Back in 1999, my parents welcomed three big changes into their lives. There was a newborn baby in the crib, a puppy dog in the back yard, and a brand new full-size pickup truck in the driveway. I was the baby, the canine was our beloved all-white German Shepard named Molly, and the truck... well, that's the topic of this blog!
She's a three-door 1999 Chevrolet Silverado LT 2wd with the 5.3, affectionately dubbed Ol' Betsy. My mom and dad bought it new off the lot, so it remains a one-owner vehicle, which is somewhat impressive for a truck from the 90's. I grew up in the backseat of this old Chevy, and she's taken us everywhere. That would include annual trips deep into Canada and back, vacations everywhere from Maryland to Montana, and even to high school daily as my brother and I's first set of wheels which we were permitted to borrow.
Through all the years, we put love and effort into maintaining the truck and keeping her nice, but by no means has it been babied. From muddy four-wheelers to firewood, if something needs hauled, that's the rig with which to do so. We used to pull a pop-up camper behind it, and now that we have a boat, we use the Silverado to launch the vessel. In almost twenty-five years, that truck has never broken down and left us stranded, and it has never had any major failures in general through all the use (and occasional abuse).
I love driving the truck and have dibs on it once my mom is done with the vehicle. I have a feeling that won't be anytime soon though, and I wouldn't be surprised if she runs it until the frame snaps in half like these trucks tend to do in the salt belt. For now it's solid enough underneath, but as you can tell from the picture of Ol' Betsy, she's rusting out. It kind-of breaks my heart to see it fall apart on the exterior, but it is what it is. The interior, on the other hand, is like a time machine to Y2K.
From the uniquely colorful GM cloth seats to the original CD player head unit with its sticky buttons, stepping up into that truck brings oneself back to a simpler time. There's no sensors beeping at you or settings to shuffel through. There's not a dashboard full of electronics and infotainment to either go bad or turn obsolete. Heck, it's considered a luxery trim with little more than power windows and cruise control!
I could go on and on with my love for this truck, and I'm far from the only one who thinks these specific ones are great. Especially with the 5.3 motor in it, they're known for reliability, and ours has been no exception. It's a good thing too, because I unfortunately need to count on it for commuting, currently. The Blazer is down with a major bust in the coolant system that I haven't fully tracked down and dug into yet, since it's been too cold. So, I'm very appreciative of my mom for floating me the keys to the Silverado.
One day, it will be mine. Even if it's snapped in half between the axles, I still want the engine. In that scenario, after a rebuild, I'd love to swap it into my Blazer or maybe even the El Camino, though I'm pretty happy with the built 350 that lives in the latter. I know the truck can't last forever, but I think it would be cool to upgrade my daily's powerplant with that 5.3 while carrying on the heart from my childhood pickup.
I love the truck, and the radio dial stays locked on FM 94.9 WQMX, religiously. If your preset number one is also Your Country, 94.9 WQMX, I thank you!
Keep on trucking!