Chevy Blazers

[NutSAK]

There's nothing wrong with them, but like I said, I don't trust them myself.  There's something to be said for pulling on a lever and feeling the gears mesh underneath you.

Def

Same here.  Manual linkages for me.  I trust cables and shifters long before and electric or vacuum motor.  If you're not going to be spending much time offroad, don't worry about it.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, Terry is right- if you don't plan to get dirty, it's even less important.

However, when the snow flies, and the roads ice over, you may want that extra bit of confidence in knowing that it's on and working too.  Terry doesn't know what Atlantic winters are like, so we'll forgive him for that!

Def

[NutSAK]

LOL.  Very true.

I have an electric motor-operated transfer case in my 1995 Bronco, and I'm always sure to test it for proper operation before bad winter weather.  The bad weather here in the southern Midwest is sparse, but that's actually what you have to worry about.  The electric and vacuum motors will sit unused and seize up more easily.

[Anthony]

The only time I'd put it into 4WD would be for snow and ice...The last winter here in RI many of the streets were not plowed correctly, or not plaowed AT ALL, and I fear this coming winter will be even worse.  The state is screwed up from top to bottom; a 4" snowstorm and a 10-15 minute drive home turned into over 3 hours.  There were kids stuck on school buses until midnight.  That was with 4" of snow.  So buttons on the dash woulden't be a serious problem for me.  And what's a good way to test to see if you actually are using all 4 wheels?   

Anyways enough of my babbling   My father is talking me into geting a "newer" Blazer, year 2000 and up.  His whole philosophy is "Get a car NEWER than the one you're getting rid of."  Are the current crop of Blazers fairly easy to work on under the hood, or have they become another vehicle that you HAVE to take to a mechanic to do anything?

[Grant Lamontagne]

And what's a good way to test to see if you actually are using all 4 wheels?   

Turn it upside down and see which wheels are still moving!

Your next step in dealing with bad weather is a set of these:

www.mattracks.com

Def

[Anthony]

And what's a good way to test to see if you actually are using all 4 wheels?   

Turn it upside down and see which wheels are still moving!

Your next step in dealing with bad weather is a set of these:

www.mattracks.com

Def

Those look awesome!  Don't know how far I'd get without being pulled over by the police though...like I'd damage the already bombed out roads here 

[Grant Lamontagne]

Yeah, me too, but boy they look like fun, don't they?

Def

[ducktapehero]

Terry doesn't know what Atlantic winters are like, so we'll forgive him for that!

Granted we don't get the snow like y'all do but we're just cold enough to get freezing rain which is pretty slippery too. Of course with ice it doesn't matter if you have front/rear/all wheel drive because NOTHING moves very good.

[parnass]

I bought a 1980 4wd K5 Blazer brand new and had several problems with it over the next 7 years.  Since then, I bought Ford 4wd Broncos and F-250s and found them more reliable.  YMMV.

[Grant Lamontagne]

Terry doesn't know what Atlantic winters are like, so we'll forgive him for that!

Granted we don't get the snow like y'all do but we're just cold enough to get freezing rain which is pretty slippery too. Of course with ice it doesn't matter if you have front/rear/all wheel drive because NOTHING moves very good.

Yup- we get that here too.  Next time we have a good one I'll take pictures- imagine absolutely everything outside covered in 1/4" of slick, wet ice, and that's what we get.  And I mean everything- cars, roads, houses... you name it, all with a nice, thick layer of ice over them!

Def

[Grant Lamontagne]

Def, Are the two door models any shorter than the four door models?  It's hard to visualize without actually seeing them in person...this whole week I'm going to keep my eyes peeled while I'm out for Blazers

The two door models are shorter than 4 door models, by about 6 inches. 

My father in law just traded in his '97 4 door for an '04 2 door and the wheelbase has shrunk.  You can kind of see it looking at the truck, but he says it's really noticeable when driving it.

Sorry this info is a little late! 

Def