It's about time to retire my s10

[Ghost Magnum]

Yep... those engines were notorious for the intake manifold gasket developing a coolant leak due to the way EGR valve was located.

If your has that motor, you got you monies worth out of it.

Yep, I have the 4 cylinder engine.
Got to admit that these little S10 refuse to give up the ghost.

 

[muddocktor]

I have a 17 crew cab Colorado and after owning it for almost 3 years now (bought it with 3k miles on it, a loaner that was never titled) I am pretty satisfied with it. I am pushing about 39k miles on it now with no real problems except at about 20k miles shifting got a little squirrely, which was handled under warranty by the dealership and only involved changing the tranny oil to an improved type. They said it was a problem that had been noticed in the 8 speed tranny models and was fixed by the newer tranny oil for the 18 and beyond models. The v6 is plenty powerful and has decent torque too. Mine is a 2wd model and I wish now that I had gotten the 4wd model, but it is what it is and I can live with 2wd. It doesn't snow down in soggy bottom Louisiana at least. It also drives real nice and when I was working out of Midland, TX and wasn't totally whipped after 11 solid hours behind the wheel.

One other thing I appreciate is that the v6 is normally aspirated whereas the Ranger is a 4 cylinder turbo. I just totally trust a turbo engine for some reason in a pickup. And mine has the long 6' bed instead of the short bed

EDIT: Here are a couple of pics of my Colorado.

This is right after I got it, before I added the Roll-N-Lock on the bed and brush guard.


This was taken around 2019 out at a rig after I added the above mentioned items to it.

 

[MP-5]

I had an early model 1985 S10 Chevy Blaser in the 90s. That model hadn't worked out all the design "Kinks" as the transmission design was too small for this vehicle. The later models would address this feature flaw. That one was a 2.8 liter. Put a new transmission in and by 5 years it needed another one. Not fond memories other than it was a great time in my life.

 

[824tsv]

1984 Chevrolet S-10

You can always turn it into a hotrod!

 

[rubiranch]

Yep, I have the 4 cylinder engine.
Got to admit that these little S10 refuse to give up the ghost.

2.5L Sounds like a bad head gasket or a cracked cylinder wall.

 

[mike christensen]

1995 f250 300 cu in inline 6 with 166000 actual miles with a 5 speed overdrive. will not pass anything not even a gas station, but reliable oh hell yes and what you hook to it is going to move. rides like the lumber wagon it is, but its mine

 

[Ghost Magnum]

Some of these problems started after the belt tensioner popped off while I was on the highway. My tuck did get overheated .I probably cracked something then. I'm calling around now. My local ford dealership is going to see if they can find me a 2020 ford ranger. They are doing everything they can to get rid of them.
A friend of mine knows someone selling a 2001 blazer. I found some vintage C10 short beds. They would make great projects. But I don't need another project car! Lol

 

[Ghost Magnum]

1995 f250 300 cu in inline 6 with 166000 actual miles with a 5 speed overdrive. will not pass anything not even a gas station, but reliable oh hell yes and what you hook to it is going to move. rides like the lumber wagon it is, but its mine

Those 300 straight 6 have a huge cult following. A friend of mine stands by his with near religious zeal.

 

[JohnHL]

I bought my 1988 S10 (2.8 V6, 700R4 auto) in 1999 with 190000 miles.

It now has over 310000 miles and looks terrible!

I've replaced tires, brakes, tune-ups, exhaust, water pump, starter, radiator, fuel tank, intake manifold gaskets.

Engine, trans, and rear end have never been out and heads have never been off.

Dependable as an anvil.

I think I'll drive it until it breaks in half.

John

 

[gregintenn]

An engine is way cheaper than a truck.

 

[rubiranch]

An engine is way cheaper than a truck.

Yep, but even with a new engines its still an S-10.



Sorry, I just couldn't stop myself.

Everybody has their favorites for good reasons, you'd probably laugh at what I drive.

I spent my career in automotive and there were a few vehicles out there that I just didn't like to drive, 2 of them were Chevys.

1. Vega
2. Subaru
3. S-10

I just never liked driving them. I could actually make a huge list but no need for that.

I drive a Chevy 2500 HD 4-wd regular cab and love it and I drive a Lincoln Town Car and love it too.

 

[dave1918a2]

Had a 96 s10 4X4 with the vortex v-6. Pulled a 5th wheel with it. The CO mountains didn't help so I traded for a 96 Ford powerstroke. Wow, that thing would pull the hind end off a rhinoceros. Wanted a suv last year and went to Craigs List daily till I found the one I wanted. Explorers with 200K miles for 5.5K, S-10 Blazer with 185K for 6K, Sequoia by Toyota with 250K for 14K, Tacoma with 200K for 11K. 4Runner with 300K for 5K. If this is a sample of how many miles these newer vehicles will go with proper maintenance, I would be tempted to replace the engine and whatever needs fixing and keep going. Bought a 4Runner with 120K for 10K. Was on Craigs list for 15 minutes. Sold My truck on Craigs list in less than an hour.

 

[Fishinfool]

Kenny, I forgot to mention the Nissan Frontier pick up trucks. 4wd with a v-6 and auto trans, they are about the best bang for the buck in a newer used p/u truck. Very reliable, and relatively low tech, which means less to go wrong.

A local dealer buys lease turn ins with low miles, and he has a number of them 2 years old with under 20k miles for around 20 grand. I am sure you could do better on price if you shopped around, and went for a year or two older, or a few more miles. My only Nissan was a 1984 2wd Hardbody P/U withe a stick and the 4 cyl, 2 spark plug per cyl engine. Towed a 20 ft boat like a champ, you just had to rev it like a bike engine. Over 200k problem free miles when I sold it to buy a new 1994 Ranger 4wd V-6 stick, another virtually problem free truck.

Larry

 

[31FordA]

Those 300 straight 6 have a huge cult following. A friend of mine stands by his with near religious zeal.

My Dad loved the 300 six. Those engines just won't quit. He had several F-150's with that engine and the motors never quit. The trucks literally fell/rusted apart and the motor was still going strong. His 1984 F-150 got to almost 500,000 miles on the original motor.

 

[Ghost Magnum]

My local dealer found some left over 2020 rangers.

 

[Bullet Bob]

I remember buying a new S15, the GMC version around 1983 or '84. I remember the manual shift lever coming off in my hand on the way home.

Not the last problem with it. I grew up in a Chevrolet family; the S15 was the 3rd GM product in a row that has kept me from ever buying another one. And until they decide to give me some money back, the last. I realize the '70's and '80's were a low point for many American manufacturers, but I guess Southerners really do hold a grudge.

 

[JcMack]

I had a '73 F100 with the 300 6cyl that developed a cracked block. I had a new '78 Chevy 1/2 ton stepside that had a bad rust thru on both rear fenders in 3 years. Bought a '71 Volkswagen convertible for the wife that the engine failed in a year. All this in the "DARKTIME'' that I was married to Satans Sister destroyer of men and their vehicles.

 

[03hemi]

You can always turn it into a hotrod!

Amen to that!
That's specifically what I wanted a truck for when I bought my truck 7or 8 years ago.
Wife wasn't happy, but then it wasn't her choice either. lol
03 Dodge Ram Hemi.
In the design stage of installing the 6pack hood scoop to feed the Vararam Air Grabber from the top.
The aluminum butterflies will open/close via a linear actuator for rainy whether. The snorkel feeds it from the grill.

 

[Ole Joe Clark]

We bought a 2001 Toyota Sienna Van new, and drove it for 14 years, then sold it in a hour on Craig's List. We then bought a used Rav4 a couple of years ago. About 3 months ago I replaced the battery and the service guy talked me into a lifetime warranty, free replacement. When they were through and at the pay window, the conversation was about the battery and free replacement. The young guy that sold it to me looked kinda shocked when I mentioned that I had driven the last vehicle 14 years.

My truck is a 1995 Toyota T100 with the V-6 engine that I bought a few years ago. It runs like a well oiled sewing machine. I drive it to the range and to the lake, it's not pretty, but it works.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

 

[4barrel]

You can always turn it into a hotrod!

That is a fine looking ride. I like the way it sets. Overdrive with 340's? These are hard to find in good shape.