car review question

[Miriam C.]

Hey all. We are looking at a 2000 Chevy Blazer to pull my TD with. Anyone have one? Any good?

I noticed they get mixed reviews on the web but so did Ford..........?

All comments appreciated

[Darren]

I have an 02 Xtreme Blazer with the 4.3l V6. It pulls the tear great. I just had to add some air shocks to keep from bottoming out. Considering the weight I have in the back, audio stuff, it gets around pretty well.

[del]

Auntie M I had a 01 s10. I liked the truck except for the pick up box (wider than it was long), but from the doors forward it was the same as a s10 blazer. That part I was pleased with. I did get 15 mpg (mixed highway and city), and the blazer is suppose to do better than the pick up. All I did was change the oil and muffler (it was too quiet). Hope this helps.

del

[khutson]

You will always get mixed reviews on the web, It's a Ford and Chevy thing. A very long and exhausting debate and has gone on since the begining of auto age.

I've always been a "Ford" guy and I have owned Dodge and Chevy and even a few imports. So it's a hard call. Everything I have now is Ford and they have been good to me. My wife drives a 2002 Ford Escape and really loves it. She has told me that when the time comes she would love to have another one. Her dad has the Chevy blazer ans swears by it. So basiclly what I'm saying is it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

I seem to be rambling...srry.

I would have it checked out buy someone you can really trust. I would suggest that whoever that is that they are not tied to the folks you want to buy if from. Look it over real good. If anything it will give you peace of mind that your new ride is reliable and safe.

Whenever I buy used I will put it through it's paces. I want to make sure I'm getting what I'm paying for and not someones elses problems.

Good luck!
Ken

[War Eagle]

We had a 01 Blazer and we loved it. It's a great little SUV. I don't remember what kind of milage we got in it, back then gas was much closer to $1 so milage wasn't that big of a deal. We never had any problems with the mechanics of the vehicle. The only reason we traded was because "we" got pregnant and needed more room. We traded for a Grand Cherrokee.

Have it checked about by someone you trust and good luck.

[caseydog]

We had a 01 Blazer and we loved it. It's a great little SUV. I don't remember what kind of milage we got in it, back then gas was much closer to $1 so milage wasn't that big of a deal. We never had any problems with the mechanics of the vehicle. The only reason we traded was because "we" got pregnant and needed more room. We traded for a Grand Cherrokee.

Have it checked about by someone you trust and good luck.

I had a 1995 Jimmy, which was the first year of that platform. It was a love/hate relationship. I loved the way it drove, and it towed my boat just fine. But, it was a complete POS from a mechanical perspective. It overheated all the time in the summer, that they could not fined any reason why. It went through brakes like a hot knife through butter. It was in the shop more than any vehicle I've owned.

In fairness, it was the first year, and I should have known better than buy a domestic vehicle in the first year, since first year customers are part of the quality-contol beta-testing team for domestic automakers. I'm sure most of the bugs were woked out over time. However, my neighbor's identical 1999 Jimmy had the same overheating problem.

However, my 1996 S-10 pickup, with the same engine and drivetrain was a champ. No problems at all. Go figure.

CD

[SamR]

I used to have a 00 Suburban. It's the car that switched me from Ford to Chevy. Loved it! Never had a problem, ever, with it and I towed a big, heavy, 20' old model Terry trailer. Traded the Suburban for a preowned Trailblazer (piece of sh**)...something was always wrong with it...Traded that almost immediately for a new HHR. Love it. I think Chevy is a great company, the previous owner is the key. Have it checked out really well, and don't trust those godzillion point inspections from the Chevy dealer if that's who you're buying from.

[RKH]

I'm currently driving Blazer #3. First one was a 91 and sold it with 154K miles; second was a 99 which I totalled with 113K and the current one is an 01 which has 116K on it now. Bought all 3 used and liked them all.

It pulls a TD fine. Gas mileage is not bad but not great. Trouble spots are ball joints (particularly 4x4, often attributable to not being greased as the quik change places skip them); cooling system (long life coolant doesn't like air getting into the system). They are also truck-based SUVs and cannot be driven like sports cars with fast turns and such. I drive relatively gently and am disappointed if I don't get 19 mpg highway or better. Pulling the Little Guy knocks it down 1 or 1.5 if I maintain 65-70 mph.

Great source of support can be found at http://www.blazerowners.com

[Leon]

My '03 S10 with the 4.3 V6 gets around 22 mpg since I put a bigger exhaust on it. It pulls the tear fine, don't even notice it back there, I've towed 4000 pounds on a 600 mile trip and just had to take it out of OD going up hills. Very happy with it so far.

[Boodro]

I have a 2000 Ford Explorer 4x4 , I get 20- 22 mpg pulling my TD, it weighs 1200 pounds. I forget the TD is back there some times.
I has a v6 & I have pulled the TD about 1500 miles sofar. My wife also has a 2000 Explorer 4x2 , it gets good mpg also. Good luck!

[Nitetimes]

My wife's got a 91 Explorer w190k on it and I've got a 92 Navajo/Explorer w/160k on it. Both have the 4.0 V6 w/auto trans. Both pull the TD with no effort at all. The only problems I've ever seen with them (Explorers) is the trannys. They are notorious for bad transmissions.
Oh, and the rocker panels rot out.
If you can find one with good rockers and a healthy trans you'll have a very dependable vehicle that will pull fine.
Mileage is variable with these tho. Seems the southern ones with higher gears average about 18+ were as the northern ones with lower gears to handle the hills generally get 14+.

There's lots of debate tween the Fords and Chevys but they both work, just depends on what you want.
Personally I think the Explorers are a little more comfortable and quieter than the Blazers, but that's just me.

[Rich S]

My wife drives a 99 Blazer. It is getting close to 200,000 miles and still going strong. We have driven all over the states and did several trips into Mexico with it. Overall very litle problems. It is like any vehicle keep it serviced and it will last.
I drive a 03 s-10 and the same with it very little problems. As far as towing it will do fine. We had a 92 Astro van when I sold it 3 years ago it had over 280,000 miles on it. The guy I sold it to still drives it everyday. It had the same engine as the Blazer.
The Blazer gets around 20 mpg on trips,a little less in town. I do not think you will be dissapointed unless there is something wrong with it they are not telling you.
Rich

[Lesbest]

Important question---2wd or 4wd?

4wd much more expensive to drive and maintain--more moving parts. 2wd would be a good choice--4 not so much. If your going off road which most don't it is not money well spent, and if you do go off road where the 4wd is used expensive parts break regularly. Its called 4wd, but not really ment for off road, just to get you out of snow drifts, etc. For every hour off road it will take 2 hrs.of teardown maint. to keep it running reliably.

2wd makes a great tow veh. the engine problems are the same as per the engine family--no matter what its in
Hope this helps.
Les

[BrwBier]

Having worked on Blazers since their inception I can say they are generally a good choice, with some reservations. The ball joint problems were with the previous body style, but it doesnt hurt to have them checked any way. They don't get the best mileage, but not terrible. If it is a 4x4 the mileage will be less than a 2wd. The 4wd is nothing to worry about, it seldom breaks, it is one of the best systems around. With proper maintenance it will last a very long time, I have seen some with 2k and even up to 350k, although that is the exception. The previous body style had a problem with rust, if you got the salt from your fast food fries on it , it would rust out, I'm not sure about the 2000. One thing to make sure it is alright is the lines to the remote oil filter and from the filter to the oil cooler. Almost every one would leak, not enough to cause a problem on the road, but it should be fixed. Probably a $200 repair. It will pull a teardrop with no problem.
Brwbier

[Miriam C.]

Thank you all so much. We now have 3 we are seriously looking at. A couple of 2wd and a 4wd. Problem is the 4wd was an in town only car. Lady works at Wally world and needed better mileage.

I haven't found a truck so we might end up here. You Ford folks-- boy they are expensive here. The Rangers and F150's are outrageous.