UPDATE August 14, 2007

Well, I must've jinxed myself - today the flasher died (no turn signals). Repair cost - $11 for the part and $28 labor fee. Overall, not a bad deal since I did not get dirty and the dealership fixed this in 30 minutes.
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I am a total zero when it comes to auto repair, so this particular vehicle was just the right match for me!

First of all - I am six feet tall, medium built, and find this truck comfortable. This truck is NOT for heavy or tall people!

Although without 4x4 and with only a 2.2L 4 cylinder engine, this truck is definitely the bang for your buck if you need to accomplish light cargo handling (like helping your buddies move cumbersome couches or beds) and decent fuel mileage commuting on a daily basis.

Honestly speaking, the only problem I have ever experienced with this truck was the light bulbs in the headlights burning out shortly after the purchase. Once replaced, no more problems. I bought this truck in 2004 at a local Chevrolet dealership for $7,500, when it was 2 years old with 38,000 miles on it. I always wanted a light work truck - with no carpet, or any fancy power features. I got exactly what I wanted at the time, with rubber flooring, manual transmission, manual windows and mirrors, manual locks, CD/AM/FM, lit glove compartment, and no steering column adjustment. As my father used to say, the less complicated a vehicle is, the less there will be to fix when it breaks. To be on the safe side, I bought the maximum three-year GM warranty for around $900, and never got to use it.

This truck comes with power steering and power brakes. The bench seats are upholstered with woolen fabric. The one I got has tan exterior and tan interior, and black bed liner. Extra gadgets that a previous owner put on it were the bug guard on the hood and window visors to keep the rain out while the windows are rolled down up to two inches. Also, there is a black vinyl tonneau cover that snaps to special rails mounted to the edges of the bed. Those things are usually very pricey, anywhere from $500 and up, so I was happy to see this one left for me from the previous owner.

So far, I religiously changed oil every 4K miles. I don't drive this truck hard, and rarely drive over 10 miles per day, so I have no need to change the oil more frequently. It also helps to have interstate highways as the main roadways where I live, so the truck has mainly highway miles.

The clutch is smooth in warm weather and is a bit rough in the cold months, but typically warms up after about 10 minutes of driving. The truck starts right up in any weather (From 25 to 100 Fahrenheit). The factory brakes can be too grabby on take-off when it is rainy outside, but get back to normal after your step on them once or twice at a slow speed. I think the rust on surface of the brake drums needs to wear off after a night in moist weather. The windshield wipers are simply superb - they are only 18" each, and I've never had any problems with streaks or squeaking. They get the bugs right off the windshield too.

This truck is a joy to wash. I can get it completely spotless inside and out, without any vacuuming, in about 15 minutes. The inside is best cleaned with a damp terry cloth and mild dish washing soap (it smells like new afterwards, too!). The paint job is very durable, clear coat is thick, so the do-it-yourself car wash with soft bristle brush and spray-on wax is really all you need.

You will need to change your engine air filter around 60K miles, it gets dirty. Under the hood, it looks extremely accurate - neatly fitted plastic covers are hiding most of what's under there. As a rule, Chevrolet is not the most enjoyable vehicle to work on yourself (especially Venture vans), and because my local dealership has reasonable pricing, I let them replace what's needed every year during the annual inspection. The parts are dirt cheap!

I was rear-ended once by a Jap car, and while that car ended up with cracked fender and a hole from my hutch, my S10 didn't even have a dent in it. The rear bumper is a real life savior (it's the matte black basic finish one), I feel very confident in my truck's protection from rear end collisions.

The not-so-good news is that you can't expect this truck to perform what its beefier counterparts, such as Silverado 1500, can do. First of all, when you turn on the A/C, you lose at least 25% of the truck's power, and it's significantly slower on take-off or passing potential on the highway. Going uphill with the A/C on is also rather dull. Don't get me wrong, the truck won't stall on you - it just will take its time picking up speed, no matter how hard you step on the gas. The load size should be watched carefully too, if you decide to keep the factory leaf-spring suspension. One scoop of damp topsoil is going to cause a noticeable bed sag, and handling on turns becomes more difficult. Best advice is - keep your eye on the truck bed when loading it up. I've been able to haul loads by far heavier than this truck can handle normally, but this is not recommended, and could cause damage to your rear suspension, as well as unsafe handling.

I bought a wood-trim dash kit for the interior, it looks great. You can buy one of those for nearly any vehicle at www.autoanything.com, and the kit for S10 is $120.

I can't wait to pay this truck off, wax it up and retire it in my garage - except for when I need to help my friends move or get some building materials or top soil for my yard. I am not going to trade it in, as I hear that the new series of light Chevy trucks are not nearly as reliable and easy to maintain as this one. I love this truck!


Amount Paid (US$): 7,500
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: Reg. Cab, Reg. Bed, Work Truck interior, Manual, PB, PS, CD/AM/FM