My 1995 Chevrolet S-10 (Extended Cab)

 After the Grand Am, we were on the hunt for a car yet again.  Lisa had always said every family needs a pickup; probably because her father always had one, so we went shopping for a pickup.  We settled on the S-10, bought for $8k from a guy in Ocean Lakes.

The S-10 was tons of rear-wheel fun, and came with a V6 Vortec; more than enough to get me around.  The pedal went down, the engine when vroom, and the truck went fast.  I used to love losing traction into a corner, getting sideways, then sliding into the perfect spot.  I impressed even myself driving the S-10.

Much like I did wit the Neon, I started doing research.  First, with the Haynes manual, then with the magazines, then customizing books.  I swore I was turning the S-10 into a street rod.  the first mod was a bolt on accessory; the K&N Fuel Injection Performance Kit.  I had the phantom grille, the caddy taillights, and the all ready to be installed on the truck.

The gradual decline of the S-10 started with an oil change.  I normally did my own, but for some reason took the truck to a Jiffy Lube one day.  They were running a radiator flushing special, so I said sure.  I had no problem through the winter, but when summer came around, I noticed the truck was acting funny:  high temps and the oil gauge would sporadically swing from high to low for no apparent reason.  I had the coolant system checked and it was determined I had been running without coolant for some time: they found a crack in the radiator.  It was a mysterious crack right by the the inlet connection that Jiffy Lube would have used to flush the system.  Hmmmm...  is it possible they could have over-torqued to the nut and cracked my radiator?  Without proof, I simply got the radiator replaced.  Later in the season, I had the same problem.  This time, it was determined there was a leak in the diaphragm between the coolant system and the inner engine and oil.  My truck was using a coolant/oil mixture to lubricate and cool itself!  We ended up replacing the entire engine with a Jasper rebuild.

Two years later, there was a host of other issues with the truck, and it was time to buy into something a little bigger  Ultimately, I traded the S-10 in for $500 toward the Silverado.