1998 Chevrolet C/1500 Custom Pickup

Vehicle Location: GRAND RAPIDS, MI
Auction Type: Reserve
Mileage: 96914
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Automatic
Exterior: Red
Interior: Gray
VIN: 1GCEC14R0WZ138363
Party: Dealer

SEE THE CARFAX

“1998 Chevrolet C1500 Custom Pickup

– Arizona Truck
– Customized and Lowered
– 5.7L V8
– Super Clean

“”Like a Rock: …The ’88-98 Chevy & GMC Pickups are becoming true classics.”” -DrivingLine, July 2020

The DrivingLine writers went on to lay out their compelling case: “”The ’88-’98 Chevy truck along with its GMC twin represent a perfect blend of the classic and the modern. From its just-right size to its subtle styling, the GMT400 trucks have earned a lot of fans over the decades. Mechanically, with the classic small block Chevy (and occasionally the classic big block) under the hood these trucks are quite simple mechanically and have held up…. And, at the same time, they are modern enough to serve as daily drivers if you choose, with proven and inexpensive drivetrain components with near endless aftermarket potential.””

Offered here is a mildly customized 1998 Chevrolet C1500 pickup sporting stunning red paint on a shaved, de-badged, and lowered body, custom wheels, and a largely stock interior. In 2004, Motor Trend nicely captured the design ethic at work here: “”There are truck folks, and then there are truck folks like us. We are truck people who have a passion for customizing our rides, because we see a stock vehicle as a blank canvas ready to be altered. Our trucks are an extension of who we are, and we have to be different from the owner parked next to us.”” Bingo.

The truck’s exterior custom red finish is in exceptional, eye-catching, virtually perfect condition; the gloss is high, uniform, and undamaged; a treat for the eyes, the bodywork is entirely free of emblems, or logos. The chassis-lowering adds a true, classic, custom look without being over-the-top. In particular, the smooth tailgate and painted grille-surround and bumpers make for a distinctive look. Chrome flat-surface wheels, twin center-exit rear exhaust pipes, and a hard-surface, painted bed cover complete the look. It’s a custom truck made for the real-world use: weekday daily driver with an exciting show-car life on the weekends.

Inside, all the lovely custom work on the truck’s exterior gives way to a largely unmodified factory interior. Gray cloth upholstery on the twin captain’s chairs (separated by a storage console) together with a standard dash, steering wheel, dashboard controls (including for air conditioning as well as the automatic transmission column-mounted shifter) are factory-installed. The Pioneer audio head unit, installed in the factory dash location, is the sole exception from the interior’s stock theme. The custom-exterior-with-stock-interior evokes a very interesting Superman vibe outside, with a Clark Kent persona inside.

Under the hood, the 5.7-liter Chevrolet V8 engine shows no aftermarket modifications. Furthermore, the condition of all the components and trim in the engine bay is like-new. Clearly, the truck’s 97,000 miles (just over 4,200 miles per-year on average) were not “”hard miles;”” the engine-bay appearance also speaks to meticulous owner care (from the truck’s two owners) over the years. Underneath, the solid and undamaged condition of the chassis, suspension, exhaust, and underbody shows a real benefit of the truck’s long-term Arizona home.

The next owner of this ’98 C1500 custom pickup can expect to be asked over and over for “”tours”” of the truck; it is bound to draw pickup aficionados of all stripes, even the blue-oval guys. Their inevitable compliments and admiring stares are bound to deliver a strong, added, emotional return-on-investment.