I have the opportunity to purchase a 99 Chevy Blazer LS, 6 Cyl 4.3 L.
Body and Interior are in Excellent condition, and only 72,000 miles. 1 owner. No accidents.
Belonged to a lady who barely drove it and kept it in a garage.
I test drove it and it runs well and overall I’m pretty pleased by it (aside from no power driver seat which my current 95 has).

My 95 Blazer is on its last leg at 270,000 miles and I just can’t keep pouring money into it.

The only hesitation I have is that they are asking $7,000 for it and Kelly Blue Book says it’s worth maybe $3,000 and a bank won’t finance more than $3000 because it’s a 99.

So, my Blazer people, should I go for it? Is it worth the $7,000 they are asking? I know I will never find another blazer with that few miles on it, I just don’t want to get it and have:
1. Things go wrong because it sat for years without running
2. Not be able to sell it for even $1000 should I need to get something else
3. Have regrets for not getting something newer when I do have that option. (I just LOVE my blazer and love that I can do most of my own maintenance and love how safe it feels).

Help?

 

4wd? Any other options? Locking rear end? Desirable axle ratio? Radio/CD? Leather seats? Tow-package? I have an LT which was pretty loaded when I got it but that was 10 years ago at about 90k miles for about $3,500.

There are things that regardless of age will have to be addressed. Already having a 2nd gen Blazer you likely already know of the issues.

Around here (North Idaho) I've seen a nice 99 Bravada for sale for I think $4,500 with 100k miles. Note that we don't have much in the way of salting of the roads and that was only started in the last several years. Grrrr.

I would think of it in terms of what would a Blazer in perfect working order, but still 21 years old go for? Then I'd subtract off the costs of those things that would likely be worn out or need addressing because of its age; bad hoses (coolant and vacuum), transmission fluid service (e.g. full flush), replacement of the LIM gaskets, the bad remote oil filter hoses, etc.

Can you look at the maintenance records? That would be a big help. If you can determine that the only things that really need to be addressed are the consumables and routine maintenance items such as brake pads and oil changes, then perhaps offer $5,500?? If the tires are old, over ten years, then they will need to be replaced even if they look good.

A lot will depend on your local market.

 

4x4, tow package, radio/cd (and cassette &#128540, speakers are amazing, not sure about locking rear? Or desirable axel ratio? Cloth seats.
It recently had an idler arm replaced, complete alignment with new tires, new SERP belt, intake manifold gasket, the bay was cleaned and a lot of hoses replaced, brake pads are
new; HVAC works incredibly well, 4x4 works great.
I climbed under it and there’s no visible rust or damage; it looks like it spent most of its life in the garage waiting for adventures.

I do have the opportunity to take it to a Chevy dealership for a 100 point inspection ($150)... would that be worth doing?

I don’t want to miss a good opportunity, but I also don’t want to buy a disaster that’s been polished up.

 

I think I'd offer $5,000 max. $7k asking is unrealistic, there just isn't that demand for these trucks. They'd get that asking if it were a Yota, K5, or a Bronco probably but not an S10.

It seems like a good find though.

 

I think I will see if they will take $5000

 

Yes, offer $5,000 but be ready for a counter of $5,500. Or try offering $4,500 and know you will go to $5,000.

 

Forgot to mention. Look at the RPO codes on the inside of the glove compartment door for any options that you might like. Locking rear end is G80 and a 3.73:1 (relatively high gear ratio) is GT4.

You can also run the VIN though a VIN decoder to get the full listing. You can also do a CarFax but I think you know the history of this vehicle pretty well.

 

No way I'd pay 7K for it. It looks pretty but the payback on it if you had to sell it just isn't there. I'm cheap and wouldn't go over 4K for it.

 

Yes, I think maybe $4500 but it’s not about u being cheap, fact is it’s a 20yr old blazer....Period not worth it!

 

Truck looks nice. 5k is way high for a private sale, 7k is rip off dealer price. Don’t forget you’d have to replace EVERYTHING that goes wrong with these things to make it a decent daily driver, but that being said, if you took it easy on it you could expect another 200k + regarding mileage