@@domnicclassi3823 $60k-$180k... f'n insane. The price of a home for a low income family, up to the price of a pretty decent home for a middle income family. How is this even possible? Not to mention they're all prone to catastrophic failures and huge safety recalls. And of course a thousand pounds of dead weight, soon to be obsolete technology that is also prone to failure.
More electronics translates into more failure points, especially when mud and water are introduced. There's simply no debate, the older truck is easily a more reliable off road rig.
Yeah I could never invest in a vehicle that costs what a house does that I can't maintain myself and may not last the test of time. The old truck is already lasting the test of time, you can maintain it and it only lacks in comfort which shouldn't even be a serious metric in a truck.
Buy used dummies. My dad scored a 2019 3.5 EcoBoost f150 for like 26k with 38,000 miles on it. Thing is a fucking monster and the turbos are upgradable for up to like 800hp
@@425superRocket This, unfortunately, isn't even true, anymore. Homes have gotten...ugh. It's a whole other can of worms, and we ain't here to talk about that.
I love my new Denali HD Duramax, but I gotta agree with you about the square body. There's just something that's so cool and awesome about them. Big Green needs a big block, though.
New trucks are trash compared to the K10. You could keep that K10 running for another 50 plus years. I'll be eating soup out of the remnants of the new truck in 5 years, possibly sooner.
So true. I've a 1986 Military Blazer, zero electronics, not even a radio! New vehicles are designed and built for a much shorter service life. My Blazer is almost 40 years old and just as dependable as the day it rolled off the assembly line, how will this Silverado Bison run and drive 40 years from now? Also, the cost, for the price charged for new trucks to have such a short service life is IMHO totally unacceptable.
@@hkguitar1984You know whats funny the big 3 sell cheap body on frame manual everything pick up trucks in Mexico even the diesel version dont have the Def thing, the trucks are Ram 1200, Chevrolet s10 Max and Ford Ranger (Mexican Version looks like the american but has manual transmision)
It's especially true for trucks. Today's technology definitely allows for more power and torque. The chassis and drive train are way more durable and last way longer. Pretty much all the new truck come equipped with independent front suspension. It's an advantage when it comes to toeing capacity but a disadvantage when driving over rough terrain. There are other ways to achieve a greater toeing capacity. It's quite a bit more expensive. Expenses and profit are the main reason manufacturers produce less capable vehicles than they use too. I will point out many manufacturers offer select models equipped with better stuff. The price tag they attach to it is completely unjustified. We have a little something called greed to thank for this development.
I mean I guess if you never actually use your truck yeah. Run down a bad dirt or gravel road a few times when you're trying to get stuff done in reasonable time, and that bouncing around gets really really annoying.
Until you've hit your head on the roof for the fifteenth time in as many minutes. Starts gettin' a _little_ old after that. 😂 Especially at the end of the day, when you start to feel every bump and twist your body took on that drive - enough to make ya feel old.
K-10 all the way! Maintaining it yourself is a HUGE bonus. Being able to change parts easily, at a reasonable price, and also being able to crawl under and on top of the engine makes it so convenient. I used to own a '72 C-10 .5 ton truck with a 350 engine, and it was a practical truck you could take to work, camping, helping family and friends move, and haul things around town. I miss the days of owning and maintaining your vehicle, without having to take it to a certified mechanic as soon as your "Check Engine" light appears. Great video and I'm looking forward to your next comparisons! 🛻
Adjusted for inflation that K10 would be around $25,000 today. Meanwhile the Bison upgrade package alone costs more than the entire truck did in '85. I would trade that new truck in for an '85 square body in "reasonable" condition any day of the week.
@@andyr5389 ah yes abs who needs an advanced system to help you brake when we can just give you shit rear brakes from factory see now you can never lock up your rears
The new truck sure does make things more comfortable but just remember when something goes wrong with the electronics you might want to go cry. Ask my friend about that brand new 4x4 ram with less that 1,000 miles went to put it in 4 wheel on the the farm. Light said it was engaged but it didn't work. Worst part is dealer couldn't fix it even with the corporate engineers. Lemon lawed it at 1,000 miles. That's the biggest concern on all those electronics.
@PFPTHEGREATEST Yeah and that old truck is actually going up in value and is not just another new truck on the road that really gets no notice. You will probably get tired of people asking about it and wanting to buy it. I get that all the time with my custom 91 Sport Silverado.
It's the design. Clean, simple lines. Boxy but not brutalist. Wide open engine bay and accessible mechanical components. The old truck IS superior in many ways. The new truck might have more creature comforts but I'll take that '85 any day of the week.
@@craigdoriety9798 i love that 88-97 body style. i have a 2003 bonneville SSEi and a 97 grand prix. both 3800 (ssei is supercharged). i love my older vehicles, and they are both in great shape for the age
2 main reasons to go old. First: you can get any part off the shelf. Second: that part costs 1 tenth of what the same part for the new one does. Third bonus reason: the old trucks just look like trucks!
@@WASTED__POTENTIAL the assertion that "fewer parts go bad in older vehicles" is a bold faced lie how often do u have to change coils, wheel bearings, cap ,rotor , sparkplug wires, fuel system on newer cars every moving component of older cars needs changing almost as frequently as oil changes old cars need constant tinkering new cars need little more than oil changes to get to at least 150,000 miles and only then you get air filter and sparkplugs how about in newer cars if one of my blend door motors go bad i dont have ac or heat on that side vs old if i have a vaccum leak not only does my motor not run right but now the implement doesnt work say goodbye to shifting (automatic problem) wipers and even windows
I think a better comparison would be Big Green and a current Chevy Z71 or GMC X31 package truck, they sell 10's of thousands of those vs a handful of the Bison.
Old truck was affordable and tough and easy to work on. New garbage is way too much money way to much extra unnecessary crap. Unnecessary crap that breaks. The new ones are to much computer and wires a nightmare when they get older they will not be around as long as the old simple trucks. OLD TRUCKS FOR THE WIN!!
I own an 85 Chevy k20 - & 82 k5 blazer with 6.2 diesel. I’ve owned newer. You said you work a lot on you 85 but the thing is you can work on it. As a matter of fact I’m surprised you didn’t have 5 recalls on the Silverado before filming ended. New trucks are space age nice but come with a mound of potential problems & cost. Love your 85 Thanks for the video.
Old trucks anyday! I currently own a 2022 Ram 1500, a very fine vehicle. But, of all the trucks I owned over the past 40 years, my favorite of all time : my 1976 Jeep Cherokee Chief with the 360 and solid axles. That beast was unstoppable! Keep up the good works guys!
Ive been looking for a Chief since high school(30+ years ago). My buddy had an orange Cherokee in high school. It was pretty much unstoppable(within reason). I loved the size of it, easy to park, and wrenching on it was super easy.
Sorry a new ram is not a good vehicle. Did you know if you get a nick in one of the 20ga tiny wires for an engine sensor You’ll be limited to 30mph. One nick in a single abs wire. An you lose 4WD capability. You’ll hate it It just hasn’t happened yet
Great video! I had the almost identical truck as big green as my first truck And wish I never sold it.I highly recommend Airing those tires down for on road and about half of that for off-road. The best thing I did for comfort in my 78 Silverado was definitely jacking the truck up and putting grease between the leaf Springs.
I love the comparison between the old and new trucks. Newer trucks can show they are capable but they are made so nice looking and with those computers but damn you can’t beat the reliability of older trucks.
I just bought 6 months ago 2002 GMC Sierra. SLT With Only fifty three thousand miles One owner garage kept pristine condition Beautiful truck inside and out had to pay top dollar for it.But was definitely worth it I will keep it forever. Two tone paint black and gray With Black interior leather
It’s because of what they can afford. Plus it’s easy to work on because they were slapped together. The new ones are too complex for this audience. The very same people will complain that they afford the old ones because they are no longer 500.
Yeah!...on the path to the junk yard.this all new truck from ford,ram and Chevrolet are crap the older ones will are still going strong without any crap like this ones.
Sorta a poor comparison. The new one is a higher package with a lot of factory extras. The older one is a very base model. And yet, they performed pretty equally
I would go with the new Chevy truck no doubt about it. Of course I have many years of road experience and I don't want to spend a lot of time with repairs that come with an older truck. Been there and done that. Thank you for taking us through the comparison.
I bought a new K20 4x4 in 1978. 400 small block, thm400 , 3.73 floating rear axle, and Cheyanne trim if my aging memory is still working. I added a Rancho 4" lift with 14-35 Ground Hawgs. I think of this truck every time I see Big Green. I stupidly sold it after I realized it was only coming out of the building 2 times a year. I do like my current 2020 GMC Sierra AT4 6.2L. So does my back.
78 GMC Jimmy here with a 400 small block TH400 and I believe 4" lift. I like the round headlights more than the squares. Thing went anywhere I wanted it to. I stupidly sold mine cheap to a friend after breaking a yoke but was young and stupid and didn't know how to work on stuff underneath, only motors and body stuff. Guy blew the motor revving it in his backyard cause he didn't have a license yet. Kicked myself so bad when I was told by my brother a few days after selling, that it was like a 10 dollar part and takes 10 minutes to replace lol.
How much power does it present on the back of a tow truck because a part that cost about .50 cents in China to manufacture, sells for hundreds at the dealer and costs thousands of dollars to diagnose and replace at the dealership? That is a perfect example of more money than brains and misaligned priorities! "It might be a problematic POS but at least it's expensive"! Right up there with "It might be short but at least it's skinny"! 🤣
Funny, I own a 2021 Colorado ZR2 (stock) and a 1969 C10 (stock). Both of these trucks will get looks at times… however the 69 always gets more looks and I can’t even get out of a parking lot without a positive comment from someone or a offer to buy it…. That tells you something about old trucks. I love both but when you drive the 69, man it’s just amazing. I’m 51 so the old truck is really my fav, I just don’t tell the ZR2 that….😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@@krisw8597 only fanboys fawn over literal random numbers and letters designed by manufacturers not to be better but to to trick someone to spend more money on options to get the same truck. The people who know cars aren’t impressed. And the rest only act impressed to satiate your ego and their own ignorance simultaneously.
@@krisw8597 I drove my 1981 c3500 GMC every day since Monday this week. It's not pretty. It's a basic work truck. It does have a nice liftgate, but most people notice that last. Every day this week I've had people asking to buy it. It's my back up hauler, it's always ready to run, and rescue anyone anywhere. It's not going anywhere. Even today... after years of my landlord suggesting I sell it off.... today he asks to buy it. Sorry, bud I had to tell him to kick rocks.
Well, dude... you're talk'n to an old school, wooden roller coaster 🎢 love'n, all American guy. A 4-speed manual, bench seat, single cab is speaking my language. If I had money 💰 in the bank for a brand new off-road truck, I'd spend a fraction of that rebuilding an old truck from the ground up and have a far better truck and one hell of a Christmas budget 🤟🎅👍.
You need to spend about $2000.00 on a custom set of leaf springs that are multiple thin leaf (7-10 leaves each) to allow for flex and a nice ride in Big Green. ANY mass produced "lift kit" for a solid axle GM is going to have very minimal leaves. Here is an insider secret, when companies buy leaf springs (many made in India) they buy them by the pound. To maximize profits they keep them 3 to 4 leaves and make them stiff so they don't sag over time....but you pay for it in ride quality and articulation. Any quality blacksmith shop or spring shop can build you a custom set of springs based on your trucks weight and what your intended use is. Good springs and lockers in Big Green would make the truck as capable as anything new coming out of GM today (off road-wise). On road, the new trucks are much safer, smoother, quieter and better MPGs. The gonad kicker is the purchase price....yikes.
The arc makes a big big difference too, if he got flip shackles for the rear and drop shackles for the front so they don't have so much arc they will ride and flex much easier..
So glad you mentioned this fact! Yes, it's a bit pricey but still comes no place near the price of even a base truck like the one in question here. I have BDS, 6" lift with 35x16.5x12's on mine. Has a lot of curve but better quality than say a rough country or something would. After installing I took it in to get it looked at by a man who's square rides much better and it is because he did what you described. I'll be fine with what I have that was about 3k but next build will be different none the less. Matter of fact if you are familiar with the setup I have and described and have suggestions on improving it a bit I'm open to suggestions. It's good but could definitely be improved. Thanks.
35s didn't pass their durability testing for the differentials when loaded at GCWR. There's an interview (somewhere on the internet) with a chassis engineer that explains more. Apparently, the cost of upgrading the ring & pinion did not warrant the benefit of larger tires.
Today's "trucks" are dual purpose vehicles and compromise at both being a car and a truck. As a car, they are comparatively hard riding and hard for the lady to climb in and out of, and are WAY too expensive. As a truck, the bed is too small, and it is WAY too expensive. For me, my 73 square body is far superior.
Fellow Ontarian, first time viewer, new subscriber. Not sure how i've never stumbled across the channel previously. Mildly amusing (to me) that a video comparing a squarebody and a ZR2 package truck was the first video from your channel. Mildly amusing, as i've owned 5 squarebodys over the years (currently with my "forever" 'Burb) and previously owned a '99 ZR2 Blazer 5 spd for 4 years. That was a fun little truck, and the ZR2 package definitely gave the S-series platform an advantage over the other 4WD S-series trucks of the time. While i miss that Blazer, it'll never compare to my luv for squarebodys. Luv Big Green btw!💚😘👌🏻
First of all, I really appreciate that you actually tested the trucks in something that could have been a problem. Instead of something that my car could do! The one difference that was not mentioned. IFS is much better at high speed whoops, but it is also much more fragile when it comes to rock crawling. So it depends on what you are going to do with it.
Both trucks are awesome but I do have to say that Big Green is more my kind of truck. Plus, like you said, you don't have to worry so much about it and it's MUCH cheaper to fix.
Looks like the bison is a good offroader, but older vehicles are more than capable. My favorites of all time were the CJ7 wranglers, Humvees, CUCV (K5 blazer variant), and some of the international Scouts.
The GM trucks produced from 1988-1999 were some of the best ones GM ever made. There were a few kinks in the early years but if you got something from 93/94 to 97/98, those were some great trucks. Older trucks were made with work purposes in mind while newer trucks are more like SUV alternatives that can still do work as a secondary task.
They're literally more work oriented. You have lights in the bed so you can actually work after sunset. Surround lighting for the same reason. A ton more power and towing capacity so you can actually get stuff places. You get little convenience options for storage and work benches. And you can actually load heavy stuff in the bed without busting your back. Spent a ton of time in old and new, and old trucks are a fun novelty. They're "just good enough" while new trucks do everything better or do more.
I miss my 86 chevy 4x4 350ci automatic with overdrive, 33" Goodrich all-terrain tires, cold ac, it was so simple to fix if it had a problem, I bought it for $4000 and drove it for 8 years then sold it for $7500, worst mistake I ever made.
I've never been a fan of the 88-98s. Weak transmissions, throttle body injection was a pain in the ass, and the later ones with the vortec has the spider injection that was always fun to fight.
Big Green hands down for me. Yes, the new truck has some incredible engineering and some pretty nice features that either didn't exist back in the day or were aftermarket accessories, but they don't come close to compensating for the fact that the bed is just too small in the new truck. They also can't compensate for the fact that you can't do much more than oil changes on the new one. My 73 GMC C25, like Big Green, is bog simple. I do all my own servicing AND repairs/refurbishment MYSELF, IN MY OWN BACK YARD. I also don't have a catalytic converter to get stolen, nor do I have any computers, sensors, or phasers to go haywire. I don't need or want a multifunction tailgate, nor do I need a crew cab.
Yes, the new truck has more features, but they don't come for free. If you compare the cost of the square body when new versus wages & payoff duration - even when adjusting for inflation, the Bison is still waaay more expensive, so there should be a lot more features you get with that mortgage payment.
OK right off the bat LOVE ol green! Now that's a REAL truck! Taken care of, that truck will last damn near forever. Easy to work on, parts reasonable, just no comparison. Now bottom line, again absolutely NO comparison! The Bison costs, what I would expect to pay for a house. Like you I'd be babying it constantly, because of the money involved. I'd have no interest in owning one because of the ridiculous amount to own it. Could not enjoy it, no joy of ownership. One mans opinion. Thoroughly enjoyed your comparison, confirmed my suspicions, thanks!
Biggest baddest Chevy I ever owned was 77 step side Cheyenne with a custom 383. It was too awesome. I had to run 32x15s, any bigger of tire would snap every joint I had while in 4 low. My buddy went with a one ton long bed tweeked out with a 454 on 38x16s. He didn't need 4wd unless it was snowing and he was on the streets. He won the tough truck contest but he couldn't park that monster anywhere. I have a Tacoma now. Zero complaints.
No, tech is unreliable and for idiots that don’t belong off roading. Been wheeling for 45 years and skills are still the best thing. I have enjoyed recovering broken new tech crap. Besides the point being transmission and drivetrain expert for 38 years, the electronic Nannie’s always seem to fail when you need them.
There’s people here in the states paying 20k-30k for a squarebody like Big Green. It’s all depending on condition. The way yours sits, you could definitely get over 20k for it here.
I got a 84/85 k20 in the 2 tone blue and grey. The block was magnifluxed and rebuilt she's got a 4 bolt main with ported heads and a ported eddelbrock intake a cam and longtube headers with a 750 Eddelbrock, 400 transmission with 14 bolt semi float diff. My dad built it when I was 14 I'm 38 now and now I get to rebuild it with my son.
I want to see a comparison to the late 90s Chevy trucks now, I have a 97 and absolutely love that truck. taken it off road many places never could get it stuck.
I have a 2022 ZR2 in the Sand color. Awesome truck so far. I don't baby it at all. Take it off road towing my 25 foot travel trailer, pull my dump trailer, and both an open and enclosed car hauler on occasion. It works well enough that I haven't started my 2015 F350 diesel in about 10 months now. Pretty impressed with the ZR2 with the 6.2 engine.
Big green is a great use case for torsen LSD in the front and rear. Doesn't need any maintenance beyond oil changes, no user input to work, and super reliable. I think that would really be the tits
Truck seasons have a whole different purpose than they used to they used to be for work now they're everyday vehicles I remember my dad had an F2 1950 and that thing won't work any truck around and that was in the '80s and I definitely know it won't work any of them today he rebuilt that truck from top to bottom I wish I could find another one I would love to put another one together in his name
Big Green. Better off rd. Better looking. More manly looking. Interior is just what you need and nothing else. Sounds great and simplicity. If I were in a danger zone I would pick big green all day long. If you had put big green against just a regular chevy 4 by 4 like big green is it would have stomped it. That Bison is the best truck chevy makes and big green still won. I'm old school so here is a win for the old trucks and guy's lol.
Great video TK! My takeaway is that you don't need the latest and greatest to do stuff. Big Green did everything the bison did, on open diffs, and with a manual transmission! You could pick up a functional older 4x4 pickup for $3k ( I checked) or 3% of the cost of a bison. Big Green's estimated value is about equivalent to the added taxes on the bison in Canada of about 15%. Cheers gents!
Yes at these few little obstacles, once one of the wheels are off the ground and you do some real off-roading that old truck is done😳……….lock the new truck and it will do far more than that old truck can ever think of, if doesn’t need solid front axcels because all it needs is a wheel or two on the ground and if can pull through…….all done in comfort to the trail and back!
@@dennissmith7214 So the old truck can't take lockers? Throw some lockers in it and allow for a sway bar disconnect and that old truck will do everything better off-road than that new truck except for creature comforts.
I had an 86 camper. Special looks just exactly like big. Green, except she was all brown all original except. Check carburetor edelbrock hedge edelbrock and take manifold. Holly aluminum cylinder heads. Had the motor completely done it to shop. I got a whole eight mile to count on a fifty five brother , but I'll never get stuck 24 speed with a granite gear
I had a 1985 Chev 3/4 ton 4x4 with a steel bumper and winch it was a old BC forestry truck and I drove that truck everywhere and I was constantly fixing that truck and I was getting pretty good at swapping motors in that thing. I don't miss that truck at all. I owned a few square bodies and they all broke down lots. Newer trucks seem to last a lot longer between repairs.
The old vehicles needed maintenance. If you perform those tasks when recommended or even sooner, they are extremely reliable, but if you don't, they start having one problem after another.
That's why the Ford Unibody trucks in 61 and 62 failed - the frame wasn't free to twist, so the truck could suffer from some of the shortcomings of a passenger car - doors that jam shut if stopped on severely uneven terrain or can't be closed, etc.
OLD: Pros vs Cons Pros: it's old... and still going after 40 years (something that nobody will ever say about a 2024 vehicle of any kind), it has very few electronic devices and those that it does have are simple enough that most people can replace them on the side of the road if they need to, overall costs (cheaper to buy, cheaper taxes, cheaper insurance, MUCH cheaper repair costs if you do them yourself, etc...) it's simple (fewer moving parts means fewer things that can fail) it's fun to drive because takes some skill to operate and it still has some style Cons: this particular one is from the "malaise" or emissions era and while the modifications have probably eliminated most the problems associated with that, the aftermarket modifications can be troublesome depending on quality of parts used and how well they were installed, not great fuel economy and with the mods it's probably even worse than stock NEW: Pros vs cons... Pros: it's new, nothing is worn out yet, more power (necessary because it's much heavier), better fuel economy Cons: modern electronics can fail at any moment, without warning, and leave you stranded with no hope of repairing on site, overall costs (initial price, higher insurance, higher taxes, higher repair costs, etc...), with so many more comfort/convenience features there is a LOT more things that can break/fail requiring expensive repairs, it's boring, it's too easy to operate, and it's ugly... you'll blend right in on a crowded highway and it'll be hard to find in parking lot. I make my living repairing late model vehicles. There's a reason why all of the vehicles I own are more than 40 years old. All those fancy gadgets on modern vehicles are great... until they stop working and you have to pay hundreds of dollars to fix something you didn't need in the first place.
I love the old square bodies - had a few over the years, and a 1st and second gen blazer too. The most capable off road was the 1st gen Blazer. Solid axles, cast iron transfer case, locking rear diff and roof off to the windshield made for some good times. Currently drive an aluminum body diesel super duty. deleted and tuned that thing is fast, but it is too expensive to take offroad in anything serious.
The only reason my 2018 F150 goes off road better than my old 89 F150 is because the 18 has a factory electronic locker. The 18 has way way more torque and horsepower but that dont help much off road lol I think the new technology like traction control is more of a hindrance off-road thankfully you can shut it off in most trucks. Im not a chevy guy but i would take the old square body all day over the new one. Awesome video bro
I'll take the square body you can keep the soccer mom van with a truck bed wonder how long that frame will last before it rots because of all the mud and water and road salt under all those skid plates
The 1985 K 20 all the way all day simply because of cost ,and pure simplicity. 3 components for the fuel system besides fuel lines . Fuel tank , mechanical fuel pump ,carburetor. A carb kit is $40.00,Fuel pump ,$85.00~120 . Try that on the 2024 ,electric in tank fuel pump $ 600.00~1000, 8 fuel injectors @ $120.00, =$ 960.00 . And that's not including the programming. Code reader,scanner software blah blah .. Consider the possibility of an EMP /CME,,, 5 Components to pre aquire .Starter ,Alternator. HEI distributor,Battery and fan blower motor. Maybe a radio if you want listen for signs of life .
