1987 Chevrolet Blazer K5

- Carolina Truck
- 5.7L V8
- 4x4
- Clean and Fun

(Please note: If you happen to be viewing this 1987 Chevrolet Blazer K5 on a website other than our Garage Kept Motors site, it's possible that you've only seen some of our many photographs of the SUV due to third-party website limitations. To be sure you access all the more than 150 photographs, as well as a short start-up and walk-around video, and a link to the Blazer's accident-and-damage-free Carfax history report, please go to our main website: Garage Kept Motors.)

“With the K5 Blazer, GM created a 4×4 that joined, but also changed, the SUV segment itself.” –Motor Trend, December 2020

Highlighting the Blazer's historic launch as “full-sized,” a slap at the then-smaller Ford Bronco, Chevrolet's period promotional brochure put it this way: “The Full-Size Blazer has quite a heritage—one which began in 1969 when Blazer emerged as America's original full-size sport utility vehicle. Many model years later, it is still the ideal vehicle for the adventurer who really wants to go off into the horizon.”

Offered here is a lifted, charcoal-gray-metallic over gray-and-blue well-maintained '87 Blazer wearing a professional repaint. The truck lived most of its 34 years in the Carolinas; its odometer shows 166,438 miles, or fewer than 5,000 miles per-year since new.

The exterior dark-gray paint was professionally applied and remains uniformly glossy. The fiberglass cargo-area roof (with slide-open windows) is finished in black. Metal trim—including the chrome bumpers, grille-surround, door handles, wheel-arch trim and mirrors—is in excellent condition. Body panels are free of dents or other damage. Factory-applied, brushed-metal emblems are in place on the truck's front and rear fenders; the dark-gray Chevrolet “bowtie” grille logo is perfect. Tinted cabin glass and all lighting lenses are clear and free of damage. Aftermarket matte-black steel wheels mounted with Wild County® Radial MTX tires, and an installed lift kit, give the SUV the purposeful stance of a serious back-country truck.

Inside, the color theme mixes light-gray and light-blue. Bucket seats in front are upholstered in light-gray cloth upholstery, while the rear bench has same-design, but in light blue. In both cases, there are no signs of abuse or excessive wear, and no rips or tears. The light-blue door trim (with light-gray fabric inserts) includes power-window controls). The light-blue floor carpeting is in generally good condition, with fading and stains evident in the cargo area. The dark-blue dashboard, framed by the Chevrolet-branded steering wheel common to the brand's full-size trucks of the period, includes the standard array of instruments and engine-monitoring gauges, set in a brushed-metal surround. That trim continues on the passenger side where a “Silverado” emblem is mounted in the factory-correct position. The automatic-transmission shifter is positioned on the steering column, while the four-wheel-drive transfer case control lever is floor-mounted. Factory air conditioning and heating controls are slide-lever-operated, and an aftermarket, premium Pioneer® audio head unit is installed in place of the factory radio. A lockable storage compartment is located between the front seats; the rear seat is a foldable bench with armrests.

Under the hood, the factory 5.7-liter V8 fuel-injected engine commands a clean, well-ordered, and complete engine bay. All components, hoses, and wiring are properly installed/routed. No modifications are noted. Viewed from below, the truck's chassis is complete and undamaged; there is no evidence of abuse or too-aggressive off-road driving; no obvious dents or bent components. The lifted suspension is properly installed, and the protective plate over the center differential remains in place.

While the more than 150 high-definition photographs and the short walk-around-and-startup video available on the GarageKeptMotors website showcase this '87 Blazer in detail from every angle, including from below, we expect and encourage in-person inspections at our Grand Rapids, Michigan showroom. Please call to arrange an appointment in advance as our showroom is not open to the public. And feel free to get in touch anytime by phone or email if you have questions.

As truck aficionados know well, the latest editions of the Blazer are built on an automobile platform, no longer true to the “full-size-truck” K5 lineage. In part, this GM management decision accounts for the dramatic increase in demand for the original Blazer. Upgrading these older K5s, as here, can produce a reliable and capable SUV for road or trail. The adventure awaits.