started to really like this truck

I've had my 2004 for about 3 months now. Having previously been a Trailblazer owner my opinion of the X was only "It's not bad" at the beginning.
However, after putting down 10,000 kms I enjoy driving it more and more. The ride is incredibly good in my opinion. sure, it's not a chevy with that comfortably-spongy-fall-asleep ride but in return it actually does turn when I move the steering wheel.
I guess it must be the independent suspensions - I really like the steering. I have had no chance to take it offroad yet... we'll see about that later...
And the power of the V8 is great!
Rear axle whine issue aside this thing just keeps running with no drama. Just does its job perfectly and quietly. With already 120k kms on the clock. So I'm a happy guy.

just felt like sharing this

congrats on the buy i guess..lol
i also use to own a Trailblazer..but honestly..if i would have done it all over again and had the $ to get a Trailblazer....i would.
I would trade my explorer for a trailblazer in a heart beat.
Yes the explorer is nice and all, and lots of options(have a Eddie) my LS didn't have but i miss the tq the trailblazer made. I had done some mods to it and i could take on many cars and win or be very close...w/ the explorer its like a joke trying to take someone on. Has hp but no tq.
Also i just really like the look of the trailblazer..i know i'll get bashed on for saying this on a Ford forum..but its the truth.
I miss my chevy...i miss it soooo much that i plan on keeping my Eddie,that i just bought 1 month ago, for 1 yr and then trade it in for a Trailblazer SS

ghoster said:

Also i just really like the look of the trailblazer..i know i'll get bashed on for saying this on a Ford forum..but its the truth.

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I like the front of the TB too. No argument.
hey, we can never have it all we want...life could be worse

I passed up three Trailblazers to get the Ex. You want a truck that will last, you get a Ford. My '88 F-250 has 104000 miles on it and still runs like a scalded dog! The 351 drinks fuel like a sailor on leave, but everyone in the family 'borrows' my truck when the need to haul a load....

GregV8 said:

I like the front of the TB too. No argument.
hey, we can never have it all we want...life could be worse

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Very true...lol

Pinshooter13 said:

I passed up three Trailblazers to get the Ex. You want a truck that will last, you get a Ford. My '88 F-250 has 104000 miles on it and still runs like a scalded dog! The 351 drinks fuel like a sailor on leave, but everyone in the family 'borrows' my truck when the need to haul a load....

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Well i had a great exprience w/ my trailblazer..i sold it w/ 90k miles and b/c the tranny was starting to slip BUT!...i beat the hell out of that truck. You can say i acted childish but i raced anyone that showed some competition. I would also go to racetrack...and out of all those time......i NEVER had anything break.....well only the rear end (3X but that was the dealers fault) but never anything to do w/ the engine or tranny

Everybody likes GM products till they break.

Wait till the TrailBlazers start getting more and more head gasket failures, which are already starting to happen on the high-mileage ones. GM in their infinite wisdom decided to use an aluminum block and head, and didn't reinforce the threads of the head bolt holes, so when the head bolts are removed after some 150,000 miles, they pull the aluminum threads right out with them! Same problem the Cadillac Northstar had/has. There's a company called TimeSert that has a "fix-it kit" available for these engines, but if a person has to pay a dealership or shop to drill, tap, and install inserts on all the head bolt holes, you might as well have just bought a new engine by the time you're done with it.
The TrailBlazer has some other real brain-child designs, such as the front axle going straight thru the oil pan.

We've had a couple of them at the dealership, and they've been absolute junk.

Broke axle 3x, but had NO real problems........what WOULD you call a problem?? ......I have a pal who was always been a Chevy.....somehow he got a FORD F150, {think his new wife talked him into it} & now just keeps it & keeps it, he used to trade Chevies almost as often as his socks....

Ford has a very bad reputation in Europe, mainly destroyed during the 80's with junk like these






These things were falling into pieces everywhere. It's only now since about 2000 when new models like Focus will put them back on the map s l o w l y.
I know you people over in the US love euro-designed fords, and the new mondeo is HOT.... but people here still couldn't shake the above images out of their heads

Greg

NOW WE'RE TALKING:

Pinshooter13 said:

Chevy's, and Chevy owners... Raced it, broke it three times, dealers fault!
Was the dealer doing the shifting for ya' ?

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UKExploder said:

Broke axle 3x, but had NO real problems........what WOULD you call a problem?? ......I have a pal who was always been a Chevy.....somehow he got a FORD F150, {think his new wife talked him into it} & now just keeps it & keeps it, he used to trade Chevies almost as often as his socks....

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The first time the rear end blew i never really found out what happened and the other 2Xs was due to the dealer using the old bolts on the carrier the 2nd time. The bolts broke right at the head, and got in the gears wasn't a pretty sight. The 3rd time i went back to have it replaced was b/c the had over torqued the bolts and the carrier also. Same thing happened but this time 4 of the 6 bolts broke off. It also got in the gears and again it wasn't a pretty sight. I called GM to complain about the poor work their dealers were doing and all they offered me was a $500 coupon towards a NEW GM vechicle except Hummer and Saab i think.
I didn't have the money to buy a new truck and really didn't want to..u loose WAYYYY too much money buying a new truck.
Thats why i said never had any real problems..the problems i had were due to the poor labor of the dealer's mechanics

2002 mount is no quality giant either

Following this tread is funny. My 2002 V8 Merc is a love hate. I love the funtion and ability to carry 7 people. It does a great job towing my 6500 pound boat BUT!. In its 45000 mile life it has had New transmissin, 2 new front hubs a failed transfer case(It is 2 wheel drive now with front drive shaft removed) and broken rear coil spring. This is a prettypoor showing in my book

No Explorer/Mountaineer will last long at all towing that much weight! Sure, they may be rated to do it, but how long they'll last is another thing. The 5R55 series transmissions are not strong, nor are the transfer cases. Take the boat out of the equation, which I'm pretty sure is the reason why the tranny and transfer case launched, and you end up with a broken rear spring...A common problem on the '02s which is not a fault of Ford Motor Company, but the company sourced by them to produce the coil springs.

I don't agree. They advertised it to tow 7000+ and they should have built it too or not advertized it too. This is what gives them a bad name and causes ford to lose market share and close plants. they do the whole country a dis service when they build a poor product. It has a tow package add the right stuff or don' say it can tow. You lose customers and jobs etc

completely agree w/ you...one of the reason i really loved my trailblazer..that thing hauled ass!!!!!!
simple example..b4 i dropped it i had to use it to tow a 8X12 trailer b/c the explorer we had (01 sport) wasn't able to tow it, it would tow it but u can hear the engine suffering
another thing..we had a bunch of bushes in our property..my trailblazer at this time was dropped and w/ 20s.. so first thing that ran through my mind is get the explorer and rip the bushes out w/ it. Well it wasn't a great plan...all it did was some unpleasant (to my parents lol) tire marks on our driveway and the bush was still standing strong. Tried putting it in 4X4 and flooring it..nope didn't work.
Then i got my trailblazer..put it in 4X4..and started to put tension on the bush slowy like i did before and the bushes started to come out.
Might not have anything to do w/ the thread lol but i figured i'd share

GregV8 said:

I know you people over in the US love euro-designed fords, and the new mondeo is HOT.... but people here still couldn't shake the above images out of their heads

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I agree, the new Mondeo is great looking. I almost wish they would bring them to the US! In the latest episode of Fifth Gear they said the Mondeo estate is the best estate out, Tom even bought one.

But like you said, even with as good as the Mondeo looks, every says "but it's still a ford".