I had a '96, pretty well the same truck, it worked as well as any of the last bunch of vehicles Ive owned.
I used it every day, kept it for 10 years, and it seldom let me down

 

I owned a 1998 Blazer (basically an S10) and I currently own a 2003 S10 4.3

How reliable are these trucks? very reliable if maintained however there is some common failure points.

1. Intake Manifold Gaskets (4.3)
They tend to fail around the 100,000 mile range which basically acts like a head gasket leak this is due to DexCool which most swap out for conventional green but you must be sure to thoroughly flush the system if you go with conventional green. I personally went with a universal coolant in mine.

2. Fuel Pump
The fuel pumps on these trucks and many GM vehicles of this era fail around the 100,000 mile range usually they give a warning sign first in terms of loud whining. Mine started failing at 122,000 miles and eventually started giving first start issues I then replaced it with a US Motor Works fuel pump and am nearing 124,000 miles now.

3. Distributor
The distributor on these trucks and again many GM vehicles of this era tend to fail around the 100,000 mile range, I personally swapped mine out for a Duralast Gold no problems out of it.

Other than that the rest is just your typical normal wear and tear items. You do want to make sure the transmission has been maintained. If the fluid is very dark or smells burnt walk away unless you want to put around $2,000 for a transmission.

The 2003 has the better engine assuming it is a 4.3 and not a 2.2, it is a LU3 4.3 these have an updated injection system the 1996 that RayVoy had in his and in the 1998 Blazer I had was inferior to the 2002+ LU3 engines. The LU3 also has 190HP vs the 175-180HP the 1996 and 1998 had. It is a smoother engine but still really all of the 4.3's are very tough engines and can last a very long time if maintained.

My truck is in very good condition with a lot less miles and cost me $3,000 so I would offer $2,000 if the truck is solid. Be sure to have a good mechanic check it out before you buy it to make sure it is solid.

 

One thing Furious hasn't mention, they do seem to blow through ball-joints, at least mine did; I don't recall if it was the uppers, or the lowers, but I remember changing a few.

The '03s may not have that intake/Dexcool problem, the intake gasket materials were changed on the 4.3; but I don't recall when

 

Mine currently is nearing 124,000 miles now and my ball joints seem to be original and on the verge of going bad but they are still good enough. Upper more specifically which I personally consider this a normal wear item.

 

I am looking at a 03 chevy s10 that is on sale for $2500. It has 193k miles on it with new tires. I was looking to get the truck to get me to work (emt) in the winter and as a random home improvement hauler. It wont be my daily driver.
How reliable are these trucks? And do you all think that is a reasonable deal? I was going to offer 2k.
Thanks in advance.

What motor does the truck have? The 4.3 is one of the best Chevy motors ever built in my opinion. I have owned three and always put over 300,000 miles on each on.

 

Oh by the way let me know if you are going for 4x4 or 2WD because 4x4 does have a few minor issues that are almost a guarantee.

 

Did the OP ever say what motor is in the truck?

 

You’re probably correct, it certainly went quite quickly. I have had a few of the S-10 trucks and they were all good trucks. I did prefer the 4.3 to the 2.8 though.