Suburban/Yukon/Tahoe

andrewlail76 said:
What about all of the reviews I've read about the transmissions and engines dying early...and the alternator, and the radiatior, and the A/C, and pretty muich every other part...is it an issue of people just not caring for them, or do they suck in general?
I'd really like this 93 GMC Suburban that I may get in swap for my boat, but if not, I have an offer on a 97 Chevy Suburban for my truck and boat...
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Not sure where you read these reviews, were they personal accounts or actual reviews. Of course there are going to be trucks out there with problems, most of them probably caused from neglect.
My uncles 98 3/4 ton Suburban with a 454 is over 250,000 miles and still going strong. Granted it is mostly highway miles, but also most of it was pulling a large camper. If your looking to tow a lot you might want to check into a 3/4 ton. If anything I would definitely add an extra transmission cooler.
 
If you are getting rid of the boat in the swap, what do you need the tow rig for?

Anyway, I have an older ('82) 3/4 ton and it works great. There are tons of these trucks on the road and parts are easy to find. Nothing used will be perfect, just look it over well, or take it to someone to check it out.
 
My dad used his bought-new '99 1500 for his small-time general contracting business hauling around a 6x12 enclosed trailer 4-5 days a week. 175k miles on original drivetrain until last week when it had an untimely death at the hands of a school bus. Yes my dad is perfectly OK. Only things done to it were a catalytic converter (<300 miles on warranty), two window regulators, windshield washer reservoir, and a fuel sending unit. Other than that it ran like clockwork, probably one of the most reliable vehicles he has ever owned and he was very sad to lose it. He just bought an '06 this morning to replace it.
 
Man, no matter what truck, appliance, tire, atv, shirt, beer, food, dog, woman, boat, grass, or anything else you look at you will find someone that thinks "well xxxx failed at xxxx which is way to early, all off xxxx must be crap. I have worked in Dodge, GM, Ford, BMW, Kia, and Mitsubishi dealerships, take it from me, no matter what you buy, what brand, new used, salvage, or stolen. It WILL have problems, I've seen just as many transmissions rebuilt/replaced in gm and ford products as in dodges and kia's, I've seen a 4.4 liter bmw v-8 break a rocker arm during the initial new car inspection procedures, I've seen rear axles take a dump anywhere between 10 and 250k miles on everything from 8900.00 Kia's to 116,000.00 M5 BMW's.

By all means good luck with whatever truck you end up buying, keep it maintained, and it will treat you as good as you treat it.
 
Not trying to push you toward any specific vehicle, I've had good results with the Durango, my sis has a 316,000 mile Suburban, my buddy Jonathan has a 1995 F-350 with over 500K on the odometer. Likewise, I know people with similar vehicles that were total junk. Bottom line, find a vehicle that will work for what you want to do with it, and fits in your price/swapability range, that YOU like, and dont; dwell sooooooo much on everyone elses experiences with it. If I paid attention to every issue every one of my past customers had with all the different makes I've worked with I'd be on foot looking for a car that won't leave me stranded. All "reviews" and "personal experiences" will do when looking for a vehicle will turn you off from what will possibly be a great truck and onto soemthing that could possibly be trash. No matter what you buy it has the potential to be junk or the potential to be a great ride, that is a chance that's unavoidable no matter what you buy.

Also, no matter how great someone talks about anything, you will find that the first time you post a problem that you're having up, you will find that 75% of the people that talked up about the truck will say "I had that problem too, this is what I did to fix it".

Like I said, not trying to sway a purchase decision, just telling you that you're dwelling on the possibilities WAY TOO MUCH!!!!!!!!
 
I really appreciate it...
I think I have come to a deal...1991 Suburban K2500 with the 350, 4x4, 237K, and new tires and windshield...We'll see come Tuesday and I'll get pics up if it happens...

Pray for me.
 
sounds like it would make a great tow rig, with 237k on the clock make sure you check the balljoints & wheel bearings, as long as it's well kept you should see good service out of it. Hope you can stike a deal on it.
 
Good deal, hope it works out for you. I was lookin at a 95 2500 'burb not long ago for a tow rig. There's a local dealer that regularly gets old military/fleet/state trucks in that had 2 with the 350's and one with a 454. If I can ever get the Dodge and the little Blazer of mine sold off I'll be picking up a similarish model. I'd love to find a 91 or so with the big block, but have yet to be so lucky.
 
98 Hoe here. It is very common for the Vortec 350 to shit the intake manifold gaskets causing coolant usage, and they also like to eat distributor drive gears. Mine did both of these. I've also replaced the transmission, waterpump, and alternator over the 6 yrs or so I've owned it. 126k on the clock now.
 
andrewlail76 said:
I really appreciate it...
I think I have come to a deal...1991 Suburban K2500 with the 350, 4x4, 237K, and new tires and windshield...We'll see come Tuesday and I'll get pics up if it happens...
Pray for me.
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91 is a good year. Should have the 4L80E transmission and its fuel injected. Plus I'm partial to that body style.
 
andrewlail76 said:
What about all of the reviews I've read about the transmissions and engines dying early...and the alternator, and the radiatior, and the A/C, and pretty muich every other part...is it an issue of people just not caring for them, or do they suck in general?
I'd really like this 93 GMC Suburban that I may get in swap for my boat, but if not, I have an offer on a 97 Chevy Suburban for my truck and boat...
Click to expand...


my neighbor has a 2004 Denali XL and they have had nothing but problems with it. Replaced the trans twice, the A/C quits all the time, alignment keeps going out on it, etc. etc.

Its a daily driver for his wife and they do not tow with it at all (he has a PSD for that...)

He told me it was the worst vehicle he's ever bought. Maybe this is an isolated case, I don't know. I'm a ford fan, so I don't hear or know about any of those issues with the fords... :flipoff2:
 
drkelly said:
98 Hoe here. It is very common for the Vortec 350 to shit the intake manifold gaskets causing coolant usage, and they also like to eat distributor drive gears. Mine did both of these. I've also replaced the transmission, waterpump, and alternator over the 6 yrs or so I've owned it. 126k on the clock now.
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So i cant really tell from your post, but it sounds like you think this is OK for a car of that age and mileage?? My jeep with 146k has only needed an exhaust gasket, and the AC compressor. Maybe I'm wrong, but that just seems like a lot of problems to me.
 
awspence said:
So i cant really tell from your post, but it sounds like you think this is OK for a car of that age and mileage?? My jeep with 146k has only needed an exhaust gasket, and the AC compressor. Maybe I'm wrong, but that just seems like a lot of problems to me.
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Yeh, it has been more problems than I expected, but apparently those problems are common to those models.
 
Deal is done -
1992 GMC Suburban K2500 4x4 Auto
There is a Pioneer CD player in it and the radio does not pick up very well. I am guessing the antenna is not plugged into the receiver or the wire to the antenna is broken at some point.
The A/C is not blowing cold, so I think I am going to go buy a can of recharge and see what happens. The old man didn't really believe in cosmetics of the vehicle, so I am in the process of cleaning it up. It is a dull white right now with gray specks of paint on it. (Owner before him owned a body shop and gray overspray got on it..I'm trying to figure how to remove it).
Mechanically, it seems sound. Runs nice and transmission shifts smoothly.
The Anti Lock brake light keep coming on and going off. Thank goodness it is a 92 and I am in NC. No matter what lights up, I can get it inspected as longs as all the base stuff works.
 
For the overspray you can buy a clay bar and spray wax from advance auto it will take the overspray off and also clean the paint very well then most of the time you can just put a coat of wax on it after your done. if you have any questions send a pm. I detail cars for a living.
 
we've got a 93 K2500 Suburban, w/ the 350 and 4L80.....it has 219xxx on the ticker, and the only thing we have replaced is intake manifold gaskets, and water pumps. Think still runs like a top, and still hauls the other suburban for wheeling trips.

O and we had a problem with the HVAC control unit in the dash... if it goes out, best bet is to buy a new acdelco unit, we tried several, and just went to the stealership to get one, and its been 4 years on that one now. Just keep the fluids changed, and at the proper level, and change all the filters accordingly.
 
LANDCRUISER731 said:
For the overspray you can buy a clay bar and spray wax from advance auto it will take the overspray off and also clean the paint very well then most of the time you can just put a coat of wax on it after your done. if you have any questions send a pm. I detail cars for a living.
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I work at Klingspor Abrasives and we have an Autobody division. I know we carry the clay bars...is there one you recommend? Should I use the medium grade or the fine grade? What I really need is a buffer...hand waxing this beast is going to kill me...or make me stronger. I mean, wax on, wax off worked for the karate kid...
 
Mac5005 said:
we've got a 93 K2500 Suburban, w/ the 350 and 4L80.....it has 219xxx on the ticker, and the only thing we have replaced is intake manifold gaskets, and water pumps. Think still runs like a top, and still hauls the other suburban for wheeling trips.
O and we had a problem with the HVAC control unit in the dash... if it goes out, best bet is to buy a new acdelco unit, we tried several, and just went to the stealership to get one, and its been 4 years on that one now. Just keep the fluids changed, and at the proper level, and change all the filters accordingly.
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I 'm going to start with the freon can at WalMart and go from there...
 
andrewlail76 said:
I work at Klingspor Abrasives and we have an Autobody division. I know we carry the clay bars...is there one you recommend? Should I use the medium grade or the fine grade? What I really need is a buffer...hand waxing this beast is going to kill me...or make me stronger. I mean, wax on, wax off worked for the karate kid...
Click to expand...
Use the medium grade. Make sure you wash it good before.
 
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