Lawrence Street Sighting: GMC S-15 Sonoma

As I said yesterday, I have a soft spot for GM's smallest trucks in our market--especially in first-generation guise; produced from model years 1982 to 1993, the GMC Sonoma (S-15) was the corporate twin to the Chevrolet S10; like most other GMC products, the Sonoma featured only a badge, and slightly different trim to separate it from its near-identical twin. It, too, was powered by the Iron Duke, and a choice of 2.8 or 4.3 liter sixes, and like, it's Chevrolet twin, the Sonoma could be specced from a cheap sub-$10,000 base workhorse to a $20,000 top-of-the-range compact pickup with four-wheel-drive.

Shown here is the GMC Sonoma ST with argent steel wheels and black mirrors and rubstrips; while not really a performance truck by any means, the Sonoma ST was a nice looking little truck--and not very many survived. There were two main reasons for this; first, these trucks succumbed horribly to front fender rust and door-sill rust; and two, these first-generation S-trucks were prime fodder when the minitruck scene took off in the 1990s. When the scene fizzled out in the mid-2000s, a rash of half-finished project trucks quickly popped up on various auto sites in less than impeccable condition.

Like Minnesota trucks, S-trucks in Kansas are fairly rare, with the second generation making up most of the remaining vehicles. I haven't seen very many first generation trucks, much less the ST trimline.

Yes, the paint is heavily faded; yes, its painted in a decidedly early-1990s paint color, and yes the gunmetal graphics look good on it. When someone mentions cheap sporty trucks of the 1990s, the Ranger Splash often comes up when compacts are brought up. But to GM fans, the GMC Sonoma ST fits the bill. No, it isn't fast by any means, but that's not why one buys one of these. A little splash of style for a little dab of dough, and you have a marketable concept.

I haven't seen one of these in years, and I forgot how much I like them. When I was about five or six, these, along with the obvious GMC Syclones, were my favorite things GM made Corvette aside.

I am glad I shot this, because I have not seen it since, and all the STs I find in Minnesota are pretty much scrap metal as far as condition goes.