That's what I was thinking too.

I typed it in wrong.......yes, it was the ball joints. I must be tired. :-)

Rivets mean they where originals

A 195K on original ball joints that's not to bad if you ask me!

My chevelle had 200,000+ and thirty years on original ball joints when we changed them about ten years ago!

Somewhere along the line my blazer has gotten new ball joints, they've got the bolt instead of the rivet, but man, that front end is wore out! I gotta track down a Dana 44 quick!

But back on topic, there's not really any reason to like any vehicle, other than because you like it! The 4.3/4L60E is a great, dependable combo, but with any vehicle that's that old, you're gonna have to replace stuff. Usually, once you fix it, that problem doesn't show up again!

And as long as you're spending less on repairs than a car payment would be, you're doing good in my book!

As far as it being the blazer's fault for not having undercarriage protection.. If you were planning on doing rock crawling, why not look for a better suited vehicle?

I have a 93 with 200k miles, its in real good shape, was in better shape before last winter and this summer. did not have time to do anything. I know for a fact next summer I will need to most likely fill and drill the hinges on the doors, the drivers door hinges are not true so it eats bushings like crazy, no time to take the doors off right now
But other than that, its been pretty reliable for being 21 years old