I've located a 96 LS 4 door with 72K on it. So far I see the trany has a noticeable shift from 1st to 2nd. I was told it may be just the valve body. Its not a harsh shift but it does concern me with all I've heard about tranny failure with these. The owner did tow a 24' trailer 2-3 times on a apx. 500 mile trip. The Fluid looks cherry red, but there was a couple specks of dirt in it. The AC compressor is leaking at the front seal as is the rear diferential pinion seal and cover. It has had new ball joints and the cooler lines have been redone. Its in Arizona so the body and underside is excellent. But it's the basic red color and I know it will fade even more. It runs good and looks excellent inside and out. It books for $5900 should I buy it or look further? Maybe at a Honda CRV or Toyota?
Which I will pay alot more for! I think it's a pretty good deal? What do ya think?

I bought a 4X4 96-blazer (2-door) with 4.3L almost two years ago. At the time of purchase, it had 72K miles and was in almost perfect shape. A little old lady owned it and kept it in tip-top shape (even saved every oil change receipt). It worked fine till about 97K, then nothing but problems afterward. I've just finished replacing the distributor cap, water pump, and fuel pump, and now I'm waiting for the tranny to go out anytime. When I first bought it, I noticed that the tranny made high pitch winding noises in certain gears (this blazer is a straight shift) but after asking a couple of people, it seemed that this noise was common in the GM s-10 trannys. Later I noticed that in odd gears it made the noise, but it even gears (2nd, 4th) it was quiet. Recently, the sound is getting worse and occasionally shifting is difficult, so I expect it not to last much longer. Honestly, I know the blazer seems like a good deal and I got mine for a good price also, but I think it may be more beneficial for you in the long run to save a few extra bucks and get a japanese vehicle. I've discussed this with other people and mechanics and they say the same thing, GM makes vehicles to go 100K (I know that this wasn't always the case). I like my blazer when it works, but lately that has been rare. You will probably get different answers from people on this site depending on their experiences with the blazer, I'm just giving you my opinion, hope it helps. Good luck!

Does this already have an external transmission cooler added on. If not, the tranny will need to be replaced soon Im sure. the towing does eat up those tranny's without an additional cooling source. There are so many little things on these blazers that require such maintenance. I would say you should pay around three or four grand for it. Check out the radiator, if it has pink fluid, you need to find out if it has been flushed every couple years, if not, the works are gummed up im sure. Heat problems arise from this as with many of the other posts on here. Is it a 4x4? if so, definitely drive it engaged and feel if the torque is there. Drive it at highway speeds and see if you dont mind the noise level from inside. Truck tires suck on these things, seems the only quiet tire is a passenger tire. Can you get the person to give up a couple hours and drive somewhere with you for about 50-60 miles on a highway, to ensure the light doesnt come on. As with any used vehicle, there are so many things to look into, you have come to the right place though to at least compare the known things to look at so that you can decide if these same problems will arise in this one.

I was told it has a trans cooler. He told me it's integrated? I did see tubbing that has several S shaped curves in front of the condensor? The 4WD seems to work ok. The coolant was red in color. He said it was changed, but I did see sediment in it.
Oil and tranny fluid was clean. I think around 75K is a good time to get rid of mid late 90's Blazer. If I buy this thing I just hope I dont have to put thousands into it ! I just went down that road with a 91 Explorer! I could swap out my new tires on these vehicles.. I dont think he will go less then 5,000$ A dealer would want $6900 for it. I'm sure.