could go to any junkyard and there would be dozens of them…not so much anymore.

There’s still a ton left that are in excellent shape, and this platform was one of the most successful GM has ever produced. I believe we’re in that awkward transition phase between a car being an average everyday vehicle and a collectible vehicle.

It’s hard to predict when these will phase into being strictly collectible, but I honestly don’t see it too far ahead. Already we have seen a jump in prices with them, especially with fine examples bringing a premium.

More and more parts are slowly being reproduced which indicates a move into the collector market. However, I’m sure 20-30 years from now we will still see GMT400s being used for work, just like I see 60s-70s trucks being used for work around here still.

 

[Komet]

Depends on where you live. In the city, it was only SUVs and new trucks. Out here in the country, I see 400's every time I go out.

(Older) trucks were built tougher and simpler than a lot of consumer cars, so they don't necessarily age out around 200k if you keep replacing the consumables. With the rise in truck popularity during the gmt400 generation, they were produced in mass quantity as well, so any partsbin pieces will likely be available at least in the aftermarket for some time.

Some platforms just don't die, either. You can still get lots of tri-five Chevy stuff and those things were already very obsolete before any gmt400s existed. Restoring junk cars isn't really an economical venture so it all depends on how bad you want your old stuff to be nice.

 

[98_SLE_98]

Down where you are they will be around until the end of time lol. Up here in salt land is a different story, mind you I spray mine with Krown rust control oil myself a couple times a year on my '08, over 500 on the odometer, which looks mint still compared to a lot of other GMT900's around here. My '98 I bought used so I didn't get the opportunity to treat it the way I would but its ok I have it fixed up nice.

So this is goes along a few comments I made in another thread. These trucks are easily repairable. A lot of the newer vehicles, especially GM with the new VIP architecture, and to a certain extent it is present in Global A vehicles, (most 2010+) you can't swap modules between vehicles so you are at the mercy of that particular module being available and GM still having the software avaiable to program it down the road. There is a lot going on in the new T1 trucks especially in the past year. I can't seem them being on the road when they are 20+ years old, atleast that is, in their original powertrain form out of the factory and all vehicle functions operating correctly. There is complete vehicle integration now compared to just a few years ago. Years ago you wouln'd think that a faulty thermostat would cause a Service steering system message to come up on the DIC but thats normal now on models such as an Acadia, Traverse, etc


Anyways enough rambling, they will be around for a long time. Very desirable and have really gone up in value

 

[Schurkey]

Folks still show Dusenbergs and Ford Model Ts.

I worry more about Government making it impractical to own old vehicles more than I worry about the vehicles deteriorating naturally.

As soon as Government forces tight/restrictive emissions inspections on old vehicles, they'll disappear like smoke. Try to find an older Semi-truck in California.

Every Government in the history of the entire Earth has become so corrupt that it's society crumbles, given enough time. THIS country does not need "open borders", more "welfare", or tax-funded "everything".

 

[Scooterwrench]

Mine has about 300,000 on it now and will be getting an almost new motor(10,000). That should keep it going for another 20yrs at least. Fortunately here in inland Fl. cars don't tend to rust an I was lucky enough to get a rust free truck. I see 400's every time I leave the house,plenty of them around here.

 

[Caman96]

More money=more miles. But I agree with @Schurkey, more likely the government will have a bigger impact.

 

[Cadillacmak]

I guess this is maintenance or just general GMT400 question.

With these trucks being at the youngest 24 years old, how long could they last but how long before they are all crashed and dead?

You will always have enthusiasts, but how long before you just dont see them anymore? I still see GMT400s all day every day. most are in bad shape and used for work. like lawn car pulling a trailer or on a construction site.
but when does a car platform come to the end of its life in the world?

example would be like a chevy celebrity. I have never seen one of these on the road. but i know they sold them in the 80s. they are all basically gone.
so how long before the gmt400 is all gone?

When will it not be worth the new engine to keep it on the road or when will the transmission be to expensive to rebuild?

I am just wondering.

thanks!

I have built, owned, and worked on a lot of trucks, and the OBS, GMT400, whatever you want to call it, is the best truck GM ever made. And like the square before them, they are getting popular again. That means that the after market and custom industries will support them more and more. Some of those junkers you see will be bought and restored at some point. The 55 chevy truck my son and I are building was just an old work truck. My dads 1988 K2500 was bought new, he still drives it today, we just keep replacing parts and upgrading as it needs. I wrecked it once when I was a teen, hit a house (the guy was nice about too), truck didn't take much damage but the house did. I think, we will all be dead and our trucks will still be on the road.