This is the new Canyon as seen at the auto show.
There are supposed to be 3 engine options for these trucks when they hit the market. The base engine will be a 2.5L inline 4 cylinder capable of 193 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque. Next up will be a 3.6L V6 with 302 HP and 270 lb ft of torque. Finally, there will be a 2.8L Duramax diesel inline 4 cylinder engine available, but I was unable to find any performance specs on that, so I guess it will be a surprise.
My visit to the Chevy website to check out the Colorado did not offer a build and price option, so I would guess that pricing and packages are still being sorted out and nailed down. Well, it’s a nice looking little truck, though to be frank, it’s not really that little. Compared to a full size pickup, it is of course, smaller. Still, labeling this as a “compact” pickup is worrisome, because I know I’m going to see these things parked in the compact only spaces of the Haaf ramp. The owners will justify taking up the end “compact only” space with a vehicle that has a footprint akin to a full sized sedan by virtue of its designation as a “compact” truck. This will get on my nerves, and I’ll do my usual passive aggressive thing where I maneuver my car around the overhanging truck to corner up to the next ramp level and quietly curse the owner of that vehicle while I do so. It’s not a very satisfying way to handle it, but whatever…. And anyway, it will serve them right when somebody comes along and clips their truck while trying to get around it.
I’ve heard some talk of bringing back the Dodge Dakota “compact” pickup truck, but so far nothing has come of it. Besides, now it would be a Ram Dakota, since the truck division struck out on its own (sort of). You know what would be a cool truck to bring back? A Jeep truck! Remember those little Jeep/Willys pickups we saw in the last post? A few years ago, Jeep showed a concept truck called the Gladiator, and it was like a modern day version of those little things -just brimming with classic Jeep character. It was fantastic, and just the type of thing that would make me want to buy a truck. Sadly, I’ve heard nothing of plans along those lines. Dakota Daschmota! Gimme a Jeep pickup!
But enough of that, because we've got yet another truck to look at in today’s post. We already had our something new, so it’s time to contrast it against something old -or older anyway.
This eye catching little rig is a 2002 Chevy S-10 Xtreme. Consider it the older brother of the GMC Canyon and the Chevy Colorado we just finished discussing.
The Chevy S-10 pickup (or “compact” pickup, as it were) was produced from 1982-2004. This particular truck is part of the 2nd generation of S-10s which were eventually replaced in 2004 by the Chevy Colorado, which was not immediately replaced after its initial production run until now.
When I was in high school, there were a few guys who had S-10s. I worked at the mall when I was a high school kid, and there were always guys showing up after hours with S-10 trucks that had been lowered and fitted with teeny tiny wheels, great big sound systems, and underbody lighting kits. Those guys would park their trucks and blast their stereos while hanging out in the parking lot to watch people drag race 5.0 Mustangs and the occasional other variety of muscle car.
When it comes to S-10 trucks, I’m used to seeing them flashy, fitted with body kits, and wearing aftermarket stuff. Of course, most of the ones I saw in my high school days were first generation trucks, because most of those guys couldn’t afford to buy and modify a brand new S-10. Naturally, then, when this bright yellow pickup turned up in a used car lot I drive by frequently, it practically called out to my sense of nostalgia with its lowered stance and body kit.
But this isn’t an aftermarket DIY S-10. This truck came this way. Previous generation S-10s had special packages known as the Chevy Syclone (intentionally misspelled -probably due to the expense involved with trade marking and licensing the correctly spelled version of Cyclone) and the GMC Typhoon (apparently cheap enough to license that they could justify spelling it correctly). That went by the wayside, being sort of replaced by the “SS” (Super Sport) package, which was then replaced by the Xtreme (intentional misspelling, probably for the same reason listed earlier, or possibly because it was perceived as being cool) package.
The Xtreme S-10 differs from your run of the mill S-10 in a few ways. For starters, the Xtreme features a suspension that’s lower by an inch or two. The visual impact of that lowered stance is enhanced by the addition of a body kit that hangs close to the ground all the way around the truck. It’s got a stiffer suspension and performance shocks more along the lines of what you’d find in a sports car than a truck. It also came with special 16” rims, which is nothing special these days, or really even back in 2002, but they looked nice, and anything bigger would have negated the impact of the lowered suspension and skirt kit, anyway.
The body kit and the grille are color keyed to match the rest of the vehicle, which is also adorned with Xtreme badging and a special designation label that can be found inside the glove box of the vehicle to verify that it is, in fact, a legitimate, factory made Xtreme, and not some cobbled together wannabe thing. Under the hood wasn’t anything too special, because the Xtreme was more about appearance and handling than outright power. That said, an upgrade from the standard inline 4 cylinder engine was available in the form of a 4.3L V6 with 190 HP and 250 lb-ft of torque. It could be selected as an option along with a five speed manual or a four speed automatic transmission. I don’t know who in their right mind would have bought or ordered an Xtreme and not opted for the V6. Of course, the I4 in the new Canyon/Colorado can match the 4.3L V6 of 2002 for horsepower, but that 3.6L V6 in the new Canyon completely trounces the 4.3L.
The Xtreme package added over $3,000 to the base price of the truck, and upgrading to the Vortec V6 added about $1,200 more (worth it). Back when it was new, an S-10 Xtreme with nice options would probably cost anywhere from $20,000-25,000. This particular one is for sale right now with an asking price of $6,595. That price would be fair if this truck were immaculate, or at least in better condition than it is and with fewer miles than the 135,000 that this one has racked up.
Get a closer look. A very noticeable chunk of the grille is missing. And if that’s not bad enough, the chin skirt has no less than four cracks in it. Somebody edged too close to the curb while pulling into the parking space with this thing. When you’ve got a vehicle with low hanging parts, you just can’t do that type of stuff without sullying the vehicle’s appearance.
This truck is scuffed and scraped. But let’s say you’re a Do-It-Yourselfer. How do you handle this? You could hop on Ebay, where I just found a replacement urethane front valance with a buy it now price of $169.00 plus $39.00 shipping, though it’s not an original manufacturer part. But what if you want to be even cheaper about it?
Those body kit components are plastic, so you have a options aside from total replacement. You can head out to good old Harbor Freight, my favorite purveyor of inexpensive tools, and pick up a plastic welding kit. A cheap one will cost you $19.99 (but they’re on special this month for $14.99) -I’d avoid this one, because about a decade ago, I bought the cheapo plastic welder and only welded a few small things with it before it stopped working all together. For $59.99 (on special right now for $49.99) you can get a better one that might actually work. With this, you can “weld” those cracks together after you pull the piece off the truck. A little body putty and some sanding followed by a spray of new paint, and it would probably look like new again -unless you really suck at this type of thing.
Because it’s a low-lying chin piece, you may be able to get away with having your local auto parts and auto paint store mix up an aerosol can of touch up paint and use that to finish your patch job rather than having to go through the whole spray gun and spray booth thing with it. It wouldn’t be show quality, but it would look acceptable for everyday use, I think. Let’s total that up then:
$50 for the plastic welder
$15 for a small tub of Bondo body putty (Harbor Freight has this in stock in their auto body aisle, if you want to kill two birds with one stone)
$5 for a package of sand paper (probably cheaper actually, and again, you can get this at Harbor Freight while you’re there)
$6 for a spray can of primer, which you will sand smooth after it dries using some of your fine grit sand paper.
$15 for a custom mixed aerosol can of touch up paint for your truck (knock it down to $8 if they don’t have to mix it, and it’s already in stock on their shelves).
$91 total by my count. Not too bad, and you’ll still have a plastic welder to show for it when you’re done. If you get good enough at plastic welding, you may be able to make a buck or two on the side fixing and repairing cracked motorcycle faring and other people’s damaged body kits.
We’re going to have to touch up the front bumper on this thing, too. So, sand that rust off it, scuff the entire part, then primer and spray it. Again, not top quality, but good enough to get it by. You may be able to find a clear plastic wrap type guard for the bumper to protect it, which would cover any super glossy finish the truck has anyway with its own gloss, as well as protect the bumper from bug splatters and rock chips.
The grill will need replacing because that missing piece is long gone, so there’s no hope of even trying to weld it back in place with our handy plastic welder. Luckily, Ebay seems to have some available for anywhere from $60-$100.
The driver’s side front side skirt appears to have a bite taken out of it right where it meets the wheel well. That chunk is probably as gone as the missing grill bit, so it will need to be replaced. Just so happens that Ebay has one for sale (driver’s side only) with a starting bid price of $40 and no takers yet. It’s in red, so it will need a repaint before installation, but as long as we’re spraying the bumper and the front chin skirt, we might as well handle the side skirt, too. May need to buy another can of touch up paint, though. Otherwise, there’s a black one for sale with a buy it now price of $90. Still not too bad, but if we have to repaint it anyway, just buy the cheaper one, I say.
There’s some rust around the step on the rear bumper, but perhaps some sanding/rust removal coupled with the remainder of the touch up paint feathered in could remedy that situation. What does that amount to for our expenditures to get this truck looking presentable again? Using the cheapest parts we can get our hands on, we’ve got $91 for the work on the front, $60 for a replacement grill, $40 for the side skirt, figure in about $40 for shipping between them, and maybe another $10 for paint and shop supplies, and we’re up to $241 not counting whatever you figure your time is worth to mess around with all this stuff. Add another $80 or so in paint and supplies onto that if you want to get the paint job done proper in your garage using your own spray gun and air compressor if you have them.
It’s a lot to mess around with. Enough to justify knocking a considerable amount off the asking price for this truck. If I wanted it, I’d come at them offering $5,000. And that seems entirely reasonable to me, too, in view of the mileage, age, and condition of this little truck. It’s cute, sure, but it’s a fixer-upper, and that’s assuming that it’s mechanically sound as it sits. It would not surprise me to learn that it’s due or overdue for new shocks, so that may be an expense and an inconvenience to factor into the whole mess. In the end though, you’d have a foxy little summer cruiser truck to dash around in. After an evening spent hanging out watching the local hot rodders and gear heads rev up at the drive in or the drag strip, just drop some blankets into the bed and drive out into the country to lie down and stare up at the stars on a nice summer night -it would be perfect for that.
No comments:
Post a Comment