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Good condition 1988 Blazer K5 Silverado for $5,400 - worth it?

AuH2O

AuH2O

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I am looking into buying a 1988 Blazer K5 Silverado 6.2L diesel. It has 140,000 miles on it, with 6 previous owners. It came with all the options from the factory, and all electronics work. It is virtually rust-free except for on the tailgate, and the tires are in good shape. As far as I can tell, there are no problems with it, and it runs good. It has a very sparse history of repairs, and it is in original condition. You can see two pictures of it here:

http://img176.imageshack.us/img176/1129/chevy1988nd6.jpg

The asking price is $5,400 which to me seems a bit high, but maybe its relatively good condition warrants it? What do you think, would you pay that price for that car? If not, what do you think it's worth?

Is there anything on this model year that sets it apart positively or negatively from the others? And how much more milage is it reasonable to expect to get out of the engine as it stands? Any comments and input would be welcome!
 
Thats high for the mileage thats on it units in rust free zones and lower milage sell on eBay in top condition (no rust good paint) for $3,000 to $5,800 (beig spotless and eat off frame) for a 1988.

Ask your self where has the truck been?
What type of owner (male and age)?
Look under the carpet in the rear under the scuff plate six screws.
If you are serious about it get an oil sample and have it anylized. It will tell you alot about truck. (oil should have been in truck for a while)

Check the front fenders to see if they are GM or aftermarket. How do the windows work (are they slow does back only work on outside).

Myself I would not pay that for it but I paid $1,375.00 for my 1987 with 98,000 miles out of North Dakota.
blazer1.jpg



Ask any questions you have about the Blazers here we will help you out.
Good Luck
 
not worth 5400. for 5400 is should be VERY clean like show quality and have decent rims on it at least
 
I paid 3,000 for a 1991 with absolutly no rust. Clearcoat sucks but other than that totally clean. I've run it for about 1-1/2 years and haven't put anything into it.....except bigger tires a lift, my winch and bumper. but mechanicaly it has been a peach. Shop around there out there. Idaho truck here by the way
 
mine which is 85 rust free and good rubbers, totally stock interior everything works but is a little aged and brand new tranny and t-case 6 inch lift w/ nice 35's was $4000. the tranny work was about 3k done by the PO. (ripped off and punched in the face by AAmco)
whats your budget and plans for the truck, add the price of new axles and WHEELS and tires and anything else you are going to put on it. if that goes over the budget with what you paid for it, then make the purchase price go down. for that id pay maybe 2500.
 
I paid $6300 for my bone stock 1989 and it had 187K on the factory 350 engine, had rust free body and clean paint, clean interior, had a GM tranny installed just prior to my purchase and was a California truck.

The blazer now has 232K and never been apart yet and still runs like a champ with general maintanence upkeep.
 
Last October, I paid 6k for my 87 with 83k on the ticker. lifted on 33's, msd ignition, alarm w/keyless entry, tint, good paint, and brand new interior. You can see pics of it on my 87 blazer thread.
 
Paid 5k for my 89' completely rust free everywhere, could eat off the motor, and frame, no leaks or anything, i am the 3rd owner, both owners before be kept log book of all maintenance in glove box and came with orignal sales sticker and books, originally from texas, now in Mississippi, super clean, top had never been removed, and had a fresh paint job... can't say that about it now... lol
 
I think thats a little high, we bought ours from a dealer for cheaper than that. Had a lift kit, bran new tires, no rust, and very low miles, with a system in it, I would't pay that. But just my opinion
 
Well, thanks for your input guys. Always good to know what others got theirs for when negotiating the price. As it stands, I am now the proud owner of an '88 Blazer Silverado! In the end, I managed to get the price down to $4,800, and eventhough that's still a bit high, I'm pretty pleased with the deal. He wasn't that anxious to sell in the first place, and for less than that, he'd rather have kept it for himself. I wasn't on that tight a budget to begin with, and I've been looking around enough to know that it'd probably take me a long time to find one in as good condition as this one. As I said, virtually no rust, and what little there is was confined to the tailgate. I've looked it over thoroughly, and everything passes inspection with ease. Plus, it has pretty much every extra option down to factory-mounted engine block heater, delay windshield wiper system and the 4-speed overdrive that you can think of; and more importantly, everything works. In addition, new brakes all around, new front wheel bearings, and a new performance exhaust system with dual pipes (mounted after the ad picture was taken). The only thing working against the truck is the relatively high milage, but it doesn't show. The interior is clean and not worn down, and the engine feels like it will run at least twice as much before needing any attending to.

So, all in all, I still think it was a pretty good deal, though if I was looking for a truck to do some work on, I may have picked the wrong object. There are basically just three things I'm looking to replace for now. One, the OEM steering wheel has been replaced by a smaller three-spoke Chevy racing one that really doesn't fit the car at all. I've been searching a little on eBay, but there aren't that many around. I need to know, were the Silverado steering wheels different than those in the "plain" models, or could I just buy the first "Blazer '88" wheel I find, knowing it's the right one? And were they always black, or did they change with the interior? (My interior is grey, so should I look for a grey wheel?)

Here's the only one I've found on eBay so far - it says 73-87, but would mine have been any/much different?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy-GMC-Blazer-Jimmy-OEM-Steering-Wheel-1973-1987_W0QQitemZ8068676194QQihZ019QQcategoryZ42609QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

Also, I'm looking to switch the current running boards (see picture) for less intrusive step bars. I've looked around some but haven't found any that will fit older Blazers than '92. Does anybody have a tip about some good ones?

Lastly, I'm looking to add a few skid plates, particularly for the fuel tank and front differential. Any tip on where to get those would also be appreciated.

As for oils, is what the manual recommends still considered the best choice? (ATF Dexron II in transmission and transfer case, SAE80W-90 GL-5 in front and rear axles). And is there any consensus on what I should put in the diesel engine if I really want to give it the best possible oil? (For normal to hard driving conditions, winter and summer)

One more thing comes to mind as I write. I need the two outer seat belts for the back seat, and the back seat floor mats. Is it easiest to just get that straight from GM?

Ok, long post, and maybe it should've been split up by respective subject, but hey, can you blame a guy for being thrilled about his "new" truck? ;) One thing's for sure, it's got a much better "feel" to it than my real new ('05) truck. Older is always better, huh? :D
 
muddybuddy said:
thats the same steering wheel i got in my 88.
Click to expand...
Hmm, I doubt it. Mine is a 13.5" with three bare metallic spokes forming a "T", and a white round plastic center horn button with a blue Chevy logo. "NOVA" is engraved on the middle spoke in capital letters, which leads me to the not totally unfounded conclusion that it's actually for the Novas. Aesthetically it doesn't fit the truck at all, and it's too small to be comfortable. And it's not factory mounted. I checked my service parts identification sticker, and according to that I'm supposed to have a "Custom 16" Steering Wheel" (N31) from the factory. Anybody know where I could get one? It would also help just seeing a picture of it!
 
AuH2O said:
<snip>

As for oils, is what the manual recommends still considered the best choice? (ATF Dexron II in transmission and transfer case, SAE80W-90 GL-5 in front and rear axles). And is there any consensus on what I should put in the diesel engine if I really want to give it the best possible oil? (For normal to hard driving conditions, winter and summer)
Click to expand...

The 6.2 should get religious oil and filter changes. They soot up really quick. For oil it must be diesel specific and 15W40 is what you want. The Chevron Delo and the Shell Rotella are both good. Stay away from Fram filters, use a Wix or Purolator or AC.

Congrats BTW!!

Rene
 
I have the same type that was in my 1987 Blazer. My 1989 Jimmy parts truck had the four spoke sports style.
 
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