Good Purchase? Suburban '11-14, 85k-115k
 

First time poster and considering the purchase of a Suburban.

We are actively looking for a used SUV to add to our lineup and are leaning towards a Suburban. Due to our price limits, we are considering one in the '11-14 year range with 85k-115k miles. The majority in our area are 2wd. If a very rare 4wd pops up, it is quickly sold for about $2k-4k more.

For the immediate, I have found a '12 with 98k miles and a Z71 4wd package. So far looks good with exception to a cracked dash which sounds typical? Would there be any concerns with this year, package and this many miles?

In general, are there any trim packages, years, mileage, issues, etc you can warn us about?

I am able to do mechanical repairs but would be reluctant to work on this vehicle since my old Jeep CJ7 takes up most of my time in the garage.

Thanks!

You can check out "Car Complaints" on the internet for that vehicle. Some of the plastics could be better on most cars, but a simple dash crack isn't a deal breaker. Checking it out by you or a tech you can pay is a good deal. If they won't allow for that just walk away. They have something to hide that you don't want to deal with.

BTW, used to have a Jeep CJ-5. The thing was bulletproof with a Prestolite distributor that water didn't bother. Vacuum advance can would blow out once a year but cheap and easy to replace. The heater was a bit weak but since they were all soft-tops it didn't matter. You wore a coat, gloves &boots. No A/C, autos, or hardtops back then :-)

Yes I've checked the complaints but just like any other car review, they consist no more than a bunch whiners with minor cosmetic complaints. What I was looking for was more a mechanical review. Haven't really seen any issues browsing the internet or forums.

CJ is fun but a lot of work. I swapped the engine for a 4.0 fuel injection, tranny, rear axle and steering box. Rebuilt the tranny, steering column, brakes and bearings. Corrected the suspension and steering. Painted the exterior and bedlined the interior. It just recently started a grinding sound that lends itself to a bad bearing. Now I have to find it and who knows what can of worms it opens.

Sold my CJ-5 to my brother. (man, am I ever sorry that I did) Only thing that went bad was the Dana 30 front axle shaft gear oil seals got hard after 30 years, and my niece drove it through some deep water which destroyed the differential gears. Everything else; engine, tranny, etc. are all original, even the paint. One of the only vehicles I ever bought brand new too.

Heard that Suburban's Transfer Cases have a pump in them that rubs and creates a pin hole leak that continues to get worse. Major cost to repair. What years does this affect?

dont think thats just limited to burbs. think it was pretty much all GMs with that transfercase

What years?

from 98-07 from the blazer to the 3500 pickups (NP136, NP149, NP236, NP246, NP261, NP261HD, NP263, NP263HD, NP261XHD, NP263XHD). pretty much the pump rubs a pin hole in the case only real way to fix is to get a kit ($99). you can jb weld but thats a band aid

Thankfully my 1998 K-1500 doesn't have the pump so no worries. JB weld can work wonders, in some applications, but only if applied correctly to a very clean surface that's been embraided.