Torque and Chrome

1987 Chevy S10 Blazer 4 X 4, opinion on this model?

144K original miles on it. Two door. Straight body. Minor rust on front end. Chrome bumpers. Trailing hitch. Clean interior. Supposetly trans was rebuilt in Jan. (How can we tell this) New tires. Runs very smooth. Lots of rattles interior. Not sure yet if the 4 wheel drive works. Headliner intack, not falling. No major rips in seats. Small oil leak, not sure as to where it is coming from. They are asking $1500.00 Is it worth it? Do these motors last? This would be a 1st time vehicle for our son. He only wants an SUV, and he thought he was getting my Rodeo. Not! We are willing to pay up to $1500.00 for his first car. Supposetly the person that owns it, is the 2nd owner. We are not too concerned on the gas mileage being he will be using it local here. No long distance, for now. Kelly Blue Book only goes to 1988, but I guess I can just guess at what it is worth.

Public Comments

1. Old and problematic, too many miles , move on
2. Ahh the old Chevy Blazer. My older brother is a mechanic and he had one a few years back. He was not to fond of it to be honest. Depending on what you want to do with the car it is up to you. Any motor can last you a long time as long as you take car of it. Who knows if the person has taken care of that engine. I do not know from the top of my head but that might be a 4.0 4.3 V6? All I know is that their are not the best on fuel economy. Now to check the trasnmission, there is no easy way to check if it was rebuilt, unless they provide a receipt. What you should do is drive it to see how smoothe it shifts. If you feel a tug eveytime it shifts then there is no way that trans was rebuilt. More importantly check the dipstick and look at it. It is suppose to be pink. If it smells then that trans has not been rebuilt in January. If you are looking for something economic, I suggest you buy something else.
3. I own a shop, and the best advice "anyone" could give you is to do this. Take it to a reputable mechanic, and have him/her look it over really good, and you will get an honest opinion if its in good condition or not. As for the value; I never use Kelly Blue Book, as they don't always have the vehicle you are looking at. Try NADA and you will see what I mean. Most dealers use the NADA and not the KBB. There is a big difference! I would be concerned about the "small" oil leak, as many times these can turn into gushers over night, so its important to know exactly where its coming from, and how much it would cost to fix it. Getting under a vehicle can tell more about it, than just looking under the hood can any day, so have a mechanic look at it from under there, and you will see the true colors of this vehicle. I don't think you can expect much for $1,500, and you sure won't get much for that either. If the transmission was rebuilt, then they should have a receipt for the work done on it, if not, then the mechanic can tell by looking under there. Glad to help out, Good Luck!!!
4. Chain drive transfer case...........run away!!!! If your doing any heavy 4 wheeling it will grenade quickly. If you drive like a normal human, ie. not like me, it should hold up fine for getting groceries on a snowy day
5. You know for a first time vehicle if he's just drivin it back and forth around town not bad. BUT He's a boy and it's a 4 wheel drive you know he's gonna take that thing out in the bottoms and go muddin...Hell I would've....I took my 72 Dodge Dart muddin when I was 16. Mileage wise doesn't mean a thing if it's a good engine on a Chevy...My '97 Camaro has 137,000 and I'm not afraid to take that thing anywhere. I'd probably rethink the 4 wheel drive thing though, the temptation is just too great. = ) Happy Easter..... SIS
6. old trucks like this are very iffy. this thing could break down the next day or last another 10 years. i had a 83, the trans went out on it a few months after i got it and thought about getting rid of it, fixed the trans and it lasted another 3 years without any problems. if the trans was rebuilt they should have receipts for it. or depending on how built it, it will be all painted up and looking brand new. and a tip... drive the heck out of it, take it on the highway, make sure the 4x4 works reverse works, check everything. i just bought a 93 off some guy who bought it off someone and he drove it around and it was fine but soon as he got on the highway over drive was banging in and out of gear.