I have a 2007 Chevy TrailBlazer with about 135,000 miles. It's mechanically sound, the interior is still in nice shape and the exterior still looks really sweet. Silver with black trim. In fact...



So I thought to invest a bit of money in it, thinking $3½ to $4k, get the developing rust on the bottom and trailing inside door edges/flanges mitigated before it got too far, and a few other finish dipsy-doodles, upgrade the electronics and keep it for another five years or so.

Body shops' (two) verdicts: The inside door edges are marginal, but, the real show-stopper is tiny bubbles in the paint in the trailing lower corner of the outside of one of the doors. That means rusting from inside. If one's doing it, its nearly certain they all will, soon. They give it about two years.

To truly correct that problem requires replacing all four doors. Compounding the problem is it's silver paint, which means they have to shoot entire sides in one go. I'd be looking at $6 to $7k to correct it all, now.

Doesn't make sense, but...

What if I were to invest about $1500 in fixing the currently exterior-visible issues (dings and scrapes) and the radio? Then, a couple years down the road, when the door rust starts to show, re-evaluate and then decide whether to spend about $5k to have all the doors replaced? There's no other rust anywhere.

Thing is: I really, really like this truck. I truly do.

Question:
So, question: Does it make sense to try to save my TrailBlazer that I love, or should I resign myself to its demise, let nature take its course and just replace it in a couple years?

Choices:
Save the TrailBlazer!
Are you nuts? It's a ten-year-old vehicle!
I like ponies

 

Sell it off for whatever you can get, and replace.

I say drive it as is until it starts costing you money. You live in MI, everybody has at least one rusty shitbox

You could drive down to GA and buy a rust free one for the amount you are talking about investing.

I'd look for something with no "developing" rust.
Rust is always the deal breaker with me.

Either do it all, or do nothing. Fix it right, or just let it go and either sell it and replace now, or sell it for less and replace later.

All depends on what you want out of it and what you can afford. When I was younger (and less able to afford it), I had a few vehicles that I really liked and cared about. Some of what I did on those might not have strictly made sense, but I got enough enjoyment out of them that it was worth it to me for reasons other than strictly dollars and cents. Today I don't drive anything that I care about more than it's ability to do it's job and make sense financially. If I did, I'd probably still take the enjoyment into consideration.

quote:

It's mechanically sound, the interior is still in nice shape and the exterior still looks really sweet.

... just keep on driving it as long as you still like it.

quote:

I'd be looking at $6 to $7k to correct it all, now.

That doesn't make economic sense... but if it makes you happy, it's your money.
I think I'd leave the money in the bank (or a better option) for the 5 years you plan on driving this one and spend it on the next one.

I just looked at Car-Part.com. At least for a left front door you are looking at the 500 dollar range plus shipping.

You might call Schram's in Waterford and see if and what they might have on hand in a rust free door.

Sherman & Associates markets a lot of parts for that body but no doors, I checked. There may be others that make them, look for CAPA quality.

New GM front door shells are $695.00 for the left and $595.00 for the right, these are bare shells with nothing inside and not including door hinges. Rear doors are both discontinued by GM also, so used only.

Aloha,

I have a 06 SS.

It's got at least 1 rust issue.

It's had computer and other electric problems.

I have 59,000 miles on it.

Yesterday I may have found a CASH buyer.

Perfect timing as we are moving to Hill Country Texas by the first week of August.

Plans are to get me a CPO Silverado and s CPO Denali for the wife and furkids.

KBB values it between $1500 and $3000, putting $6K into it makes no sense.

If you are going to keep it consider a new vehicle will be $300 to $600 a month to finance (or at least the amortized cost of on over 60 months) so replacing it will have a cost per year, but you get all the upgrades, warranty etc.

Understand where you are, my 03 F150 has 150K and I've been replacing front end suspension parts as necessary, having no payment is nice, a replacement F150 would be $50,000...

I would shop around for repair estimates on the rust or leave it alone.

Drive it until your feet start getting wet from the rusted out holes in the pan amd then replace it. If it's the 4.3L Vortec V6 then it's easily got another 135k miles in it.

Definitely don't sink $5000 into it.

I voted to keep it, HRK makes a good point about getting newer vehicle...drive it until it dies; if it's mechanically sound, you'll easily get several more years out of it and at the same time start saving up for a newer vehicle.

I'll give you my opinion Stop parking in a garage, the cycling heat and cold is a killer. The dry salt starts drawing moisture in the garage.

Wax it up drive the shit out of it.

You have another option that is somewhere in the middle of the 2.
Have the lower portions of the doors and your rockers LineXd.
It will encapsulate the rust yes the rust will still spread underneath the LineX but it will not be visible. The way LineX is made the LineX will hold it's shape even as the metal rusts out and deteriorates underneath.

I just got a 17 year old Silverado with 93k miles I put on new belts, pulleies, universal joints, and A/C. The thing runs like a new sewing machine.

Only problem is the rockers are beginning to rust. Looking at $3500 to replace and repair. Having the doors and cab LineXd up to the molding strip and the rockers done is going to cost me $600.
This is a known issue with Silverados the folks at my local LineX have done it many times and most are far worse than mine. He has trucks that he did 8 years ago and one would not know the rust is there.

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
Drive it until your feet start getting wet from the rusted out holes in the pan amd then replace it. If it's the 4.3L Vortec V6 then it's easily got another 135k miles in it.

Definitely don't sink $5000 into it.

This. A mechanically sound vehicle that is paid off is money in the bank.

Drive it until it is cost prohibitive to do so - and - make monthly payments into a savings account for its eventual replacement. $200 / month for 5 years would give you a nice $12K down payment...

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I drive a 20 year old pickup, so I have no natural bias against saving an older vehicle. That said, I don't think of a Trailblazer as being worth spending 3-4 grand on fixing it up. Just drive it as-is a few more years then throw it away, the way GM intended. Chasing the rust devil is a waste of money in my experience.

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:
You have another option that is somewhere in the middle of the 2.
Have the lower portions of the doors and your rockers LineXd.

Hmmm...

Guy at work, him and his dad wrench on stuff all the time, told me the truck is definitely salvageable. When I told him of the bubbles in the paint he made the same recommendation.

Closest LineX place isn't close, but, it isn't all that far away, either. I think I'll give 'em a call.

±$2k to repaint bumpers and hatch, LineX the doors, a new receiver, and a pair of speakers I think would be very do-able. Drop replacing the back window (bad defroster wires) and backup camera. I've been living with(out) those. No change.

Thanks for the idea, Black. Thanks, everybody else, for your input and votes, too!

I voted the ponies option as I like Black92LX's suggestion better than the other 2 choices.

Drive it til it breaks.
My 04 Silverado is mechanically sound. Several cosmetic issues but it's paid off.

Continue to cruise with the Line-X treatment.
Price a new Tahoe and you will love your old T-Blazer even more!