I’ll admit my tastes can be fickle, sometimes. I caught a Blazer of this generation last year and did not like it one bit. It was a late ‘70s 2WD sitting a mite too low and dodgy on a number of counts. But this, this gargantuan testament to the longest-lived GM nameplate’s mighty seventh chapter – and a very long chapter it was, too – is just about perfect.
I’m not sure a vehicle like this really belongs in a place like Tokyo. It’s far too big to be of much use and probably too thirsty to be worth the expense. Still, let us be thankful that there are a few folks around here for whom a completely unsuitable classic American SUV is an irresistible proposition. I just hope that right rear view mirror won’t get sheared off someday. It would only take one literal second of carelessness…
But while there’s little room for error out on the streets and parking garages, there is plenty of space inside this cavernous contraption. GM designed these at the height of the Land Yacht era, and it shows. The ‘70s never really went away with Chevrolet: the ’77 Caprice kept the glitter ball rolling until 1990 and the ’73 four-door Suburban (and its two-door Blazer sidekick) stayed on till 1991. To be fair, both were beaten handily by the G-Series van, which entered production in April 1970 and only left it in 1996.
Not that the Suburban didn’t change at all, of course. The SUV periodically underwent facelifts, got new engine options and trim packages, but on the whole, the breed was quite stable for its near two decades on the production line. The very last facelift, with small-ish square quads and a big horizontal chrome strip splitting the plastic black grille, was probably devised to ease the clientele towards the new generation Suburban / Blazer slated for 1992, which would have been already finalized around the time when this final refresh was made.
The Silverado trim is almost as old as the four-door body, having debuted in 1975. Not surprising that it later came to be its own nameplate – it’s a pretty memorable and very American name. The fact that it took 25 years for the Silverado to escape from the Suburban’s grasp is what’s a bit strange.
So what do we get for the extra US$5000 or so that the Silverado package provides, aside from that small plaque? A plush interior with bucket seats, for one thing. I’m pretty sure all the possible types of beige are present here. It’s like a hearing aid rainbow. The extra layer of carpet on top of the dash, which I don’t think is standard issue but looks very well done, is a very nice touch.
But it’s this vehicle’s apparent honesty that rings particularly strongly with me. I’m really not knowledgeable about these rigs, but as far as I could tell from a spell of web browsing, what we have here is a clean and original 1989-90 Suburban 2500 Silverado in Mojave Beige / Sunset Gold Metallic deluxe two-tone finish and four wheel drive. No idea what engine it has, but choices that year would have been the 350 (5.7 litre) and 454 (7.4 litre) petrol or the 379 (6.2 litre) Diesel – all V8s of course.
The wheels seem aftermarket, but are not outrageously weird and the ride height looks normal. That’s rare enough to be noteworthy. A lot of these are jacked up sky-high, shod with massive tyres and made to look like floatplane fuselages minus the wings. Others (though a smaller cohort, it seems) have been slammed down to futility, furrowing the road with their running boards. Not this one, thankfully.
Its hood ornament stands proud, ready to impale distracted passersby right in the neck with grace and aplomb. That’s a bowtie’s destiny, after all. Rolls-Royces and Daimlers may be the ultimate peasant-crushers, but in Silverado country, just like in Soviet Russia, the peasants crush you! And it so happens I’ve developed a bit of a crush on this Yank tank. Choosing between this and a Grand Wagoneer, the Jeep would probably still win, but only just. Chiefly because of styling and that the experience of owning a Suburban, if the COALs below are anything to go by, can be a challenge. Which team are you on?
Related posts:
Neighborhood Outtake: Chevy Suburban – Have These Finally Become Collectable?, by PN
COAL: 1990 GMC Suburban – Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fires of Automotive Hell, by Jerseyfred
Curbside Classic: 1982 Chevrolet Suburban – Four Doors For The Win; Or Even Six, by PN
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
The wheels look ” factory “, though perhaps missing their chrome beauty rings, and if this rig were diesel or big block powered I imagine there would be badges denoting the fact.
It’s kind of stupid, but one of the reasons why I find these Suburbans appealing is that most/the majority seem to sport two-toned paint jobs, and they wear them well, much better than 1 solid color.
These are getting old enough that they are rarely seen in the American midwest, where they once roamed in great numbers. Some relatives owned an 87 for a long time and it was a durable beast for them, although I recall some transmission trouble along the way.
On those wheels, they look to me like normal American OEM steel wheels of the period – I wonder if this one was originally equipped with the flat stainless wheelcovers that many of those came with. From the look of photos online, most owners today prefer the other wheel choices that were offered (or many offered since) and perhaps this Japanese owner didn’t like their looks either.
You find the most interesting things there.
I usually think of this generation of truck steelies being painted white, but the GMT400 pickups had been on the market since 1988 and always had their steelies painted silver. I’d assume by the ’90 models they were doing the same for the holdovers.
I agree with JP about the wheels. The fancier / nicer wheels didn’t ever seem to be nearly as common on these 3/4 ton models. Also, the pad on the dash is definitely aftermarket; while I don’t know the effectiveness, the intent is to protect the dashboard from UV rays.
My mom’s younger brother and his wife had a ’90 or ’91 Suburban, but it was a half-ton, but also four-wheel drive. That thing was a beast, replacing an ’84 or ’85 Buick LeSabre, and the Suburban served them well for over a decade. The only hiccup was the transmission. One day he started it and when put in gear the transmission sounded like a rock crusher. However, from what I can remember, the fix boiled down to simply replacing the transmission with a used one…but that was a long time ago.
A 3/4 ton Suburban would have to be a stimulating drive in Tokyo.
Stimulating? Harrowing seems like a more appropriate description, considering that there are very likely apartments in Tokyo smaller than the size of a Suburban
Absolutely beautiful truck. It looks to have a minor lift? Or maybe that’s just how high the 2500 4WDs rode from the factory. I wonder how well it rides, being a 2500 and all, but boy is that a plush interior. I love the colors inside and out, perhaps as a function of being surrounded by nothing but black/grey and the ubiquitous pleather and scratchy fire-retardant cloth on most newer cars.
Yeah my only thoughts have to do with it being 3/4 ton. Not sure that the ride quality I would want unless I was going to do truly heavy duty things (not just cruise around Japan.)
The carpet on the dash is aftermarket, and helps protect the vinyl from cracking due to embrittlement and shrinkage from ultraviolet in sunlight. Most-known brand:
https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/product/original-dashmat-custom-dash-cover.DMC?gclid=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSpHPHd0CSFX6zm5nShYLZVk9UBdQj1ov5aTO3q4xTEEvoudRuSRgsMaAs1nEALw_wcB&gclid=Cj0KCQiA1KiBBhCcARIsAPWqoSpHPHd0CSFX6zm5nShYLZVk9UBdQj1ov5aTO3q4xTEEvoudRuSRgsMaAs1nEALw_wcB
Suburbans just like this were one of my first automotive crushes; I’d pick it over a Grand Wagoneer any day. I became somewhat obsessed with Suburbans as a kid in the 1980s, probably for the dual reasons that they were really neat, and that my father hated them. At one point I kept a running total of how many Suburbans I’d see each week, Two-tone Silverados were my favorites.
I never rode in a Suburban of this vintage, though every year I would go to car shows and would inevitably spend about 15 minutes sitting in a Suburban that was usually equipped mighty similarly to this one here. The interior looks familiar to me, and that’s why – all of that cumulative time sitting inside them at car shows.
And in looking over this one, the Hearing Aid Rainbow package has grown on me.
Yeah I laughed out loud at “hearing aid rainbow”.
These were among the last utilitarian Suburbans. I remember when there were stripped-down Suburbans that were used by the Forest Service, municipal mountain parks, and school districts…but now they are only available as luxo-barges that will only see dirt if they are used by fictional drug dealers in a TV show.
This particular example is a nice compromise between the simple Suburbans of yore and the pimp wagons of today.
While my brother in law owned the 87 Suburban, they bought a late model used 95 and kept the old one. (They lived in Texas). He told me that the old one was significantly wider inside than the newer version.
I never loved these like you do – but maybe that’s because I had a crush on Travelalls first. Now, though, I could see owing a 2wd version with the high-trim inside. It would make a nice Interstate cruiser.
“The very last facelift, with small-ish square quads and a big horizontal chrome strip splitting the plastic black grille, was probably devised to ease the clientele towards the new generation Suburban / Blazer slated for 1992.”
Perhaps more importantly, the new generation appearance arrived at the dealer in 1988 in the form of the new C/K pickups. So this update both previewed future Suburban styling and better matched the ’88-’92 truck lineup.
The tiny quad headlights (along with 15″ wheels) made these things look gargantuan.
The asking prices for non-rusted examples are increasing hugely. Sometimes I wonder if they’ll eventually be considered a classic in the vein of Jeep Wagoneer.
These can be described as colonnade trucks developed at the same time GM introduced their A bodies…The B pillars in both vehicles were the same providing that subtle arched opening for the windows.
I’ll bet that this Silverado Suburban has the 454 V8.Why spend the extra money on all the upgrades only to have a under power 350 for off roading?Remember the LS engines weren’t out yet, so I know I’d want the extra power.The fuel economy difference between the 350 and 454 was maybe 2 miles per gallon in these Suburbans.I’m glad this one has been well kept, it looks awesome!Built during an era where V8 RWD cars were getting harder to find and really nicely done trucks/Suburbans were taking their place.Nice article and great responses. Robert Levins
I’d forgotten about those last, small, rectangular sealed-beams. I think the best known application was in the 4th generation Camaro.
I bought my ’91 from the Div. Pres. of an Idaho Co. when it was 23 months old. The Silverado package offered a lot of “storage” places in a huge console, in pockets with flaps on the doors, seat back storage, and an overhead console that was large enough for the 747 instrument package. Mine even came prewired for a vehicle mounted mobile phone. The wheels you have came from GM with an outer trim ring (I believe called a beauty ring in the parts catalog) and a VERY FANCY dog dish the snapped in the middle. Top of the line were the alloy wheels with the 8 (?) round holes. I had worked for a dealer earlier, and I’ll bet this vehicle was $10K over sticker. It had 79000 miles when I bought it; it now has 169000. A Milestone!
I recommend stowing the ball hitch inside the vehicle. Save your shins in close quarters.