Hey guys, new member here. Long story short, I was in an accident on Christmas Eve with my car, haven't heard from insurance yet but more than likely wrote off.

Anyways, I was looking on Kijiji (like Craigslist) and saw a 2002 Blazer 2dr 4x4, with only 95,000km's (59,400 miles) on it. They're asking $3200 for it I'm definitely interested since it comes with winters and summer tires, but I have absolutely no knowledge of these. What should I be on the lookout for when I go check it out, or any areas of concern? The body in it looks like it's in awesome shape, so I hope it's just been a garage and not driven much.

Thanks for any help you guys can provide

 

If you get it, have the lower intake manifold gaskets replaced with upgraded gaskets. There are lots of threads on this. Important preventative maintenance.

There will likely be leaky oil hoses for the oil cooler lines going from the rear of the engine block on the drivers side forward to just behind the radiator. Typical replacement job on these and not a deal killer by any means.

Similarly, likely worn out components would be the ball joints and possibly the front hubs.

Make sure the heater core works, they can get plugged if the cooling system was not maintained properly. Not a necessarily a deal-killer, especially if it can be back-flushed to get it unplugged. Heater core replacement means taking the whole dash out which takes lots of labor.

4wd can fail if some of the underhood vacuum lines have rotted or if the transfer case control module (TCCM) has crapped out. These are easy fixes too.

$3,200 seems like a decent price.

Have you checked it using Carfax to check for any past collisions?


Hmm, maybe I should buy it! So where are you located???

 

Howdy,
Most important for me was the condition of a frame. I've literally been asking if I could come and test it with a hammer (the bigger the better). And I mean it. If I had an agreement, Ive been testing:
- engine of lubricating oil (dash gauge), that gives You a bit info on the engine condition, would be nice if You had a chance to hook up with OBD dongle to get more info
- fluids/liquids levels
- noises of worn off bearings (found alternator one)
- possible leaks
Then I took a ride and checked for:
- 2D/4D actuator switch operation
- noises from CV joints, control arms, sway bars, hub bearings. Best option here is to find some road holes, do the max wheel turn and ride
I haven't check A/C, but I was decided to take my Blazer anyway. Frame was in a good condition, so does engine. I was aware of the issues with a brake calipers, but it was acceptable. The ride was nothing new and I couldn't expect a perfect shape... Yet the parts are nothing expensive and a garage work gives me a lot of joy.

Wish You luck! Cheers, Mike

 

I'd check for collision repairs. Witness marks on fender, body bolts, stacks of washers. Yellow paint pen writing on fenders from the junkyard. Look under it with a bright light to see signs of off-roading. Bouncing off rocks and such. If possible bring a scanner and check for code history and actual mileage. My dash cluster went out at 116,000 miles and the $25 replacement reads 47,000. Trust but verify. Look in the fuse boxes for signs of tampering. Bite marks from pliers on all the fuses could be a mystery electrical problem. With that low miles check the date code on the tires to make sure they're less than 10 years old. Also check for uneven wear that would indicate bad alignment or parts. Don't forget to beat the seller up a little. Complain about the truck and offer them 3,000. Good luck!

 

Check out the bushings on the door engines and the latch on the b pillar.

I didn't think of looking; both were broken and worn.

 

check the rear spring shackles. They tend to rot out and need replacing. The parts are cheap and some people say easy to install, others say not so much. Also motor mounts tend to break on these. Once again, the motor mounts themselves are cheap. The installation is expensive.

 

On a 2 door check for rust between the doors and rear wheels. Very few aren't rotting out from the inside in that area. It's a single layer of metal with a lip for slop to collect on.
Hopefully it's one of the rarer ones with an inside spare. The outside ones rattle and eventually crack the body around the hinges for the mounting bar. Not to mention having to swing it out every time you want to get in the back with groceries or whatever.
You also need to be aware that a 2 door Blazer handles quite different than a car.

 

Check the brake and fuel lines that run on top of the frame on the drivers side for corrosion.

 

Completely forgot about this.

I drove mine a little over 1000 miles before noticing this.

I swear it sits up higher in the rear end now too.

 

So I bought it Friday, seems alright. The spring shackles were already replaced with new ones a little while ago, it doesn't look rotted in the fenders before the rear wheels. Filler neck is rusted on it, which has the CEL light on, the ABS light is on because the sensor wire going to drivers front was cut. I do have the spare inside the truck, not on the outside. Biggest thing I need to fix right away is to put new "christmas trees" (that's what my dad and myself call those plastic pieces that hold trim in) on the bottom of the drivers door, they're stripped but the holes are fine so the panel is loose. Door pins will need to be done at some point, starting to get loose, and probably weather stripping on passenger door.

4WD works fine on it, I used it 3 or 4 times today on icy streets with no issues. Also, the fuel gauge is kindy wonky, as in sometimes it stays put where it should be, then it'll start going back and forth...

I also don't know how to use the 6-disc changer in it. It'll take CD's fine, I can turn on the little module to use it and change CD's and songs, but can't figure out how to get sound to come out of the system.
The extra roof rack isn't my idea, neither are the cheesy things stuck on to it lol


Looks crooked because of the pic, but it sits straight