Trailblazer SS - your thoughts?

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I have never sat in or driven one of these, but have the chance to buy one from an acquaintance at what appears to be a good price based on what I see in my area.

I have read reviews online, but most were older from around then the vehicle was produced. I do not need to tow, nor do I drive like a maniac, I understand the vehicle's intended market and its limitations. It seems like it could be a fun alternative to the Escape I have at the moment, while being a little larger as far as interior space goes.

What does the BITOG brain trust have to say?
 
"Have you ever had a brief moment of clarity when time slows to a crawl and you can seemingly foresee impending disaster? We did while we were going sideways -- at 90 mph -- in the Chevy.

But nothing happened. The SS handled the maneuver a lot like a Corvette; a little bit of countersteering and it pulled out of the slide just fine. We tried it a few more times -- for experimental purposes, you understand -- and each time the SS behaved predictably and soundly."
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2006-chevrolet-trailblazer-ss-page-3

Pretty good they got it to handle decently.

Thumbs up.
 
Do you have more details? Mileage? Mods, AWD or RWD?

They are pretty good. One weak spot is the Transmission.

Fun to drive...
 
Yeah, but this quote isn't all that wonderful:

Quote:
It's too bad the SS has to deal with the TrailBlazer platform. The SS's stiffer suspension amplifies its flimsy structure. Over some bumps it felt as if the body were flexing so much that the seat was twisting in its mounts. We wonder what GM's high-performance division could have done with a better canvas.


Maybe take it for a ride, see what you think?
 
overkill, Its an SUV, not a Camaro. Flex is part of the package. As long as it handles OK, who cares about extra flex?
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
overkill, Its an SUV, not a Camaro. Flex is part of the package. As long as it handles OK, who cares about extra flex?


Have you driven an 80's Camaro? LOL! Flex was also a significant part of the package
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Do you have more details? Mileage? Mods, AWD or RWD?

They are pretty good. One weak spot is the Transmission.

Fun to drive...


Thanks for all of the replies.

It is bone stock, 70k or so on the odometer, AWD (which is what I am looking for). He has all of the maintenance records as it was passed down from his uncle, the original owner. Never had any problems, receipts are for normal wear and tear items only (oil changes, brakes, tires, etc). (Edited:) He is asking $10000 and my wife is fairly certain I can get him to go down to 9 or less.

The asking prices on these seem all over the place, but who knows what they actually end up selling for. There is one in the area for $25k with 60k miles on it...there are also some around the $6k mark with 100k miles that appear to be well-cared for.

The vehicle is a good four hour or so drive away, so it's not too easy for me to get out there with my work schedule at the moment.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
overkill, Its an SUV, not a Camaro. Flex is part of the package. As long as it handles OK, who cares about extra flex?


Have you driven an 80's Camaro? LOL! Flex was also a significant part of the package
wink.gif



80's camaro... Australia gave us Zeta Camaros in 2009, 8 full years of low-flex. Not your father's Camaro dude.
I know it may be hard to accept chassis warping, yet it is a frame based vehicle. They got the handling right, thats 90% of the battle.
Thumbs up. Fun SUV if you're into those kinds of things. Luv the chevy V8.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike

They are pretty good. One weak spot is the Transmission.


^^^THIS, I build TONS of 4L70E's out of these, Heavy truck with traction & a 400hp LS2 equals burnt up transmission.
I swapped a 4L80E into one.....The customer cannot kill it!

If your easy on it, The 4L70E will last.....But, Why buy a 400hp vehicle if your going to baby it?
 
I owned two 80s Camaro Z28s from new. An '83 Z28 with Crossfire injection (that ran GREAT). It was a solid roof (no t-tops) with an automatic and manual doors locks and roll up windows. Actually a tight car that handled and drove VERY well. It was stolen and insurance replaced it with the supposed world-beater 1984 H.O. with t-tops. From new that car was JUNK. It leaked, flexed, felt cheap, rattled, had a terrible driveline rumble, and vapor locked. The worst of the Geneal Misery (GM) from the late 70s and early 80s. Funny how the 83 which was supposed to be the turkey turned out to be the good one. I couldn't wait to get rid of the '84.
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
overkill, Its an SUV, not a Camaro. Flex is part of the package. As long as it handles OK, who cares about extra flex?


Have you driven an 80's Camaro? LOL! Flex was also a significant part of the package
wink.gif



80's camaro... Australia gave us Zeta Camaros in 2009, 8 full years of low-flex. Not your father's Camaro dude.
I know it may be hard to accept chassis warping, yet it is a frame based vehicle. They got the handling right, thats 90% of the battle.
Thumbs up. Fun SUV if you're into those kinds of things. Luv the chevy V8.


I was making a joke. I've spent years driving wallowing SUV's (body on frame), it just struck me as a bit funny that despite being fully aware of that handicap going in that they still made it a point to mention that the chassis, despite well-tuned, could have been a lot better had the platform been better. It sounds like it would be a lot of fun (I hopped up an '89 Town Car as a frame of reference here) and that flex made the Camaro and its rival Mustang fun too
grin.gif
Ultimately, it sounds like the real issue with this vehicle is the transmission, not the less-than-ideal platform that they based it on.
 
Originally Posted By: Powerglide
I owned two 80s Camaro Z28s from new. An '83 Z28 with Crossfire injection (that ran GREAT). It was a solid roof (no t-tops) with an automatic and manual doors locks and roll up windows. Actually a tight car that handled and drove VERY well. It was stolen and insurance replaced it with the supposed world-beater 1984 H.O. with t-tops. From new that car was JUNK. It leaked, flexed, felt cheap, rattled, had a terrible driveline rumble, and vapor locked. The worst of the Geneal Misery (GM) from the late 70s and early 80s. Funny how the 83 which was supposed to be the turkey turned out to be the good one. I couldn't wait to get rid of the '84.


I had an '87 Mustang GT T-Top. Enough said, LOL!
grin.gif
 
I assume it has the V8?

We have an '08 version with the V8 and absolutely love it. In fact, this was special ordered by a dealer to include that year's Corvette V8 SB engine.

We now have 128,000 miles on it and the only mechanical problem has been the right front hub assembly.

In my view, one of the best handling SUV's GM ever made.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: MolaKule
I assume it has the V8?

We have an '08 version with the V8 and absolutely love it. In fact, this was special ordered by a dealer to include that year's Corvette V8 SB engine.

We now have 128,000 miles on it and the only mechanical problem has been the right front hub assembly.

In my view, one of the best handling SUV's GM ever made.



All SS models have the 6.0L V8.

The 5.3L was available for a couple years too, but not in SS trim. It was optional in models that had the I6 standard.

It's an oddball vehicle, but fun for what it is and might even be halfway reliable if it has been well cared for. I think some things like brake pads/rotors are more expensive, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

Obviously gas mileage will be less than what you are used to going from an Escape to a 6.0 Trailblazer, but might not be too bad if you keep your foot out of it.

They had the 4L70E trans...a little more beefy than a 4L60E, but definitely not a 4L80E.
 
The front diff can be problematic. It has a weird setup that makes repairs difficult. Otherwise my friends has been reliable. What year is it?
I test drove one and loved it but my head touched the headliner. Otherwise I'd have one. Make sure they did all the maintenance and used the recommended oil(Mobil 1 5w-30).
 
It definitely sets itself apart from the rest of the GMT360 platform. As mentioned, they could have built the 4L60E better to handle the 400 hp, but that's another story. Definitely fun to drive and handles real good for an SUV. Shame they did away with it, along with the rest of the platform.
 
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
overkill, Its an SUV, not a Camaro. Flex is part of the package. As long as it handles OK, who cares about extra flex?
An E30 BMW convertible is the definition of flex. Hit a bump and you'll feel the whole car vibrate out of sync. It's extremely disconcerting.
 
Sounds like a hoot. My friend with the Saab version of same thing I believe called 97 Aero has had event free ownership. He tends to use his GTI more as he stated Saab is horrid on fuel(13MPG!?)

It is his dump car.
 
Originally Posted By: methusaleh
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Do you have more details? Mileage? Mods, AWD or RWD?

They are pretty good. One weak spot is the Transmission.

Fun to drive...


Thanks for all of the replies.

It is bone stock, 70k or so on the odometer, AWD (which is what I am looking for). He has all of the maintenance records as it was passed down from his uncle, the original owner. Never had any problems, receipts are for normal wear and tear items only (oil changes, brakes, tires, etc). (Edited:) He is asking $10000 and my wife is fairly certain I can get him to go down to 9 or less.

The asking prices on these seem all over the place, but who knows what they actually end up selling for. There is one in the area for $25k with 60k miles on it...there are also some around the $6k mark with 100k miles that appear to be well-cared for.

The vehicle is a good four hour or so drive away, so it's not too easy for me to get out there with my work schedule at the moment.


Sounds reasonable especially considering the service history and lack of owners.
 
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