Meet my deepest-held automotive grudge: the 1995-2005 Chevrolet Blazer. When the second-generation debuted in late 1994, I liked it, especially in the two-door setup. It looked like the perfect size vehicle, not too small, not too big, and I liked the way GM had managed to incorporate the big-brother truck’s overall look into the mix. I liked that the 4.3L V6 offered up decent power and some relative fuel economy. I actually wanted one. And in 2002, I got one. And immediately proceeded to endure thirteen months of ownership hell.
Even in hindsight, I can’t fault the 19-year-old version of myself for my way of thinking. The 1978 Chrysler LeBaron coupe I was driving was really beginning to become a headache: the 318 was beyond worn out, the front suspension had some sincere carnage going on that made alignments impossible, and the rear axle had gone out not a few months beforehand, with the ring gear’s teeth breaking off. I needed a better vehicle, and I figured that a slightly used sport-utility would fit the bill. How bad could a Blazer be? The result: nearly half of the time I owned the Blazer, I was actually driving a Ford F-150 loaner from the dealership while the Blazer’s latest malady was being fixed: stuck throttle, full electronic failure, front end carnage aplenty, fuel system failures…name it, this thing did just about everything except catch fire. The final call was during it’s last “warranty visit”, when a tech who knew me from racing at Temple quietly informed me that I needed to trade the Blazer off immediately before showing me why. Let’s just say that trading the Blazer for a Dodge Ram was the easiest decision I’ve ever made in my life.
Ever since then, I look at 1990s-2000s Blazers, S-10s and their platform variations with a tinge of hatred. I’ve stayed away from them, even when in reality they would make for a great vehicle option. I want to like one again. I really do…I liked mine once you looked past the fact that it was a mechanical goat-wrangling session. How could I bring myself to own another? Well, if it was anything like this Blazer Xtreme that Victory Red Colorado caught on film, that wouldn’t be a bad way to go. 195 horsepower was alright back in the day, but nowadays, quite a bit more would be needed to keep my attention, and I always did want mine a little lower than it was…
Very nice I just missed getting 1 with an ls swapped 5 speed
Cant wait to get mine done! 2002 s10 with a turbo 5.3 and 4l80e. Hopefully can hit drag week next year between my college schedule. We’ll see
I sympathize with your misadventures with an S10. In The fall of 2000, GM
had 0% interest for 60 months to help move out the leftovers. I bought a
four wheel drive extended cab S10 pickup. It was only the second time I’ve bought a new vehicle. What a disappointment. The remote oil filter housing leaked, the engine oil cooler lines leaked, the front hub wheel bearings disintegrated, the ignition lock jammed up, the clock-spring and steering shaft were damaged when the steering column lock was repaired, the third door release handle broke -twice, and the rear diff carrier bearings failed.
The passenger seat tracks would unlock at random, making for an exciting moment for the passenger seated there when you had to stop. Since I worked at the dealer, most of this was taken care of while I was at work, except the wheel bearings and ignition lock failures that left me stranded,
and the S10 towed. The third door looked cool,but after you lived with it a while, I realized it was on the wrong (left ) side .
It did drive nice and had adequate power. At least the ball joints didn’t fall out,
as that was another common problem. As soon as I wasn’t upside down with the loan, down the road it went. I hope the next owner had better luck
God those fucking things were junk
What about the first S-10s with that 2.8 carbed V6 ? Terrible
LOVED my little ZQ8 S-10 with the 4.3, it was as fast as my Monte Carlo SS