Hideous. Give me back my manual steering '87 GMC with the 4-speed and 383,000 miles on the odometer.
In my 23 years I have driven everything from a 1957 P-400 to a modern P-7.
My personal method of grading the various models of package car is by using the "IPH" equation, which stands for "Ibuprofen Per Hour" that I will have to consume during and after the time that I have to deliver out of said vehicle.
The 80's GMC's are among the
worst vehicles that UPS ever put out on the road in terms of IPH, and truly the most unforgiveable in the sense that the company made a calculated and intentional decision to deliberately
eliminate basic ergonomic and safety features that were industry standard at that time. I can forgive them for putting such a vehicle on the road in 1958; but there was
no excuse for doing so in 19
88. The 80's GMC's were functionally identical to the P-600's except for having fuel injection and aluminum doors and shelves instead of plywood. In terms of the punishment they inflicted upon the driver, they were every bit as bad as vehicles that had been made half a century ealier.
My vote for the
best car ever made...is the 1994 International/Powerstroke bubble-nosed P-700. They are low to the ground, they can get under low hanging branches and wires, they have an excellent turning radius, and they are
heavy which means better traction in mud and snow. They have the full length lumbar support seat with 3-pt seatbelt and power steering. They are easy for the shop to keep running because the powertrain is the common Powerstroke diesel V-8 with Spicer 5-speed manual transmission which means that parts are easily available. We have a few in our building with over 300,000 on 'em and they are as good or better than any of the new cars.
I was trying to be optimistic about it not getting scratched up, (no pun intended), or ripped off within the first month. But if you do scratch it up, will it be considered an accident? I can foresee that being classified as an accident.
