1982 Chevrolet S-10 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

When I was in HS, we lived out in the country and we "needed" a truck to haul the firewood, take the dogs to the Vet, etc. We could have done this with the family's mini-van, but definitely not my Mom's CRX or Prelude. Plus, I needed a dependable set of wheels to get me to school, football practice and work. Enter the '82 Chevy S-10, which was ~8 years old when I got her. What I wanted was the big C-10 on the lot, but the S-10 found its way home instead. So, I made the most of it. Not that we were able to go fast, but I fit the entire O & D line in the S-10. Three of us in the cab (windows open, arms hanging out) and the rest in the back...my poor shocks, but she got us from the weight room to the practice field. During HS, we put as much wood in the bed as we could fit w/o it falling out, which was ~1/2 a cord of wood; pre-split. I learned how to drive backwards / in reverse in that truck, backing up the country lane with a full bed of wood. She got me through the first couple years of college. Many of my classmates thought that I had a 4x4 with the way she handled in the snow; I just had ~450 lbs of concrete blocks in the back over the axle and treated the snow / ice with the respect it deserves. But, one thing that she couldn't do very well was go up Route 56 to Johnstown nor keep up on the PA Turnpike. Granted, I did my level best, but she just couldn't keep up with a v6 or full-size with an 8 cylinder under the hood and horsepower to spare. But, the S-10 was a good truck. She got me through HS and early college years w/o any major issues. We were able to haul just about whatever we wanted in the bed. I had a couple nice sound-systems in the cab, including a 2 x 10" truck-box and amplifier. When I replaced the S-10, she stayed in the family and was passed down to my sister as her first vehicle. She then sold the S-10 to someone in the late '90s who swapped out the 4 for a v6 and put a 3" lift kit on it. She said she saw the S-10 around town a few times and the new owner had done a good job with it. Great truck for a HS / college student. It wouldn't be my choice for a family vehicle, unless it were just my wife & me. If you need a light-duty, low-cost truck to haul stuff: 1/2 cord of wood, light 8' trailer, couple dog crates, etc., then the '82 S-10 will do you well. I'd look into replacing the 4 cylinder with something that has a bit more power, but would be OK on the flats and not trying to keep up with highway traffic. Great option for a sound-system platform, as the cable runs are easy to manage and a blow-through would be a viable option with a cap, if not sticking with just an 8 - 10" truck-box (maybe a slim-line 12" could fit behind the seats, but not much more than a standard sized 10" truck box for someone ~6').Dec 02, 2012