I've owned 2 different S-10's in the past. An '83 2.8 built, high lift cam bored over with carb, with 5 speed manual, 3" body, 3" Bushwacker cut out fender fares, on 32-11.50's with deep Outlaw II rims. Black w/Red interior. Still a nut-less thing but would shoot blue flames out the tail pipe when revved high. This was my first vehicle I owned and found it in the back row of a dealership. Parents brought it home and on my first ride in it, it blew a break line and leaked gas so it turned into my first experience with a money pit.
After a year or two I found a '90 S-10 Baja edition, Black w/Red interior, 4.3 TBI, installed headers and glass pack, 3" Body lift on 31-10.50's. Now that truck was a tiny power house for a 4.3 non-forced induction. This one got totaled by a friend I let borrow it.
Shortly after it was totaled I found a GMC Syclone at a local dealer but as I was waiting on the bank to get back to me it got sold so I just missed out on owning one. All S series trucks ate up ball joints like crazy though. I put 2 sets in my '90 in just 30 days so I speak from experience. It's a good thing they are only held in by 3 small bolts so the job is quick and relatively painless. As for normal cost of running them the S series weren't to bad as long as you knew to keep an eye on the the front ends, heater cores and fuel pumps.