2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer 4.3 straight 6 from North America

Summary:

Poor engineering, poor quality and bad service period

Faults:

Brakes: They are too small for the weight of the truck.

Interior lights out.

Shifts erratic, even though the dealer says it's fine. I drive the truck up a hill and it holds the gear too long... loses speed and then kicks down hard.

Burns gas like a bonfire!

General Comments:

I'm posting this for my father who has been a Chevy buyer for 42 years... The old school true believers crew. He now vows he will never buy another one again, and he has had at least 6 or 7 full and small Blazers since the early 70's.

It is not just the truck messing up on him or burning more gas than a V8. The dealer tries to rip him off left and right. On last trip to the dealer, they tried to stick him for 1700 stating the brakes were completely "shot". They weren't... Close to end of pad life sure, but no scoring of rotors or anything. Crazy price for a fluid change and on and on.

This man has been going to this dealer for many years.

It's pretty sad, but the truck and the service were poor.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 17th August, 2007

2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer LT from North America

Summary:

I love it!

Faults:

We've had no problems at all.

General Comments:

Ours is a family of six and we had done the mini-van thing and wanted a change. It seemed our hopes of having affordable transportation for a family of six that was not a mini-van were slim.

We were introduced to the Trail Blazer in 2004 when we rented one to drive for our family vacation. The old mini-van we had at the time was not very reliable. We told them that we needed a vehicle that would accommodate seven passengers (Mom was coming along). When we arrived at the rental store I surveyed the lot to see if I could find what may be our rental vehicle. I didn't see anything except a little Chevy Cavalier and a Chevy Trailblazer. We had already seen the Trailblazers and liked them, but were disheartened to find that they would seat five passenger. Not seeing a vehicle that, in my experience, would suffice I assumed that our reserved vehicle was just out of sight somewhere.

At the rental counter they said that the vehicle they had for us was a Trailblazer. My stomach sunk, because we were supposed to leave today and a Trailblazer wouldn't be big enough. That means they would have to try and find something that would suffice, the scenarios all flashed through my mind in that brief moment. I told him that the Trailblazer wasn't going to work and that we had specifically asked for a vehicle that would accommodate our seven passengers. The rental agent replied that the Trailblazer would.

Enough rambling, we loved the Trailblazer and finally had hope of owning something other than a mini-van.

The Trailblazer is very comfortable with adequate space to keep us from feeling cramped over a long trip. The power, and smoothness of ride are exceptional.

The only drawback, at least for our extended seven passenger Trailblazer, is rear visibility. The rear view is very limited. I am really uncomfortable backing out of my garage or a parking space.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 24th July, 2007

2005 Chevrolet TrailBlazer LS 4.2 from North America

Summary:

Best bang for your buck in regards to size, comfort and versatility

Faults:

The key lock on the drivers side door broke, had to secure rear door weather stripping with adhesive, had to seal various gaps in weatherstripping with silicone to keep out wind noise.

General Comments:

Extremely comfortable ride and handling, very roomy and comfortable seating. Excellent power, decent fuel economy for it's class. Absolutely love the drive train and super strong chassis. Silky smooth 4.2L in-line 6cyl engine, 4L60E transmission and part-time 4x4 system, easy D.I.Y. maintenance. The not so good: Horrible interior and exterior panel quality and fit/finish. We are talking 1970's horrible. The body of the truck is extremely flimsy and weak. Panel gaps big enough to loose your keys in. Doors may require periodic adjustments to fit properly and the glass scratches easily. Based on the comfort, size, versatility and economy, I would definitely buy another.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th October, 2006