Doug and I are a similar age, and when he says "it is only 25 years old", I end up nodding my head in agreement...only to realize that, wait a minute, it is THIRTY FIVE years old. This is how you know us old millennials are getting old. Because everything from the mid-80s to the 2000's is "only 25 years old" while everything post 2000 may as well be just five years ago.
Was born after 2000 and it's the same way, was at pick n pull seeing e60s BMW 5 serise and r230 SLs saying to myself these are to new to be here I remember when they were new and it wasn't that long ago
Doug, I know you say these videos don’t do well but I for one am grateful you review older cars. Keep it up if you can! I shared a 1985 blazer with my dad in the mid 90s. Great truck and lots of great memories. I miss him every day.
Yeah, these are my favorite videos. Enthusiast cars that are actually obtainable, not $5,000,000 hypercars that none of us ever have a chance of seeing in person, let alone owning.
I remember back in the early 90s my buddy's dad would a lot of times pick us up from football practice in his old Silverado, and he would always be smoking cigars. We would sit there on the bench seat, crunched three abreast, having to move legs because of gear shifting, and WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!! We could even hop in the bed legally back then in California!
I grew up in these. That one he is showing was the base model. They actually had power rear windows and center console in the higher optioned models. The higher models also had a better gauge cluster set that had a tach, engine oil pressure, temp and voltage where the large warning indicators are.
Had a 87 k5 blazer w Silverado package, it had power windows and door locks. Power rear window, center console, heat/ac. This thing is as base model as you can get.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the 70's and 80's. These were actually used as daily drivers there at the time. The Blazers, Broncos and Ram Chargers were actually a step up from the pickup trucks from the 60's that I also remember being driven in the 70's and 80's.
Very common up here as the logging industry was thriving. Hunters loved the Blazers, Broncos and Ramchargers. Hell even the Sheriff's and Fire stations had at least one for captains to drive. The forest department/rangers. Was a different time and glad to have been part of it.
@@marciliojunior4919 Yeah I don't understand why people call the current Blazer a SUV. Anything unibody should just be a crossover. RAV4, Bronco Sport, all BMW X series and all Audi Q. The only things I call SUVs are body on frame stuff, 4Runner, Tahoe, Bronco, Wrangler, G wagon. I think crossovers are very useful I a world where every sedan has to be as low and impractical as possible to look sporty. But they are not SUVs.
That's what I love About the Bronco K5 Blazer. And Dodge Ramcharger They were Short wheel base Pickups with Seats in back that U can Pull back to give u even more Cargo Something you cant Buy today.
The K5 with the Silverado trim had different gauges that contained a quartz clock. It also had a button to roll down the rear window from the front. I think you could even roll down the window if you were outside the truck by putting the key in the rear key slot on the tailgate. By turning the key, it would lower the window.
I can confirm all of this is true. I have an 85 K5 Blazer Silverado. The door key works the rear window. You get a temp gauge oil gauge and battery gauge. You also get a headliner. And as for the center console i think it was an option you could buy if you went with a base model. (I’m not sure I’m just guessing at this point).
This guy is a real Drama Queen. These were among the best rigs ever made, IMO. As long as you didn't go stump jumping every weekend, they'd last as long as any pickup. No weird surpises - just a basic simple truck with a short body. When they loaded them up with all the goodies, that's when trouble began. Wing windows were for ventilating the interior of cigarette smoke without having to roll down a window, which would introduce buffeting. They worked like the venting system on a nuclear submarine.
What I like about Doug that he has no limit when it comes to kind of cars that he reviews. That was my ride when I used to work in Saudi Arabia.. loved it so much.
@@mducheine2784 Not all of them were this basic. This is not only a base model, it's a stripper model. Higher trims like the Scottsdale and Silverado actually had headliners.
My dad had a '79. Ah, the memories! The Blazer Doug is reviewing is quite a basic trim level, because Dad's Cheyenne-trim had a full gauge package, center console, rear sliding side windows, and auto-locking front hubs
That’s awesome. I kinda love that doug reviewed a base model though, it makes you really appreciate the higher trims and of course how far we have come today with what comes standard.
I had a 96 Bronco like this. It was a beast for many years. Changed the brakes and locking hubs and that’s about it. If Chevy or Ford were allowed to still make them I would buy one immediately. I also loved the lack of a center console. Easy to move around in, a great place to put a cooler or have your dog. I would buy it again immediately. I must have driven it across the country 10 or 15 times with the dogs. My 96 Bronco flew though. 85-90 no problem compared to this Blazer though.
My former 1967 Wagoneer had the same kind of tailgate and locking 4WD hub systems. And this car is 20 years newer than that one was! This was a really fun review. It's always fun to appreciate how simple older vehicles can be.
Seeing the pop out handle window crank brought back a flood of memories...crazy how a little forgotten detail like that can unleash a mountain of childhood memories. Thanks Doug.
They also offered power as an option as well my parents had a new 1988 model you used the door key and inserted into a similar hatch crank and left turn was down right turn was up, slower than frozen hog shit up and down lol.
Man, what nostalgia this brings me. My dad used to have one of these when I was a kid, I drove it one time to go to the store (rural area, so no other cars basically) and I felt like the coolest person around
It should be noted that this Blazer did originally come with a center console. By this time they all did, even this base model. This one has had it taken out for some reason. You can see at 7:00 in the video that the indentations from the console and small holes in the carpet from where the console was screwed to the floor are still there. Also, the rear did have plastic/carpet panels from the factory. For some reason they were removed from this one as well. By the early 80s only the military CUCV were all metal in the rear. You can clearly see the interior trim screw holes at 9:13 in the video where the panels were attached. Also.... those aren't the original front seats. From the factory the passengers side seat had a lever that tilted/lifted the whole seat foreword for easier rear passenger access. These werent the most plush trucks when new, but its hard to give it a completely fair shake when alot of interior pieces are missing or incorrect. But the driving section though... oh man 😍! Just the sound of that pedal squeak every time you pushed in the clutch, and the plastic snap every time the turn signal activated and cancelled, even the slight bearing sound of the steering wheel turning brings back childhood memories! I grew up with my dad owning a 74 K5, 87 C/10 custom deluxe, 85 K5 Silverado, and myself owning a 78 K10 and 79 K20. Those sounds are all very familiar to any squarebody fan! ❤
Keen eye, a few other things to notice is the tailgate has no lock cylinder or tailgate support torque rods. The tailgate weighs a ton and for some reason when people swap them they don't put those torque rods back in to help you close it. lastly, the fender emblems are backwards.
@@jingorat I wasn't gonna comment on the tailgate... 😅 I just figured that Doug was doing his usual shtick about the "struggles" of owning an older vehicle as if it was the same as a slog across the great plains in the 1800s. 😅 Also it's clear the truck has been repainted. Somewhat sloppily. Theres obvious overspray on some of the window rubber, and the top weatherstripping has been painted over.
My 88 GSA truck didn't come with carpet in the back. The previous owner added aftermarket carpeting but there's still no carpeting on the tailgate itself or previsions for there to have ever been carpeting there.
@@RoofysGarage First thing I noticed was that the fender badges looked "off". Had to go reference photos of other Blazers from this generation to confirm it wasn't my (aging) brain playing trucks on me.
When I was 17, it was a very good year. Trucks like this were everywhere, And this one was just made then My 87 Bronco ][ had the same locking hubs They were very reliable btw And you could leave them locked during bad weather and just engage 4WD as needed
@@BabyJesus66 The spinner knob on the tailgate window crank was obvious, yet he chose to turn the whole lever one turn at a time. I know he doesn't understand old cars but that should have been obvious as soon as he unfolded it.
Agree Tho Wish he Did a 1991 Silverado K5 Blazer Final Model year like He did with 1996 Eddie Bauer Bronco and The Recent 1993 Dodge Ramcharger Canyon Sport he did.
Gotta love the base model. The factory 4 speeds are incredibly rare in these old Blazers, and even the Broncos. Whenever I see one I have to hold myself back, I love them.
I had an 81 Bronco with that exact same transmission. It was ridiculously fun. Crazy how Ford and GM used the same contractor for drivetrain components.
Lol…. I remember my dad as a kid saying….it’s not good to leave the hubs locked or keep it in 4 wheel drive and dry pavement. So if we were already going to be driving on snow packed roads or he anticipated we would be going to do a little off roading in some snow then he would already have them locked in place so he could just throw the 4 WD on with out getting out in a sticky situation.
I was ran over by one of these when I was 9. The driver took off and I had to get up to get to the side of the road. I remember laying in the road looking at the back end. Your comment about pedestrian impacts brought up that memory
I'm from the Netherlands and i love these big squarebody Chevy's! I still remember in the late 90's and early 00's these were very popular for importing. Alot of them were the ex military CUCV'S K5 and K30's. Dodge W200's too. High fuel prices ment the gasoline powered ones were all converted to gas. Now they are sadly becoming a rare sight. Alot of them have rust issues and are already scrapped, tucked away in a shed or sold. Some firetruck versions are still being used at racetracks though!
My first car was an '84 K5 Blazer with 38" Mickey Thompson tires and a V8. My current car is a '17 Fiat 124 Spider with an I4. A difference between them of 2,100 lbs and 12mpg, but the 124 has slightly more horsepower stock than did the Blazer. Crazy how engines have evolved
I had a white 84' blazer as my first. Was the Silverado package that had a much much nicer interior than the one doug reviewed, i was surprised to see how barebones that 87 was compared to the silverado trim package. Had a gutless 305 and a 700 R4 auto, reliable-ish, cheap to fix. like all the vehicles i have sold i wish i still had it heheheh
lmao I have a 78 power wagon and a 16 miata and its hilarious parking them next to each other, and going from the miata where you have to contort your body down to the ground to get in because i took the seat rails off to sit lower and the power wagon where you have to jump up because it's lifted on 35's
Doug is knocking it out of the park. Yesterday I watched his Mega Cruiser review🤤. I love my 80 series Land Cruiser. Today, he’s doing the Blazer. I got a 79 Blazer, three on the tree straight 6!
Seeing the comments from Millennials is incredible. 😂 I learned to drive stick on a column in a 69’ Ford F-100. THAT was weird. I miss these kinds of trucks. They were tanks unlike modern SUVs or pickups. Modern trucks and SUVs wouldn’t take half the abuse that trucks forty years ago would.
Growing up in the midwest back when these were new I remember how heavy the tail gates were. They did get lighter as the sheetmetal on these started rusting away after the first winter. Lovely truck, hard to find one that has not rusted back to the earth. This looks like a great buy for someone. Keep these older reviews coming, love them.
thats because your more likely to see these things on the road if your born in its time period. Or because there really hard to come by these days compared to supercars now.
My buddy had a 1985 GMC Jimmy in high school and it was fully loaded. Auto hubs, electric windows, auto transmission and much more. It was a beast off road too. It was better off road then the late 90’s full size Blazer’s. Best part you could put 33’s on stock suspension. Which was really good for a vehicle of this time.
K5 blazers are amazing in the summer. The goddam roof comes off. I have taken mine on road-trips and it’s perfectly fine. It is a perfect summer and winter vehicle in one package. It’ll take you to your favorite skiing location or camping spots even if those spots are on the other end of the country. It’s like a Jeep that doesn’t suck
I rode a lot of miles in my dad's Blazers back in the 80's. The controls and gauges were pure memory! My dad's did have a big center console though. That was my seat in the front. In the back seat I would sit squeezed onto the wheel wells. I personally preferred his Suburban though because there was more space to play in the rear cargo area. Somehow we all survived.
My son left a playboy in my truck that I discovered when going to work one morning. He was extremely embarrassed when he realized I found it. I explained that it’s a gentleman’s magazine and From that day on I’d buy one each month and leave it in the back seat pocket. My wife wasn’t impressed. Boys will be boys however.
This is the Blazer I think of. The “new” Blazer is just a carbon copy of yet another crossover, given a name it doesn’t deserve. This classic Blazer is the one I’d love to have. It’s timeless.
The new Blazer was such a missed opportunity and proof that GM is just out of touch with reality. They had to have seen how popular the Wrangler was. They had to have known the Bronco was going to be an enormous hit. They had to have known the 4Runner is still selling extremely well despite being OLD.. They had to know the new Defender was on it's way. They HAD to have known that offroad SUVs are enormously popular. So what do they do? Turn their legacy flagship offroader into a soulless overpriced crossover! And as if that wasn't bad enough, they went and ruined the Trailblazer, Tahoe and Suburban too! Seriously. What the hell was GM thinking? They already had an enormously successful crossover lineup in the Equinox and Traverse. Why did they need two more to muddy the waters?
They all have center consoles someone took that one out. Also some of them had arm rests on the seats and some didn't. I was born in 81'. My Dad had 3 of these they never broke down and went anywhere. Money well spent if you ask me. Now I have one and I love it. I'll take a K5 over any modern junk SUV. I don't see the SUVs of the last 20 years having much or any value in 20 years. Cool video man. Look at the K5 Blazers on ebay the K5s hold their value. 20K and up from there.
Those little windows that you love in the front we're cut from Gm production altogether as far as I know once the Express van came out in 1996. They are called 'Wing Windows' and they are quite possibly the greatest automotive innovation of all time! My 1990 GMC Vandura has them and beyond the obvious uses is a lesser known one and my personal favorite. If you crack them open just a little bit they not only help to defrost the windshield faster and with less heat but when the rigs moving they act like a vacuum. Faster you go the better the vacuum. It will suck just about anything out of the rig on the freeway short of rocks. Smoke, ashes, tissues, tomatoes, wrappers, boogers anything fairly light.... my personal favorite: FLYS AND YELLOW JACKETS.... they get anywhere near it they suck right out! I suppose it's not as good of an invention as say maybe the windshield wipers or the heater but it's pretty damn close.
My parents had a 79 Bronco when I was young. I remember family occasions when Uncles or Aunts would ask why he drove such a thing. His response was I can go anywhere you can go in you Honda but better, just let me pick the day. I'll go when there is a foot of snow falling. One of my first cars was a 79 Blazer. This brought back some good memories.
I can attest to the fact that locking the hubs on a 4WD system when it's freezing cold out is a giant pain in the butt. Especially since half the time the damn thing is so cold it doesn't want to move much, it's covered in ice so it's hard to grip it, and your hands are so cold they feel like you're about to watch them fall off.
Digging into a snow bank just to get to it, clearing the snow out of the lock to turn it, and repeat on the other side. Congratulations you made it through the snow bank. Now pull over to the side of the road to undo it before you get on the highway since old 4WD system's weren't meant for driving over 45mph
Ridiculous. Those are free wheeling hubs. All you had to do was leave them "locked" while driving around. Having the hubs locked did not mean ypu were in four wheel drive. When 4x4 was needed you simply shifted into four wheel drive with the transfer case lever from inside the truck. Anyone who was digging out a snowbank to "turn their hubs" had no idea what they were doing! 😅
We all just kept them locked all winter, and unlocked them in the spring too try and save some fuel and wear. Just because your hubs were locked didn’t mean it was in 4 wheel drive. And if you waited till you were buried in a snowbank too lock them….you deserved the work.
@@zrally2107 the NP208 can be shifted on the fly up to "50" mph but I would just say keep it to 25mph and below, and the hubs shouldnt turn hard if you have the right amount of grease in the hub and the right kind. if you were moving and pulled over to engage them, they should be warm. if you started a cold morning, you should use a grease that doesnt get so damn thick when cold ;) BUt yeah leave them locked till you can safely unlock them, but shift into 4x4 when needed.
@@jerryjeromehawkins1712 They had automatically locking hubs. If I recall correctly, you unlock them by shifting out of 4wd and back up. My dad had a 1982 6.2L diesel 4wd 3/4 tonne GMC with the 4 speed with the "L" gear. It was the best truck I ever drove. The diesel had an unimpressive power rating, but we towed a full sized MF tractor on a flatbed behind it once and it barely slowed it down.
I have a 1990 k5 blazer I inherited from my grandfather. It's has power windows and a 200hp v8 but I think it's just the coolest car. And I still perfer it's seats to the seats in any car or truck I've driven.
I’m with you on the seats. My dad had an ‘87 and a ‘91 K5, and those seats were comfy. Not super squishy but not rock hard either. And just wraparound enough.
This is an entry level, bare bones model. Most came equipped with a rear power Window,, automatic hubs, automatic tranny and center console. Actually, this is a rare configuration for a late 2nd gen k5 model.
Love this! My first vehicle was a 74 Jimmy (thanks Doug for explaining the origin of that name!) It had the full roof panel, which I probably removed twice during my ownership. It was very cool with top off, but insanely inconvenient to remove & store. The rear window roller was actually more dependable than the later electric versions.. constant problems with those. My Jimmy had carb & choke issues. Would frequently have to pop the hood, remove air intake and use a screwdriver to hold the carb flap open to get it going on cold mornings. But mine was full time 4x4 and had Hi Lock & Lo Lock instead of 2wd and locking hubs. Eventually upgraded to (similar) 76 and then 85 Suburbans. Loved them all.
Haha. I just bought an 88 Blazer. God these things are fun. Mine left the factory just like this one, except as an automatic. Base model. GSA rig. Love it to death.
The locking hubs can actually be left in lock position during anticipated need to shift into 4x4. The axles turn, but 4x4 isn't in until the shifter is moved into that position. I used to leave mine in lock all winter to avoid exactly what Doug mentioned. Worse gas mileage though...
Love seeing this! My first vehicle (handed down from my dad) was a 1987 GMC Jimmy. Had a few more things than this did (carpet, roof liner, power windows, etc.). Mine had the 6.2L Diesel but a very similar color scheme. Loved that thing and it's still at my parents house and still runs...with some help usually.
I’ve got a fully optioned ‘85 with the exception of the engine which is a crate 350. My dream vehicle that I waited 10 years to get. I get compliments on it almost daily. I will never sell it and love that these are getting to be as popular as they are.
I love how happy Doug is reviewing this! This Blazer was made my Senior year of high school... THIS.....! ! was the shit back when I was growning up. Like commented below Custon Delux was the base model; other than the A/C it's a stripper for sure. Always laugh like hell and shake my head when Doug describes a everyday car from the the early 90's back like it's a Model T or Flintstones Mobile.... LOL!
Yes, I had and still have my 1980 GMG Jimmy, I have headliner, full gauges (minus tach) massive console , I replaces console with a aftermarket lock box console as I run the soft top. I laugh as how he thinks the rear roll down window and especially locking hubs are so quirky..... Yes, they 1980 is fairly modern with integral power steering, brakes, but I have no OD so that is old school. Has a TH350C, yes C If this guy could only drive a car from even the 60's like a stripper mustang with manual steering and brakes and 4 wheel drums, can you imagine?
@@stevekowalski7936 Yeah, like when Mr. Regular drives a 66 Plymouth with a 318 727 torqflite and AM radio. I've seen him do the whole 'how did people survive" routine too. LOL.
@@seththomas9105 I love how he compares all acceleration to a most modern car with over 1000 HP. In the 1980s any HP figure in upper 100s with torq over 200 was more powerful than most things. Only exotics had like 300+ HP.
'88 Blazer was the vehicle I learned to drive on! We did long road trips through the midwest, to Canada and back. Moved with it. It was a beast! You stepped on the gas and watched the gas needle move. Finally had a chance to drive it again back in about 2003, as we had sold it to my uncle at the farm. That thing was a BLAST to drive.
I actually had an 85 blazer and that rear window was an ailutomatic window that rolled down when you put the key inside and turned. You could also roll it down with a button in the front dash.
I posted this to another guy as well above " Z71offroad2000 Z71offroad2000 0 seconds ago They also offered power as an option as well my parents had a new 1988 model you used the door key and inserted into a similar hatch crank and left turn was down right turn was up, slower than frozen hog shit up and down lol."
It did originally have a center console, you can even see the indentation in the carpet. Even though there are no windows for the back seats, you could drive with the rear window down as well as removing the top completely.
My dad had a blazer just like this one and he had a Bronco. I remember the Bronco had that rear tailgate with the window that could be rolled down either manually or with a little switch in the driver seat area. I was pretty young so I could be mistaken but I remember that Blazer rear window and that lever that you showed. Plus he would take the top off occasionally and on the Bronco it was more of a pain in the neck to do so he rarely did it. I was Especially happy for that because along with the removal of the back roof area came along with a lot of cuss words and loud yelling, lol. But that was my old man. Those Blazers and Broncos with the “get out in the elements and turn the front hubs” was always a fun endeavor when the roads were impassable by snow.
Hey Doug...the reason the dash is weird is because you've got a base model Blazer there. The higher trim levels did have a tach, and they had gauges in those four round areas on the left where the huge warning lights are. That's the same dash layout Chevy used on their pickups/SUVs for what felt like a zillion years. But the Custom Deluxe was one of the lower trim levels and they got the basic dash, manual hubs, vinyl seats, four-speed, etc.
Yep - they just made the idiot lights the same size as the optional gauges to avoid the need for more than one style of gauge panel. Oddly, there was an option for having all the extra gauges EXCEPT a tachometer. Tachometers hadn't really caught on back then.
My dad had one of these as a work truck when I was a kid, in that awful 80's light metallic blue with the blue interior. I sat back there. I liked it. I can still clearly remember staring at the bolts holding that fiberglass cap on while we were driving and wondering what it'd be like with the top off.
I can remember those bolts. Either 8 or 10 giant star headed bolts. And my dad never took the top off of his either….because he knew as soon as he did, it would start to leak…lol. Hey, it was 1980s GM…you kind of expected it.
Love this GM oldschool SUV , in here "Brazil" , the Blazer was rebadged Brasinca and the Suburban was rebadged Veraneio and both have the 121hp 250ci (4.1L) I6 from Chevy Nova , they were too slow!
My dad has an '82 GMC Jimmy (same as the Blazer) it had electric windows, including the rear glass and automatic hubs. The hub would automatically engage when you entered 4-H/L and then go back into 2H you would select the mode and then reverse until it unlocked. Worked really well. My dad drove this for his land surveying work, and he had that truck for nearly 30 years and saw well over 500K miles (though it had a couple of engines and automatic transmissions). It was nearly fully loaded. The best engine we replaced with was a 350. The stock 305 lasted about 150K and was well underpowered from the truck. Great truck. Thanks for the video. Brings back a lot of memories of driving it for work.
I own a '73 Blazer Cheyenne. Didn't grow up with one in the family, but we had family friends that did. The Cheyenne was the top model for the day, and nothing was power, except for the steering. I kind of long for those days when everything was not as complicated. You can get by with a bag of tools and do most everything you needed - everything in the engine compartment is accessible. Today you need an OBD2 scanner and a large rolling toolbox, and that's IF you can get to something on the side of the road. I also do love Chevy's use of Western towns and cities for their trim levels - it just evokes a sense of the outdoors and the wild frontier that these vehicles were designed to traverse. Cheyenne, Scottsdale, Silverado, Tahoe...
My driving instructor had one of these new back in the day. She told me she got crashed into by another driver that ultimately totaled the car in the 90s. Very unfortunate for her, but it was very cool listening to her talk about it.
For the 1987 model year, lowest trim for the Blazer was the Custom Deluxe like in this video. The highest trim was the Silverado. This is why the gauges on the left are just lights instead of actual gauges and other features are not shown that came on the nicer models.
This has been restored. There's no way the wall to wall carpet and shiny two-tone paint is original. This is a base model one step up from the military CUCV. I don't see why you'd go to all that effort and keep it basic.
My Dad had an '84 4x4. He called it "The Pig". When the 4 speed 1/2 ton automatic transmission went he replaced it with the 3 speed from a 3/4 ton truck to increase the towing capacity. It got 16 MPG on the highway, downhill, with a tailwind, with the 4 speed.
My father owned an an early 80s Jimmy. You pack it up to drive to the cottage. Cargo in back, kids on the bench. Parents up front. You listened to the radio and watched the scenery. Such was life. Maybe you towed a boat. That was its use. Simple and effective and no uneeded luxuries.
I appreciate your appreciation of the basic upgraded stereo head as the only non-stock feature you'll accept in a review, because it is so hard to find old cars with stock radios. I bought a stock Miata from a couple in their late 60s and even they had changed the head, it was the ONLY thing not OEM on the car
I grew up with one of these in the family. Majority of my childhood was spent in my dads 84 Blazer. Couple differences here, His was a diesel and had a very tacky vinyl headliner, with cloth seats as well as most of the bare metal in the back area covered in the same carpeting material you see on the dash. 8 year old me burned my knees on the backseat ashtrays more times than I can count. I loved riding shotgun in that thing. Brings back a lot of childhood nostalgia.
As a designer (not cars) I'd just like to point out those wheel arches. Proportionately perfect, fully functional, bold, and cool as f÷=k. Thank you for your time reading this, and I wish you all a fantastic day :) x
As soon as Doug talked about recently test driving a Blazer when he was driving the Mega Cruiser, I was anticipating the video. I recently saw a Jimmy version-same vintage-at a car show and it looked so cool with the roof off.
I never had a Blazer, but I did own a 94 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer edition with the 5.8L. You could also remove the top by taking out several "tamperproof" bolts. But it was dreadfully inconvenient as storing the top was challenging if you didn't have the space for it and you lived somewhere where it rains frequently. Overall they were great camping rigs.
I drove my 71 Blazer today. Had it since the day I was born - literally. 4 ash trays, 0 cup holders, and my favorite ride in the world. No we didn't watch a screen, we watched the world and learned how to read a map.
Great video. I learned to drive in Anchorage in 1977-78 in my parents' 1975 K5 Blazer. That thing was a beast, and was terrifying to drive, so I preferred to drive--and took my license test in--our 1974 Ford Pinto wagon (the non-explodey model). But come winter in Anchorage--which comes in October--the 4WD and heft of the K5 was necessary. Doug is absolutely right about the driving position--high, great visibility. It was, in a way, fun to drive in the winter. But, wow, it was heavy. I hit a patch of ice in our neighborhood maybe going 15 mph and hit a parked Toyota head on and utterly destroyed that car. The damage to the Blazer was one segment of that huge plastic grill was broken, and a bunch of dirty ice and snow was broken loose. I can't say I loved the Blazer--and was happier when we replaced it with a Subaru with much better gas milage. But I do have a soft spot for this thing, and I was thrilled to see this here.
My dad had a '79 GMC pickup with more or less the same dash (styling was tweaked a bit in '81 but it was functionally unchanged). I remember the huge warning lights. Might want to check on the temp one that isn't test phasing on startup, those have to be incandescent bulbs in there. Also, ones without a/c have a storage cubby in the dash where the vent nearest the gauges would be.
Luckily in 1992 in some Blazer's they introduced the auto-locking hubs where you all you had to do was put the vehicle in neutral, shift the 4WD leverl, and then re-engage the transmission and the hubs would lock (I think you had to be at a complete stop for this). This progressed to not having to go into neutral but rather just pulling the lever (sort of like how we have today with push-button 4WD where the computer does it all).
In 1982 The Blazer had Automatic locking hubs and were using it against the Bronco and F Series Trucks He has the Low level Custom Deluxe The top of the line Sliverado has automatic locking hubs
91 was the last year for the square body. In 92 GM finally developed a GMT400 version of the blazer. Instead of a solid front axle (which the squares do) it has independent front suspension so locking hubs aren't present as the wheels and cv joints are constantly meshed. The front diff has a actuator instead.
That tailgate was nothing. As an 11 year old, I would roll down the window, hop up on the bumper, pull the latch on the inside, hop down and let it down with no problem. I remember me and my family sitting on the tailgate in front or DQ and one of the cables broke. But you could buy those at any auto parts store back them. Ares was a 77. My dad found a 3/4 ton Suburban and swapped the axles and transfer case out. It had a Dana 44 front axle, Corporate 14 bolt in the rear and an NP205 transfer case.
I'm 20 and I'm glad I grew up with these kinds of trucks in vehicles that were very analog from the early to mid 80s I mean he's right there is such a charm about them it's the reason why people love them so much
The lights on the dash are so huge because in higher end models those spaces would have been replaced with gauges. And the location where the fuel gauge is would have held a tach. This looks like an entry-level model.
Yes and no. Had 2 direct from dealer 85 and 86 both fully speced and did not come with Tachs. Also had 85 K10 Silverado fleetside direct from dealer and no tach, even though they all had quartz clocks.
@@hypax665 There are pictures online of dashboards of this generation of Blazer with a (factory) tach in that position, but it's possible that it wasn't available for all years. Or maybe it was a standalone option that wasn't all that popular. I don't claim to be a Blazer expert.
You could get the “gauge package” or the “gauge package with tachometer”. Gauge pack put the water temp, oil pressure, and volt meter gauges where the lights are on the left but the fuel gauge still in the large dial on the right. If you paid another $100 or so on top of the gauge package option the fuel gauge moved to the left and a tach went where the fuel gauge is.
@@hypax665 You could get a tach. It moved the fuel gauge to the lower left small guage blank. They're exceptionally rare and expensive but you can get aftermarket reproductions for like $800.
Great video as always, but you make the 4WD system seem much more complicated than it actually is. You don't have to unlock the hubs if you want to leave four wheel drive, just shift the transfer case into 2 wheel drive and the front drive will be decoupled. If you do that with the hubs still locked, the front axle shafts and front differential will still be connected to the front hubs, meaning they will keep spinning with the front wheels, but there won't be any power going to the front wheels since the front driveshaft is decoupled from the transfer case. Unlocking the hubs will decouple the front halfshafts from the hubs, meaning the front part of the 4WD system will not spin if the wheels spin, which reduces friction in the drivetrain and therefore also reduces noise and wear. Locking hubs are not technically necessary for a 4WD system to work, and for that reason many even older 4WD cars did not have them at all.
Correct, and Doug makes it seem like a big deal to get out and lock the hubs in when you're stuck in the middle of a mud hole, when in reality, if you think you're going to encounter conditions like that, you lock the hubs in BEFORE you even leave your house! Then you drive around in 2wd with the hubs locked, and if you need 4wd at any point, just shift the transfer case into 4wd, and you don't have to get out of the vehicle at all.
I love these 80s cars videos you do, especially this one. I wish autos were still like this, so simple and easy to use. No software of expensive things to break!!!!!!!
It looks like it was a base trim model that someone ordered with optional AC. My parents bought a new K5 Blazer in 1986 (when I was a senior in high school). It came with full carpet (I saw there was none on the rear wheel wells), AC, AM/FM Cassette stereo, an automatic transmission (an optional upgrade), cloth seats, special order two-tone metalic blue paint, and I am pretty sure it had a headliner over the front seats (my memory is hazy, but I don't remember painted steel. I don't remember if there was a center console or not. I do remember coming home on leave from the Navy one Christmas and noticing my dad had reattached the driver's side door pull strap with a sheet metal screw after it tore off one day.
They did have automatically locking hubs back then, so you only needed to shift to 4wd. Then you unlocked the hubs by shifting to 2wd and backing up, if I recall.
I don't even call the new ones a Blazer. I just call them "that chevy suv". Any time Mustang people complain how Ford ruined their nameplate, I remind them just how good they still have it.
Dang my dad still has the family's 86 blazer. It has spent it's life going through mountains and was rebuilt recently. Great car, but I don't drive it because I am used to how low my Miata is lol.
I once worked at a place that had an 87 Blazer and an 88 Jimmy (both full size) for plowing and general use. I loved those trucks. It was great in the summer when we could take the top off. We could park them in the garage when it rained, so there was never a leaking issue. They were a lot of fun and I missed them when I left the place.
SUVs then: Big, burly, body-on-frame beasts with big V8s and impeccable off-road abilities _(e.g. Ford Bronco, Chevy K5 Blazer/7th-gen Suburban, Dodge Ramcharger)_ SUVs now: The sort of vehicle that most families will use as their family car, to drop their son/daughter off at school, soccer practice, etc _(e.g. Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent, etc, etc, etc...)_
You still have offroad options like the Bronco, Wrangler, 4Runner. Heck loads of crossovers can do a decent job offroading. If you need a family car now you have the option of a crossover or a minivan. No wagons to choose from. Minivans are pretty ugly to people and cars are all about what they make the driver feel. Sedans are certainly not a good family car if you have a remotely active lifestyle. That trunk is just so impractical.
@@baronvonjo1929 Off-road SUVs are printing money right now, so GM decided to squander the Blazer name on a little crossover and the Hummer name on a 9000lb EV. Such a poorly-run company.
@@baronvonjo1929 Even if the sedan has a large trunk you can't fit anything big through the trunk opening. Sloped rear windows means cars need to be 5 door style.
This reminds me of a much more simple time, uncomplicated, straight forward, utilitarian to a fault. Things like manual hubs, 4 speed manual with low, no silly electronics to cause you grief. It was built for a purpose and it fulfilled its purpose with distinction. The K5 was a 4x4 without comparison. Even my beloved Bronco came in second to this beast..but not by much 😉
I was licensed on the Army CUCV once upon a time. The HMMWV variants were already fielded force wide, but the CUCV was way more fun for navigating training areas. Regrading Doug's comment on the weight off the tailgate, I can remember opening the the tailgate with a bag of groceries in one arm as teenager on an earlier model Blazer without real difficulty. But, yeah, it was probably heavier than the tailgate of a modern pick-up.
Nice to remember. My K5 (1979) have had a spare tire in the back. Slide windows in the back. The back seat was foldable, even removeable easily. Engine was the standard 350 (5.7liter), with double register carburetor. And! A better milage with continuous 4WD, automatic trasmission. Some models had an electric opening for the rear window. But, I miss her!
One thing I don't like about how Doug does a doug score on ol older vehicles is that he compares the technology to modern technology and doesn't judge them for what they were at the time. That's like comparing a modern day flat screen smart TV to a big heavy box square TV of the '70s and '80s
Doug and I are a similar age, and when he says "it is only 25 years old", I end up nodding my head in agreement...only to realize that, wait a minute, it is THIRTY FIVE years old. This is how you know us old millennials are getting old. Because everything from the mid-80s to the 2000's is "only 25 years old" while everything post 2000 may as well be just five years ago.
Seriously. Time has been speeding up since 2008 it seems
I found out that I’m only four days older than Doug
You nailed the sence of time for someone who is between 30 and 40 today.
It is not psychological. It is physics. Einstein said, "time speeds up", or some shit like that 🤣😂
Was born after 2000 and it's the same way, was at pick n pull seeing e60s BMW 5 serise and r230 SLs saying to myself these are to new to be here I remember when they were new and it wasn't that long ago
Doug, I know you say these videos don’t do well but I for one am grateful you review older cars. Keep it up if you can!
I shared a 1985 blazer with my dad in the mid 90s. Great truck and lots of great memories. I miss him every day.
One day it's a k5 blazer and one day it's a Koenigsegg
I agree ☝️. Enjoy these review of the older vehicles
This will do well because there are plenty of us that want a basic car without touch screens and a bunch of other crap
Yeah, these are my favorite videos. Enthusiast cars that are actually obtainable, not $5,000,000 hypercars that none of us ever have a chance of seeing in person, let alone owning.
@@TheDomeHepot010 WHICH COMMENT?
Doug's dad face and voice while saying "you sat back there, and you liked it" was perfection.
Back when kids lit up a smoke to pass the time like mom and dad.
I remember back in the early 90s my buddy's dad would a lot of times pick us up from football practice in his old Silverado, and he would always be smoking cigars. We would sit there on the bench seat, crunched three abreast, having to move legs because of gear shifting, and WE LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!!!! We could even hop in the bed legally back then in California!
Back when kids had manners and knew better than to complain.
I grew up in these. That one he is showing was the base model. They actually had power rear windows and center console in the higher optioned models. The higher models also had a better gauge cluster set that had a tach, engine oil pressure, temp and voltage where the large warning indicators are.
I had that model k20 Silverado
Had a 87 k5 blazer w Silverado package, it had power windows and door locks. Power rear window, center console, heat/ac. This thing is as base model as you can get.
True
If you got the automatic, you could even get a clock in one of those pods on the left. My truck had a clock there.
Yeah, it's not just age, this thing was crude even for the SUV standards of '87.
I grew up in the Pacific Northwest in the 70's and 80's. These were actually used as daily drivers there at the time. The Blazers, Broncos and Ram Chargers were actually a step up from the pickup trucks from the 60's that I also remember being driven in the 70's and 80's.
Very common up here as the logging industry was thriving. Hunters loved the Blazers, Broncos and Ramchargers. Hell even the Sheriff's and Fire stations had at least one for captains to drive. The forest department/rangers. Was a different time and glad to have been part of it.
Exactly, he kept making such a huge deal about the fact its "not mom's suv"...no shit, it was just another vehicle on the road for us lmao
@@douglasb.1203 To bad Nothing Like em today Closet thing Are Regular Cab Trucks.
I wish Doug Demuro wasn't so confidently wrong almost all of the time. At least aspire to be humbly wrong, and only occasionally.
Had an 82 Ford Bronco 4WD. Loved it, still miss it.
Can’t believe that SUVs were short bed trucks with campers at the back and were used as workhorses, not overrated lifted sedans just 3 decades ago!
The 1st gen Xterra is a Frontier. That is 20 years. A LOT better than this thing. Just not as cool
Thats what suvs should be. Big ass trucks body on frame with a closed bed.
@@marciliojunior4919 On the data plate under the hood, GM even called these "covered trucks" because the term SUV hadn't been invented yet.
@@marciliojunior4919 Yeah I don't understand why people call the current Blazer a SUV. Anything unibody should just be a crossover. RAV4, Bronco Sport, all BMW X series and all Audi Q.
The only things I call SUVs are body on frame stuff, 4Runner, Tahoe, Bronco, Wrangler, G wagon.
I think crossovers are very useful I a world where every sedan has to be as low and impractical as possible to look sporty. But they are not SUVs.
That's what I love About the Bronco K5 Blazer. And Dodge Ramcharger They were Short wheel base Pickups with Seats in back that U can Pull back to give u even more Cargo Something you cant Buy today.
The K5 with the Silverado trim had different gauges that contained a quartz clock. It also had a button to roll down the rear window from the front. I think you could even roll down the window if you were outside the truck by putting the key in the rear key slot on the tailgate. By turning the key, it would lower the window.
Yep he didn't do any research at all it seemed like
Loved the sliding side windows on my parent's K5.
my 87 Bronco did the same with the rear window
I can confirm all of this is true. I have an 85 K5 Blazer Silverado. The door key works the rear window. You get a temp gauge oil gauge and battery gauge. You also get a headliner. And as for the center console i think it was an option you could buy if you went with a base model. (I’m not sure I’m just guessing at this point).
Yep. The electric rear gate window also had a switch up front to roll it down.
I'm 40 years old now, was a little kid in the late-1980s. It's so nice to see one of these vehicles in such great condition.
This guy is a real Drama Queen.
These were among the best rigs ever made, IMO. As long as you didn't go stump jumping every weekend, they'd last as long as any pickup. No weird surpises - just a basic simple truck with a short body. When they loaded them up with all the goodies, that's when trouble began.
Wing windows were for ventilating the interior of cigarette smoke without having to roll down a window, which would introduce buffeting. They worked like the venting system on a nuclear submarine.
Thanks!
What I like about Doug that he has no limit when it comes to kind of cars that he reviews. That was my ride when I used to work in Saudi Arabia.. loved it so much.
He has alot of limits. He doesn't do cars with modifications and doesn't do "old" cars which is why cara and bids is the "80s and 90s".
Were you working for SHELL in Saudi Arabia?
I guess gas was cheap there! Must have been seriously hot touching that interior metal roof after parking a few hours in the Arabian 🌞!
@@mducheine2784 Not all of them were this basic. This is not only a base model, it's a stripper model. Higher trims like the Scottsdale and Silverado actually had headliners.
@@trentpettit6336 Aramco hospital
My dad had a '79. Ah, the memories! The Blazer Doug is reviewing is quite a basic trim level, because Dad's Cheyenne-trim had a full gauge package, center console, rear sliding side windows, and auto-locking front hubs
That’s awesome. I kinda love that doug reviewed a base model though, it makes you really appreciate the higher trims and of course how far we have come today with what comes standard.
I'm honestly surprised it had a passenger side mirror.
Agreed. I had an 81 Blazer and it had an electric back glass, center console with cup holders, headliner and decent gauges.
It's definitely not often you see one with so few options. Great to see a manual survivor though
LUXURY ! ! !
I had a 96 Bronco like this. It was a beast for many years. Changed the brakes and locking hubs and that’s about it. If Chevy or Ford were allowed to still make them I would buy one immediately. I also loved the lack of a center console. Easy to move around in, a great place to put a cooler or have your dog. I would buy it again immediately. I must have driven it across the country 10 or 15 times with the dogs. My 96 Bronco flew though. 85-90 no problem compared to this Blazer though.
My former 1967 Wagoneer had the same kind of tailgate and locking 4WD hub systems. And this car is 20 years newer than that one was! This was a really fun review. It's always fun to appreciate how simple older vehicles can be.
I owned a '69 for a while and was thinking the same thing. Love that generation of Wagoneer.
I love it when Doug does reviews of these older vehicles. Massive respect to him! Great Video Doug!
Seeing the pop out handle window crank brought back a flood of memories...crazy how a little forgotten detail like that can unleash a mountain of childhood memories. Thanks Doug.
They also offered power as an option as well my parents had a new 1988 model you used the door key and inserted into a similar hatch crank and left turn was down right turn was up, slower than frozen hog shit up and down lol.
@@BIG_CHEVY_BOWSKIE_MIKE the Silverado model and maybe other upper end models had power window
My Dad's 84 K5 had a power back window. You have to put the key where the crank is and turn one way to go down and the other way to go up.
Couldn't anybody just come along, and roll down the rear window, or did it LOCK somehow?
@@invisiblerevolution You needed the key.
Man, what nostalgia this brings me. My dad used to have one of these when I was a kid, I drove it one time to go to the store (rural area, so no other cars basically) and I felt like the coolest person around
It should be noted that this Blazer did originally come with a center console. By this time they all did, even this base model. This one has had it taken out for some reason. You can see at 7:00 in the video that the indentations from the console and small holes in the carpet from where the console was screwed to the floor are still there. Also, the rear did have plastic/carpet panels from the factory. For some reason they were removed from this one as well. By the early 80s only the military CUCV were all metal in the rear. You can clearly see the interior trim screw holes at 9:13 in the video where the panels were attached. Also.... those aren't the original front seats. From the factory the passengers side seat had a lever that tilted/lifted the whole seat foreword for easier rear passenger access. These werent the most plush trucks when new, but its hard to give it a completely fair shake when alot of interior pieces are missing or incorrect.
But the driving section though... oh man 😍! Just the sound of that pedal squeak every time you pushed in the clutch, and the plastic snap every time the turn signal activated and cancelled, even the slight bearing sound of the steering wheel turning brings back childhood memories! I grew up with my dad owning a 74 K5, 87 C/10 custom deluxe, 85 K5 Silverado, and myself owning a 78 K10 and 79 K20. Those sounds are all very familiar to any squarebody fan! ❤
Keen eye, a few other things to notice is the tailgate has no lock cylinder or tailgate support torque rods. The tailgate weighs a ton and for some reason when people swap them they don't put those torque rods back in to help you close it. lastly, the fender emblems are backwards.
@@jingorat I wasn't gonna comment on the tailgate... 😅 I just figured that Doug was doing his usual shtick about the "struggles" of owning an older vehicle as if it was the same as a slog across the great plains in the 1800s. 😅
Also it's clear the truck has been repainted. Somewhat sloppily. Theres obvious overspray on some of the window rubber, and the top weatherstripping has been painted over.
My 88 GSA truck didn't come with carpet in the back. The previous owner added aftermarket carpeting but there's still no carpeting on the tailgate itself or previsions for there to have ever been carpeting there.
@@RoofysGarage First thing I noticed was that the fender badges looked "off". Had to go reference photos of other Blazers from this generation to confirm it wasn't my (aging) brain playing trucks on me.
When I was 17, it was a very good year.
Trucks like this were everywhere,
And this one was just made then
My 87 Bronco ][ had the same locking hubs
They were very reliable btw
And you could leave them locked during bad weather and just engage 4WD as needed
Doug killing it with the older cars this week!
He just wants to see how many old people are still alive that are watching his RUclips content 😂😂😂
Hope he ends killin this week with Clio
More like he killed the paint on the tailgate when he slammed it with the handle flopping around. 🤣😂
@@BabyJesus66 The spinner knob on the tailgate window crank was obvious, yet he chose to turn the whole lever one turn at a time. I know he doesn't understand old cars but that should have been obvious as soon as he unfolded it.
It's sad that people actually think an '87 is an "old" vehicle.
Thank you for continuing to review older vehicles. For a lot of your viewers, this is what we really gravitate to.
Agree Tho Wish he Did a 1991 Silverado K5 Blazer Final Model year like He did with 1996 Eddie Bauer Bronco and The Recent 1993 Dodge Ramcharger Canyon Sport he did.
Gotta love the base model. The factory 4 speeds are incredibly rare in these old Blazers, and even the Broncos. Whenever I see one I have to hold myself back, I love them.
I had an 81 Bronco with that exact same transmission. It was ridiculously fun. Crazy how Ford and GM used the same contractor for drivetrain components.
@@ryanlunde575 Pretty sure not the same. Blazer would be SM465. Ford would be T18.
@@ryanlunde575 I have a '90 F-150 XLT-Lariat that I'm doing a frame off restoration on. That auto is going bye-bye
Air conditioning with a manual tranny is a rare combo
blazers are common with manual trannies, broncos are less common
Lol…. I remember my dad as a kid saying….it’s not good to leave the hubs locked or keep it in 4 wheel drive and dry pavement. So if we were already going to be driving on snow packed roads or he anticipated we would be going to do a little off roading in some snow then he would already have them locked in place so he could just throw the 4 WD on with out getting out in a sticky situation.
I was ran over by one of these when I was 9. The driver took off and I had to get up to get to the side of the road. I remember laying in the road looking at the back end. Your comment about pedestrian impacts brought up that memory
I'm from the Netherlands and i love these big squarebody Chevy's! I still remember in the late 90's and early 00's these were very popular for importing. Alot of them were the ex military CUCV'S K5 and K30's. Dodge W200's too. High fuel prices ment the gasoline powered ones were all converted to gas. Now they are sadly becoming a rare sight. Alot of them have rust issues and are already scrapped, tucked away in a shed or sold. Some firetruck versions are still being used at racetracks though!
My first car was an '84 K5 Blazer with 38" Mickey Thompson tires and a V8. My current car is a '17 Fiat 124 Spider with an I4. A difference between them of 2,100 lbs and 12mpg, but the 124 has slightly more horsepower stock than did the Blazer. Crazy how engines have evolved
I had a white 84' blazer as my first. Was the Silverado package that had a much much nicer interior than the one doug reviewed, i was surprised to see how barebones that 87 was compared to the silverado trim package. Had a gutless 305 and a 700 R4 auto, reliable-ish, cheap to fix. like all the vehicles i have sold i wish i still had it heheheh
lmao I have a 78 power wagon and a 16 miata and its hilarious parking them next to each other, and going from the miata where you have to contort your body down to the ground to get in because i took the seat rails off to sit lower and the power wagon where you have to jump up because it's lifted on 35's
I got an 89 k5 on 42” super swampers 👍🏻
Doug is knocking it out of the park. Yesterday I watched his Mega Cruiser review🤤. I love my 80 series Land Cruiser. Today, he’s doing the Blazer. I got a 79 Blazer, three on the tree straight 6!
Seeing the comments from Millennials is incredible. 😂 I learned to drive stick on a column in a 69’ Ford F-100. THAT was weird. I miss these kinds of trucks. They were tanks unlike modern SUVs or pickups. Modern trucks and SUVs wouldn’t take half the abuse that trucks forty years ago would.
Graduated High School 1982, my buddy had a 1973 Chevy Blazer 4x4 Awesome Trucks
Doug you’re the GOAT.
GOAT of what exactly 😂
@@jkxelor1295 why u hatin u bum, he is the goat of the best car reviewer ever and that's fax.
@@jkxelor1295 Car reviews.
Doug is the GOCART
@Deckard that dude is so annoying
Growing up in the midwest back when these were new I remember how heavy the tail gates were. They did get lighter as the sheetmetal on these started rusting away after the first winter. Lovely truck, hard to find one that has not rusted back to the earth. This looks like a great buy for someone. Keep these older reviews coming, love them.
It is odd seeing this one without it being rusted out.
They didn't get lighter, they got scarier to lift in case it broke off and fell on your feet.
I like all of Dougs videos and watch all of them, but this kind of cars are the most interesting for me, much more than latest craziest supercars.
I totally agree. The supercars are cool, but I’m always more excited to watch Doug’s older car reviews. Great vid.
This is basically my dream vehicle.
thats because your more likely to see these things on the road if your born in its time period. Or because there really hard to come by these days compared to supercars now.
@@KeweenawPatriot enjoy the mediocre mpg
My buddy had a 1985 GMC Jimmy in high school and it was fully loaded. Auto hubs, electric windows, auto transmission and much more. It was a beast off road too. It was better off road then the late 90’s full size Blazer’s. Best part you could put 33’s on stock suspension. Which was really good for a vehicle of this time.
My 02 trailblazer has 32's..
@@Heavychevy0402 yep my 06 trailblazer is on 32s not as cool as the 78 blazer I had in highschool on 38s but I'm a dad now 😭miss that truck
K5 blazers are amazing in the summer. The goddam roof comes off. I have taken mine on road-trips and it’s perfectly fine. It is a perfect summer and winter vehicle in one package. It’ll take you to your favorite skiing location or camping spots even if those spots are on the other end of the country. It’s like a Jeep that doesn’t suck
I rode a lot of miles in my dad's Blazers back in the 80's. The controls and gauges were pure memory! My dad's did have a big center console though. That was my seat in the front. In the back seat I would sit squeezed onto the wheel wells. I personally preferred his Suburban though because there was more space to play in the rear cargo area. Somehow we all survived.
My family had one of these and I had a stack of MAD MAGAZINES stuffed into the pouch we would read as kids sitting in the back. I miss those days. 🤩
My son left a playboy in my truck that I discovered when going to work one morning. He was extremely embarrassed when he realized I found it. I explained that it’s a gentleman’s magazine and From that day on I’d buy one each month and leave it in the back seat pocket. My wife wasn’t impressed. Boys will be boys however.
Wow, did not expect to find you here MetalJesus! Didn't know you were a car enthusiast.
......and CARtoons!
Talking about Mad magazines, i also sometimes look at some Mad TV videos on RUclips!
This is the Blazer I think of. The “new” Blazer is just a carbon copy of yet another crossover, given a name it doesn’t deserve. This classic Blazer is the one I’d love to have. It’s timeless.
Personally, I think the K5 is way too big. I'd rather have the S10. Or even the Trailblazer.
The new Blazer was such a missed opportunity and proof that GM is just out of touch with reality. They had to have seen how popular the Wrangler was. They had to have known the Bronco was going to be an enormous hit. They had to have known the 4Runner is still selling extremely well despite being OLD.. They had to know the new Defender was on it's way. They HAD to have known that offroad SUVs are enormously popular.
So what do they do?
Turn their legacy flagship offroader into a soulless overpriced crossover!
And as if that wasn't bad enough, they went and ruined the Trailblazer, Tahoe and Suburban too!
Seriously. What the hell was GM thinking? They already had an enormously successful crossover lineup in the Equinox and Traverse. Why did they need two more to muddy the waters?
@@damilolaakanni the S10 Blazer and Jimmy are the ones I remember and would rather have too.
@@wun1gee They were thinking Obama biden bux..
It's not pussified.
I find these reviews more interesting than any modern supercar for some reason…maybe because I’m old enough to still think of them as new😅
They all have center consoles someone took that one out. Also some of them had arm rests on the seats and some didn't. I was born in 81'. My Dad had 3 of these they never broke down and went anywhere. Money well spent if you ask me. Now I have one and I love it. I'll take a K5 over any modern junk SUV. I don't see the SUVs of the last 20 years having much or any value in 20 years. Cool video man. Look at the K5 Blazers on ebay the K5s hold their value. 20K and up from there.
Those little windows that you love in the front we're cut from Gm production altogether as far as I know once the Express van came out in 1996. They are called 'Wing Windows' and they are quite possibly the greatest automotive innovation of all time! My 1990 GMC Vandura has them and beyond the obvious uses is a lesser known one and my personal favorite. If you crack them open just a little bit they not only help to defrost the windshield faster and with less heat but when the rigs moving they act like a vacuum. Faster you go the better the vacuum. It will suck just about anything out of the rig on the freeway short of rocks. Smoke, ashes, tissues, tomatoes, wrappers, boogers anything fairly light.... my personal favorite: FLYS AND YELLOW JACKETS.... they get anywhere near it they suck right out! I suppose it's not as good of an invention as say maybe the windshield wipers or the heater but it's pretty damn close.
A K5 was my first vehicle, and I can tell you it was excellent for teenage shenanigans in the 90’s.
Mine too. Had a 79. I was also born in 79. Got the Blazer in 95-96. I put every dime that I had in it then it disappeared without a trace.
My parents had a 79 Bronco when I was young. I remember family occasions when Uncles or Aunts would ask why he drove such a thing. His response was I can go anywhere you can go in you Honda but better, just let me pick the day. I'll go when there is a foot of snow falling. One of my first cars was a 79 Blazer. This brought back some good memories.
I can attest to the fact that locking the hubs on a 4WD system when it's freezing cold out is a giant pain in the butt. Especially since half the time the damn thing is so cold it doesn't want to move much, it's covered in ice so it's hard to grip it, and your hands are so cold they feel like you're about to watch them fall off.
Digging into a snow bank just to get to it, clearing the snow out of the lock to turn it, and repeat on the other side. Congratulations you made it through the snow bank. Now pull over to the side of the road to undo it before you get on the highway since old 4WD system's weren't meant for driving over 45mph
Ridiculous. Those are free wheeling hubs. All you had to do was leave them "locked" while driving around. Having the hubs locked did not mean ypu were in four wheel drive. When 4x4 was needed you simply shifted into four wheel drive with the transfer case lever from inside the truck.
Anyone who was digging out a snowbank to "turn their hubs" had no idea what they were doing! 😅
We all just kept them locked all winter, and unlocked them in the spring too try and save some fuel and wear. Just because your hubs were locked didn’t mean it was in 4 wheel drive. And if you waited till you were buried in a snowbank too lock them….you deserved the work.
@@zrally2107 the NP208 can be shifted on the fly up to "50" mph but I would just say keep it to 25mph and below, and the hubs shouldnt turn hard if you have the right amount of grease in the hub and the right kind. if you were moving and pulled over to engage them, they should be warm. if you started a cold morning, you should use a grease that doesnt get so damn thick when cold ;)
BUt yeah leave them locked till you can safely unlock them, but shift into 4x4 when needed.
@@jerryjeromehawkins1712
They had automatically locking hubs. If I recall correctly, you unlock them by shifting out of 4wd and back up.
My dad had a 1982 6.2L diesel 4wd 3/4 tonne GMC with the 4 speed with the "L" gear. It was the best truck I ever drove. The diesel had an unimpressive power rating, but we towed a full sized MF tractor on a flatbed behind it once and it barely slowed it down.
I have a 1990 k5 blazer I inherited from my grandfather. It's has power windows and a 200hp v8 but I think it's just the coolest car. And I still perfer it's seats to the seats in any car or truck I've driven.
I’m with you on the seats. My dad had an ‘87 and a ‘91 K5, and those seats were comfy. Not super squishy but not rock hard either. And just wraparound enough.
This is an entry level, bare bones model. Most came equipped with a rear power Window,, automatic hubs, automatic tranny and center console. Actually, this is a rare configuration for a late 2nd gen k5 model.
“It’s only 25 years old”.
Doug, you might need a calculator.
yep, only off by 10 yrs lol
Nah, suddenly I’m 28 again by Doug Math
yep we're back in 2012 thanks to Doug
Also is not the engine carburetors instead of injection with the dash showing choke on lol?
Love this! My first vehicle was a 74 Jimmy (thanks Doug for explaining the origin of that name!) It had the full roof panel, which I probably removed twice during my ownership. It was very cool with top off, but insanely inconvenient to remove & store. The rear window roller was actually more dependable than the later electric versions.. constant problems with those. My Jimmy had carb & choke issues. Would frequently have to pop the hood, remove air intake and use a screwdriver to hold the carb flap open to get it going on cold mornings. But mine was full time 4x4 and had Hi Lock & Lo Lock instead of 2wd and locking hubs. Eventually upgraded to (similar) 76 and then 85 Suburbans. Loved them all.
Haha. I just bought an 88 Blazer.
God these things are fun.
Mine left the factory just like this one, except as an automatic. Base model. GSA rig.
Love it to death.
The locking hubs can actually be left in lock position during anticipated need to shift into 4x4. The axles turn, but 4x4 isn't in until the shifter is moved into that position. I used to leave mine in lock all winter to avoid exactly what Doug mentioned. Worse gas mileage though...
Love seeing this! My first vehicle (handed down from my dad) was a 1987 GMC Jimmy. Had a few more things than this did (carpet, roof liner, power windows, etc.). Mine had the 6.2L Diesel but a very similar color scheme. Loved that thing and it's still at my parents house and still runs...with some help usually.
I’ve got a fully optioned ‘85 with the exception of the engine which is a crate 350. My dream vehicle that I waited 10 years to get. I get compliments on it almost daily. I will never sell it and love that these are getting to be as popular as they are.
Always enjoy the reviews of the old school cars that I grew up with. I find it much more interesting than unattainable super cars.
You might see one of these on the road or even buy one. You'll never see the latest most limited edition $3m Lamboclarenarri.
That military version is actually called a CUCV (commercial utility cargo vehicle). They are sought after on the surplus market. I would own one!
My family was the exception to your rule... we had a '79 Blazer and TOTALLY used it for soccer practice! Great content!
What kind of commie enclave did you grow up in? 😆
My favourite Doug videos are the ones where he reviews older vehicles. Great job!
I love how happy Doug is reviewing this! This Blazer was made my Senior year of high school... THIS.....! ! was the shit back when I was growning up.
Like commented below Custon Delux was the base model; other than the A/C it's a stripper for sure.
Always laugh like hell and shake my head when Doug describes a everyday car from the the early 90's back like it's a Model T or Flintstones Mobile.... LOL!
I agree, locking hubs and crank down windows were the norm for the 1st half of my life.
Yes, I had and still have my 1980 GMG Jimmy, I have headliner, full gauges (minus tach) massive console , I replaces console with a aftermarket lock box console as I run the soft top. I laugh as how he thinks the rear roll down window and especially locking hubs are so quirky.....
Yes, they 1980 is fairly modern with integral power steering, brakes, but I have no OD so that is old school. Has a TH350C, yes C
If this guy could only drive a car from even the 60's like a stripper mustang with manual steering and brakes and 4 wheel drums, can you imagine?
@@stevekowalski7936 Yeah, like when Mr. Regular drives a 66 Plymouth with a 318 727 torqflite and AM radio. I've seen him do the whole 'how did people survive" routine too. LOL.
@@seththomas9105 I love how he compares all acceleration to a most modern car with over 1000 HP. In the 1980s any HP figure in upper 100s with torq over 200 was more powerful than most things. Only exotics had like 300+ HP.
@@stephenkowalski2448 Or muscle cars from the 60's.
'88 Blazer was the vehicle I learned to drive on! We did long road trips through the midwest, to Canada and back. Moved with it. It was a beast! You stepped on the gas and watched the gas needle move. Finally had a chance to drive it again back in about 2003, as we had sold it to my uncle at the farm. That thing was a BLAST to drive.
I actually had an 85 blazer and that rear window was an ailutomatic window that rolled down when you put the key inside and turned. You could also roll it down with a button in the front dash.
I posted this to another guy as well above " Z71offroad2000
Z71offroad2000
0 seconds ago
They also offered power as an option as well my parents had a new 1988 model you used the door key and inserted into a similar hatch crank and left turn was down right turn was up, slower than frozen hog shit up and down lol."
It did originally have a center console, you can even see the indentation in the carpet. Even though there are no windows for the back seats, you could drive with the rear window down as well as removing the top completely.
The higher trims had sliding windows and their own set of wing windows when the sliders were open.
@@vector6977 Yep, they weren’t so much wing windows but deflectors that covered the area that slid open.
My dad had a blazer just like this one and he had a Bronco. I remember the Bronco had that rear tailgate with the window that could be rolled down either manually or with a little switch in the driver seat area. I was pretty young so I could be mistaken but I remember that Blazer rear window and that lever that you showed. Plus he would take the top off occasionally and on the Bronco it was more of a pain in the neck to do so he rarely did it. I was Especially happy for that because along with the removal of the back roof area came along with a lot of cuss words and loud yelling, lol. But that was my old man. Those Blazers and Broncos with the “get out in the elements and turn the front hubs” was always a fun endeavor when the roads were impassable by snow.
What year was the blazer your dad got 1973? What year did your get bronco 1994?
Hey Doug...the reason the dash is weird is because you've got a base model Blazer there. The higher trim levels did have a tach, and they had gauges in those four round areas on the left where the huge warning lights are. That's the same dash layout Chevy used on their pickups/SUVs for what felt like a zillion years. But the Custom Deluxe was one of the lower trim levels and they got the basic dash, manual hubs, vinyl seats, four-speed, etc.
I remember that. Good recall.
Yep - they just made the idiot lights the same size as the optional gauges to avoid the need for more than one style of gauge panel. Oddly, there was an option for having all the extra gauges EXCEPT a tachometer. Tachometers hadn't really caught on back then.
@@ericl2969 Most of the higher trim levels were automatics. I can remember my dad’s was optioned that way: full gauges but no tach.
18 model years, 1973-'91
My dad had one of these as a work truck when I was a kid, in that awful 80's light metallic blue with the blue interior. I sat back there. I liked it. I can still clearly remember staring at the bolts holding that fiberglass cap on while we were driving and wondering what it'd be like with the top off.
I can remember those bolts. Either 8 or 10 giant star headed bolts. And my dad never took the top off of his either….because he knew as soon as he did, it would start to leak…lol. Hey, it was 1980s GM…you kind of expected it.
@@zlinedavid it also takes like minimum 4 people to take off, it's heavy as fuck.
Love this GM oldschool SUV , in here "Brazil" , the Blazer was rebadged Brasinca and the Suburban was rebadged Veraneio and both have the 121hp 250ci (4.1L) I6 from Chevy Nova , they were too slow!
My dad has an '82 GMC Jimmy (same as the Blazer) it had electric windows, including the rear glass and automatic hubs. The hub would automatically engage when you entered 4-H/L and then go back into 2H you would select the mode and then reverse until it unlocked. Worked really well. My dad drove this for his land surveying work, and he had that truck for nearly 30 years and saw well over 500K miles (though it had a couple of engines and automatic transmissions). It was nearly fully loaded. The best engine we replaced with was a 350. The stock 305 lasted about 150K and was well underpowered from the truck. Great truck. Thanks for the video. Brings back a lot of memories of driving it for work.
I own a '73 Blazer Cheyenne. Didn't grow up with one in the family, but we had family friends that did. The Cheyenne was the top model for the day, and nothing was power, except for the steering. I kind of long for those days when everything was not as complicated. You can get by with a bag of tools and do most everything you needed - everything in the engine compartment is accessible. Today you need an OBD2 scanner and a large rolling toolbox, and that's IF you can get to something on the side of the road.
I also do love Chevy's use of Western towns and cities for their trim levels - it just evokes a sense of the outdoors and the wild frontier that these vehicles were designed to traverse. Cheyenne, Scottsdale, Silverado, Tahoe...
My driving instructor had one of these new back in the day. She told me she got crashed into by another driver that ultimately totaled the car in the 90s. Very unfortunate for her, but it was very cool listening to her talk about it.
If the damage was bad enough to total the blazer I'd hate to see the car that ran into her
For the 1987 model year, lowest trim for the Blazer was the Custom Deluxe like in this video. The highest trim was the Silverado. This is why the gauges on the left are just lights instead of actual gauges and other features are not shown that came on the nicer models.
This has been restored. There's no way the wall to wall carpet and shiny two-tone paint is original. This is a base model one step up from the military CUCV. I don't see why you'd go to all that effort and keep it basic.
He should have done a 1991 K5 Blazer Silverado Model.
My Dad had an '84 4x4. He called it "The Pig". When the 4 speed 1/2 ton automatic transmission went he replaced it with the 3 speed from a 3/4 ton truck to increase the towing capacity. It got 16 MPG on the highway, downhill, with a tailwind, with the 4 speed.
yep swapped it for a TH400 trans very common and was an option for many years.
My father owned an an early 80s Jimmy. You pack it up to drive to the cottage. Cargo in back, kids on the bench. Parents up front. You listened to the radio and watched the scenery. Such was life. Maybe you towed a boat. That was its use. Simple and effective and no uneeded luxuries.
My dad had a Jimmy like this one in his 20s back in the 1980s
I appreciate your appreciation of the basic upgraded stereo head as the only non-stock feature you'll accept in a review, because it is so hard to find old cars with stock radios. I bought a stock Miata from a couple in their late 60s and even they had changed the head, it was the ONLY thing not OEM on the car
I grew up with one of these in the family. Majority of my childhood was spent in my dads 84 Blazer. Couple differences here, His was a diesel and had a very tacky vinyl headliner, with cloth seats as well as most of the bare metal in the back area covered in the same carpeting material you see on the dash. 8 year old me burned my knees on the backseat ashtrays more times than I can count. I loved riding shotgun in that thing. Brings back a lot of childhood nostalgia.
better than any ev
I'm from Australia and we really missed out on these sort of cars in the 80s and early 90s. It was all station wagons, sedans and utes. Major envy.
As a designer (not cars) I'd just like to point out those wheel arches. Proportionately perfect, fully functional, bold, and cool as f÷=k. Thank you for your time reading this, and I wish you all a fantastic day :) x
As soon as Doug talked about recently test driving a Blazer when he was driving the Mega Cruiser, I was anticipating the video. I recently saw a Jimmy version-same vintage-at a car show and it looked so cool with the roof off.
I never had a Blazer, but I did own a 94 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer edition with the 5.8L. You could also remove the top by taking out several "tamperproof" bolts. But it was dreadfully inconvenient as storing the top was challenging if you didn't have the space for it and you lived somewhere where it rains frequently. Overall they were great camping rigs.
Man I love these K5's. It's very hard to find one in nice shape with a standard especially.
Right that K5 Is Someone's Dream truck a Manual Transmission Am looking for a manual Truck myself.
This is definitely a base model. By 87 there were automatic locking hubs, and electric windows.
I drove my 71 Blazer today. Had it since the day I was born - literally. 4 ash trays, 0 cup holders, and my favorite ride in the world. No we didn't watch a screen, we watched the world and learned how to read a map.
Great video. I learned to drive in Anchorage in 1977-78 in my parents' 1975 K5 Blazer. That thing was a beast, and was terrifying to drive, so I preferred to drive--and took my license test in--our 1974 Ford Pinto wagon (the non-explodey model). But come winter in Anchorage--which comes in October--the 4WD and heft of the K5 was necessary. Doug is absolutely right about the driving position--high, great visibility. It was, in a way, fun to drive in the winter. But, wow, it was heavy. I hit a patch of ice in our neighborhood maybe going 15 mph and hit a parked Toyota head on and utterly destroyed that car. The damage to the Blazer was one segment of that huge plastic grill was broken, and a bunch of dirty ice and snow was broken loose. I can't say I loved the Blazer--and was happier when we replaced it with a Subaru with much better gas milage. But I do have a soft spot for this thing, and I was thrilled to see this here.
My dad had a '79 GMC pickup with more or less the same dash (styling was tweaked a bit in '81 but it was functionally unchanged). I remember the huge warning lights. Might want to check on the temp one that isn't test phasing on startup, those have to be incandescent bulbs in there. Also, ones without a/c have a storage cubby in the dash where the vent nearest the gauges would be.
Only the most basic models had the warning lamps
Luckily in 1992 in some Blazer's they introduced the auto-locking hubs where you all you had to do was put the vehicle in neutral, shift the 4WD leverl, and then re-engage the transmission and the hubs would lock (I think you had to be at a complete stop for this). This progressed to not having to go into neutral but rather just pulling the lever (sort of like how we have today with push-button 4WD where the computer does it all).
In 1982 The Blazer had Automatic locking hubs and were using it against the Bronco and F Series Trucks He has the Low level Custom Deluxe The top of the line Sliverado has automatic locking hubs
91 was the last year for the square body. In 92 GM finally developed a GMT400 version of the blazer. Instead of a solid front axle (which the squares do) it has independent front suspension so locking hubs aren't present as the wheels and cv joints are constantly meshed. The front diff has a actuator instead.
That tailgate was nothing. As an 11 year old, I would roll down the window, hop up on the bumper, pull the latch on the inside, hop down and let it down with no problem. I remember me and my family sitting on the tailgate in front or DQ and one of the cables broke. But you could buy those at any auto parts store back them. Ares was a 77. My dad found a 3/4 ton Suburban and swapped the axles and transfer case out. It had a Dana 44 front axle, Corporate 14 bolt in the rear and an NP205 transfer case.
I'm 20 and I'm glad I grew up with these kinds of trucks in vehicles that were very analog from the early to mid 80s I mean he's right there is such a charm about them it's the reason why people love them so much
The lights on the dash are so huge because in higher end models those spaces would have been replaced with gauges. And the location where the fuel gauge is would have held a tach. This looks like an entry-level model.
Yes and no. Had 2 direct from dealer 85 and 86 both fully speced and did not come with Tachs. Also had 85 K10 Silverado fleetside direct from dealer and no tach, even though they all had quartz clocks.
@@hypax665 There are pictures online of dashboards of this generation of Blazer with a (factory) tach in that position, but it's possible that it wasn't available for all years. Or maybe it was a standalone option that wasn't all that popular. I don't claim to be a Blazer expert.
You could get the “gauge package” or the “gauge package with tachometer”. Gauge pack put the water temp, oil pressure, and volt meter gauges where the lights are on the left but the fuel gauge still in the large dial on the right. If you paid another $100 or so on top of the gauge package option the fuel gauge moved to the left and a tach went where the fuel gauge is.
@@hypax665 You could get a tach. It moved the fuel gauge to the lower left small guage blank. They're exceptionally rare and expensive but you can get aftermarket reproductions for like $800.
Great video as always, but you make the 4WD system seem much more complicated than it actually is. You don't have to unlock the hubs if you want to leave four wheel drive, just shift the transfer case into 2 wheel drive and the front drive will be decoupled. If you do that with the hubs still locked, the front axle shafts and front differential will still be connected to the front hubs, meaning they will keep spinning with the front wheels, but there won't be any power going to the front wheels since the front driveshaft is decoupled from the transfer case. Unlocking the hubs will decouple the front halfshafts from the hubs, meaning the front part of the 4WD system will not spin if the wheels spin, which reduces friction in the drivetrain and therefore also reduces noise and wear. Locking hubs are not technically necessary for a 4WD system to work, and for that reason many even older 4WD cars did not have them at all.
Correct, and Doug makes it seem like a big deal to get out and lock the hubs in when you're stuck in the middle of a mud hole, when in reality, if you think you're going to encounter conditions like that, you lock the hubs in BEFORE you even leave your house! Then you drive around in 2wd with the hubs locked, and if you need 4wd at any point, just shift the transfer case into 4wd, and you don't have to get out of the vehicle at all.
@@jonclark1288 He also didn't use the window crank right.
@@wun1gee The knob was obvious as soon as he unfolded it. I know he doesn't understand old cars but there's no way he could have missed that.
I love these 80s cars videos you do, especially this one. I wish autos were still like this, so simple and easy to use. No software of expensive things to break!!!!!!!
They still exist lol you can go buy one just like anyone else...
Guess what. This one's for sale.
@@davidteeramusic5461 Really? Wow, thanks for the insight. I was just commenting I like old style of cars, nothing more.
It looks like it was a base trim model that someone ordered with optional AC. My parents bought a new K5 Blazer in 1986 (when I was a senior in high school). It came with full carpet (I saw there was none on the rear wheel wells), AC, AM/FM Cassette stereo, an automatic transmission (an optional upgrade), cloth seats, special order two-tone metalic blue paint, and I am pretty sure it had a headliner over the front seats (my memory is hazy, but I don't remember painted steel. I don't remember if there was a center console or not. I do remember coming home on leave from the Navy one Christmas and noticing my dad had reattached the driver's side door pull strap with a sheet metal screw after it tore off one day.
They did have automatically locking hubs back then, so you only needed to shift to 4wd. Then you unlocked the hubs by shifting to 2wd and backing up, if I recall.
Correct!!!
Eat your heart out 2022 Blazer, you will never be as cool as this Blazer
I don't even call the new ones a Blazer. I just call them "that chevy suv". Any time Mustang people complain how Ford ruined their nameplate, I remind them just how good they still have it.
Doug is the type of guy to rev a Tesla in a tunnel
Dodge: our electric Challenger is louder than a V8 one.
We has a 1976 Blazer and it was a beast that was 90% the same as this 87 Blazer. Even the clutch squeak is identical.
Dang my dad still has the family's 86 blazer. It has spent it's life going through mountains and was rebuilt recently. Great car, but I don't drive it because I am used to how low my Miata is lol.
I like your presentation ..
you deliver in a unique way and keep it interesting .. 👍
I once worked at a place that had an 87 Blazer and an 88 Jimmy (both full size) for plowing and general use. I loved those trucks. It was great in the summer when we could take the top off. We could park them in the garage when it rained, so there was never a leaking issue. They were a lot of fun and I missed them when I left the place.
SUVs then: Big, burly, body-on-frame beasts with big V8s and impeccable off-road abilities
_(e.g. Ford Bronco, Chevy K5 Blazer/7th-gen Suburban, Dodge Ramcharger)_
SUVs now: The sort of vehicle that most families will use as their family car, to drop their son/daughter off at school, soccer practice, etc
_(e.g. Ford Explorer, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Toyota Highlander, Hyundai Palisade, Subaru Ascent, etc, etc, etc...)_
You still have offroad options like the Bronco, Wrangler, 4Runner. Heck loads of crossovers can do a decent job offroading.
If you need a family car now you have the option of a crossover or a minivan. No wagons to choose from. Minivans are pretty ugly to people and cars are all about what they make the driver feel. Sedans are certainly not a good family car if you have a remotely active lifestyle. That trunk is just so impractical.
@@baronvonjo1929 Off-road SUVs are printing money right now, so GM decided to squander the Blazer name on a little crossover and the Hummer name on a 9000lb EV. Such a poorly-run company.
@@baronvonjo1929 Even if the sedan has a large trunk you can't fit anything big through the trunk opening. Sloped rear windows means cars need to be 5 door style.
This reminds me of a much more simple time, uncomplicated, straight forward, utilitarian to a fault. Things like manual hubs, 4 speed manual with low, no silly electronics to cause you grief. It was built for a purpose and it fulfilled its purpose with distinction. The K5 was a 4x4 without comparison. Even my beloved Bronco came in second to this beast..but not by much 😉
I was licensed on the Army CUCV once upon a time. The HMMWV variants were already fielded force wide, but the CUCV was way more fun for navigating training areas. Regrading Doug's comment on the weight off the tailgate, I can remember opening the the tailgate with a bag of groceries in one arm as teenager on an earlier model Blazer without real difficulty. But, yeah, it was probably heavier than the tailgate of a modern pick-up.
It has a glass piece in it and the crank mechanism, of course it weighs more
Nice to remember.
My K5 (1979) have had a spare tire in the back. Slide windows in the back. The back seat was foldable, even removeable easily.
Engine was the standard 350 (5.7liter), with double register carburetor. And! A better milage with continuous 4WD, automatic trasmission.
Some models had an electric opening for the rear window.
But, I miss her!
One thing I don't like about how Doug does a doug score on ol
older vehicles is that he compares the technology to modern technology and doesn't judge them for what they were at the time. That's like comparing a modern day flat screen smart TV to a big heavy box square TV of the '70s and '80s