The 3.9 is worse actually. My Dad owned 3 S10 blazers, that's a fairly decent engine for the time, would take it over the 3.9 or the Ford 4.0 (either version)
Did any of those S10 Blazers have over 150k? I have never seen a high mileage 4.3 that didn't some like a freight train at startup. They are notorious for valve stem seals.
