Chevrolet S-10 Fans

malibu1

A place for discussion regarding the best compact truck out there - the Chevrolet S-10!

malibu1

I have a 98 S-10 with 65000 miles and no problems - great truck. Do you have similar experiences?

baker20

I just bought a 2003 S10 with the ZQ8 suspension. It's yellow, single cab with a sportside bed. 4.3L, of course. The first vehicle I ever purchased was a 1993 GMC Sonoma (2.8L V6). I traded that in on my 1998 Camaro and regretted trading it ever since. It was a great truck. It had 125,000 miles on it and it was showing no signs of slowing down. For the money, the S10 is hard to beat. Plus, I was able to keep my Camaro. I had thought about waiting for the Colorado, but this yellow S10 was too good to pass up. I've seen few new S10's with the ZQ8 pkg. around here unless on an Xtreme. None yellow.

malibu1

Sounds like a good looking rig - I really like yellow on trucks. Automatic tranny?

baker20

Yes, automatic transmission, power convenience group..... well, about the only option not on the truck is the full bucket seats. I wanted them, but I did not want to have to order the truck. This is the first vehicle I've ever owned with an auto transmission.

malibu1

Yeah - I prefer automatic trannys in my vehicles - but I have the four banger engine in my S-10 and couple that with the 5 speed manaul and I am getting some great fuel mileage. I use this truck to work on the weekends and commute during the week - so fuel efficiency is important to me. We need to be able to post pictures in these forums - would love to see your truck.

baker20

I'm going to try to get some pictures of both my Camaro and S10. I have just over 700 miles on my truck. I haven't measured the gas mileage yet. I know my Camaro gets over 30 miles per gallon, so I use it for highway driving. I went to Destin, Florida a couple months ago (about 300 miles from me in La.) and I averaged 34 mpg. I think the 4.3L V6 is supposed to average about 20 mpg.

malibu1

Your Camaro must be the six cylinder model correct? I doubt you are going to get 30 MPG out of any V8. You sound like a tried and true Chevy fan. Love Camaros as well - would love to have a 69/70 model.

baker20

My Camaro is a V6. Insurance kept me out of the Z28. I was 21 when I bought the Camaro. I've always been a GM (Chevy in particular) enthusiast. My family has always owned them. My girlfriend has a 2000 Grand Prix GTP. That's a fun car to drive.
I looked for a while for a '91 or '92 Z28 with the 5.7L. I drove to Atlanta (9 hour drive) and Little Rock (about 7) to look at some Camaros, but they were in bad shape. So, I gave up on that idea. There are a few first generation Camaros around here for sale, but for a decent 67/68/69, you're looking at $12,000 to $15,000.

I have the 2000 model SS wheels and an SS hood on my car. That with the Borla exhaust really makes my car look good. Only problem is that real Camaros and Cobras are always trying to race me :-(

malibu1

That's funny - I am picturing you at the stop light trying to mouth the term "V6" to the person in the other lane!

I'm actually disappointed that the S-10 is being discontinued. I was really looking forward to see what Chevy could have done with a complete re-style of the truck. It was long overdue. But I guess that Chevy doesn't like the fact that the Dakota is bigger and has a V8 option - hence the new Colorado.

baker20

Actually, I just give the "I'm not going to waste my precious gas on racing you" look to the cars on the side of me. When I bought my S10, I asked about ordering one. I was told the cut off date to order a 2003 was this month. I forget the exact day. I was told the S10 will continue to be produced along side the Colorado, but I'm not sure how long. Of course, there will be very minor, if any, changes to the S10.

ryanbab

The S-10 order cut off was last week.

malibu1

That last post is kind of sad to me. I have loved S-10's since I was in high school - I finally now own one and they are being replaced. Guess I will just have to buy used ones in the future if I want to continue driving them.

baker20

I'm trying to find out if the S10 is going away or not. I have heard that the S10 will continue in production. At least for a few years. Does anyone know where I could get that kind of information?

malibu1

The s-10 is DONE - nada - no more - 2003 will be the last production year for GM's compact pickup - to be replaced by the "mid size" Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon. To me, GM has priced a lot of people out of trucks with this move. I'm not supportive of it.

malibu1

As you can see from the list below - the S-10 was already outselling the mid size Dakota - so not sure why GM felt the need to tweak so drastically. These stats are from www.pickuptruck.com - good site.

Sales Figures
Top 10 Pickups
Year to Date, April 2003
 
Ford F-Series
252,543 -6.5% YTD
April 2003: 68,999
April 2002: 72,414

Chevrolet Silverado
202,064 -8.5%YTD
April 2003: 65,501
April 2002: 55,346

Dodge Ram
133,112 +4.0% YTD
April 2003: 35,638
April 2002: 33,900

Ford Ranger
73,694 -0.6% YTD
April 2003: 17,862
April 2002: 19,374

GMC Sierra
57,361 -10.2% YTD
April 2003: 18,878
April 2002: 15,743

Toyota Tacoma
47,156 -3.4% YTD
April 2003: 12,768
April 2002: 12,659

Chevrolet S-10
43,438 -17.6% YTD
April 2003: 11,911
April 2002: 14,830

Dodge Dakota
38,182 -9.0% YTD
April 2003: 10,202
April 2002: 12,229

Toyota Tundra
27,789 -9.6% YTD
April 2003: 6,360
April 2002: 6,817

Chevrolet Avalanche
25,709 -13.6% YTD
April 2003: 7,496
April 2002: 8,505

joe3891

no Sonoma listed,same as S-10.

malibu1

The Sonoma did not sell enough to break the top ten in the list above - they have the Sierra listed separate from the Silverado - so the Sonoma would be listed separately had it sold enough units.

baker20

Does anyone know much about the differences in spray in bed liners? I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the Rhino Liner, but there are a few different brands of liners out there. Is there a "best" spray in liner?

ffmcobalt

Companies that make accessories are just like vehicle production companies. You'll find one person who absolutely swears by the first company and abhores the second while someone else swears by the second company and abhores the first.

The only way you'll find out what is best for *you* and what *you* like is by looking at the raw data from the companies individually. If you find one that better fits your needs or wants better than another company, be ready to hear from people who say you've made a good decision and others who say that you know nothing about trucks because of your decision.

Good luck

bowfish

I have a 1994 S10 SS and was wondering how popular they are. I will be selling it within the next 6 months because I need a V8 to haul my boat and i am trying to get an idea how rare this truck is. I know what bluebook is but thought it might be worth an ad in Autotrader.

lemko

...the cheapest, most basic work truck I can get. How much is the average price of the base S10? I've heard that the 4-cylinder engine is rather anemic. Is there any truth to this? Are there any incentives, rebates, leases, etc. available on the S10? I've seen the Toyota Tacoma listed on Edmunds for $12K. How does the S10 compare to the Tacoma, and can one really get a Tacoma for so little in the real world?

ryanbab

i was looking for a stripper truck 4 banger a few months ago. With incentives the best price i could get was like $11,700. I could get a silverado with a V6 for like $14K

baker20

I'm approaching 3,000 miles on my 2003 S10. It's equipped with the 4.3 V6 and locking differential. According to the owner's manual I am supposed to drain and replace the rear end fluid at the first oil change. Has anyone done this? Anyone know what I'm talking about?

flyingfinn

I own an '87 S-10 4x4 extended cab pickup. 2.8V6, 4-spd auto transmission. 279,000 miles, original engine. It is my daily driver, I commute 60 miles round-trip per day. 17 to 20 MPG. I love this truck, it is the best vehicle I have ever owned! But this truck is getting tired, and won't last forever! So, when I first heard of the new Chevy Colorado I was excited. But when I heard that it is basically an Izusu designed truck with an American designed engine (the I-4, and I-5), my excitement soon melted away. Any truth about this Izusu connection? If true, then my initial impression and opinion is that the Colorado is no better than the fake S-10 Izusu Hombre (which is an American designed truck with an Izusu engine).

malibu1

If you are looking for a stripped down 4-banger s-10 my suggestion would be to look used rather than new. I am not a fan of buying anything new in the car arena. Too much of a hit in value right off the lot. I would prefer someone else take that hit and then I will buy it from them down the road a few years.

I picked up my 98 S-10 4 cyl - 5 speed at a local auto auction for a winning bid of $3300 bucks. 60,000 miles and in great shape! I'll take that deal over new any day!

ryanbab

oh I decided against a new truck. I almost got a base model sierra but i thought long and hard and decided to put it off and drive my truck and probably get a new one in 06. I need to think about buying a home in the next yr. I dont need a car payment and house payment (my current truck is paid off)

mhgjr98

Hello to all...I used to have a 98 S-10 LS ext. cab, V-6. I bought it used in 2000 with 90,000 miles. The guy that had it before me must have taken real good care of it becuase it had no major problems. When I traded it in, it had 105,000 miles and the only 2 problems it had was a fan clutch going bad and the 3rd door rattled. The only thing I had to replace in a year of ownership was the front brake pads, they were the original brakes! The rear brakes were still good.
I have owned 3 other GM's over the years and the S-10 was the best I ever owned.