Ended up buying a Bravada

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So I posted a week or two ago about buying back my 2002 Envoy that I sold last year.

I ended up passing on it... in the one year the people who bought it from me drove it, they ran it into the ground

So the hunt was on.

I ended up finding a 2002 Olds Bravada AWD, fully loaded with the same options my Envoy had - Load leveling suspension, moonroof, Rain-Sense wipers, etc... for $3950! 130k miles. I couldnt believe how clean the interior/exterior was AND how tight it drove.

Anyways, I brought the Bravy home and started going through my oil stash to see what I'd want to use in it. I picked MSS 5w30 with a Purolator oil filter. Going to run that for 5000 miles and then put in PP 5w30 and use a PureOne oil filter. That combo always worked really good on my last SUV.

Enjoy the pics!

 

[larryinnewyork]

Looks great for an 02. Really great.
Kind of makes you think the rest of it was well maintained.

 

[caravanmike]

very nice shape! whats the history on the 4l60e? and what are the plans for maintenance?

 

[Benzadmiral]

Very nice beast!

I miss Oldsmobile. They were the middle range of the GM lineup, usually solid values. You got quite a bit more car (power, luxury, gadgets if that was your speed) than with a Chevy, for a lot less money than a Buick or Cadillac.

Imagine that we live in an alternate U.S. with a booming economy. You can buy an Olds "Starfire" built on the '14 Impala chassis, with a turbodiesel engine that delivers useful torque almost from the get-go, and incredible city and highway mileage. And you can order it with any of 10 exterior colors and 6 interior colors -- and even a stick, if you want. . . .

*Sighing*

 

[Chris142]

Has the intake manifold gasket been done? What's it look like under the radiator cap?

 

[eljefino]

Bravo!

 

[SatinSilver]

Looks great esp for a MI car. Where did you find it?

 

[Vikas]

How in the world did you manage to snag it for that price? Are you sure you did not make them an offer they could not refuse??

Seriously, at least around here, you will only get a complete junker for that kind of money. May be the depressed economy of Michigan has caused the used car prices to plummet. I mean you could probably buy a house for that kind of money in some Detroit neighborhoods

 

[edvanp]

Nice looking vehicle! I too have an 02 that my son drives. Bought it with 69k and it now has 171k on it. I like the vehicle and it was money well spent though there has been a few issues over the years. Very good in the winter! Enjoy

 

[RN89]

Looks very nice! Paint still seems to be in great shape. Congrats on your new purchase and here's to years of reliable ownership!

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks guys!

-The 4L60E needs a fluid change, its not up to "my" standards. Im sure its been changed at least once. Very dark red but still shifts very nice. I went and bought 2 gallons of Supertech Dex on my lunch hour ($11 per gallon!). Im going to siphon out 4-5 quarts out of the dipstick with my mity-vac two times this week, then after that, drop the pan and change the filter/clean the magnet and refill with new stuff again. So my action plan is 2 siphons first then a pan drop a few days later.

-The intake gasket isnt problematic on the 4.2 Inline 6 like the 4.3l v6 was.

-Believe it or not, the car was listed for $4200. I think because its twice orphaned (Orphan experience #1, the axing of Olds, Orphan experience #2, the discontinuance of the GMT360) all of the Olds Bravadas 2002-2004 are dirt cheap around here! I was actually looking at 2 others that were the same price (one was $3495 & one was $3995).

The last oil change was at the local Chevy shop and they have it set for 3000 OCI's, according to the sticker ((rolls eyes)).

For those that know the 4.2l Atlas I6, its fairly easy on oil with its 7 quart sump. Ive posted a few UOA's on my old 2002 Envoy. Any which way, I drained the dealer fill and refilled with MSS 5w30 and a Purolator filter. Changed the air filter, new wipers. Next up: trans fluid.

 

[Robenstein]

Maybe think about throwing some Lubegard in that 4L60E too when you do the filter swap. I did that on my 200R4 and man does it shift nice in combo with the Supertech high mileage ATF.

 

[TechnoLoGs]

Got heated seats in that?

 

[mrsilv04]

Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Got heated seats in that?


Do Blazers have heated rear windows, to keep the hands warm while pushing them in the winter?

 

[Astro14]

Nicely done! Looks great.

 

[ls1mike]

Very clean! Enjoy!

 

[TechnoLoGs]

Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: TechnoLoGs
Got heated seats in that?


Do Blazers have heated rear windows, to keep the hands warm while pushing them in the winter?


Yes, but it is for the fog, not the hands. Lol. But I saw ads for the newer gen Blazers with heated seats (in 98, 99, etc)

That was S10 this one looks Trailblazer-based, so I was wondering!

 

[rshaw125]

Dexron V1 for that trans? Looks like the seats have had some Lexol to keep them conditioned.

 

[cptbarkey]

always had a soft spot for these vehicles, minus the tupperware dashboard.

 

[FXjohn]

Doesn't the Bravada have one of the best awd systems available? especially in its price range