2000-04 Chevy Trailblazer. Good, bad?

[ramis]

I need to buy a new car/truck. I'm thinking about a Chevy Trailblazer.

Thoughts, opinions? 

[roo_ster]

Blazer (S-10): up to 2002
Trailblazer: 2002-now

There was no Trailblazer 2000 & 2001, only the old Blazer, which used to be called the S-10 Blazer, which was based on the S-10 pickup.  Towards this critter, I feel a whole lotta "meh."  The S-10 was never a world-beater, more a beater that debuted in 1982, IIRC.  A few of the S-10 & Blazers were of interest, but for the most part, it was the least well-made of all the small pickups in the 1980s & 1990s.  The Ford Ranger (contemporaneous) was better quality and all the Jap makes were superior, build-quality-wise.

Honestly, any of the other small pickup-based medium SUVs would be a better choice.  Only one that might be even worse, build-quality-wise is the Dakota-based Ramcharger, though it is otherwise superior to the Blazer.
Nissan Exterra
Ford Explorer
Toyota 4-Runner
Any of those ^^^ would be a better choice.

The Honda Ridgeline is not a pickup-based med SUV and not made for those kind of loads.

The 2002+ Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Whatever & all variations on that same design are of very good build quality and a heckuva lot more vehicle.  The Chevy is the most spartan, the Buick the nicest.  I am not sure about the others, but the GMC can be had in a stretch version with 3rd-row seating.

If it were me and I were biased toward the year 2000, the Exterra would be mu choice.  If I could afford 2002+, the Trailblazer or other GM rebadge would be the pick.

Good luck.

[Declaration Day]

The 2002+ Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Whatever & all variations on that same design are of very good build quality and a heckuva lot more vehicle.  The Chevy is the most spartan, the Buick the nicest.

Lots of good info in jfruser's post.  Some additional info about Buick SUVs:

 Buick's first "SUV" was the Rendezvous, which was essentially a shortened version of GM's minivans.  It is a unibody vehicle and will not be as rugged nor have the towing capacity of the Trailblazer or Envoy.

 When Oldsmobile was cancelled, the Olds Bravada  (which was a mechanical twin to the Trailblazer and rides on a truck frame) was rebadged as the Buick Rainier.

[Perd Hapley]

I thought the Rendezvous was based on the Aztec.  It certainly appeared to be. 

(Must register my disapproval of anything other than a four-door sedan being sold under the Buick name, anyway.  It's just wrong.)

[Declaration Day]

The Rendezvous and Aztek were mechanical twins, and were shortened versions of GM's minivans.

[ramis]

Thanks for all the info. The trailblazer ext is the stretched/third row version.   

I'm hoping to find a trailblazer with less then 100,000 miles for $9,000 or less.

I'd really like a 4 door Toyota Tacoma but I doubt I can find one that meets my criteria. 

[roo_ster]

Thanks for all the info. The trailblazer ext is the stretched/third row version.   

I'm hoping to find a trailblazer with less then 100,000 miles for $9,000 or less.

I'd really like a 4 door Toyota Tacoma but I doubt I can find one that meets my criteria. 

Don;t discount the Nissan 4dr pickup if it fits the budget.  The main difference between Nissan & Toyota/Honda is interior material quality.  A little nicer for the Toyos.  Mechanically, the Nissans I have owned have been great. (Owner of 1997 Nissan ext cab PU with ~168K miles, no major repairs)

[Gewehr98]

Wife owned two Ford Rangers, and I owned one Ford Explorer, based on the Ranger chassis.

You couldn't pay me enough to own either again.  The Rangers were skitterish in handling, at best, and the Explorer was a liability until the lawsuits forced Ford to redesign them. Sway bars?  What sway bars? To me, they aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell.

I'm on my 3rd S-10, and have also owned a 2.8L S-10 Blazer.  We call 'em "Baby Blazers", in deference to the full-sized Blazers that were rebadged as Tahoes.

I've skipped buying the GM Colorado and Canyon pickups, because they just plain turned me off after a couple test drives.  The later round-bodied S-10, Sonomas, and Hombres (all the same vehicle with different badges on the grilles) had a lot more going for them than the trucks that replaced them, IMHO. Same goes for the derivative S-10 Blazer, Jimmy, Bravada, and early Envoy, which was just a luxury Jimmy for 1998-2000.

The Trailblazer and Envoy are built on a proper truck frame, as opposed to the FWD Rendezvous, which is based on the Pontiac Aztek chassis. I've driven and rented the Trailblazer, and was suitably impressed, although not enough to forego buying a 3.7L Jeep Liberty.  (I aim to misbehave when off-road). 

If you can locate a Baby Blazer for relatively cheaply, then you'll have a stable platform that offers plenty of spare parts, good driveability, and plenty of aftermarket goodies to bolt on.  I know where there are a bunch of them in excellent condition, but the dealership dumped Bon Ami down the intakes and valve covers when they got traded in under the Cash for Clunkers program.   

[Harold Tuttle]

I had a rental trail blazer 4x4 in kearny Nebraska for a week one february
I ran fine and was 10X the truck that by neighbors Rendezvous was.

That pig couldn't drag its butt down a lane i had romped open with my Grand Cherokee

The Buick highsided its bellypan & exhaust on the center foot of soft snow
and wedged itself into a tire spinning, backfiring, soot belching roadblock.

My Trailblazer was fine

[French G.]

We wheeled an '05 Trailblazer for a few years, pretty okay vehicle. I'm convinced that it was yet another SUV that pushed the tires to their design limits, pretty hard on tires and a little sketchy to drive fast with the roll center. The only issue I have is that we got rid of it with about 90K on it and something was not right with the 4WD, I believe the front differential was gone. It had a gear whine in 4WD, but more telling it was a ditch seeking missile in 4WD with snow on the road. One front wheel would catch a dry spot, get all the drive and away it would try to go. Much safer in 2WD. Not a Trailblazer problem per se, just something that was not quite right with that one. Overall I liked the thing. 

[p12]

Trailblazer

The Corvette of the mid-sized SUVs.

In-line six cyl with 300+ hp. My '02 pulls my 25' Jayco travel trailer without even breathing hard. You can fit an 8' 2x4 inside with a rag on the dash and close the hatch. You can fit a dryer laying on it's back in the back with the seats folded down and close the hatch. And this is the shorter version.

Gas mileage meh, not so great. 16-18 hwy. About 12 pulling my trailer. Around 13 in town.

I wouldn't take for mine.

'09 was the last year for them. The Traverse took it's place. Which by the way has a higher towing capacity than the Trailblazer.

The only thing that sucks about them is that damn PCM controlled fan clutch. Expensive a hell to fix.

WARNING: DON'T BUY A 4X4 OR AN ALL WHEEL DRIVE.

ADVICE: IF YOU CAN FIND A TWO WHEEL DRIVE SS, SELL A KIDNEY AND BUY IT.

Those SSs are a trip.

YMMV.

[Tallpine]

Gas mileage meh, not so great. 16-18 hwy. About 12 pulling my trailer. Around 13 in town.

See, that's the issue - you can do about as well with a full size pickup or Suburban 

[Perd Hapley]

See, that's the issue - you can do about as well with a full size pickup or Suburban 

One reason I went down from a full-size to a tiny-size pick-up was for greater maneuverability in tight spaces.  The gas mileage was just gravy.

'Course that's not an issue in your neck of the woods vasty nothingness.   

[charby]

See, that's the issue - you can do about as well with a full size pickup or Suburban 

I know sucks don't it?  I've been looking for a replacement vehicle and I have noticed that a Chevy Suburban and a Ford Explorer get almost identical gas mileage.

[Gewehr98]

Driving my stepson's Suburban around, I've come the the conclusion it really needs either 4-wheel steering, or one of those second wheelmen stationed out in back like the hook and ladder firetrucks.   

[p12]

you can do about as well with a full size pickup or Suburban

True that.

But, the Trailblazer is easier to park in the new standard parking lots. The main advantage is when it's parked inside the new smaller garages. I've got shelves on both sides of my garage and with the Impala and Trailblazer parked inside an average sized person can get around and find things in the garage without pulling a vehicle out. Not so much with the Tahoe or Suburban. In fact I would question if a Suburban in my garage could be walked in front or behind with the garage door closed.

Unless you custom build a home the new garages are small. That is if your house has been built within the last 10 years.

For me, it's a good sized vehicle.

YMMV

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

Driving my stepson's Suburban around, I've come the the conclusion it really needs either 4-wheel steering, or one of those second wheelmen stationed out in back like the hook and ladder firetrucks.   

Very true.

[charby]

Driving my stepson's Suburban around, I've come the the conclusion it really needs either 4-wheel steering, or one of those second wheelmen stationed out in back like the hook and ladder firetrucks.   

I used to have an '84 Suburban, I didn't find it all that bad to drive around. Just had to walk a little further in some of the big box store parking lots.

[JonnyB]

We owned an '03 Trailblazer with the 6-cyinder engine 5.2l?) I liked it. The only negative was the fuel economy - 16mpg. I talked to others who've owned one, and to the dealer we bought it from. Nobody we knew of ever got more than 16 from theirs. This was the 4wd version.

If you can get only 16mpg, you may as well have a Suburban or Tahoe and have: more room inside; more towing/hauling capacity; more power (though there's a v8 option in the TB).

The Trailblazer has a decent ride, though; maybe better than the Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon series.

For a time, it was our only vehicle. We needed a truck (again) so traded for a used 1500 Silverado 4x4.

jb

[MechAg94]

One reason I went down from a full-size to a tiny-size pick-up was for greater maneuverability in tight spaces.  The gas mileage was just gravy.

'Course that's not an issue in your neck of the woods vasty nothingness.   

Not all full size trucks have a 300 foot turn radius.  My GMC Sierra does pretty good.  Some of the newer models are a bit shorter.  They also get the same gas mileage as the smaller ones.  That is the main reason I avoided them.

I had an S-10 blazer at one time.  It was a lot of trouble.  Just about every accessory attached to the engine that could fail, failed.  I wasn't happy.  That was another reason I went with the full size. 

Either way, I won't buy another new Government Motors vehicle. 

[41magsnub]

GM has made a lot of changes in the past decade or so in turning radius in their trucks.  My 95 GMC S1500 has a godawful huge turning radius.  My Dad for a time had a 98 Chevy C1500 that was the same truck but with a Chevy logo and a different color.  It turned a lot sharper.  My Grandfather has a 2001 GMC S1500 and it turns like a car.

[Marnoot]

GM has made a lot of changes in the past decade or so in turning radius in their trucks.  My 95 GMC S1500 has a godawful huge turning radius.  My Dad for a time had a 98 Chevy C1500 that was the same truck but with a Chevy logo and a different color.  It turned a lot sharper.  My Grandfather has a 2001 GMC S1500 and it turns like a car.

I have the 2001 GMC Sierra extended cab. Turning radius isn't too bad for its size. Still a pain to park in a lot if the driving space is narrow and there's other cars on both sides of the open space; due mostly to its length, I guess. I can only imagine what a pain the long-bed model would be, especially with the crew cab.

[Headless Thompson Gunner]

Wife owned two Ford Rangers, and I owned one Ford Explorer, based on the Ranger chassis.

You couldn't pay me enough to own either again.  The Rangers were skitterish in handling, at best, and the Explorer was a liability until the lawsuits forced Ford to redesign them. Sway bars?  What sway bars? To me, they aren't worth the powder to blow them to hell.

I've owned two Rangers over the years.  Both of 'em were good, solid vehicles that drove well and did their jobs correctly.  The first lasted me til 190k miles.  I sold the second one at 160k and it was still going strong at the time.  I'd buy one again in a heartbeat if I needed a new, small pickup.

My mother has an Explorer.  No complaints from her on it.

[Gewehr98]

And that, Boys & Girls, is how we celebrate the wonderful diversity that is APS.

One man's junk is another man's treasure!   

[Declaration Day]

I have an '05 Silverado extended cab with the 8 foot bed.  It has the turning radius of a school bus and never gets more than 14mpg.  But it earns its keep, as I plow snow with it and haul commercial lawn mowers around with ease.

Of course it requires me to park further back in parking lots, but I did that even when I drove a Ford Escort. 
Competing for close parking spots is both unbelievably lazy and a ridiculous waste of time, unless you're elderly, disabled or it's pouring rain.