Chevy S-10 a decent truck???

[Golfgar4]

Pete,

My last 2 trucks have been the S-10 extended cab, LS, 4X4 with the V6. I switched from driving the Chevrolet Blazer to save some money when my son was in college. He's out of college now (and in the Navy!), but I won't go back. I love this truck.

It has all of the power you'll need, it can haul full sheets of plywood, and it's easy to drive. My wife prefers riding in it over her Venture van. And I've never had any kind of maintenance problem with either of the trucks that I've had.

I don't know if it makes any difference to you, but I do lease my trucks. I've figured that I'm saving anywhere from $80.00 to $100.00 a month in payments from outright buying the truck. Plus, depending on how long I have on the lease, I'm getting a new truck every 3 or 4 years. The last time I got my truck, my lease payment only went up $0.17 a month!! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Granted, a lot of that had to do with my dealer, which just reinforces all of the talk about the importance of finding a good tractor dealer (there, got the TBN reference in!). And regarding the idea of getting a used truck because of what you'll be doing with it, certainly that's an option you might want to explore. But I've never been penalized for turning in a leased vehicle that had been "well used".

I don't think you'd be sorry if you went with an S-10. And if you do go new, make sure you check the option of leasing. It might save you some bucks! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[uno]

I think the Chevy S-10 is one of the best vehicles of the last 20 years....

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

I've handled dozens (probably hundreds) of them over the years and have had a lot of positive feedback from customers who've bought them. I've also had a number of customers who've traded one on another and another and so on. The only "complaints" I've had is from customers who bought one for the economy and just decided the economy wasn't worth the smaller size and went back to a full-size truck. Generally these were physically larger folks so it's hard to fault the truck.

I wouldn't have any problem buying one for my son or daughter to drive, for what that's worth. My son, however, would tire of one quickly, I believe. He's 6'-5", 225 lbs. and definitely a full-size kind of driver. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> The only "complaints" I've had is from customers who bought one for the economy and just decided the economy wasn't worth the smaller size and went back to a full-size truck. </font>
Gary, this is a great point and it was one of the other reasons I went to a full size truck. There wasn't too much of a gas mileage penalty between the 2.8 liter V6 and the 350 V8, perhaps because I had to keep my foot in the gas on the V6 where I don't with the V8.

 

[fivestring]

I had a 1991 S-10 with the 2.8 v-6. The only repair was the parking brake cable. I put 80,000 miles on it. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
I currently have a 1999 S-10 Extended cab with the 4.3 liter v6. I have 62,000 miles on it and the only repair has been the third door latch. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif (knock on wood)
There is not a better v6 motor in the 3.5 to 4.5 liter range. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Would I buy one again??? You bet!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
As I've said in earlier posts, Consumer Reports will NEVER be a guide in my furure purchases (followed their advise and bought #1 rated products that were extreme disappointments). I will check with folks here on TBN and local folks that have owned the product and find out how the product rates with them.
Good luck, Pete.

 

[Boondox]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( make sure you check the option of leasing. It might save you some bucks! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif )</font>

Thanks for all the advice and pointers, guys! It says a lot that I trust TBN more than Consumer Reports. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Looks like I need to compare the milage figures with the full-sized models and maybe test drive a few of them as well. Leasing isn't really an option for us. My wife and I paid off our cars years ago and kept "making payments" to a replacement car fund, so we pay cash for new cars and trucks now. It was one of the smartest financial moves we ever made, and has saved us thousands in contributions to other folks' money machines.

Again, thanks for all the input. Pete

 

[uno]

2.8 liter V6 and the 350 V8, perhaps because I had to keep my foot in the gas on the V6 where I don't with the V8


Keep your foot in the gas on a V-6 in an S-10 ????
I had ample power in my S-10 V-6, it ran like crazy.
Now a V-6 in a full size pick up,thats a different story.

 

[MikePA]

<font color="blue"> Keep your foot in the gas on a V-6 in an S-10 ???? </font>
In other words, tasks the S-10 struggled to do, my K1500 does much easier.

My point, and I assume Gary's point, was that people often by S10-size trucks, with I4 or V6 engines, thinking they are going to get substantially better gas mileage than a full size truck with a V8. That's not always true. It wasn't in my case.

 

[AndyM]

It has always seemed that Consumer Reports automatically hates all American cars and practically recomends the Japanese makes over the American ones before they even test them.

Now that all of the makes, Japanese American and German, are either assembled somewhere in North America with almost all overseas parts, there's really not much of a difference in the reliability between all of them. I must say that the American makes were forced to improve over the past 20 years in order to compete. The Japanese makes have also suffered over the past couple of years, due to cost cutting. A couple of them have had financial troubles in recent years, and something had to give.

You have to take the good with the bad, as I said in another post. I have a 97 Ranger with 100k miles, and I've replaced tire, brakes, and changed the oil. Others could say they're nothing but trouble. I say buy the one that is the best value that you're most comfortable with, and hope they were having a good day at the factory the day yours was made!

Good luck and enjoy your purchase!

 

[fishman]

I think the Colorado will be based on the Trailblazer chassis and powertrain, but I'm not for sure. Seems like I read something about a 5 cylinder in-line engine . . .

I can tell you that my wife's Trailblazer (4.1 i-6, 275 hp) will absolutely scream. I waited a few thousand miles before I put my foot in it and it accelerates noticeably faster than my Silverado (5.3 V8, 285 hp). It also gets between 17 and 18 mpg, so not too bad.

If you're not in a hurry, you might wait for the new Colorado. In my opinion, the Trailblazer is a LOT better than the s-10 Blazers.

The 4.3l V-6 is a great motor though. I don't think you could go wrong with it.