So as many of you know I have been having some major car issues this past year.. Most recently my heater decided not to work last night in a snow storm. I currently own a 1997 Chevy Blazer, I love my baby however it doesn't love me back.. In the last year alone I have dropped $4000 on it.. It has a major oil issue (constantly putting oil in, asked for a case of oil for Christmas that's how bad it is...) which the mechanics (5 in 2 different states) can't figure out.. says it's not burning and it's not leaking... well it's gotta be doing something if I need to put oil in it every 600 miles. It also looks like the transmission may go anytime now... SOOOO here's my dilema.. My brother has a 93 Blazer that is in mint condition, runs like a champ and has no issues. He think's that I should can my truck and buy his as he thinks with my commute that my car isn't reliable... I'me very tempted and told him I would give him an answer in the morning. Would you get rid of your 97 for a 93?!?!?! Ideally I think this is my best option as I don't want to buy a new car at the moment while I try to save for a house.. BUT like a typical woman (sorry girls) I can't make up my mind. What do y'all think?
I think I would go with the 93. Even if you really like the 97, with all the problems and the mechanics cant figure it out, I think the best decision would be to move on. Just my opinion though
I am no longer fighting my inner demons. We are on the same side now.
I had a similar problem with my car a few years ago, loved it to death until the darn thing started nickel and diming me to death. Think about it this way take all your maintance bills for the past year and divide it by 12, if it is more than a car payment for a very middle to high end vehicle I say retire it and give it a proper farewell. I didn't want to give my baby up either 85 lebaron but 300 a month to keep it running got a little too much for me.
If you can affoard it go look at new cars, I have a 03 saturn ION and it only cost 15k new. I was looking at the Huyandi Sonata's this weekend and they have a 10 year warranty and they were running anywhere from 15 to 18k. If your short on cash go with your brothers blazer. It is nice knowing if my car breaks its covered under warranty for 3 years or 36k, good luck to you and if you need any more help let me know.
"We Want Dallas, We Want Dallas"
RFK Stadium crowd chant during the NFC Championship game on January 22, 1983
Since you report no leaks, the consumption may be due to bad valve guides or, more likely, valve guide seals. It may also be the result of bad fuel injectors causing the oil in the crankcase to become diluted. When that happens, the oil sneaks past the seals and piston rings and gets burned.
Have you had this checked?
Well...(said in my best Bubba voice) I've been on sabbatical.
Get hold of a Subaru outback if you can. Great car. Goes great in snow.
If the only choice is between your two Blazers, go with the one that doesn't seem to be a lemon. I had a friend whose husband would only buy Blazers...I could never figure out why since they spent most of their time in the shop....
Though I think they finally got a good one this last time....
2fla wrote:Wow...that website needs a sort-by-car-type option. Good link to browse through on a rainy day.
Buy the '93 if it's in good shape. Older isn't necessarily a bad thing.
I was trying to find another one I ran accross the other day. I'm in the process of buying a mini van for my move to Seattle and was doing some research on the one I'm getting. It was a real good site too. If I can find it I'll post the link
Well...(said in my best Bubba voice) I've been on sabbatical.
How much is brother asking for it? Is he offering a good deal???
How many miles do you travel? what kind of driving do you do? Highway? city traffic? rural?
A dependable vehicle that reliably runs, is better than an undependable one that sucks your wallet dry...... no matter how much you may love it. reliability is a major key. I would think for $4000.00 you could have a decent engine, new ac, and maybe a "new" rebuilt transmission and perhaps other things. I do not know the cost in your area.
$4,000.00 in a year in maintence cost seems a wee bit excessive....plus you have unknowns and Mr. Murphy to deal with.....I know you love your vehicle....I loved my Landcruiser....I refused to sell her or trade her in!Maybe one day I can get her back on the road...but due to fuel cost and other cost I could not afford at the time.....she had to go sleep and rest....
$4,000.00 would also be a nice down payment on another brand new vehicle.
Seriously, something using/drinking that much oil has a potentionaly serious problem somewhere. I take you have found no leaks or drippings on the ground, or oil on the engine any where? such as around the valve cover gaskets, oil pan or oil filter? Those are all minor fixes... A rear seal could be a major fix.......
Have you seen or noticed any smoke in the exhuast? if so what color? I don't mean condensation from cold weather......I mean smoke such as when you start the vehicle or accelerate...or change gears?
What about the exahust pipe any color inside it? ( besides the basic black) any residue of any sort? Condensation from severe cold is normal...I have seen icecicles dripping from exhaust in severe cold....
I cannot and will not tell you what to do, but I will suggest you evaluate your mechanics for reliability to see if they are stiffing you, and to look around the vehicle after it sits for any length of time and notice if there were any drippings on the ground at all before and after....and evaluate the cost you are spending on maintence for it.
Only you know what you can afford and decide.
I hope this is of some usefull help.....probably it is not and only added to your confusion...if so my apologies.
Roll with the punches, play all of your hunches...come what may... POW-MIA, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!!!
SUPPORT OPERATION JUST CAUSE!!! http://www.ojc.org/
I posted that link before I read your post. But no the autoforumz is the one I like. It breaks the talk down into makers and is very similiar to BN
You helped me out I have never been on that site before, I have it bookmarked now thanks! I don't know why I did for, my wife won't let me trade my car in anyway.
"We Want Dallas, We Want Dallas"
RFK Stadium crowd chant during the NFC Championship game on January 22, 1983
Thanks y'all!! I've decided to buy the '93.. My brother won't screw me over and is even offering me the truck for $2400.00 (good thing is no interest!) I talked it over with my parents last night and we all think that even though it's an older model it's still better then mine.. Plus, until I move closer to work (right now I do close to 700 miles to and from work each week) I don't want to buy a new or relatively nice dependable used car and rack up the miles. So over Memorial Day weekend, I'll be flying down to Raleigh, NC and driving it back up to MA. Thanks again for all of your advice and input it was very much appreciated.
MA_Buffett_Fan23 wrote:Thanks y'all!! I've decided to buy the '93.. My brother won't screw me over and is even offering me the truck for $2400.00 (good thing is no interest!) I talked it over with my parents last night and we all think that even though it's an older model it's still better then mine.. Plus, until I move closer to work (right now I do close to 700 miles to and from work each week) I don't want to buy a new or relatively nice dependable used car and rack up the miles. So over Memorial Day weekend, I'll be flying down to Raleigh, NC and driving it back up to MA. Thanks again for all of your advice and input it was very much appreciated.
I don't entirely follow this logic. I know you don't want to pay for a new car and put on high milesage, but it's still far more dependable than a 93, regardless of the shape it is now. Does your bro drive it 700 miles a week to really test the condition its in? You'd be better off buying a Honda or something with good gas mileage and they're pretty cheap since money is an issue.
MA_Buffett_Fan23 wrote:Thanks y'all!! I've decided to buy the '93.. My brother won't screw me over and is even offering me the truck for $2400.00 (good thing is no interest!) I talked it over with my parents last night and we all think that even though it's an older model it's still better then mine.. Plus, until I move closer to work (right now I do close to 700 miles to and from work each week) I don't want to buy a new or relatively nice dependable used car and rack up the miles. So over Memorial Day weekend, I'll be flying down to Raleigh, NC and driving it back up to MA. Thanks again for all of your advice and input it was very much appreciated.
I don't entirely follow this logic. I know you don't want to pay for a new car and put on high milesage, but it's still far more dependable than a 93, regardless of the shape it is now. Does your bro drive it 700 miles a week to really test the condition its in? You'd be better off buying a Honda or something with good gas mileage and they're pretty cheap since money is an issue.
ya know.. you just like to burst my bubble in all the threads I write in j/k... I know we thought about that ALSO but he does a lot of traveling for work and uses it for that so I think I'm good there.. My dad and my brother both think that I can get more out of my brothers vehicle then mine plus it has less miles than mine. The 93 is definitely a step down in years but has no issues unlike mine.. I can't afford to keep dropping $$$$ on it every couple of months.. plus with the 93 I'll still have 4 WD. I plan on moving hopefully within the next 12-18 months and this will allow me to save money. I'd like to get a honda b/c I know they're very reliable BUT considering I drive one of the worst roads in MA during the snow 4WD is definitely a priority for me.
MA_Buffett_Fan23 wrote:right now I do close to 700 miles to and from work each week
I haven't done 700 miles yet this year, and that includes a 200 mile round trip to go see my sister in Connecticut a few weeks ago. That's about the only good thing about commuting on the Long Island Railroad.
MA_Buffett_Fan23 wrote:Thanks y'all!! I've decided to buy the '93.. My brother won't screw me over and is even offering me the truck for $2400.00 (good thing is no interest!) I talked it over with my parents last night and we all think that even though it's an older model it's still better then mine.. Plus, until I move closer to work (right now I do close to 700 miles to and from work each week) I don't want to buy a new or relatively nice dependable used car and rack up the miles. So over Memorial Day weekend, I'll be flying down to Raleigh, NC and driving it back up to MA. Thanks again for all of your advice and input it was very much appreciated.
I don't entirely follow this logic. I know you don't want to pay for a new car and put on high milesage, but it's still far more dependable than a 93, regardless of the shape it is now. Does your bro drive it 700 miles a week to really test the condition its in? You'd be better off buying a Honda or something with good gas mileage and they're pretty cheap since money is an issue.
ya know.. you just like to burst my bubble in all the threads I write in j/k... I know we thought about that ALSO but he does a lot of traveling for work and uses it for that so I think I'm good there.. My dad and my brother both think that I can get more out of my brothers vehicle then mine plus it has less miles than mine. The 93 is definitely a step down in years but has no issues unlike mine.. I can't afford to keep dropping $$$$ on it every couple of months.. plus with the 93 I'll still have 4 WD. I plan on moving hopefully within the next 12-18 months and this will allow me to save money. I'd like to get a honda b/c I know they're very reliable BUT considering I drive one of the worst roads in MA during the snow 4WD is definitely a priority for me.
So after many hours of thinking and debating I decided not to buy my brothers and see if I could make mine last until the Fall with no more major repairs... So now what happens... I go for an oil change and inspection sticker yesterday after work.. Car doesn't pass inspection... The following needs to be fixed:
Upper and Lower Ball Joints
Idler arm
Front brakes...
after taxes and labor I'm looking to pay at least another $1500
SOOOO that was the last straw... I've decided to go car shopping today... Heading out to the Honda dealers so wish me luck!!
In the last year alone I have dropped $4000 on it.. It has a major oil issue (constantly putting oil in, asked for a case of oil for Christmas that's how bad it is...) which the mechanics (5 in 2 different states) can't figure out.. says it's not burning and it's not leaking... well it's gotta be doing something if I need to put oil in it every 600 miles. 
It also looks like the transmission may go anytime now... SOOOO here's my dilema.. My brother has a 93 Blazer that is in mint condition, runs like a champ and has no issues. He think's that I should can my truck and buy his as he thinks with my commute that my car isn't reliable... I'me very tempted and told him I would give him an answer in the morning. Would you get rid of your 97 for a 93?!?!?! Ideally I think this is my best option as I don't want to buy a new car at the moment while I try to save for a house.. BUT like a typical woman (sorry girls) I can't make up my mind. What do y'all think?
POW-MIA, YOU ARE NOT FORGOTTEN!!! 
The following needs to be fixed: