Automotive history is an interesting thing because so often we focus on the failures more than the successes. It’s actually more interested to dissect something that did not work than to go back and see what something did. The old saying of “success has many fathers and failure is an orphan” often rings true in the automotive world. The 1983 S10 Chevy Blazer was not a failure. It was a smashing success that proved sometimes the right vehicle can find the market at the right time and really hit its mark.
Make no mistake about it, the S10 Chevy Blazer was not a complicated advancement in automotive technology. It was a really nice and simple piece of evolution that made sense to everyone at Chevrolet, many of whom had been there to see what happened in 1977 when the company downsized their product line and had an astonishingly awesome sales year. The difference here was not in the downsizing but rather in the fact that this was downsizing that gave people an alternative option to the larger vehicle in the family. GM did not kill off the K5 Blazer to make the S10, they added the option for people. Boy did people take it.
A reasonably quiet interior, a reasonably comfortable interior, a reasonably powerful 4.3L V6 engine, and reasonably capable off road? That was apparently the sweet spot that people were looking for. We still dig these things. Chad has one that is a long term project he has been building. We see them on the drag strip in various forms and on the streets as well.
MotorWeek didn’t have much bad to say about it either. Watch this –
The 82s with the 2.8 carb., beside the 4 cyl. had no power either, along with any of GM cars with 2.8s until fuel injection came along. 4.3 was a bulletproof engine.
I maintain a friends 91 S10 with the 2.8 TBI. Almost 300k and going strong
They wish they could sell a car with this volume and popularity today.
Bought one new, what a pos! Spent more time at the dealership than in my driveway! Had nonstop electrical issues. Dealership couldn’t find where the electrical short was. They would not give me a loaner vehicle. Couldn’t wait to get rid of it.
Great vehicle. I bought one new and drove it daily for 10 years. Towed my Altered with it on an open trailer. Eventually put 175,000 miles on it with no issues and traded it in for a full size truck.