I’m sure most of you have seen my thread about having problems with my Explorer and with West Herr, and this is what has come of it: I received a phone call from the general manager of the dealership where I bought the Explorer, and he said that he was extremely embarrassed on behalf of his company and that he was sorry for all of the problems that I was having. He said that they wanted to do everything possible to get me out of this vehicle and into a new one (catch is it has to be from their lot, which is understandable).
So, i’ve narrowed it down to 2 possibilities that are in my price range (btw they are buying the Explorer back for what its current market value is, which is about what i owe on it, so im basically starting over fresh):
2004 Chevy Blazer ZR-2
25,000 miles Pros:
-I had a 02 Blazer (non-ZR2) and the thing was a tank, could not kill it
-I am fairly confident that it wont cause me a lot of problems for a while
-I drove one daily for the better part of a year, and know that i fit comfortably in it and its big enough Cons: -my old blazer was a non-ZR2 and it got horrible gas mileage, the ZR2 with the off-road gears and bigger tires has got to be even worse
-MIGHT need tires in the next year (has the stock BFGs they have about 40% left on them)
2003 Jeep Wrangler (4.0 hard top) 48,000 miles Pros: -would be really fun in the summer when the top and doors are off
-seems to get halfway decent gas mileage (no worse than my Exploder)
-tires are like brand new, so they should last a while
-i hear that the 4.0 is an amazing engine and is virtually bulletproof Cons: -the miles kinda scare me, but as i said i hear good things about the 4.0
-im really worried that im gonna get sick of it cuz of how small it is
-the novelty MIGHT wear off after a while
-i kinda like a nice quiet and smooth ride for my DD, and am worried about that being sacrificed, even with the hard top
im really, really torn. i like the blazer because ive had one and i know what it is and what i would be getting myself into. I dont really know anything about jeeps, and i think thats what scares me about it. A part of has kinda always wanted a Jeep since i was a little kid, but ive never actually considered buying one seriously. I guess im looking gor some more information on the Jeep…i pretty much know what to expect with the Blazer, but im curious about the jeep.
even then … i have a ZR2 s-10 (and i know its no blazer) but it gets 15/20 (cty/hwy) and the blazer cant be much worse than that. what were you getting in your explorer that you think the blazer will be worse?
I just bought an 03’ S10 ZR2.I love it.I take delivery tomorrow 10-11-07.I also own a 97 S10Blazer non ZR2.It average’s 17 mpg total and maybe will get 20-22 mpg on the highway depending on how it is driven.The ZR2 look likes a fun truck though.And I would say it is alot more comfortable for everyday driving than a Jeep.I am selling my 93 Toyota 4x4 for this reason.Just too rough of a ride for everyday driving.Pick the Blazer ZR2.
am I missing something here? They want you to start over and you will erase the payments you’ve already made?
or start over as in taking your original DP adding your payments to the new DP?
Choice 3 tell them to buy the truck back, and go see Torqdss one of our Forum Sponsors?
if you choose choice 3, please grow some nuts and make the choice yourself. Why would you want a forum to decide what YOU want?
some people confuse the shit out of me…
I posted a thread a while back asking what would be a good car for my gf(someone that knows nothing about cars and only cared about “cool” looks and I wanted something reliable. THAT MADE SENSE TO ASK ABOUT.
You seem like a semi-smart guy. Is is that hard to say hey I like that one?
as the owner of a zr2 IMO they are fucking junk. The wheel bearings are crap the whole front suspension is absolutely piss poor. The 4.3 is a joke, shitty power and even shittier mpg intake manifold gaskets go bad on a pretty regular basis. The heater cores go bad on a pretty regular basis and that is a 6 to 8 hour job, so big $$$.
If you plan to wheel it or go any further than a dirt Rd buy a jeep.
a TJ or an XJ would be alot of fun even a ZJ with a lift and 32’s would be alot of fun.
you forgot the brake booster/master cyl issues with those too. Wranglers are much better but seem to be overpriced for what they are, you might be better off with somthing different
Im not asking you guys to make up my mind, im more or less asking for some opinions, as i dont really know a lot about the Jeep and would like to see how people think it compares to the Blazer.
that would be correct.
no 4 cyl cars, i like having a truck/SUV for a daily. i tried having a car (even though it was a rwd V8 car) and that lasted all of a few months before i was back into a truck for a DD. sorry, thats just the way i am i cant get comfortable for daily commuting in a car. not happening.
And as much as i would really like to give Torqdss the business (met Dave once, seems like a really great guy running a high quality business), about the only way they are going to take the thing back is if I get another car from them. This is what they offered me, so I’m going to take them up on this. Option B is for them to fix my Explorer, but I fear that in addition to all of the problems I have had in the past, they are going to keep coming. And im smart enough to realize that West Herr is not going to fix this thing forever. they’re very generous to be doing this, and its an opportunity for me to get out of a “problematic” vehicle and into a lower mileage and hopefully more reliable one. and i will be the first to admit that i deserve to rot away in hell for ever buying the Explorer in the first place.
EDIT: im also really shocked at all the Blazer hate. The one that was in my family since new practically, had 65,000 miles on it when we got rid of it, and had NO problems. all we ever had to do was brakes, oil changes, and the wheel bearings were GOING for the first time towards the end. I have experienced/heard mostly good things about these…surprised to hear of these problems
