Trucks like this and the Ranger never should have gone away. It's as much truck as most people need and it's decent to drive. GM won't bring back a compact pickup, they'll just happily watch Ford sell every Maverick it can make. GM stubbornly refuses to follow the market, or if they do try it's some ridiculous thing nobody asked for. The Wrangler, 4Runner, and Bronco are printing money so GM's response is a 9000lb $120k electric Hummer. If they were to try to make a compact pickup it would be a Bolt with a 3' bed and cost $40k. S-10s and S-15s were cheap and that made them great for customizing. This one looks good with its subtle mods. The 4.3 V6 is one of the best engines ever made. It's not powerful but it lasts forever. My aunt has an old extended cab Ranger, I'd imagine the back seats are just like this. You're supposed to sit sideways. It's tight even for a kid.
My dad had a '96 Chevy Blazer LT or LS (forgot the lettering, probably the former), but had to crush it in 2009, cos it kept breaking down. Cheap American vehicles. 1995-2000 were the last good years for high quality US vehicles. I would love to pull a burnout in the RWD S-10 in this video, but I don't drive and haven't taken lessons. ADHD + too much Top Gear as a kid meant that I would be a terrible driver nowadays.
@@thatguyalex2835 I still daily q 99 blazer LT 2wd with g80 (posi) and 3.42 gearing w/ 264k on the clock. Just passed California emissions no SES light or stored codes 👍🏻
@@chillmanzz6294 yeah there pretty much gas hogs, I’m currently daily driving mines as my other truck is in the shop and the best I average is about 10-11 mpg and i have the 350 engine.
@@SombreroKnight how much times every week would you say you fill up your tank? sorry for the questions, I just scrapped the thought of getting one cuz of it but it’s good to hear someone’s opinion from personal experience
@@chillmanzz6294 the truck does have a pretty large fuel tank and it takes about 16 gallons to fill it up and on average the gas lasts me about 5 days as I don't drive far.
I agree, this is a nice sized truck that is seriously lacking today, save for the new Maverick as you mentioned (or the Hyundai Santa Cruz). This brings back a lot of memories. My father had a previous gen 1991 GMC Sonoma SLE 4x4 extended cab, two tone blue and charcoal grey.
@@samholdsworth420 True, but in the eyes of many buyers today, because the Maverick and Santa Cruz have a pickup bodystyle, in their minds, those are "trucks." And for most people who just want the image of driving a "truck" a FWD or AWD car based/crossover based unibody vehicle with a pickup body is more than adequate for 99% of the 99% of the time.
I had the same truck, 95 Sonoma 4.3 and a 5 speed. I absolutely loved that little truck. I used it while working for a pool cleaning company. I miss it 😭
I had a 94 with the "W" code. It was a multiport 4.3. 2WD. Best damn vehicle I've ever owned. Had 250k on it when I sold it to finish my 87 supra turbo I was restoring. Oh and that frame is definitely bent.
@@willursh sorry it was my 19 years of collision work that made me see it. I love the truck. I will tell youyou will be better off doing a frame swap than repairing that frame. With 2 people and a lift and hoist you can have everything swapped over in a weekend. I just did a 2020 ram classic frame swap and it only took 2 days. Paid 42 hours. Sounds like a big job but it's actually very easy.
I had a 1992 GMC Sonoma a few years ago in AWFUL shape but I changed the oil and drove it probably 40000 miles while I had it as my first vehicle and NEVER serviced it and it never bogged or broke down a single time. I drove it across the state multiple times and I have no idea how it never gave out. They made some good trucks.
I thought they were phased out in '91. I'm fairly confident the Jeep Grand Wagoneer was the last US car sold with a carb. Throttle body fuel injection was common in 95, it's just one injector where the carb goes.
@@willursh some had EFI and some had carburetors. it was optional. Also the Tacoma came out that year too to replace the Hilux body or in the states called it just Pickup. so they had 2 different trucks of the same size.
Had a 97s10 2.2 auto and a 93s10 2.8 manual. Loved both trucks. Easy to work on. I prefer g1’s body style over gen 2. I would still have my 93 at 330000 miles if I didn’t wreck it. Would love to find a 1st gen 4.3 manual someday.
My dad just had one an sls in October after having a problem with our last car and it was pretty good it was a work truck for his uncle and had the original radio that didn’t get good signal. Dust would fly everywhere when you pat the seat and it had a work bench shelf drilled into the back. I thought it was a little more sturdy than the 98-04.But then it had a transmission problem and had to sell cause we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. The backseat was tight though and it sounded good
This truck looks pretty modded, especially the wheels. And that 4.3 is ancient, they used it till very recently in the Silverado (the Colorado has a more modern 3.6) and has already been replaced by a 2.7 turbo 4 cylinder engine that puts V8s and diesels to shame torque wise. I doubt that new engine is going to be reliable though.
My O2 S10 that peace beside the vents were the four wheel drive buttons went I use mine for a toggle switch to turn my amplifier on and off for my subwoofer
Like an s10 but more dirty. Bro them s10s are dirty but they don't got nothing on the sonoma. Interested on hearing what you got for us. I'm recalling this shit as we go. Speed my ass.
Bro hit a railroad tie someone let fall off their truck I hit that thing going like 10 mph but that thing made the truck pop harder than any speed bump I ever ran going 90
I still daily drive a 99 Chevy Blazer LT 4d 2wd w/posi and 3.42 gearing. 264k on the clock with it's 2nd transmission. Just passed California smog check 4 months ago still no SES light or stored codes (knock on 🪵) Heavy on the gas is my biggest complaint.....
Thanks Zack for another quality video🤝
The fact that I bought a 96 a week ago and now he drops this is amazing
Me too hahaha
Looked up this video for the whole purpose of seeing Zack trying the jump seats.
Trucks like this and the Ranger never should have gone away. It's as much truck as most people need and it's decent to drive. GM won't bring back a compact pickup, they'll just happily watch Ford sell every Maverick it can make. GM stubbornly refuses to follow the market, or if they do try it's some ridiculous thing nobody asked for. The Wrangler, 4Runner, and Bronco are printing money so GM's response is a 9000lb $120k electric Hummer. If they were to try to make a compact pickup it would be a Bolt with a 3' bed and cost $40k.
S-10s and S-15s were cheap and that made them great for customizing. This one looks good with its subtle mods. The 4.3 V6 is one of the best engines ever made. It's not powerful but it lasts forever. My aunt has an old extended cab Ranger, I'd imagine the back seats are just like this. You're supposed to sit sideways. It's tight even for a kid.
My family had the Chevy Blazer version. They’re fantastic and the 4.3 is a great engine
My dad had a '96 Chevy Blazer LT or LS (forgot the lettering, probably the former), but had to crush it in 2009, cos it kept breaking down. Cheap American vehicles. 1995-2000 were the last good years for high quality US vehicles. I would love to pull a burnout in the RWD S-10 in this video, but I don't drive and haven't taken lessons. ADHD + too much Top Gear as a kid meant that I would be a terrible driver nowadays.
@@thatguyalex2835 I still daily q 99 blazer LT 2wd with g80 (posi) and 3.42 gearing w/ 264k on the clock. Just passed California emissions no SES light or stored codes 👍🏻
I love the ‘90s small and full size GM Trucks! As an owner of a ‘93 C1500 these old trucks are still pretty dependable and reliable.
how’s your obs on gas? I would love one but I heard they get horrible gas mileage.
@@chillmanzz6294 yeah there pretty much gas hogs, I’m currently daily driving mines as my other truck is in the shop and the best I average is about 10-11 mpg and i have the 350 engine.
@@SombreroKnight how much times every week would you say you fill up your tank? sorry for the questions, I just scrapped the thought of getting one cuz of it but it’s good to hear someone’s opinion from personal experience
@@chillmanzz6294 the truck does have a pretty large fuel tank and it takes about 16 gallons to fill it up and on average the gas lasts me about 5 days as I don't drive far.
@@SombreroKnight alright thanks man, much appreciated
I had a 1997 gmc Sonoma with the 4.3 for my first car! I had a bench seat and I loved it
That pass for the bottle test could have ended a season zack 😅😂
Funny you mention the pink s10 one goes to my work often, I also have a 98 sonoma sidestep in that brown color.
I drive a 99’ Sonoma ZQ8 everyday and I love it.
Sweeet
My 96 Mazda B-Series also has the small almost unusable jumpseats.
I had a 96 S10 back in the day. That little truck took me and my friends all over the place.
Thanks for the nostalgia!
I agree, this is a nice sized truck that is seriously lacking today, save for the new Maverick as you mentioned (or the Hyundai Santa Cruz). This brings back a lot of memories. My father had a previous gen 1991 GMC Sonoma SLE 4x4 extended cab, two tone blue and charcoal grey.
The only American company I'd expect to bring a compact truck to the US is RAM...they already have the RAM 1000 and 1200 in Mexico.
The Maverick and Santa Cruz are cars though
@@samholdsworth420 True, but in the eyes of many buyers today, because the Maverick and Santa Cruz have a pickup bodystyle, in their minds, those are "trucks." And for most people who just want the image of driving a "truck" a FWD or AWD car based/crossover based unibody vehicle with a pickup body is more than adequate for 99% of the 99% of the time.
I had the same truck, 95 Sonoma 4.3 and a 5 speed. I absolutely loved that little truck.
I used it while working for a pool cleaning company.
I miss it 😭
FINALLY! IVE BEEN WAITING FOR ANOTHER S-10/SONOMA VID!!
I had a 94 with the "W" code. It was a multiport 4.3. 2WD. Best damn vehicle I've ever owned. Had 250k on it when I sold it to finish my 87 supra turbo I was restoring. Oh and that frame is definitely bent.
It was in an accident, bed hit the cab pretty good. One day that’ll get addressed
@@willursh sorry it was my 19 years of collision work that made me see it. I love the truck. I will tell youyou will be better off doing a frame swap than repairing that frame. With 2 people and a lift and hoist you can have everything swapped over in a weekend. I just did a 2020 ram classic frame swap and it only took 2 days. Paid 42 hours. Sounds like a big job but it's actually very easy.
I had a 1992 GMC Sonoma a few years ago in AWFUL shape but I changed the oil and drove it probably 40000 miles while I had it as my first vehicle and NEVER serviced it and it never bogged or broke down a single time. I drove it across the state multiple times and I have no idea how it never gave out. They made some good trucks.
I can't believe in 95 we were still dealing with carburetors.
I thought they were phased out in '91. I'm fairly confident the Jeep Grand Wagoneer was the last US car sold with a carb. Throttle body fuel injection was common in 95, it's just one injector where the carb goes.
@@bwofficial1776 They were behind on those for sure. The toyota pickup with the 22r 2.4 was the last one in 1995.
Yeah that's right the Toyota 22r.
It’s a throttle body
@@willursh some had EFI and some had carburetors. it was optional. Also the Tacoma came out that year too to replace the Hilux body or in the states called it just Pickup. so they had 2 different trucks of the same size.
My dad had a s10 flare side with that jump seat. I remember getting thrown around going over train tracks.
I had a 97 sonoma ext cab and a 00 s10 ext cab. Man i miss those trucks.
My grandmas neighbor has a 95 in the Fusia pink its so cool
Had a 97s10 2.2 auto and a 93s10 2.8 manual. Loved both trucks. Easy to work on. I prefer g1’s body style over gen 2. I would still have my 93 at 330000 miles if I didn’t wreck it. Would love to find a 1st gen 4.3 manual someday.
I remember that truck very well. I had a 96 2.2 SLS all manual. was a good little truck. I traded it for an 89 Jeep XJ (Cherokee) 4.0.
My dad just had one an sls in October after having a problem with our last car and it was pretty good it was a work truck for his uncle and had the original radio that didn’t get good signal. Dust would fly everywhere when you pat the seat and it had a work bench shelf drilled into the back. I thought it was a little more sturdy than the 98-04.But then it had a transmission problem and had to sell cause we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with it. The backseat was tight though and it sounded good
This truck looks pretty modded, especially the wheels. And that 4.3 is ancient, they used it till very recently in the Silverado (the Colorado has a more modern 3.6) and has already been replaced by a 2.7 turbo 4 cylinder engine that puts V8s and diesels to shame torque wise. I doubt that new engine is going to be reliable though.
3.6 is dump
That 4.3 is one of the best engines ever made. It just keeps going.
The 4.3 is still used in work vans. It makes a lot more power now though.
There's more room in the rear if you got in the passenger side.
I love these little trucks!
I love the tonneau cover I got the same one pretty good quality for a affordable cover
My O2 S10 that peace beside the vents were the four wheel drive buttons went I use mine for a toggle switch to turn my amplifier on and off for my subwoofer
What wheels are those? I’m looking at a light blue 97 Sonoma short bed single cab.
Not me looking for that block off plate at the junkyard no wonder I figured it was rare
Cool that I found this channel. Want to review my 12 altima 2.5 sl? It would be crazy if you did. Have an awesome day good sir. Keep up the good work.
You can submit it to my website! ZackPradel.com/submit
my 1996 S10 LS 4WD is awesome.
Ford Maverick AND the Hyundai Santa Cruz!
What size tires are you running?
Where did y’all get the headlights
Looks awesome! Mine is very similar!!
1994 GMC sonoma bahama blue I love my little truck
U have the 96 GMC Sonoma sle 4x4 with same two tone green/silver color
bro where did you find those headlights , i cant find clears like that
Love the video but do you have a video of a GMC Jimmy
My 95 S15 has 338,000 miles and still going
My first vehicle was a 1997 GMC Sonoma SLS Sport..m I miss it
Like an s10 but more dirty. Bro them s10s are dirty but they don't got nothing on the sonoma. Interested on hearing what you got for us. I'm recalling this shit as we go. Speed my ass.
People try and low ride that shit and it gets real dirty then
Bro my shit low rided one day
Bro hit a railroad tie someone let fall off their truck I hit that thing going like 10 mph but that thing made the truck pop harder than any speed bump I ever ran going 90
I'm telling you it took a whole week for the front end to drop
Oh shoot we got a nemisis
Looks like someone put more than the rated load in that bed.
If you think that's bad you should try driving a cargo van
OFC the belt will be worse if you sit the wrong way like that... lol
Eww a k&n air filter. That engine must be dusted by now.
Why did you reference Chick-Fil-A?
I still daily drive a 99 Chevy Blazer LT 4d 2wd w/posi and 3.42 gearing. 264k on the clock with it's 2nd transmission. Just passed California smog check 4 months ago still no SES light or stored codes (knock on 🪵)
Heavy on the gas is my biggest complaint.....