Used 1997 Chevrolet S-10 Consumer Reviews
mixed review
overall truck has been dependable. Looks good, body has held up well. v-6 has plenty of power. However, 4wd not working right out of showroom. I found out in snow storm. Trans went at 36437 miles, that's right 437 miles out of warranty. Caused by faulty switch for 4wd. Turning radius is very poor for such a small truck. Stepside box is too narrow, you can't fit a sheet of plywood in it. 3rd door rattles. Jump seat is useless.
Do not Purchase
The overall build quality is very poor. Had transmission in to repair twice; luckly during the warrantee. Interior rattles, squeeks, and parts have cracked. Rearview mirror has fell off several times, because the unit weighs 7-10lbs and the repair kit cannot hold it up. Emergancy brake has broke twice. Have trouble starting the vehicle several times when its damp and cold (left me strainded many times) mechanics cannot find out the problem.
Many Electrical and Engine Problems
I purchased this truck used from a local dealer with around 97,000 miles on it. It has had constant problems with electrical shorts in the wiring bundle. ECM circuit problems including fuel pump and ignition . I will never buy a S-10 again after reading all the comments on numerous sites . Chevy will continue to lose capital if they don't do a better job on quality control. Any one want a 97 s-10 cheap? Looking at Toyota after reading consumer reports.
1997 S10 2dr LS Regular Cab
I bought my truck used from a dealer at 44k miles and took it only to 120k before I had enough. Quality was atrocious - interior panels cracked and fell off, mirrors fatigued and broke off. The truck would not start in humid (90%+), cold weather (especially 32-45F), really cold weather was fine. I got a head gasket leak at 80k and had to repair the tranny at about 110k (both those seem normal for the driving I did so not really a gripe). My brake lines blew out despite having been regularly inspected. Here's a positive note, the engine was awesome despite the head gasket and tranny. If the rest of the truck could have kept up with the engine the truck would have been a keeper.
Decent truck
I've owned this truck since 2004 (I bought it with 120K miles) and I've put about 50K miles on it. Recently I've been using it to do a 400 mile round trip each week: its comfy for the long ride, its been reliable, and I regularly get between 22 and 25 mpg on these long trips. I've had no major problems with it. About 10K miles ago, the fuel gauge stopped giving an accurate reading (it drops rapidly and then hovers above empty). And simple maintenance is all but impossible because everything is packed-in tightly. Granted I'm not mechanically inclined... Installing a custom stereo was a pain-- the dash is hard to remove. I'd love to get a new car, but this thing just won't seem to die.