There’s a fine line between enjoying a vehicle for what it is and embarking on a potentially costly and unnecessary restoration. This 1986 Chevrolet K5 Blazer looks well-suited to becoming a classic daily you can enjoy without pumping tons of cash into, but the seller opines that it could be a good candidate for taking to the “next level.” The Blazer appears to be highly original in photos and any major flaws are said to be mostly cosmetic in nature. The truck is offered here on eBay with no reserve and bids to $14,000 with under a day left.
It never ceases to amaze me just how reliable square bodies like a K5 Blazer are when it comes to auction prices. If you have a truck in anything resembling decent shape, it always seems to bring $15,000 or better. Despite the constant rumor mill that is the economy, the Blazer seems to be the bastion of consistency in the collector vehicle market. This K5 retains its factory removable hardtop, rally wheels, and chrome bumpers, all of which appear to be in decent shape. The seller notes the rear window will need its motor replaced, which was a common issue due to the weight of the glass overwhelming both the manual crank-style handle or the optional electric motor.
The interior is in very nice condition, with beige carpets and cloth bucket seats. Now, I am not an expert in GM interiors, but those seats look like they came out of a later model truck; I generally know what the cabins looked like in the earlier rigs like this one, and something about those backrest adjustment handles and the contours of the seat cushion look like they belong in a later model. I could be wrong, however, and at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter – save for a cracked dashboard, the cabin looks good. The seller doesn’t disclose whether functions like the air conditioning are still working.
This era of Blazer almost always came with the standard GM 350 V8, which was good for a rather underwhelming 160 horsepower. ’87 saw a bump to 210, which was a significant increase in this era of underpowered vehicles, but it still would make for a very leisurely jaunt to 60. At the end of the day, the K5 Blazer is an icon not because of its speed, but because of its usefulness and style, both of which are intangible qualities that a truck like this possesses in spades. I suspect bidding is close to being done on this one, but I’m guessing it will still top out at $15,000 0r a little better.
Wow. I remember when that color combination was everywhere on square body Chevies. This one looks like it came with a 305 from the factory. There wasnt a huge difference in horsepower between the truck version of the 305 and 350, but there was a difference in torque. And you need torque in a truck. I agree with Jeff, those front seats look like theyre out of a newer truck, but boy do they match nicely and look very comfortable. Nice catch there. Good clean original sqare bodies are harder to find each day. These were used up years ago unfortunately. I have a soft spot for them, my Dad owned many from 73 to 86. And I had a few too. Hope this goes to a good home.
That color combo was 68 (dark brown) 59 (beige) color scheme ZY5
Sold with a high bid of $14,000.
Steve R
Not a bad price, for the condition.
What happened ? Just last year they were bringing $30,000 . One this clean, I Would expected close to that.
My 87 blazer had seats just like that style only in blue. They were comfy.
The ending hammer price of $14,000.00 seems to be in line with current prices. The interior might be a plus, since this vehicle would not have to be original anyway for me to drive it. I think it looks good.
The seats match the door panels well.
Hopefully it’s a 350? Seems as though we’re in a Blazer-Bronco era?
If I were the new owner, I would somehow expect to spend some more money on it though?
It looks pretty straight forward and not hacked to death, so someone probably got a good deal?
Old Chevy 350’s don’t seem to ever die, they just age gracefully.
A good find.
Just my oponion!
Drive it. After all, it’s just a Chevy.
The fortunate buyer probably bought this with the mantra of “enjoy now, restore later”. As long as this doesn’t get abused or hacked beyond recognition, this should only appreciate in value. And he can upgrade the performance without significantly changing the stock appearance.
I had a 83 Suburban with the Diesel same color and everything i drove it for 300.000 Miles it was the best i sold it shortly after i knew that i should of kept it
I’ll bet it’s a 350. Most common Chevy engine back then. Mine still runs 448,000 miles. They used plastic intake gaskets that usually started leaking coolant at between 100k -150k.
But this is a nice blazer no matter the engine.
Oh wow!!! That’s awesome! How many upgrades and how many rebuilds had it had over the years? Thank ya sir, appreciate it in advance!
Original miles ! It is a 5 speed stick. But I’ve also only put 2 clutches in it.
No rebuilds, 1 alternator, 1 water pump both at about 440,000 miles.
I will admit compression is low. I haven’t checked it since around 250,000, but it is pretty equal and that is why it still runs. My major problem with it has been fuel pumps which are china junk now. Some only lasted a few miles or a few days. It sits all winter under 4 feet of snow and always fires right up in the spring still covered in snow ! Best truck I’ve ever owned. And I’m confident there’s no sludge build up. At around 200k miles I started using Rotella T 15-40w oil. Still no visible smoke ! Tho it is too the point of using a quart every 800-1000 miles.
Just drive it. All my old/classics are usually in this condition, still get looks on the street and interest at cars and coffee, car shows because it’s not yet another Camaro/mustang/glamour era c-10.