This is going to be a small post about a big rig. We’ve had countless encounters with this generation of Suburbans on CC before, including in Japan where I found this Chevrolet-badged one a few years back, so I won’t bother reinventing the wheel. And the person who drives this behemoth around Tokyo similarly will not be worrying too much about fitting into local parking spaces, because that’s just never going to happen.
To be fair, they did try. The wheelbase is right where is needs to be. But that Subur-blubber-ban’s big behind sticks out way further than that.
Even by American standards, the so-called “Rounded Line” (also and quite confusingly known as the “Squarebody”) seventh generation 1973-91 Suburbans were massive. Measuring in at over 2m (sorry, 79 in.) wide and 5.5m (219 in.) long, sitting on a 3.3m (129.5 in.) wheelbase, it was the biggest Suburban to date – and they haven’t really grown much since. This is as much as any non-CDL holder can handle, size-wise.
Size notwithstanding, there are a few of these around Tokyo. This particular one has a few things going for it: it is the only GMC-branded one I’ve seen, it’s a deluxe SLE model and that two-tone paint job is very handsome. To top it all off, it has the classic “barn doors” instead of a tailgate, which I understand is favoured by aficionados. Might call those folks Suburbanites…
Great big comfy couch (clad in… corduroy?) in the living quarters, ice-cold A/C and wall-to-wall shag carpeting – sure looks more like Suburban 1980 than 1990 in here. All that’s missing is a rotary phone and an Atari 2600.
All things considered, this GMC would make for quite an acceptable studio apartment in downtown Tokyo. Not sure what the rent would be – depends on the price of gasoline, amongst other things. Just need to park it close to a 24-hour convenience store, and Bob’s your uncle.
Well that’s what’s happening here, isn’t it? Importing massive classic SUVs from the US to house Japanese enthusiasts. This Suburban home was brought over five years ago – I found the original ad.
I’m only being partially facetious. Tokyo is well-known for its micro-apartments – we’re talking 5-10 m² here, there are plenty of testimonials on Youtube and the wider web about them. And there is plenty of homelessness as well, it’s just very well disguised. Having your digs Chez GMC would be a step up for quite a few people.
All that remains is the thorny issue of parking this thing, really.
Related CC reading:
Curbside Classic: 1990 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 Silverado – Swank Yank Tank, by T87
Trailhead Classic: 1987 Chevrolet Suburban 4×4 – America Falls In Love With the Big SUV – Me Too?, by PN
Curbside Classic: 1982 Chevrolet Suburban – Four Doors For The Win; Or Even Six, by PN
COAL: 1990 GMC Suburban – Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fires of Automotive Hell, by Jerseyfred
COAL: 1979 Chevrolet Suburban – It Just Keeps On Grinding On, by Junkharverster
COAL: 1982 Chevy Suburban – Or What’s The Worst Vehicle You’ve Ever Owned?, by Junkharverster
COAL: 1975 Chevrolet Suburban – Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, by Importamation
A brother in law owned one of these (with Chevy badging) at the same time he owned one of the newer generation. He told me that this one was actually wider than the newer one.
It was funny how the market for these really started to go crazy right about the time International finally gave up on its Travelall.
In 2003 Mrs Chip saw a 99 GMC Suburban in deep red on a used dealer’s lot and wanted to buy it. It was the rare (?) bench seat version like the featured vehicle making it a 9 passenger unit. It had the 350 and was 2 wheel drive. I liked it for about two weeks!
I suppose it grew old on me about the time she backed up too far from a friend’s driveway, went past the roadway and into a ditch. She didn’t go into the ditch, but did manage to set the beast onto its frame. That was not an inexpensive tow bill. Or when the transmission absolutely grenaded itself into pieces while on the freeway…. at only 40,000 miles. My mechanic was scratching his head over the whole issue but had a theory that a previous owner had used the vehicle to tow something much heavier than it was designed for. No worries, we just had to pay to get a new crate GM transmission installed. And that failed almost immediately! Then when the HVAC system went south, the check engine kept lighting up, and it began to leak water, it was all over for me! Bye Felicia!
When we teased that one in, after a month, the sales manager asked that we never talk about that Burb again. He said it went to the auction 3 times and no one would even bid on it!
Welcome to my world. I drive a 1997 GMC Suburban as my daily driver. Why? No one makes a car I fit into. Not at 6’8” tall & 300 pounds. I frequently get cited because I can’t park between the lines? That’s because the dopes on either side can’t park within the lines. To get in or out I have to maneuver my truck so I can. Then I get cited. Ofcourse I take pictures to show parking enforcement why I couldn’t park the way they wanted? I’ve stopped parking on Main Street & stopped shopping at local merchants. It took hostile parking enforcement to drive me away
I’d like to know more about the wheel covers, those look very interesting
Those were the regular factory full wheel covers for these.
Whenever I see one of these…street whales, “Canyonero!” comes readily to mind.
Especially in the parking lots.
While the “6’8” tall & 300 pounds” people do exist, they’re rare, what, 1-2 percent? And smaller alternatives that will fit them do exist. And the 1 or 2% who use them as enclosed utility pickup trucks. Fine, get commercial plates for them and it opens up parking options.
Realistically these are bought as statements, the bigger the better. And they negatively impact everyone else on the road. They use more fuel, which doesn’t mean it’s all the same as long as they can afford it, it means everyone else pays a little bit more because of that supply and demand thing. I don’t care what EPA ratings say, if it’s bigger and heavier it’s going to need more fuel to run it. It means people can’t see around them. It means if you get hit by a 6,000 pound tank you’re going to get hurt worse. It means they’re going to squeeze into parking places they don’t fit into, so everyone else gets squeezed, and door dings.
But my gawd, don’t expect them to deign to use a Minivan, even if it has just as much or more space. That would be embarrassing.
If I felt a need for something like that I’d just get a Deuce and a half. A real mans truck, not like those prissy suburbans with power seats and leather upholstery, a real truck that will go anywhere, albeit slowly. And look down on Suburbans, both literally and figuratively.
That truck’s dealer frame in the linked ad is from Paul’s old stomping grounds and the license plate sequence marks it as an original CA truck. Unless it lived over the hill from the dealer and near the Santa Cruz coast it’s likely completely rust free and will last forever. Or close to it…
It seems crazy that these lived on so much longer than the pickups which transitioned to the GMT400 platform for 1988 but the Suburban soldiered on for several more years before getting the fancy new duds as well…I guess it shows the volume and number of production plants involved when so much product all has a common basis.
I remember these well ;
Just when my local self – service junkyards were packed with nice well equipped Suburbans I bought a decent base model 1976 GMC 3500 (3/4 ton long bed) , I was able to scavenge all the original GM / Delco accessories I wanted over a period of months .
These Squarebodies were not the perfect* truck but came really close and many are still in service commercially or out of the city where the size helps, not hinders .
The trucks came to an end in 1988 (? IIRC) but these Suburbans soldiered on through 1992.
-Nate