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92-93 Blazer Purchase Suggestion

Should I buy this blazer?

  • Buy it

    Votes: 7 70.0%

  • No, Run away quickly

    Votes: 3 30.0%
  • Total voters
    10
  • Poll closed .
stillyz

stillyz

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A friend of one of my customers has a 92 or a 93 full-size Blazer for sale. He says the transmission does not have reverse, which to me means dropping $1k or so to fix. Body looks decent, rockers have rust. Engine is said to run good. Interior looks pretty trashed, but I think it just needs cleaned up. I do not know the mileage. Seller wants $1k OBO. I was thinking 400-450. It's been sitting on a trailer for at least a month. Is my offer too much? Not enough? No pics; I will take a few when I go there again next week. This vehicles purpose would probably be a winter DD.

Imagine the truck as DNR tan(actually an ex-DNR vehicle) with rusty rockers, Cheyenne trim package.
 
One of those could go either way. You could swap in a trans and be all set to go. Or you could swap in a trans and find a whole mess of other issues. Really comes down to luck of the draw.

I'd guess, considering the rust and the bad trans, that it's worth $500 so long as everything else is in good working order. So to get into a running/driving 4x4 for under $2000 after it's all fixed isn't bad at all. Run it for a couple years and what did it cost you, $1000 per year.
 
Another option I am considering is buy it and parting it out. I feel like it has some potential to be a decent truck, but it's near that edge where it could go to the junkyard and get crushed quickly. I hate to see a vehicle that may need some work go to the junkyard just because someone didn't want to put a few bucks into it.

Also, with any older, used vehicle, if it runs and drives, it's worth $500. If it looks good and has working function of brakes, ac, heat, that could make it worth another $500.

Brian, you're right in that it's worth $500 if everything else is in good working order. And so far I don't know if it really is or not.
 
stillyz said:
Imagine the truck as DNR tan(actually an ex-DNR vehicle) with rusty rockers, Cheyenne trim package.
Click to expand...

Sweet! I love those old DNR rigs. I wonder if the rear has a locker in it? If not, Auburn makes an awesome locker for those old trucks.

I bought a DNR 85 C1500 twelve years back, and had to replace the tranny first thing. The body was in good shape, the state had ziebart rust protection while it was in service, so check for those too.

I'd have a mechanic give it the thumbs up first, but I think $7-800 would be fair for the condition. :dunno:
 
The 88-98 trucks were long lasting vehicles. I think you can bank on it being a good driver for a good while after fixing the transmission. It doesn't necessarily need a rebuilt trans,either. A bad sensor can cause the "no reverse",but don't tell the seller that. I'd pay $1,000 for one like that,but less is always better. Figure this was a fleet maintained vehicle and should have been driven responsibly,I would think. My driver is the '92 K3500 I ordered new and now has 277,000 on it with very little work needed. I like the Plain Jane gummit trucks. The '85 Jimmy I bought last summer is Doeskin Tan all over with Buckskin interior and looks like it was slated to be a DNR vehicle. Even had an antennae plug on the driver side cowl.
 
I'd check to see if any paint has chipped to show another color. If its green it may have been a Conservation Officer's rig, that was painted for another dept in the DNR. Either way it's still a cool truck.

Is the rear a 12 bolt? What part of IN are you located?
 
I have a shop in mind who has done transmission work for our work vehicles. Since we do business together, they give us pretty good deals on mechanical work when we need it. I like what I'm hearing from you guys so far. I am definitely going to look at it closer and take/share some pictures on Tuesday, and give the guy a call.

Polski-Chevy, I'm live around the South Bend (Notre Dame) area. The truck is about 20 minutes away from me. It could be a 12 bolt rear end. It looked a little beefier than 10 bolt, but I didn't bother looking any further than that.
 
Potential plans would be just a DD, for now. I don't see a solid-axle swap for it coming, just want something decent for the winter months. If the tires are crappy, I could throw some all-terrains on it.
 
I wouldn't buy it as a DD. You'll end up spending a lot of money on it needing it to get you somewhere tomorrow and you could just spend another $1500 and get something that doesn't need a lot of work.

Wouldn't be a bad candidate for a chopped up, 1-tonned trail rig though since most of that rust would get cut off and that worn out, neglected front end would get tossed in the trash anyway.

I have 3 '96s that have close to 200k miles on them, 1 owner rigs that I have maintained the whole time. Those front ends have an excellent service life in stock form even if your beating on them with a plow, but at 150k+, they pretty much need to be overhauled completely which means a lot of time and it's even quite a bit for all the parts. That truck looks pretty neglected and you are probably safe to assume it's going to need a lot of labor...not to mention that tranny is one of the most expensive autos out there. Great tranny, but how much do you want to invest in that truck that needs to run every day, but probably won't be reliable enough to do that until you put a couple months of work in to it or spend thousands at a shop?

Buy a cheap 2wd car, the MSRP started much lower and they're cheaper to drive/maintain. Throw it away when it needs a major repair. Or get an old Subi or pickup if you need 4x4 in the winter. SUVs are always going to cost more than their worth mechanically due to the body's practicality as a family car.
 
After looking at it more in depth, I am leaning toward passing on it as a potential DD. Hypothetically, I'd get the transmission fixed, then the engine would go.

The idea of a chopped 1-ton would be sweet, except I would need a decent truck and trailer, and I have neither of those. I like my Jimmy because I can drive it, wheel it, and get me home in one piece.

I have 2 other vehicles, plus my wife's car. Could I DD my wheeling vehicle? Yes, done it before, and unless something better pops up, I will do it again.

I definitely do not need this Blazer, but I always look for the potential in border-line junk vehicles.
 
id pass.that sucka is rottin away.if the engine and things run alright it would be a good romper.cut the fenders and throw some 35s on it and see whats up with the tranny.500 bucks would be good price,but it needs as was said about 1500 more to be driveable.lots of body repairs as well.interior looked good.just needs cleanup from what i can see.if you dont have inspections on vehicles there and dont have to worry about rust then you can get a junkyard tranny and replace that and have a decent dd.
 
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