27th Nov 2004, 00:27

NOV 26th 11:00pm The place I work at bought a new 1997 S-10. At this time it now has 215142 miles. We also had the wiper problem that was covered under warranty a few years ago. Other than routine repairs we have had very few problems. The engine oil pressure is starting to get low. I'm buying this truck for my 14 year old son, were going to put a motor in it and keep it on the road. This 1997 S-10 replaced a 1988 S-10 that we bought new. When this one got to 202000 miles the motor died. We put a used motor in this truck and drove it up to 341000 miles. It sold for $500 and the guy drove it away. Both of these trucks are 4 cylinders. Its a good motor. These trucks are awesome!!!

1st Mar 2005, 16:44

I originally wrote this review about my S-10 back in 2000. I bought it new, it is now eight years old with 66,000 miles. After many warranty fixes and minor problems, the trucks reliability actually improved. Since the time I wrote that review, I have had no further problems of any kind with my truck. I have been very fortunate so far and no longer regret purchasing it. I was never notified of any recalls involving '97 S-10's, but I am going to have the wiper switch replaced since so many other owners have had failures. Anybody know of any other safety recalls?

31st Dec 2005, 23:37

I bought a 1997 S-10 5 speed 2.2L 4cyl from my dad last summer. I have put about 3100 miles on it. It JUST rolled over to 60k miles. My dad babied the truck. It got an oil change every 3k miles. The body is in A+ shape. The engine compartment is spotless. The paint is shiny an new. If you didn't know, you would think this vehicle was just maybe 2 years old. The other day I started it up in the driveway to warm it up on a cold day, after going back inside I noticed out the window that a cloud of white 'smoke' was coming out of the tail pipe. I highly suspect a blown head gasket or cracked head.

I am FURIOUS. This truck was babied, I bought it because it was so. I have babied it myself. It did NOT overheat. It was NOT over-revved. There is no reason that the engine should fail like this except either a factory defect, poor design, or substandard materials.

What a piece of junk. GM, you have lost my business for life.

10th Feb 2008, 11:54

I am planning on buying a 95 S10 with a 127,000 miles on it. Is this a good truck for a first time buyer?