Normal Car Thursdays! 2002 Chevrolet Tracker Zr-2

Hello James from The Digital Garage here. Welcome to another edition of Normal Car Thursdays! Normal Car Thursdays shines the spotlight on vehicles that may otherwise be overlooked for the more fancy or high performance vehicles out there. So Let us take a look!

Year Make and Model: 2002 Chevrolet Tracker Zr-2

The Chevrolet Tracker was basically a re-badged Geo. It has much the same look and feel but under the bow tie instead. It did not sell well as a Chevrolet but is a fun little vehicle. I do not own this vehicle but I have driven it a bunch so I can speak for certain parts of this questionnaire if you will.

Basic detail of the vehicle: The Zr-2 Tracker is actually the "sport" version of the tracker series.

This particular model has the 2.5L V6 engine which is an optional upgrade over the 4 cylinder. While the Tracker was lacking in power, the V6 upgrade for a vehicle of this size gives it a bit more muscle. The Tracker line is a 4x4 and there is a skid plate under the vehicle. As you probably noticed in one of the above pictures it has a trailer hitch for pulling. Now it is a small vehicle with a V6 so don't expect to pull a house down.

As you can see as a 4 door you have easy access to the interior. It can seat 4 comfortably even though it is on the smaller side of a vehicle. The rear seats fold down, as you see above, which allow for increased cargo space.

Mileage:

There is a little over 76,000 miles on the vehicle. As stated in the Crown Vic edition that mileage is not bad for a 10 year old vehicle. Notice the basic instrument cluster.

Why did you get this vehicle? Well the owners of this vehicle are the first owners and it was purchased has a small vehicle that can handle weather such has rain and snow.

Notice behind the gear selector is another nob. That is to go from 2WD to 4WD low or high. This capability and its more all terrain function then a family van makes it a useful vehicle in snow. Why not just go with a Jeep you may be wondering? Well not everyone likes Jeeps is the answer.

Also it can hold a decent amount of stuff for its size. It is almost like having a small pickup like the S10 only it is enclosed. This is a good and bad thing. It is bad because it is not just like a truck bed being that its an interior space and therefore you would not want to put something dirty or dripping oil or grease in it. It is good because you can carry more delicate or weather sensitive items in it without needing a bed cap.

Modifications (if any): The vehicle has no modifications made to it.

Anything you want to do to the vehicle? The owners do not want to do anything to it. Aside from maybe a newer skid plate there is nothing the owners feel they need to do to it to just  get around.

How do you like driving it?

I can speak from personal experience with this question. The owners like it just fine and find the V6 gives the tracker enough power to contend with traffic on a highway and to go on trips. And this is all true. I find that the tracker Zr-2 has adequate power in it with the V6 but you have to keep in mind it is not a racing vehicle. In snow driving it is fun because it does handle itself well. There are people who go trail driving with these so it does hold up pretty well. Overall the driving experience is pretty nice in it.

 Any other thoughts on the vehicle? Look this is another case of knowing what you are getting into with a vehicle like this. It can handle itself for daily driving for all 4 seasons and can do the occasional dirt trail. In its class the Tracker was described at being in the lower end  but from experience I can say it gets along just fine. I think that unless your really an enthusiast for this or any type of vehicle you are not looking at much more then price comfort and nowadays efficiency. The Chevrolet Tracker line is no longer produced but you can still find them here and there on used car lots. I personally would only go for the V6 version if I were to buy one myself. Overall though it can be a fun little vehicle to drive and Parking it is simple.
 And that is it, the 2002 Chevrolet Tracker Zr-2. The closest modern Chevrolet counterpart would probably be the Equinox. Hope you enjoyed this installment of Normal Car Thursdays!

See you on the road.