Our friends over at The Drive have uncovered a very interesting story about a 1988 Chevy truck that was still wrapped in plastic for delivery to the dealership that just sold for $100,000, but that is not the most interesting part of this story.
Factory Fresh
Who wouldn’t want to go back to the days of their youth? A simpler time when all you had to worry about was peer pressure at school or if your grades were good enough to move on to the next grade.
Nevermind that in 1988, the world was dealing with the fall of the economy from the prior fall, the Soviet Union was collapsing, and the troubles that had been brewing in the Middle East. No, in 1988 everything was totally rad and most excellent, including this 1988 Chevy work truck.
Recently sold at auction for $100,000, this factory-fresh example of Chevy engineering is the closest we will get to a Doc Brown time machine.
Low Miles and Plastic Protection
With only 55 miles on the odometer and all the original plastic wrapping on the seats and upholstery, this 1988 Chevy work truck has been well preserved for posterity’s sake.
Painted in Doeskin Tan with a Saddle Tan Custom Cloth interior, this is also indicative of the style of the late 80s.
454 Power with modern Touches
As a Chevy fan myself, 454 always meant big power, which is what is found under the hood of this “Dooley.” There is no carburetor feeding fuel into this big V8, but rather a recent upgrade from 1987 that gave it a throttle body setup.
Dual fuel tanks are a thing of the past, but seemed necessary for this big V8.
Three on the Tree and 4WD
Other options on this particular truck include a three-speed automatic transmission with column shift, not your typical 1980s work truck spec for sure. This is from an era before trucks became the do-it-all workhorses they are today.
Tinted glass, a sliding rear window, and air conditioning show that this Florida-based truck was spec’d for the heat and humidity of the area.
The Big Story Here
The real story here is the pricing. A quick glance at the window sticker shows a starting MSRP of $16,657. Mere chump change today for such a capable rig. However, if you take that figure over to the US Inflation Calculator, you will see that it equates to roughly $45,000 today. That is a 175% increase. Further still, with all the “luxury” upgrades for a work truck, the final price is listed as $22,488.05, or $61,828.26 in 2026 dollars.
Run yourself over to your local Chevy dealership today for a regular cab Silverado 3500 HD dually, and you will pay a measly $53,895 for today’s equivalent of this 1988 truck. Nevermind that the 2026 comes with a 6.6L V8 engine making 401 horsepower and 464 lb-ft of torque. Paired to a 10-speed automatic with an electronic transfer case with modern amenities inside like Apple CarPlay and standard air conditioning and power windows and locks.
You may think truck prices today have gotten out of hand, but this is a prime example of how technology and innovation usually brings costs down.
Maybe those good old days weren’t as good as you remember.
The post Is 2026 Truck Pricing Really Crazy? $100k 1988 Chevy Truck Is Stupid appeared first on Pickup Truck +SUV Talk.
