I'm looking into buying a 4 door Blazer and this seems like the best place to come to find out what I should look for before I buy one.

I have a few questions and I'm open to everyones input :thumbsup:

I'm looking for one that can tow so I need the LT package right? I'm in the military so I'd like to be able to tow my CRX filled with some of my stuff from my house next time I move. The car weighs about 2000 lbs trailer would be right around 700? Not too sure what I really need to make it work.

What are the common problems with these? When do things really start to go? How many miles can I get out of the vortecs? If I buy one with 175k will it last to 250k?

I'm living in western Washington with the occasional snow storm so 4 wheel drive is nice to have.

Thanks for helping me with this big purchase for my family

 

This article may help you decide which blazer would best suit your needs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_S-10_Blazer

As for durability it all depends how well it was treated. Mine is 26 years old and still going strong.
Also, it any blazer should have no problems pulling 700 lbs.

 

Thank you for the article, I couldn't remember what GMC called the Blazer lol. This will be my first suv/truck so I'm new to figuring out towing capacities and everything also. I wish the article explained that a little better. Glad to hear these trucks last a long time though.

 

No one has any advice they wish they had before they bought their blazer?

 

There are a number of these threads on the forum. A search or two should turn them up.

 

A google search should return you some results on how much you should expect in terms of towing capacity.

 

Yea it seems like I posted in the wrong place too soon after someone else joined the forum lol

Capacity is just that a number that defines what it "can do" I want to know what people have done with their trucks and felt comfortable/uncomfortable with.

If some one comes to me and says I'm going to buy a car that I have owned I have a couple of warnings. Seems to me to check the coolant/heater core, windows latches and seat levers. A few other things from the quirks thread too Anyways neat site if a little less responsive then I hoped.

 

Let me preface this by saying that I have always been a "Chevy Man", but.....

I suppose it depends on what year the Blazer you are looking to purchase is. I have a 2001 4DR 2WD that has had numerous issues that are not due to lack of,or poor, maintenance.It seems that a lot of these problems are in the '99- 2000's year ranges w/ Vortec V6. A few are listed below:

1. Factory installed lower intake manifold gasket defect and will
definately go bad.
2. Fuel level sending unit will go bad.
3. Secondary air intake pump wiring harness will get water in it and blow fuse, giving a Service Engine Soon light.(another factory defect that the owner must pay for to get one that doesn't leak).

There are others, so buyer beware.

 

I like our 2000 Chevy Blazer but if I bought another one it would be an 04 or 05 as they seemed to have worked some more of the bugs out. My brother has an 05. We too have had problems with ours but none of the ones that shade tree has listed. I guess I know what I have to look forward to. My issues with the Blazer are:

1) The oil cooler lines. The factory ones suck if you live in a cold climate. I replaced them 3 times for leaking until I found someone to rebuild them with high pressure hose. Now I won't have to touch them again which excites me as they are a total PITA to replace.

2) The transmission valve body. It started shifting very hard from 1 to 2 with less than 90,000 km's on it. It is well documented on the web that the valve body is the problem but every transmission shop in town told me I needed a complete rebuild. I ended up replacing it myself and saving $1800.00 from the cheapest quote I was given. 60,000 km later and it works great.

3) The power window motor. GM decided to cheap out and put these on with pop rivets instead of bolts so the rivets will work themselves out and your window will make horrific noises when you use it. The fix is to drill the rivets out and add bolts.

4) The push button 4 wheel drive system is poorly thought out on GM's part. It is way more complicated than it needs to be and makes me long for a floor shift like I have in my truck. I had to replace the TCCM last year because it wouldn't work and that was an $800.00 part here. Luckily I found a new updated model on ebay for $250.00 shipped. This year it would not engage for the first snow and left my girlfriend freaking out about not having 4 wheel drive. It seemed it was just jammed as it finally started to work a day later and has been working fine ever since. I am now going to engage it every couple of weeks in the summer just to make sure it is working when she needs it come winter.

5) The door hinge pins. Another stellar idea by GM. No one will touch them but a body shop and I was quoted an average of $500.00 for one door. The aftermarket pins are cheap and they are not hard to replace but it takes two people and I have never had to replace these things on any other vehicle I have owned. They were designed to fail.

I would also not want to tow the kind of weight you are wanting to tow with our Blazer but that is your call.

IMO I guess I would say that if you are not mechanically inclined and would have to get someone else to do the work you should look at another vehicle as you will go broke paying retail for the parts and having the work done.

The rest so far has been what I would consider basic maintenance.

 

Matt6387
I don't know the tow capacity but I have a Blazer to sell you. I have done a ton to it so it should be OK for quite a while at the least to over 250k. Heres a list of things I've done;
Replaced the motor with one that has 112k the truck has 140k.
Full tune up
new wires, plugs, cap, rotor, and air and fuel filters oil change and radiator flushed.
Trans flushed and serviced.
New head gaskets with heads checked for trueness.
New transfer case 4x4 switch and checked and replaced all vacuum hoses.
New TPS. Cleared code p0122
New Oregon plates good for 2 years
Tires good
brakes good
I am in the process of making everything work
all glass good
It is a LT with tow package.
it is black two ton with grey.
body is very straight just very dirty.
Grey leather interior
Any how I live in the Portland area so send me a message.