Faults:

Radiator started leaking and had to be replaced (plastic/aluminum radiators are a pain since they cannot be repaired).

Front brake rotors warped and had to be replaced.

Starter motor died and had to be replaced twice.

Air conditioning system needed complete rebuild (done by dealer, thank God).

Power steering pump needed replacement due to leak.

Interior components (arm rest, center console door) fell apart, and had to be replaced.

Upper ball joints replaced.

Rear brake shoes replaced.

All shocks replaced.

General Comments:

I acquired this vehicle used after my wife rolled our previous S-10 Blazer. We liked the powerful Vortec V-6, the looks, and the space of the vehicle.

After having driven it for a while, I am not entirely pleased. It has a terrible, jittery, punishing ride that is hard to tame. I've balanced the wheels, changed to better shocks, and rotated tires to try and get rid of the vibration, but only partially succeeded. Evidently, springs are too stiff to provide a comfortable ride. I will go down a size in tires when the present tires wear out. Another common Blazer headache is the weak brakes. The front rotors on my previous Blazer constantly needed resurfacing to take out the warping. I've installed Raybestos rotors, but these aren't anything super hot, so not sure if this will cure the problem. In my opinion, it's a design flaw: brake rotors are not big enough to take the heat of stopping this heavy rig.

The motor pulls well, but the weight of the vehicle can be felt on steep hills, where downshifting is necessary. The A/C has developed a glitch of shutting off while coasting. If you romp on the gas, it kicks back in. Weird... It has a lot of annoying little rattles, but the body is basically sound. Despite the age of the vehicle, interior materials and exterior paint look very good, and when polished and cleaned up, it's still a sharp looking machine.

All in all, a mixed bag of good and bad. If you want a solid, flawless vehicle, this is probably not it. For those mechanically inclined, these are decent vehicles, but they take attention to keep them going.