My Astra was so filthy yesterday I could no longer stand it, so with my 89 year old Mother and son in tow, ran the car through the coin wash. While I was exchanging dollars for quarters in the machine that invariably kept rejecting my seemingly crisp dollar bills, I noticed this pristine 1983 S-10 getting some attention by its proud owner. The boxy first generation S-10 and its twin, the GMC Sonoma were built from 1982 to 1993 on the GMT325 platform. These were everywhere at one time, especially in our domestic-heavy car landscape. In the Rust Belt, they are now few and far between.
The very friendly gentleman who owned it said it was original to Michigan and was a one -owner car and had just 67,000 original miles on it. He plans on putting it away soon but next year hopes to drive it on sunny summer days and maybe show it at car shows as a survivor.
I for one have always loved small pickups like these. They have all the utility and hauling the average person could need in most circumstances, are cheap to buy, mechanically simple… especially in a rear wheel drive configuration. Of course, what passes for a “small” pickup these days aren’t so small. The new Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado would dwarf this little fella.
But look how pristine this interior is? A true time capsule. The base engine initially on the early S-10’s was an Isuzu sourced 1.9 liter 4-cylinder, with a 2.8 liter V-6 being available. If memory serves me, it’s very likely that this was a carbureted motor… fuel injection didn’t become the norm for the domestics for a few more years.
This no hum-drum S-10 however. This is a special option group “Durango” package with color-keyed floor mats, courtesy lights, and unique cloth seats and a long bed version of the truck. I’m no “S-10ologist” so am not going to get too deep into the internet research rabbit hole here, but I can somewhat safely say that from whatever scant information I can find that the Durango package was indeed a thing back then. And a good thing at that!
What a nice little truck. Great combination of basic with just a hint of glitz with the 2 tone paint and chrome wheel arches. Years ago I had a friend with a tire shop. He used these exclusively as delivery vehicles as they were big enough for hauling tires and tough as nails. I think I like the early dash better than the later pod style. can’t think of the last time I’ve seen a nice one, even in the south.
Just got a 02 s10 with the vortec 6. The truck has 135k, and I’m second owner. It’s the most unmolested s10 I’ve ever seen and runs great! I’m looking forward to putting many many more miles on it. And, crazy enough, my wife’s 96 Buick actually weighs about three hundred lbs more! They are great little trucks
It hasn’t been noted yet, but this S-10 is also a LONG-BED variant, and those are rare for the Ford Ranger too. I heard that late in the outgoing Ranger’s production run that it became a fleet-only option which would definitely help with the rarity. And to those who have complained about the old Ranger’s age, the S-10 is actually OLDER if by only a year–the Ranger’s first model year as its own model instead of a trim level from the Edsel or F-Series/Bronco was 1983. The S-10 came out in 1982 & was the first US-made compact pickup.
The long beds were fairly common for the first generation of the S-10 and Ranger, but became much rarer in the ’90s second-gen models, as extended cab/6′ had become the “default” configuration for all compacts by then.
All compact pickups at one point had a regular cab/long bed model (anywhere between 7-7.5′ depending on make), and they were all dropped eventually: Toyota’s after 1992, Nissan’s with the end of the Hardbody in 1996, Isuzu’s with the end of the P’up in 1994, and Mazda’s with the end of the Japan-built B-Series in 1993 (the 1994 rebadged-Ranger B-Series would be 6′ only). GM and Ford held on with their long bed S-10/Sonomas and Rangers through 2003 and 2008, respectively. The mid-size Dakota also famously had an 8′ bed when it was first released in 1987, but 10 years later you’d be hard-pressed to find one new. They were only made in second-gen guise for the first two years (’97-98).
Long beds continue to be made for global-market mid-size trucks, so that the single cab can be on the same WB as the extended cab/6′ and double cab/5′ models.
@ Jeffery: This is my southern, daily driver 93 S-10 Tahoe. 🙂
I think about the S-10 every time I hear the mail delivery truck accelerate away from my mailbox. The drone of that Chevy 4 is a daily occurrence all over the country for the U. S. Postal Service.
Wow, what a nice truck. This would probably be my absolute least favorite color on one of these, but I love it anyway. If CC were to run a retrospective on the best original survivors found across the country this one would surely be in it.
I think this color was called “Curdled Milk.” I agree that it wasn’t particularly becoming, but on the rare occasion of seeing one still on the road, this color makes the survivor status of whatever it’s attached to even more impressive. If this S-10 were blue, for instance, its condition wouldn’t be quite so eye-poppingly impressive.
The best thing about this color was how well it blended with that other very popular midwestern color – Rust.
The rustproofing on the first S-10/S-15 appeared significantly better than earlier GM full-sized pickups and vans. Rustproofing is one area when GM generally did seem to make noticeable improvements by the early 80s.
I recall a neighbour who owned a tan long bed GMC S-15 when they first came out. The most noticeable issue with his truck was the paint faded badly to a pale soft beige, rather quickly. The featured truck is likely regularly washed and waxed. It shows.
GM spit out hundreds of thousands of the S-10, and most of them were rode hard and put away wet. Not exactly a sophisticated or comfortable piece of machinary, but they did what pickup trucks are supposed to do: work.
The last remnant of this sort of basic, tough little truck was the ubiquitous white Tacoma regular cab, and they don’t make them, anymore, even for fleet use (at least in the US). The passing of the regular cab pickup, even in full-size guise, reminds me of the recent repost on the demise of the big, full-size domestic car.
The last basic, regular cab Tacomas are in fact nearly identical in size to late-model versions of the S-10 & Ranger. This image of my 2011 Ranger parked next to someone’s similarly-equipped (but not white) Tacoma is proof of this fact. I didn’t have a tool box, bedliner OR camper shell yet, but that would soon change.
What a stellar find.
Big credit to the owner for keeping it original and in near showroom condition.
Across many car lines, GM styling was already really starting to become excessively boxy and angular, sterile, plasticky, and devoid of character while attempting to appear high tech. In their failed attempt to create a look for the 80s. And as we know, it got worse, much worse.
The Chev S-10/GMC S-15 was just another example IMO. Soft curves were out. I thought the discontinued ’82 Chev LUV pickup was more attractive than the S-10. Compare the two exteriors. The last design used for the Luv aged better.
The first S-10/GMC S-15 were just too square and angular. As the novelty of their styling wore off quickly, they looked cheap and tired. IMO, the redesigned 1987 CK 1500 full-sized trucks and the 1994 S-10, look more like design continuations of the earlier LUV styling than the excessively angular theme started with the ’82 S-10.
In fact, there is a hint of the redesigned aero-themed 1997 Ford F-150 in the early 80s LUV design. The angular S-10 stays in the early 80s.
The styling GM abandoned in 1982, looked more 1990s (and modern) than the original s-10 styling GM stuck with for over 10 years. ’81 LUV shown below.
That angular look GM went hog wild with at the time, was an 80s dead end.
Thanks for the tip, I never thought of bringing the family to the coin wash with me. Must try it next time I go!
wow, that’s in great condition. This is from the 1982 brochure.
https://www.lov2xlr8.no/brochures/chevy/82cs/bilder/6.jpg
Those trucks sure look sharp in that brochure!
Oddly enough yesterday at the hardware store I spied the Jeep small pickup,Comanche I believe they were called. I havent seen one in 20 years at least. In very nice condition on first glance,why it was being driven on salt covered roads is a question for the owner. I don’t think I would it was too nice. No camera so no pictures,guess I’ll have too carry one around for awhile just in case it shows up again.
A family whose kids I was friends with on my block in 1982 got one of these in this same color when they were new. Joe, the dad, did something construction-related and used it every day, I remember riding in it a few times to go tot Boy Scout meetings with one of the boys. I can’t recall if it had a belt in the middle seat position of the bench but I know we also had about a half dozen of us in the bed at times when he’d also give our neighborhood crew a ride to the roller skating rink so Safety Third I guess. Anyway, they seemed happy with it although I can’t help thinking that nobody in construction these days would ever deign to use a single cab small pickup truck. Nice find!
That brings back memories of my S-10 of this vintage, which I had in the late 1980s. It had the same grille, hubcaps, and interior, so perhaps it was the same year. It was an unattractive dark brown, with a 4-speed, bucket seats, extended cab, and carbureted 2.8 L engine.
The rear of the cab was accessed by flipping the passenger’s seat forward, and the skinny seats faced the center. It required some agility to enter and was not terribly comfortable.
It served me well for getting around, as well as for hauling lawncare machines and firewood despite the short bed and relatively light suspension. I don’t recall any major troubles with it.
It was a relatively simple vehicle, well suited for my limited mechanical skills at that time. When its clutch went my friend and I dragged it to the gas station where we worked and replaced it in an evening with a simple set of cheap tools.
We were surprised to discover that the transmission lubricant was ATF.
Though I would have held onto it for longer, it was replaced by an F150 that was better suited for my work at the time. A friend had a single cab, 4WD longbed for many years, until it rusted out from under him.
That’s a lot nicer than the 4cylinder 4 speed S10 I drove at work in 93. It compared badly with the Ford Ranger and Mazda B2200s I had been driving. The OHC engines were more eager and the Mazda 5 speed was a very slick shifting transmission.
I owned four of that generation S-10 pickup. LOVED them.
Styling-wise, not so much after the 1990 facelift…until the 1994 redesign. Tthat too was a great design to my eyes, until the 1998 facelift gave it a big dose of ugly juice.
And YES, I’d ABSOLUTELY LS it if I owned one today.