Anyone own a Chevy Blazer ZR-2?

[SPOT MY 6]

I am looking at these ZR-2 blazers and wanted to know how people like them. Any problems? How much can one of these things tow? Around here you can get one for low $teens with pretty low miles.

[gn85]

I had a friend with a S-10, ext. cab. He never pulled with it, so I can't tell you the tow rating. On Chevy's website they claim a max of 5700lbs for the 2WD. That is with the correct hitch of course. It did OK off-road, although he beat it up pretty badly. As I recall, he had a few problems with the HVAC that were cleared up under warranty.

As for the ZR2 Blazer, I had a GMC Jimmy (not ZR2) that was 2door. Although I like 2door for it's added climbing and off-road ability. But with the short wheelbase it made it really squirrely on wet pavement.

Also, make sure you are getting one with a posi rear. I'm not sure if all of them came with posi rear standard.

Other problems or things to look out for. See how you can live with the strange pillar design. This design makes visibility a bit tricky. Likewise, the rear mounted spare reduces rear visibility somewhat and become a source for squeaks and rattles as my Jimmy had.

Like I said, my friend drove his into the ground (dumba$$). That truck went through several accidents, bad clutch, bad tires, and everything. So... beware you're not buying from a kid like this. (his is totalled BTW beyond repair.)

Always liked the BFG All-Terrains, but they will make some road noise.

HTH
Good luck.

[1of1547]

My wife and I bought a new 1998 Blazer ZR2. We owned it for approx. 2 years. We hated to get rid of it. But after the third pair of seat recliners broke. That was the straw that broke the camels back. It also had the ball joints go out at 30,000 mile and needed them replaced again at 45,000 miles. The rear tire holder broke and swung open. GM did replace the quarter and fix everything else. After talking to dealers service department I found out that the ball joints and seat recliners are problems with alot of S-10s. But like I said earlier we really liked the overall Blazer and did hate to get rid of it. It had a really good stance looked good. It was not uncommon to get compliments and questions about it. But when we owned ours there 3 on our area, 2 1998s and 1 1997. Every ZR2 has a posi, it is part of the package. And it is a package. They have a wider frame, 8.5 posi ten bolt, and a HO motor. Not like the ZR5s that are only fender flairs. I wouldn't mind having another one. But never the same dog bite you twice. Maybe our ZR2 was a lemon, I don't know. But on the other hand a buddy of mine has had numerous S-10s and ZR2 trucks. He sold his 97 Corvette,98 Corvette and a Boxter. But he will not part with his ZR2 trucks.

[David65]

Well, there are some things to check on them when looking to buy. Oil leaks at the rear of the intake. Oil leaks at the remote oil filter. Front boots like all 4x4's. Seat recliner handles as mentioned, my drivers side just now broke, trucks got ~34k on it. I haven't had any problems with the spare tire carrier though. Look at the rear leaf springs, or rather how much lower the vehicle is in the rear than the front. Seems they used the same springs on the Blazers as the p-up trucks. Over time, the springs get weak and the rear end droops. Take a yardstick and measure from each fender flare to the ground at the center of the wheel to get an idea. Oh, there have been problems with the pc board in the wiper module on the fire wall. Bad solder joints on the connector it sounds like.

Other than the above mentioned, I love mine. Bought it new and have about 34k on it. Gas mileage sucks, but oh well. It has been a pretty solid truck. Mine hardly rattles like some 4x4's do. Even with the big tires, the 4.3 engine does pretty good at keeping up with traffic. It's great in the snow. I've been looking at trading it in on an '04 early next year. Looks like '04 will be the end of the 2 door Blazers as they now are... If you have any questions, PM me...

Wanna buy it

David

[SPOT MY 6]

Thanks for replies so far.

There is a few of these trucks for sale locally. I found one an 01 with 24k on it for $15,000. Fully loaded, garage kept. It has a factory warranty for another 18 months or 50k miles. I might go check it out this week.

Anyone else with one of these trucks? Thanks again.

[Tom Tom Turbo]

we still have a 2000 4x4 LT 4 door Blazer and its been a great vehicle. oil cooler line leaks, broken recliner handles, and we had a sensor on the front diff. replaced like 3 times. On the plus side, its never gotten stuck (we use ours off-road at our cabin in Michigan and deer hunting) the 4.3 is a stout and reliable motor that's been around forever. As far as towing, ours has had no problem towing our 18' ChrisCraft boat or a fully loaded 2 place enclosed snowmobile trailer with a load of gear and a roof carrier too. Hell, we used our 93 4x4 Blazer to pull 2 giant bushes from our front yard (and ruined a torque converter in the process, under warranty!) If I had money for a winter vehicle, I'd be in a Blazer in a heartbeat...no pun intended.


hope this helps

[eiuskoalman]

i had a 2000 blaZeR2 for a little over a year. that was the 4th blazer i've had and also was the best. i would NEVER buy a standard blazer after driving the zr2 for a while, thats probably why i replaced it with a zr2 pickup. like mentioned earlier, that package is one true package, not just flares and tires. yes, the $10 china built seat handles are probably going to snap, other than that make sure to inspect the oil cooler lines for ANY leaks. do not buy one that is leaking, negotiate it with the purchase and have it fixed. a friend had one for less than 2 months when the leak turned into a BIG deal (rubber hose came out of its crimp connection and ruined the motor). if i didnt need a truck i'd still have that blazer. i say thumbs up.

[CraigT]

I bought a new 01 ZR2 Blazer. I loved it, but wife wanted a few more doors. I put a Westin Safari bar and KC lights on it. Also if your wife is short like mine the spare tire will block most of her view, there is a lowering kit for the spare, that loweres it 1 3/4 inches I think. my ol' lady was happy with that mod. I had mine for a year and omly put about 8800 miles on it. I loved it and want to get ZR2 truck. Check out www.zr2.com

[SPOT MY 6]

Well I found a 2001 Blazer ZR2 with only 24k miles on it. He is asking $15k. It is very clean, garaged, has a factory warranty for another 18 months or 50k miles. Its the dark blue color and has a power moonroof. Does $15k sound like a decent deal? Im going to take look at it tomarrow.