Where are we in the Blazer-mania cycle? Are prices moderating or it is still just nuts out there? Well, the highwater mark was this ’71 restomod that brought a cool $440k at Mecum in January of 2022. There’s this dealer, who wants $230k for a ’73; his listing is at least two months old. A scattering of “high bids” here represent trucks that didn’t sell at reserve or better very recently. Mecum’s upcoming Kansas City auction has eight Blazers of various flavors on offer, Hemmings reliably lists tens at a time (84 right now). With that kind of supply available, if even a few potential buyers start balking, prices will weaken. Here on eBay is a bellwether Blazer, this 1973 4×4 Cheyenne. Bidding has reached $16,200 and thankfully, that exceeds whatever reserve was in play. We can quarrel with the level in light of buying dirt cheap Blazers twenty years ago, but it’s reasonable today despite the chellenges of this example which we’ll see in a minute. The truck was purchased by the mayor of Hardin, Montana from a dealer in Wyoming; the mayor was its only owner. It has been listed by a dealer located in Greenacres, Washington.

The 350 cu. in. V8 runs strong, generating about 165 hp but sucking up about 10 mpg; the odo reads only 69,567 which may or may not be the total mileage traveled. The transmission is a three-speed automatic mated with a dual-range transfer case. This was the first year of the second generation Blazer – what GM called the “Rounded Line” but is colloquially known as the square-body. Length grew by 7″ over the first-gen Blazer, which was not helpful for performance or mileage. This truck has a 4″ lift kit installed.

The interior is tatty here and there – the door pocket elastic has given way, the steering wheel is faded, the center console has a crack. But the bucket seats have been reupholstered and the carpet is new. The dealer installed a new dash pad. The wood grain applique on the dash, door, and rear trim panels is original – part of the top-shelf  Cheyenne trim package. A removable top was supplied with ’73-’75 Blazers – a big advantage in my opinion. Of course, they’re hard to remove and replace, but it’s great to know you can! The chrome shines well though the paint shows its age here and there.

Yes, at this price there has to be bad news. and here we have it – rusty skirts! The damage isn’t confined to one side, of course. The floors look okay, but only close inspection will confirm that. I would feel compelled to fix the sheet metal, but then, where are we with paint? I’m seeing dollar signs here…. How would you improve this Blazer, or would you just drive it as is?