markitzero

Hi,

First post here. I scanned the first few pages of threads and the stickies but didn't find a "buyers guide" of sort... if I missed it, my apologies.

My wife is a few weeks away from delivering our 3rd child. We have two 95 lbs golden retrievers. Now that we covered why I am here , please help me understand the Suburban. I am looking at one as a third vehicle. The kid car so to speak. It would be used by our childcare provider during the day and us on the nights and weekends, anytime the kids needed to go anywhere. It would also serve as a road trip vehicle. Expected mileage on it will be 5-7k/year.

A few questions:

1. I'm considering the '07 to '11 range because of price. Seems you can find a nice model between 20k and 35k. I realize the '07 was the first year, anything to absolutely to stay away from? In scanning the threads on the first few pages I can see some reoccurring themes for common hot spots but is there anything I should absolutely check as I shop?

2. My wife would like second row captains. As far as I can tell those are reserved for LTZ and special order LTs. Any been there done that with kids? Seems a second row bench would make for more flexibility but wouldn't allow kids to access the third row as easily.

3. Extended warranty. I am new to Chevy but I typically stay away from extended warranties. Is there a reason to absolutely get one?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

intheburbs

I'm looking for an '07-'09 for my daughter, so I'm in the same boat.

I have an '01 Burb with the 5.3 with 193K miles and the original engine and transmission.

I'm scared to death of the AFM on the '07 and newer 5.3 motors. Horror stories abound on oil consumption and major engine repairs under 100k miles. Just Google "5.3 AFM" for several million hits. I needed the 2500 for towing my travel trailer, but I'm also glad the 6.0 does not have AFM. I'll probably end up getting my daughter an Escalade EXT, since the 6.2 motor in the 07-09 range does not have AFM.

I have no personal experience with any bugaboos. My '08 has been flawless. Everything works as it should.

Regards to the seats, I have three kids, too. They're now 14, 14 and 16. The '01 has the bench seat. My daughter (16) would just climb over the bench to get in the third row. The boys sit in the middle row, everyone was happy. It was never an issue. My '08 has the middle row captain's chairs. Personally, I miss the 8-passenger capability.

My personal opinion? Look for a 2500. While it looks the same as the 1500, it's a completely different vehicle underneath. And, IMHO, the mechanicals are as bulletproof as GM ever made.

ETA: If you look at 2500s, look for 08 and newer. The six speed transmission was first offered in the 08 models.

markitzero

Thank you. I was completely unaware of this problem. Amazing considering how many Tahoes and Suburbans I see on the road, you would think if this was a widespread problem more would be done about it.

Good to know on the Escalade but the wife doesn't like them. Assume the '07 - '09 Yukon XL Denali also doesn't have AFM?

blueinterceptor

I'll throw my 2 cents worth. Go for as late a model year as you can afford.
Over the years things have changed. Upgrades have been made and something's dropped. Extended warranty from GM is a must. The warranty will cost little compared to the cost of a significant or even a not so significant repair and you will have the warranty for the next repair.

For example the current (10-14)vehicle has a six sped transmission, grade breaking , (12+)non DVD based navigation. Several options in the 07 became standard by 14. Conputer programs were tweaked and perfected if you will.
Re the warranty- I had to replace a rear shock on an ltz suburban. Warranty cost 800$. Repair cost 500$. A tranny costs a few grand. You don't know the driver before you. GM major guard warranty is the way to go. 0 deductable.

suburbansr4me

Went with an '08 LTZ 1500 last June with almost 135k miles, 5.3L with 3.73 gear ratio for for $17,500 and just under $19k OTD. We've only put about 3500 miles on it in the 3.5 months or so that we've had it but we've been very happy with it. We also use it as a third vehicle mostly to tow our boat/trailer (5700 lbs) so it's gotten some pretty high stress use and so far have not noticed any oil consumption issues with the AFM or any other issues. I will say though that the AFM issue was in the back of my mind when deciding whether to take our 'burb over our minivan for a recent 1000 mile road trip. We ended up taking our minivan though but I did play with the burb's carseat capability a bit. Not sure how old your other 2 kids are (congrats on #3, btw) but our 3 are all under 5. All three carseats fit in the third row with ease. Mind you that in many vehicles, a slimmer carseat is needed to fit 3 carseats in the same row but even with our two bulky front facing carseats and infant seat in between, there was plenty of installation room (attached pics).

Second row captains are a nice convenience and I personally don't miss the extra seating capacity. To us, it makes staying under payload ratings a little easier with one less passenger seat.

I did not get the extended warranty but I did have the dealer include a 3month/3k mile warranty as part of the deal just in case. It has since expired but I did not have to use it either. I think the take home message here though is that some kinda warranty is probably a good idea with these units.