1997 Chevrolet S-10 LS Ext. Cab review from North America

54,000 gas gauge (dealer paid)

61,000 heater core (warranty)

64,000 Intake manifold gaskets (warranty)

70,000 heater again

75,000 radiator leaking (of course this happened after the warranty expired, I put a new one in myself in an hour)

Put new plugs in it, but that's usual maintenance.

Truck is OK, rides like a truck. The 4.3 is a vast improvement over a 2.2L. Seems to bog down a little with the A/C on.

I use it to haul my ATV, fits in the bed, but cannot close the tailgate. I am buying a trailer tomorrow to eliminate the tailgate issue, easier to pull a load than to haul a load. I think the factory springs in the rear should be stiffer though, sags too easily, my old 86 S-10 had great springs, load 1200 lbs and would not drop an inch.

3rd door seems cheap, vibrates sometimes. Very cheap door handle on the 3rd door as well. Hard to put larger tires on too, the best you can do is 235/75R15.

Overall, a good little truck, I put a tonneau cover on mine, helps a lot with gas mileage. I get 21mpg on the highway. Have pulled 2000 pounds in a trailer and she got it there with little effort. More power off the line than a Ranger, Mazda (Ranger again) Toyota and a Nissan. And more power than a V-6 (4.2L) F-150.