ZR-2 S10s

[TWilkening]

Has anybody had any experiences with these trucks? I know alot of guys on here bash Chevys, but we've always had good luck with them. I need a new truck, and one of my relatives is willing to help me out with one, but it's gotta be like an S10 or something. Does anybody know what the warranty period is on these trucks? Are the manuals alright in these trucks? Any input would be helpful thanks!

 

[WMonroe]

The only problems I know of is: the wheel bearing (hub assembley) in the front end of the 4wd tend to not last very long, and the cab isn't reinforced well enough where the top hinge for the doors attach. What happens is the studs that hold the hinge to the cab begin to pull through the metal on the cab making the door hard to close and leaving a opening at the top of the door. We used to have one of these trucks at the last place I worked. We replaced the wheel bearing a few times and the door was about to fall off when we got rid of the truck. I'm not sure how wide spread of a problem this is. I know of about four other trucks that have had these problems, but that about it. So it may just be a few bad ones.

Will

 

[Dsul]

I bought a ZR2 in 1999 new. It was a pretty good truck overall. I put 57,000 miles on it before I traded it. I had a mild problem with the 3rd door squeaking starting at about 12,000 miles and replaced the battery at about 40,000. Otherwise, it was a pretty good truck, no drivetrain problems at all. My only real complaint about the ZR2's is the turning radius. My current truck seems like it can turn a radius inside of the ZR2's. Good luck with your decision,

andy

 

[BigEasy]

a few of my friends have had zr2's, and they all had nothing but problems. door hinges, ball joints, tie rods, tire wear, they rode like crap, aren't really big enough to haul anything... i could go on and on.

 

[CJ8Rockcrawler]

I had one that I bought new in 98. I replaced it w/ the 04 Ram. Overall it was a decent truck. I did use it quite a bit offroad and went through 3 sets of balljoints and about a half a dozen idler arms in 80k miles. I was using it well beyond what it was designed for though... thus the reason I built the Jeep and now have the Dodge as a tow rig. I miss it sometimes driving the dodge around in traffic. The Dodge turns tighter, but the handling, ride and manueverability in traffic (due to size) of the Z was far better. I still love the look of the truck, but if I had it to do over again, I would have gone w/ the a Tacoma with the TRD package. All but two of the guys that I wheeled with w/ Zs are either driving a Jeep or a Toy now. One of these guys is thinking of selling his for an 80s FourRunner and the other is way in over his head... solid front axle conversion with custom coil overs etc.

 

[TJarecke]

All I know is that for a small truck the gas milage is really poor. My dad was looking at getting one but his buddy told him his milage and decided he could almost do as good or better with a full size.

 

[Steve St.Laurent]

Depends on what you are looking for. I've had a lot of experience with 4wd S-10 (I've owned 2, my brothers owned 3). If you are looking for a real truck to haul stuff with or tow with (over about 3,000 lbs - aka a tent trailer or a two rail motorcycle trailer) look elsewhere. They're fine for moving furniture, etc but you can't put a real load back there. The front end suspension generally has to be completely rebuilt around 80,000 miles which is pretty expensive since it's an IFS front (new bushings in the a arms, balljoints, tie rod ends, etc). I owned my last one for about 110,000 miles and went through 5 half shafts up front, rebuilt the front end suspension at that 80k figure, about 5 motor mounts, 3 sets of u-joints, plus a good number of other things. They don't hold up to off-road use very well. If your looking for a daily street driver and aren't looking to tow or haul and not looking to put over about 80,000 miles on it they aren't a bad truck. They do get pretty bad mileage - mine with a 5 speed got 14-15 mpg.

 

[Black-Smoker]

I would go with an older nissan. I have a 95 nissan extended cab that I have beat the crap out off and it still keeps going strong. I am amazed what this truck can take.

 

[av8r]

I sold several of them from 2000-2002 when I worked for Chevy. They were more expensive than a similar fullsize, got worse fuel milage than the small (4. 8) V-8's did, rode horrible, insurance was expensive... I could go on. Don't do it. Look for a fullsize.

 

[TWilkening]

YEah, I've been thinking it's not the way to go either. I do pull with our trucks, and really work our truck. I had an 87 s10 that everytime I'd load it with firewood, it'd hit the bumpstops. The front suspension being junk also worries me. I was looking for an alternative, since I can't afford a diesel, being in college in all. I think I'll just wait, since I'll have to buy a fullsize in the future anyways.