1988 GMC Sierra Relaibility

They are fairly reliable but it's 25 yrs old so you have to expect some stuff go bad. Age does a lot to avehicle and you don't know what previous owners have done to it. Have alocal guy look it over he'll tell you what he finds.

This is going to be a matter of opinion. I am definitely not a fan of GM's business practices, but that is not going to be an issue for you. I drive an '88 Grand Caravan as a daily driver in the middle of road salt country, and I leave my four newer vehicles sit. I have power steering, power brakes, power seats, power windows and locks, power lift gate release, automatic transmission, heater and air conditioning, delayed wipers, and a sliding side door, and not one of those features needs a computer. ALL of those systems need computers to work on newer vehicles, and starting with some 2002 GM trucks, you can't install a good used one from a salvage yard. You have to buy new ones from the dealer and have them programmed to your vehicle. (That's one of their business practices I dislike). I will never own any vehicle that I can't diagnose and repair myself with parts from a salvage yard or auto parts store.

The year and the mileage of your truck don't scare me. You are very likely to spend far less on repairs during an entire year than for one typical repair on any brand of newer vehicle. You won't get some desirable features like anti-lock brakes and air bags, but we somehow managed to get along without them for a long time.