1996 Chevrolet S-10 LS 4.6 V6 from North America

Summary:

Excellent vehicle, and would buy another

Faults:

Driver side seat back adjuster broken (like that when I bought it).

Wipers stick and horn only works when you press in a specific spot.

Cab corners rusted out (replaced them); poor design by Chevrolet.

General Comments:

Great little truck, has stood up well and the motor is very strong. Towed a light trailer and worked well.

Good gas mileage.

Have owned for 10 years and never left me in a lurch. Good all around small truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th April, 2010

1996 Chevrolet S-10 Blazer 4.3 from North America

Faults:

4 wheel drive computer - warranty.

Idler arm, ball joints, alignment / electronic wiper motor control, fuel pump, internal coolant leak, alternator, brake booster, upholstery - warranty.

Rear axle seal and brake shoes - warranty.

Oil lines re-engineered by me - 99.00.

Alignment by me cause the dealer did it wrong - 0.00.

Multiple sets of disc brake pads - 49.00.

Plastic timing cover and seal - 49.00.

Belt tensioner and water pumps - 159.00.

A/C evaporator and compressor - 266.00.

Refrigerant and compressor oil - 53.00.

This vehicle was built during a strike at the New Jersey plant and it shows it. Now I need a CV boot, front differential bushing and the tools to install. No more US made for me -- All Japanese from here on out.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 1st February, 2009

1996 Chevrolet S-10 ZR2 4WD Ext Cab 4.3L V6 from North America

Summary:

ZR2: Greatest Small 4WD Out There

Faults:

Air Conditioning compressor replaced several times. Bad original design (4 piece housing) leaks at sealing surface. Fortunately aftermarket has designed replacement w/o leak issues. Still expensive though.

Replaced intake manifold gasket at 185000 miles.

Replaced radiator at 140000.

Having issues with electric mirror control (probably worn out).

Electronic 4WD solenoid/switch not functioning (again, probably worn out.).

Other normal, long term, maintenance items, water pump, alternator, battery, brakes, etc.

General Comments:

One of the best vehicles I have ever owned! Looking to buy another one, not a replacement but a 2nd one.

Handles great, rides like a 4WD (which it should).

Plenty of power in a small truck.

Don't understand all the whining. It seems as though most people expect to get 200k miles without replacing brakes, tires, batteries, etc. As vehicles get older things will wear out. That's why parts stores are in business. No, I'm not in the parts business.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 17th April, 2008

1996 Chevrolet S-10 SS 4.3 HO from North America

Summary:

Great truck... when it ran

Faults:

A lot went wrong with this truck in the very little time I had it.

A/C quit.

Dimmer switch broke.

Headlight switch broke.

Ignition module broke.

The straw that broke the camels back was the transmission began to slip really bad.

This all happened in less than 2 months!!!

General Comments:

This was an extremely fast truck. When it was running I loved it, but I never knew when something would go wrong.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th October, 2007

1996 Chevrolet S-10 LS 4.3 V6 from North America

Summary:

Great truck to own!

Faults:

Fuel pump went out at 95,000 miles.

Spare tire hoist failed at 100,000 miles resulting in a dropped tire.

General Comments:

This is a great truck. The motor is the best thing about it I have never had a tune up and it still run very strong!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th December, 2004

1996 Chevrolet S-10 LS Ext. Cab 2.2 L4 from North America

Summary:

Good, strong running pick up

Faults:

Aluminum heads warped and gasket leaked at about 800 miles. Under warranty and repaired at no expense. Recall for this defect was issued at a later time.

Recall: Seat belt guards installed approximately 3 months after purchasing the truck.

Water pump went out at about 39,000 miles. $$ OUCH!

Bad gasket on windshield wiper relay: got wet and presto... no wipers on a very rainy day. Recall issued and problem was fixed free of charge.

A/C compressor kicked the bucket at about 59,000. Has been replaced twice now.

Spare tire hoist failed resulting in a dropped tire while driving... fortunately in a residential area with a 15 MPH speed limit. I also had the cable lock in place. The rear of the vehicle was lifted when the tire bounced and caught the underside of the bumper. Scary... glad I was 1/2 block from home. Haven't seen any recalls yet, but NHTSB has some interesting reading on this one.

Front brakes toast at about 79,000 miles and rear brakes halfway gone as well. $$ Ouch again!

Rear main seal: cost... about 20 dollars... labor to replace...don't ask. $$ Ouch for a third time.

Transmission toasted... this was my fault for towing incorrectly on a cross country move. Read your owner's manual first.

Cost was not too bad... about what you would expect for a transmission rebuild.

General Comments:

Throughout all the small problems and the sometimes way too steep repair costs this truck is a horse. It runs just as strongly as the day I drove it off the lot and the fuel economy has only diminished by a mere 7 or 8%.

It is a comfortable ride and handles very well. Steering is not too tight and not too loose.

This vehicle pulls well when loaded, probably the best as far as 4 cylinder light trucks go.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th October, 2004

20th Jan 2005, 13:21

Its interesting that so many people have added comments about the spare tire falling off... I just had that happen about 3 months ago. I had no idea it was so common. The spare falling off and the passenger side mirror falling off seem to be common among reviewers on the site.

22nd Feb 2006, 23:26

Brakes replaced after only 79,000 miles??? OUCH, I will never buy another GM again if I have to replace my brakes after 79,000 miles..OUCH!!! My KIA needs rotors every 2 months... Glad I don't have to cheange them every 79,000 miles.