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Can you folks weigh in on the more dependable suburban/denali/taho models out there?
Long story short, Allstate has offered me about $7000 LESS for my 2006 Odessy then I can actually replace it for. I am appealing, but I have no illusions that they are going to move in any meaningful way. I can't bring myself to buying a honda with 100,000 miles on it, but that is where I am right now.
That said, I have about $14000 to spend ( do not want to take out a loan). with the depreciation on SUV's. I figure that might get me into a truck with around 60,000 miles.
I tow almost nothing, so that is not an issue. I am looking for the most reliable engine/transmission option, as well as any tips on how to find the best deal on one of these cars.
We need the space, and am just hoping to find something that will run for a long time. i will have it checked out at a garage pre-purchase, but what should I be looking for?
My '02 Tahoe has the 5.3 Vortec engine and has been problem free, and has 64,000 miles. Some towing, but not much. It does fine tho with approx. 7000 lbs behind it. I'd get another GM with the 5.3 Vortec, and the newer ones are pumping out about 40 more HP from the same block.
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2005 McKee 23 TE/FS with 200 Zukes
50 Ton Masters with Towing Endorsement.
I have a 2001 that just turned 220,000 miles and I would love a new one but this one keeps on kicking. Oddly enough a friend with a later model year and low milage GMC Sierra borrowed by truck for a day and was amazed at how "tight" the truck was I have yet to replace any springs or shocks. I have however replace the tranny x2, one time at 40,000 due to a defect in a gear and again at 170,000 as it was getting loose/worn out but did not fail. Another odd item was at 140 K where the engine got a coked up but with some snake oil (probably SeaFoam) my mechanic was able to blow the carbon out and now I use Z-Max treatment every 3rd oil change and the truck purrs.
So with all of that said I do not think you could go worng with a 2000-2006 model and with $14K in your pocket I bet you could get a very nice one with less miles than you are expecting.
2001 Suburban with 198,000 miles. Only problem has been an air compressor at 60k.
2003 Tahoe with 87,000 miles. Rebuilt the tranny two times (thanks mr. transmission). Towed no less than 5x's. Gauge cluster defective, no speedo, tach, etc. Emergency brake cable broke at 50k. Paint fading issues (maroon), Body panels came loose. plus a few others....
bottom line....2001 was a good year (for me)
2003 was not
I sold my 2002 Denali last year. It had 99,800 miles, and ran great, but my wife liked the 2007 Denali with 21,000 miles that the dealer found. We got $16,500, and it was cherry. You should be able to find a 2002 within your budget. With the 6.0l engine, it was a great driver, and other than replacing the tranny at 74,000 miles (seems like a trend with these units), it was perfect. Ran great, got decent (17+ on the road) mileage, and was very comfortable. That said, the 6.2 l with the 6-speed tranny in the 2007 is The Bomb!
There is a little known and I guess fairly rare problem but I got bit by it on my 2004 Subby. Certain 5.3's with Castech cylinder heads had a problem with coolant getting into the oil. The orange Dexcool crap really gooped up the engine good. Here is a link to a pretty good description of the problem:
If the link doesn't work just Google up 'castech heads'. How to check for the problem? I don't really know. You could try sticking a swab down the oil fill but I don't really know how you can be 100% certain without pulling a valve cover.
2002 Suburban 4wd LT with 258,000+ and running strong, well fairly strong for a senior citizen.
I am the original owner and it has the original motor and trans.
When I bought it I had the mindset to keep it until I hit 250,000, so I never cut any maint. corners.
Used regular oil in the motor until 10,000 and then switched to synthetic.
Service the trans every 30k.
Service the transfer case, axles, etc every 60k.
Had an A/C comp fail around 30,000 miles and the dealer did a bad job cleaning the system which led to another failure within about 10,000 miles. Out of warranty so I go to an A/C shop who cleaned the system properly and I still have that comp some 210,000 miles and 5 years later.
Replaced shocks a few times, a few batteries, some tires and a few bushings along the way.
Towed A BUNCH....boats, jet skis, horse trailers, race trailers, etc.
Would be buying another in a blink but a 27-31' CC has me in it's sights so I got a 3/4 ton diesel to handle that load.
My truck is still in excellent condition and people are suprised at how 'not worn out' it looks.
Point is, with a caring owner, you can get a lot of miles out of these trucks.
Be sure what you buy at least looks like they were taking care of it.
Good luck!
Well, i just started thinking about selling our 2004 suburban...so maybe there is an opportunity...is has about 64,000 miles 1500LT with just about every option , new tires last year, DVD, leather, 2nd row buckets, sunroof, etc...PM me if interested...It is my wife's suburban, as i tow with my Diesel Dually
We've had three Suburbans, a Yukon, and currently Silverado 2500HD turbodiesel. The ONLY serious problems with any was the weak transmissions & brakes on the old ones, as in prior to 2000. Since then, GM has done a great job of putting in decent trans & brakes. In fact, our Silverado has 58000 miles, still on the original brakes which have decent life left on them. Early models would need new brakes about every 20k miles. I've also got the Allison transmission, which is absolutely fantastic.
I've driven friend's Odysseys, and there's no way I would choose an Odyssey over a Suburban/Yukon/Tahoe. Not even close, in my opinion...
Sort of in the same boat (selling Odessy and buying Suburban) but I have no choice as I now need to tow 5500#. I will say that the Honda has been awesome for its intended purpose, if not exciting. We bought new in 2002 and now have 200k miles. Not one engine hiccup, tow 3000# from PA to Key West every year. I've moved more construction stuff with that Odessy and a utility trailer than most move with their 1 ton diesels.
Test drove an 04 z71 1500 burb and even the wife liked driving it. Trying to choose between a local 04 with 92k miles ($15.5k) or a far away 04 with 40k miles ($18.8k). Both very clean with well doc'd history. Assuminng I'll have to upgrade from the stock class III factory hitch (?)
Its official. I caved and went back to the minin van. We are in our "new" used honda.
Looks like we will have to nurse another couple years out of the 96 Trooper (170,000 miles, and still running). Short hauls only for the 21 foot CC. truthfully, the two torsion axles and brakes tow WAY better then the old single axle on the 18 foot parker.
Suburban would have been great, but we opted for the option that puts some cash in the bank. Its still a little scary out there.
03 Yukon with 111,000 miles and no problems at all. I've towed a reasonably heavy 23 long distances and fast. I do frequent oil changes and have serviced the transmission 3 times since I bought the truck new.
Dependable suburbans 
(selling Odessy and buying Suburban) but I have no choice as I now need to tow 5500#. I will say that the Honda has been awesome for its intended purpose, if not exciting. We bought new in 2002 and now have 200k miles. Not one engine hiccup, tow 3000# from PA to Key West every year. I've moved more construction stuff with that Odessy and a utility trailer than most move with their 1 ton diesels.
