My grandfather purchased his 4 door blazer Back in 1999 for around $22,000. I drive the vehicle on a daily basis and this is my conclusion:
Cosmetic:
Im not too crazy about the exterior styling, Chevy is too chrome happy. The chromed bumpers dont match the car right in my honest opinion and the chromed trim looks like a cheezy aftermarket add on (meaning the trim is made by another company other than GM). The tinted windows compliment the white exterior quite nicely, but makes it rather hard to see while driving, especially on the highway. The Blazer has 5 star Chevy allow rims which also helps in the style department, they are very easy to clean and always shine like new.
Interior:
Nice, high back, comfortable seats. In fact they are a little too high. For someone with a severe height defecit like my grandfather, you will have much difficulty trying to look over your right shoulder into the lane next to you, the passenger seat is way too high, and causes a huge blind spot when you have a buddy to tag along with you.
The push button 4WD is located in an odd and inconvenient spot behind the automatic shifter on the steering column. When pulling the handle down from park into drive, your knuckle hits one of the 4WD buttons. Leg room in the front: practically none, this is irritating for me since i have long legs.
AC/Delco stock sound system is terrible. Ours features the DIN 1/2 sized AM/FM/Cassette stereo (like most, if not all GM's). I dont use the radio in this car that often enough to comment further on it :). The instrument cluster setup is great, everything is setup so its highly legible. A/C and heat controls are also tucked away below the stereo which faces the driver for easier reach. I have found that the rear seats are more comfortable than the front ones, which also fold down doubling cargo space (this is one of the reasons why I love this truck so much). The rear hatch is a pain in the neck at times. To open both the window and tailgate, you must first open the window, then release the tailgate by pulling the handle on the inside.
Mechanical:
There is just one measly complaint in this department: the cooling fan for the radiator comes on at 227 degrees. This slows the truck down a little on hot, humid days. Other than that, the truck runs strong, it's never had any major mechanical work done to it, just routine maintenance. To me, this is worth buying the truck, all the little cosmetic annoyances are worth putting up with if the truck will last, and I know once my grandfather wants to sell this one, im going to be the first to buy it.
Traction, 4WD, and Snow.
Nothing seems to stop this thing. Heavy rain, ice, sleet, freezing rain, mud, and heavy snow are no match for this bad boy. Driving in 3 inches snow with the 4wd on takes away the feeling of driving on snow completely, and teamed up with the ABS brakes, this truck can take on any severe weather you throw at it (almost any, except for tornadoes:) ).
Misc:
The Blazer has a very smooth feeling ride, driving on freshly tarred roads feels like your floating on air. I never drove a truck/SUV with such a nice feeling as this one. Turns have to be taken slowly due to the narrow body of the Blazer, nothing can really be done about this unless you have the vehicle lowered, but its not that bad.
Acceleration is quite excellent, takes a steep incline like it was flat road. Take-Off is quick and peppy.
Well I spilled all I know about this one, thanks for reading this, take care!
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