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Got my first car with payments, but its not a Subaru :-\

It is however a beast in its own right...

 

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Good news: It has a 4.3 Vortec V6, 4x4, tinted windows, awesome stock

stereo and its the newest thing I own.

 

Bad news: No hitch, pretty much a base model, 146k and shocks are shot.

 

Meh news: Its an auto, has to be for mail delivery, it leaks oil, its red (I

would've preferred white), and I have 3 years of monthly payments on it.

 

After all this, it seems to be a good car and will do me well for mail delivery.

Hope to get a RHD Subaru after I work for a while.

I have a thread on that in the New Gen forum.

 

Twitch

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^ The literally hundreds of thousands of them on the road seem to make your story a bit of a fluke. As far you "hating it"; you also would probably want to defend the bejeebus out of your Toyota pickup. That definitely calls your taste into question.

 

 

As fas as the Blazer: It has the CPFI motor, which is one of the most tuneable 4.3s made. You can do alot to the motor just through the OBD system, and most all hardware you change; the computer will recognize, and make adjustments for. The thing will be reliable as all getout, and with a little work you can improve the mileage a bit. Plus, you'll have the proverbial power to pull a "greased string". As far as leaking oil, where is it leaking from? I haven't seen very many 4.3s that leak much oil. Especially not at 146k, that's still fairly young. That thing will go 3 if you take care of it.

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Seems like most of you got around to the answer. The reason I asked where it was leaking from is because I've seen alot of people confuse the remote oil filter location for a leaky seal. The inspection plate is usually coated with a thin layer from changing the filter, and early on I thought the same thing. I thought they all leaked oil from somewhere out the front (ie Cooler lines, or something) until I finally realized that was where the oil filter was located on the 4x4 blazers.

 

That'd be strange if it was a rear main. I'd suspect it sat for awhile if that truely is the case. Not many 4.3s or modern small blocks with the one piece rear main leak that much. Either way, no huge deal. It could be changed fairly easily.

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My girlfriends blazer rode like a boat. The suspension was horrible, the handling was horrible. True, the engine would smoke the tires, but the rest of the car was a huge piece of crap.

 

My 4runner is 1,000x the truck that piece of ************ S10 ever was. So go ************ yourself 3eyed.

 

 

What a response. A bunch of whiney complaints by someone who never would have taken the time to understand the vehicle, just hate it because it wasn't his 4runner. The consistent positive responses by the rest of the world prove that you don't know your @$$ from a hole in the ground, and the fact you'd actually go on to compare you're 4runner even gos further to show how absolutely retarded you are. Take all of the aftermarket stuff off of your 4runner, and THEN compare the two for what they REALLY are. Pull your head out Junkie, you are comparing apples and oranges. Stock to stock, in the real world for what 99% of the world is up to; the Blazer is, and always will be better at everything. If anyone wanted to spend the time to make a Blazer (as I'm sure has been done) into what your Runner is; I have no doubt it would make your Runner look like the underpowered POS that it undeniably is. So continue living in your fantasy world where comparing a vehicle that has been rid of it excessive weaknesses by the aftermarket, and a stock Blazer is the norm. It only shows how absolutely stupid you really are. TaTa.

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My girlfriends blazer rode like a boat. The suspension was horrible, the handling was horrible. True, the engine would smoke the tires, but the rest of the car was a huge piece of crap.

 

My 4runner is 1,000x the truck that piece of ************ S10 ever was. So go ************ yourself 3eyed.

 

What a response. A bunch of whiney complaints by someone who never would have taken the time to understand the vehicle, just hate it because it wasn't his 4runner. The consistent positive responses by the rest of the world prove that you don't know your @$$ from a hole in the ground, and the fact you'd actually go on to compare you're 4runner even gos further to show how absolutely retarded you are. Take all of the aftermarket stuff off of your 4runner, and THEN compare the two for what they REALLY are. Pull your head out Junkie, you are comparing apples and oranges. Stock to stock, in the real world for what 99% of the world is up to; the Blazer is, and always will be better at everything. If anyone wanted to spend the time to make a Blazer (as I'm sure has been done) into what your Runner is; I have no doubt it would make your Runner look like the underpowered POS that it undeniably is. So continue living in your fantasy world where comparing a vehicle that has been rid of it excessive weaknesses by the aftermarket, and a stock Blazer is the norm. It only shows how absolutely stupid you really are. TaTa.

 

Ok, please no fighting in here.

 

I happen to agree with 3eyed, because in stock form, with completely shot

struts and worn out ball joints, this thing still rides pretty nice for a body on

frame.

 

And as for the handling comment, this thing handles close to what my BRAT

does on pavement, although not all that close on dirt/gravel, BUT it has about

3000 lbs over the BRAT.

And I'm sure your 4 runner is around 1500-2000 lbs lighter than the blazer

your GF had.

 

Also, 4runners are usually (in this area) overpriced, beat to death, rust

buckets, that have center shifters, manual or auto.

 

I needed something that was decently priced ($4900 for an 02 is dirt cheap),

still in decent shape (worst parts are the struts), no rust what-so-ever, and

has an easily removed unimportant center console.

Not to mention many mail carriers use blazers on a daily basis.

 

So keep your hate comments out please.

 

Twitch

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Im not here to compare apples to oranges... i know the blazer is nothing like my 4runner.

 

We dated for 5 years. The truck never had a problem with its engine, it was just a horrible ride. The suspension was far too soft, it felt like driving in a water bed.

 

That is my only complaint.

 

And again, 3eyed can go ************ himself, twitch have fun with your new ride.

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The rest of the world calls that "comfortable". Now go put on your track suit, Nikes, sleeping bag, and drink some more Cool-Aid. :)

 

Twitch, you are 110% right. You got a great rig for the money. May as well take advantage of a plethera of vehicles resulting in pretty killer low prices. That drivetrain is solid, and will last you a long time. Especially if you can handle that horrible ride for years to come. :lol: I mean, your back is sure to hate not feeling every single pot hole.

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Twitch, you are 110% right. You got a great rig for the money. May as well take advantage of a plethera of vehicles resulting in pretty killer low prices. That drivetrain is solid, and will last you a long time. Especially if you can handle that horrible ride for years to come. :lol: I mean, your back is sure to hate not feeling every single pot hole.

 

Haha, yeah, I was looking at S-10 trucks, and for the money, I was looking at

an S-10 for 8-10K for a 2000, or 4900 for this 2002 Blazer.

Hmmmm, hard decision...

 

Anyway, I've been too busy to look for that oil leak, but I'm pretty sure its

nothing.

 

Parts will be easy to come by for years to come and I have a plethora of

aftermarket support for it, unlike most of my subarus... :-p

 

Twitch

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Wow interesting thread.

 

The s-10 blazer with the 4.3 is a far better vehicle then a 4runner. Sorry its just one of those chevy nitch vehicles that just worked. And +1 on the yotas being really overpriced. I had a guy want 3k for a 4 runner all rusted out with 200k on the clock.

 

It still could be the rear main for the leak though. How fast is it coming out.

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Anyway, I've been too busy to look for that oil leak, but I'm pretty sure its

nothing.

 

Parts will be easy to come by for years to come and I have a plethora of

aftermarket support for it, unlike most of my subarus... :-p

 

Twitch

 

You need to be really specific as to WHERE the oil leak is coming from. When I first started working on these back in 02 or so, I found it really strange that ALL of them that came into the shop had oil leaks. They all had a fairly large ammount of oil markings on the entire front skid plate, and some running back across the pan. It took me a little time to realize that the factory catch tube located directly below the remote mount oil filters (on 4wds ONLY) didn't do a great job of catching all the oil when you went to replace the filter. The oil then ran down the top side of the skid plate, some of it out the inspection hole in the plate, and down the front of the skid plate, and when you drove it after the oil change; it would run backwards on the bottom side of the motor. I make it sound alot worse than it really is, but, I'm trying to give you an idea of where the oil runs once that filter is spun loose. Anyways, the point is that this is really easy to confuse for an oil leak, and I wasted a bit of brakekleen keeping an eye on oil leaks that didn't really exist.

 

So anyways, you should definitely enjoy the rig. Even if the rest of the truck weren't that great; the 4.3 v6 is probably one of the greatest motors ever built. It alone would be worth putting up with nearly anything. That's why you see SO many 4.3 swaps, and very few 22re, or 3.0 swaps. However, the fact is that the rest of that trucks drivetrain is pretty equally tried and true. The 4l60e has been around for years, especially if you consider the non computer controlled 700r4. It's all solid stuff. I'm not telling you some of it won't wear out, because, honestly; the transmissions usually need a rebuild at 140k or so, depending on the life they've lived. But, in my book; it's cheap cost of operation. I'd rather go through a few more parts on a rig that was pleasant to drive over its' shorter life than have one crappy one last me forever. What's the point of getting 500,000 miles out of something if it were a gutless rattlewagon every time you went somewhere?

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  • 2 months later...

So I've been driving it for work and I hate it.

It's just not my cup of tea, vehicle wise.

It drives like what it is, a big lumbering barge.

Top that off with an automatic and ABS and it's complete torture compared to driving the BRAT.

 

I replaced the ball joints, and the ride is better, but it's still no subaru.

I've done an oil change and it's not too bad to change, but the oil filter flap is kinda funky.

Not to mention the skid plate is actually just a crap blocker.

It's made of plastic and would probably shatter if it took a decent hit.

So I'm hunting down a RHD Subaru to drive, but finding one of those is a PITA.

And when you do find one, they're usually beat to death.

 

Twitch

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It's funny that you find a s10 Blazer to be a barge. It's all relative to what you are used to driving I suppose. I drive alot of 6 man pickups, so, a Blazer is actually pretty small. Just to point out the obvious; the S10 Blazer is a midsize SUV, thusly, it is about exactly the median of vehicles you'll find on the road today. It isn't a "barge", it is large compared to what you are used to. A 1964 Oldsmobile 98 is a barge.

 

As far as the plastic cover; Nope; they aren't rally ready. If you manage to hit something with one, you're doing it wrong... :lol:

 

I'll be the first to admit that almost all of the GM IFS trucks are pretty plush riding. Downright floaty feeling to those not used to such luxuries:grin:. That's because they were designed that way.

 

However, I have to ask: Why is it torture compared to the BRAT? Does it really suck that much to be able to get up to 60mph without counting to 15. :lol: I don't care for ABS either, but the 4l60e is fine.

 

Sucks it doesn't jive with you. You're missing out on a great rig for very little money.

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4 runners and blazers are both excellent vehicles people. Yeah the four runner is a bit underpowered but its reliable as heck and hard to break. The blazers are great vehicles and the 4.3 vortec is one of the most tough and reliable motors around. the only issue we had on ours was the tranny went out but $500 got us a new rebuilt one installed (we know some good cheap tranny experts). Ours has 140,000 and besides the fact that it will need a starter soon is great. As far as handling issues i sure as heck know the yotas aint much better and keep in mind a large SUV is not going to handle anything like a subaru :)

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So I've been driving it for work and I hate it.

It's just not my cup of tea, vehicle wise.

It drives like what it is, a big lumbering barge.

Top that off with an automatic and ABS and it's complete torture compared to driving the BRAT.

 

I replaced the ball joints, and the ride is better, but it's still no subaru.

I've done an oil change and it's not too bad to change, but the oil filter flap is kinda funky.

Not to mention the skid plate is actually just a crap blocker.

It's made of plastic and would probably shatter if it took a decent hit.

So I'm hunting down a RHD Subaru to drive, but finding one of those is a PITA.

And when you do find one, they're usually beat to death.

 

Twitch

 

How hard would it be to do a RHD conversion yourself. I know it wouldnt be easy but you could possibly order parts from Oz, NZ or anywhere else across the pond and it wouldnt be too much.

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It's funny that you find a s10 Blazer to be a barge. It's all relative to what you are used to driving I suppose. I drive alot of 6 man pickups, so, a Blazer is actually pretty small. Just to point out the obvious; the S10 Blazer is a midsize SUV, thusly, it is about exactly the median of vehicles you'll find on the road today. It isn't a "barge", it is large compared to what you are used to. A 1964 Oldsmobile 98 is a barge.

 

As far as the plastic cover; Nope; they aren't rally ready. If you manage to hit something with one, you're doing it wrong... :lol:

 

I'll be the first to admit that almost all of the GM IFS trucks are pretty plush riding. Downright floaty feeling to those not used to such luxuries:grin:. That's because they were designed that way.

 

However, I have to ask: Why is it torture compared to the BRAT? Does it really suck that much to be able to get up to 60mph without counting to 15. :lol: I don't care for ABS either, but the 4l60e is fine.

 

Sucks it doesn't jive with you. You're missing out on a great rig for very little money.

 

Ok, I've owned subarus exclusively since I bought my first car until now, and haven't driven much else.

So anything heavier than 3000Lbs and bigger than a lego is a barge to me :-p

 

Maybe hate is too strong a word.

It's definitely not my fave to drive, esp with the 18- MPG.

And I meant the - as it rarely gets better than 18 on a good day.

 

I personally don't mind having a gutless wonder.

It may take 10-15 seconds to hit sixty, but just getting there sounds and feels like I'm getting up to 100.

Yes, I do enjoy being able to give my car hell and barely making it to the speed limit :D

 

But I digress, the blazer is a decent rig, and that IFS isn't as bump dampening or vibration dampening as I like.

It still shudders and shakes when I hit a pothole.

And the shocks are good, they were better than the new ones I bought to replace them with :eek:

 

And I believe some animosity towards the car is coming from the fact I spend at least 7 hours a day in the thing, when I work that is.

 

But just the total lack of control over anything the car does just bugs me.

The lag in acceleration from the auto, the stupid vibrating brake pedal, and that disconnected cushy feeling just make me edgy.

If it had ECS I would probably have shoved it back at the dealer the first time it cut me off.

If I'm gonna have a RWD I better be able to have fun in it...

 

Twitch

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How hard would it be to do a RHD conversion yourself. I know it wouldnt be easy but you could possibly order parts from Oz, NZ or anywhere else across the pond and it wouldnt be too much.

 

I have considered this option, as I have a 1990 lego sitting waiting for a good shortblock.

But I really don't want to have to strip two cars of their wiring harnes, and rewire one.

Heh, looks like an ej swap isn't in my future :-p

Anyway, I've been hunting and as soon as I can save up for it, I'm gonna begin a full blown search for a JDM Legacy (I already have a thread on it) and import one.

They have the same safety equipment as the postal Suby's and therefore are already IIHS legal.

So it won't be nearly as difficult as say, a Skyline :-p

 

Twitch

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The lag in acceleration from the auto, the stupid vibrating brake pedal, and that disconnected cushy feeling just make me edgy.

If it had ECS I would probably have shoved it back at the dealer the first time it cut me off.

If I'm gonna have a RWD I better be able to have fun in it...

 

Twitch

 

I will gladly admit that the GM ABS system leaves something to be desired. They've improved it greatly, but 2000, and prior vehicles definitely don't feel "comfortable". That being said:

 

DITCH THE ABS

 

I've done so on many GM ABS equiped vehicles. It can easily be done by unplugging a front ABS sensor. The ABS light stays on, but, who cares. Cover it with a sticker.

 

If you really feel strongly about ABS, as I do, then don't use it. I hate ABS. So, I remove it from the equation.

 

By unplugging the ABS sensor lead from even just ONE of the ABS sensors, the earlier systems are rendered useless. I simply unplugged (the lead has a pigtal located up in the wheel well, running under the lip of the inner fenderwell towards the rear of the wheel well) the one on my S10, and it will lock up all 4 tires now, IF I want it to.

 

Give it a try. My stock brakes were good after I did that.

 

*EDIT!!!!!!*

 

I want to make clear that this should only be done by competent, experienced drivers, and that they should; following this excercise, find a safe place to get used to the vehicle's characteristics without ABS. Someplace remote, and big....

Edited by 3eyedwagon
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