Hello, I am new here. I am looking to buy a 2008-11 Suburban LT 2500 4x4. Need 2500 because a 1500 will not tow my enclosed car trailer. This will not be a daily driver. I want an LT over the LS because I want all the amenities. Are there any common problems I should look out for?

PS by my user name you will see I am a Mopar fan. I wish Ram or Jeep would sell a stretched full size SUV but I have always like the Suburban. I never liked the Excursion/Expedition EL all that much. To me the original is still the best.

 

I found mine on Autotrader. It has customizable searches.

I've had my 08 a little over a year and I love it. No issues at all. Biggest problem is that they're hard to find. I had to drive three hours to Ft. Wayne, IN. According to my build sheet, only 5,867 2500s were built in 2008. I ran my search within 250 miles, and 2 vehicles popped up in my price range ($20k-$30k). One was in Columbus, OH and the other in Ft. Wayne.

 

I have been using cars.com. I am willing to travel for the right vehicle. I am located near Baltimore, MD. I found a 2010 in Virginia about a month ago but I had to deal with a family issue and could not get back to make a deal. I found another 2010 in the same area yesterday and plan on going down next Saturday. I want the 6 speed which if my research is correct was not available until the 08 model year. I also want rear view camera. Not sure what year that became available. I rented a 2012 1500 last year. I loved the power folding mirrors. From what I can figure out the 2500 with the tow mirrors do not have this feature. Are there after market tow mirrors that have this feature? I used to own a '95 Ram V10 2500 it was a pain manually pulling in the mirrors to go through a drive-thru or driving down a narrow street with cars parked on both sides.

 

Welcome to the forum.

The 6 speed transmission debuted in model year 2009. The rear view camera became available in model year 2007.

Among the things to look for are cracked dashes, peeling door handles on the inside the can cut you, door locks that don't work reliably, black material on steering wheel spokes coming off, etc. I'm sure others can chime in with more thoughts on this subject.

 

the 2500 series of that gen is mechanically bulletproof imo. For a 1500 series pick up I would prefer dodge over gm; but for your application and needs you are making a good choice.

 

Negative. It was available starting with the 08 model year. I should know, I have an 08 with the 6-speed.

And mine has the backup camera, as well as a bunch of other goodies. 3LT is as high as it goes for 2500 trim levels. No LTZ option (or Denali on the Yukon XL).

Mine has the power tailgate, 4 heated seats, power tumbling middle row seats, dvd/nav/Bose, sunroof, memory seats, adjustable pedals, rear entertainment and rear climate controls. It's about as loaded as you can get for a 2500.

2009 was the first year with the integrated trailer brake control - a big plus if you do a lot of towing.

I am not aware of power folding towing mirrors. Mine came with the smaller power folding mirrors, but I wanted the larger towing mirrors, so was willing to forsake the power fold feature in exchange for the larger, extendable mirrors.

 

Thanks for the correction. I was going by what I found in the old sales brochure which apparently was not accurate. Or maybe the six-speed came out mid model year.

 

Could it be a 2500vs 1500 transmission swap?

I selected the 2009 because it has (over the 2008) 1500 LTZ

Bluetooth
Cooled Front Seats
6 speed auto (vs 4)
Integrated OEM brake controller.


I'm not that familiar w/the 2500 edition, however I believe they added a heated steering wheel in 2010

so you may want to consider that.

 

That is another option I want is the integrated trailer brake control. So now that narrows it down some more. 2 3LTs I have looked at had 2nd row buckets. With 9 grand kids I prefer the bench.

Do all 3LTs have 2nd row buckets?

Not all ads are very descriptive.

Is there a way to tell by pics or the VIN if a one is a 3LT?

Does anyone know for sure if Chevy is going to build a 2500 in the new body style? I figured they would come out in the '16 model year.

When I was at the Chevy dealer looking at a used one the sales person told me they were not going to make 3/4 tons anymore.

 

Not sure about all 3LTs having captains chairs, but it's likely.

One for-sure sign of a 3LT is the extra two switches on the overhead console for the power tumbling middle row seats. But, again , not sure if all 3LTs have them.

Also - be aware that there is an option for a 2-person third row. Mine came with that - yes, it's actually a six-seater. I bought a 3rd row bench off eBay for $700.

The 2500 most likely is gone for good. Chevy has no plans to build 2500s on the new platform. 13 was the last model year. 2500s were never a big seller. Chevy built 5867 in 2008. That's probably a 10:1 ratio compared to half tons.