1996 Chevrolet Blazer

LT SUV

6 CYL

Automatic

1GNDT13WXTK213813

Clear

Gasoline

First, I am not a car guy - my high eBay rating comes primarily from buying and selling rocks. This 1996 Chevy Blazer has been mine for ~6 years (I bought it on eBay) - it's been a great second car for us, but the current flaws (see below) are too much for me to fix myself, and I'm unwilling to put any serious money into it. OK, first the good news: The engine and transmission are strong and reliable - both 2-wheel and 4-wheel modes work great, and I am amazed at what this baby is able to pull. It tracks well, and rides smooth at 70MPH. The body and interior are actually pretty nice, and the minor faults in both are fairly well-represented in the pics. There is an expensive Pioneer radio installed which seems to work great on both AM and FM, and although I have never connected it to a smartphone or an Ipod, there is a cable coming out of it marked Dymax which I think is for that. The car's wheels are pretty fancy and in good shape, the interior is leather, the power windows and locks all work, fan and heater are fine. I have all the service records (since I've owned the car), and the owner's manual, an after-market service manual, a trailer hitch ball mount (2 in.), and a 12-volt winch which I never used (and never figured out!) are included.... Now for the bad news: it won't pass the PA safety inspection! It has a new emissions sticker (exp 9/16), but there are two issues which need to be resolved before it will get the second sticker. First, it apparently needs a couple of suspension parts - as far as I can see, they don't seem to affect either the ride or steering, but they are needed for inspection - and the parts and labor for that come to $250 (Tires Plus estimate). The knottier problem (at least for me) is that the brake lights don't work, and it's not something simple, like a bulb or switch - and they wouldn't give me a firm estimate on fixing it! If those were the only issues, I might have let them proceed anyway - however, there are several other non-inspection-related problems as well: A) The A/C doesn't work - if you charge it, it blows cold for a few hours only. I tried to find a leak but was unsuccessful, and am also unwilling to spend a great deal of money to have a mechanic find what's wrong, and then pay even more money to get it fixed.... B) The tires pass inspection, but just barely (IMHO) - I think there is less than an 1/8 in. of tread left on all four wheels.... The spare is in better shape.... C) The flasher switch somehow got to an "always on" condition, and to fix this, I finally fastened the button down to the steering column with some wire - this passes inspection (believe it or not), but I think it somehow may have contributed to the brake light problem (I think all the wiring - turn signals, flashers, brake lights, headlights, etc. - comes together in the steering column)... The headlights, turn signals, parking lights, etc. all work fine, but the brake lights don't. And I draw the line at taking the steering column apart.... Minor stuff: a tiny amount of rust on both rocker panels, imperfections in the paint/trim, tear in the side of the driver's seat, a few carpet stains, some damage to the lock trim plate on the driver's door - most of these are shown in the pics. Also, the power outside mirror controls are flaky - they'll move the mirror sideways and down, but not up.... OK, that's it - I think this can still be a great car for somebody, if they are either willing to spend the money to fix the A/C and the brake light and suspension problems, or have the skill to do it themselves. The opening bid is $625, and there is no reserve. The PA title is clear. If you would like to see the car, I am willing to show it to you by appointment only (use eBay's message system or email) - I'll be happy to start it up and take you for a very short drive to demonstrate that the motor and transmission are in good shape, but I do not now have plates for it and the safety inspection has expired, so do not expect much of a true road test. The car is located close to VF Park. Good luck bidding!