In Michigan where I live, almost every town is a “GM Town,” meaning that a significant number of the town’s residents either work (or have worked) for GM or have a family member or friend who works for GM. Although the General doesn’t have quite the sway it once did, a lot of people still buy its products because of these friends and family members (and their employee discounts), but there was a time when you couldn’t turn your head without seeing an S-10 like this one: a 2000 LS Extended Cab. Lease deals at the time were absurdly cheap, and the trucks themselves weren’t too bad either; in fact, you might have owned one yourself (mine was a 2000 Blazer). I spotted this 130,000-mile example on Marketplace in Greenville, Ohio, with an asking price of $3,500. It will probably find a buyer sooner than later for the same reason it did back then: because it’s good, cheap transportation.

The only downside to this S-10 might be its powertrain. Equipped with the “2200” four-cylinder, the power and torque ratings aren’t so bad (120 and 140 lb.-ft., respectively), but it’s unfortunately saddled with the optional (at $1,095!) 4L60-E four-speed automatic, which sucked quite a bit of fun out of what was a peppy-enough little engine. A lot of S-10s had the 2.2, but the ones I’ve driven have mostly been equipped with the five-speed manual, whose gearing in first and second made the most out of what power the four had. The automatics were, sad to say, a little doggy. All is not lost, however, because the seller says that this one has been “well-maintained” and “runs and drives great.” It has a new blower motor and a new set of tires, too.

Aside from a rip in the driver’s seat, the interior is in nice shape as well. Like me, many Barn Finds readers have probably spent quite a few miles looking out over this dashboard and sitting in these long-wearing cloth bucket seats. Chevrolet’s sales materials say that the S-10 buyer’s demographics skewed 80 percent male, mostly single (mid-20s to late-30s), with some college education, and my memories track with those statistics. These days, this would make a nice truck for almost anyone, with power steering, air conditioning, and decent fuel mileage (19 city/25 highway). One quirk about Chevrolets of the early 2000s is that cruise control always seemed to be a part of an expensive option package, and this truck doesn’t appear to have it on the window sticker. It does have the “Survival Pak,” which includes the aforementioned air conditioning, a cool set of alloy wheels, AM/FM radio, and floor mats.

A big problem on S-10s, especially now that they’re 25 years old (yikes!) is rust, especially up here where salt is a fact of life for a third of the year. The seller says, however, that this example has “very little rust” and a solid frame, so somebody has clearly taken good care of it for this last quarter-century. Painted in a ubiquitous color (Light Pewter Metallic), you could live like it’s Y2K again for very little money.