Faults:

My alternator went out at 170,000 miles.

My water pump went out at 190,000 miles.

My thermostat went out at 210,000 miles.

General Comments:

My S-10 Blazer has reached 220,000 miles and hasn't given me any serious trouble.

With the exception of routine maintenance (tires, oil, spark plugs, etc.) I have spent under $300 on repairs (doing all the work myself).

If you know anything about cars and how to take care of them, this is as tough a vehicle as you will find. My blazer has been through a lot and still runs smoother than my friends 2002 F-150 with 15,000mi.

I would drive it anywhere without thinking twice.

The last 50,000 miles have been pushing over-sized all-terrain tires. Still no problems, no lack of ability.

Faults:

Have replaced the transmission cooler limes, they are leaking a bit again however I'm not worrying about it.

Replaced the heater fan at 13500 miles.

Other than those two items aside from preventative maintenance my Blaz has been wonderful!

General Comments:

I love this vehicle, very few problems and still running very well at 140000 miles. One thing I do occasionally is run some fuel injector cleaner through, I haven't had any trouble with carbon build up or EGR valve like so many others seem to have. The power is great and the 4 wheel has saved me many times.

Faults:

At first, the only problem was an oil pressure gauge that dropped to zero any time a right turn was made. Easy fix and the dealer was pleasant.

Soon after that, the gas tank was recalled. Apparently it had "explosive" issues. Really makes you want to drive around with your kids in the back seat.

The steering wheel has always made a groaning noise when you turn at low speeds. Maybe a power steering fluid leak? I don't know. I'm sure it's an easy fix, but I really don't want to see the dealer unless I absolutely have to. I always feel the need to take a pregnancy test when I leave there. They could at least buy me dinner and a movie.

Had quite a few minor issues until I hit about 75,000 miles, where the transmission died driving through The Middle of Nowhere, Nevada. Talking to other Blazer owners, I found this was pretty common. Had the car towed about 100 miles, replaced the transmission at the dealer at a cost of $2000, then realized we had bought the extended warranty. Chevy refused to reimburse us the amount we had paid. I guess they charge more if YOU are paying for it than they do if CHEVY is paying for it.

Well, the transmission they installed was defective and 6 months later, I was at lucky enough to get the thing home before they put the toe tag on it and pronounced it DOA. Red faced dealer gave me an extra warranty on this one.

Had the car at the dealer a year ago to fix what I think they called the EGR valve (humor me, I'm not only a girl, but a blonde, too). When I got the car back, they had broken the antenna running it through the car wash. I guess they figured it wouldn't matter that the car didn't work right as long as it was "pretty."

Took the car in 2 months ago for a nasty noise coming from the exhaust. The tech said the noise was coming from my dash mounted cell phone holder. I gave him the "I'm not THAT stupid look" and he finally realized it WAS my exhaust system. But he couldn't fix it because he's not allowed to weld. He WAS allowed to charge me $850 to fix 2 motor mounts and STARE at my exhaust system for an hour or so before sending me on to a muffler shop. I hate the "if I smile wide enough and flirt with you, you'll believe anything I say" attitude. I just want my car fixed. Period.

Turns out I had 2 manifold leaks. Independent muffler shop is charging me $220 to fix them both, plus they don't treat me like a complete moron.

General Comments:

The car actually drives pretty well, when it is running. Lots of pickup, fast off of the line for an SUV.

I don't like the fact that it has a governor and you can't take it over 100, but I probably shouldn't anyway. The freeways are just SO open in parts of Nevada.

I hate the ABS brakes, but I guess most of the cars have them now. I want ME to be in control of my braking, not some computer chip. Hit one tiny piece of gravel or a 6 inch wide puddle and you lose your brakes for a good 10 feet or more. It almost got me into a few accidents over the years.

Most of my problems have more to do with the attitude of the dealer than the actual car itself. Other than the transmission, the car hasn't been all that bad. 138,000 IS a lot of miles to put on a car, especially when a lot of it is through the desert in the middle of summer. I just hate driving up to the dealer and seeing the "I could tell her anything and she'd believe it" look, and it never is under $500, no matter what is wrong.