woytovich

I am considering either a Tenth gen (2000–2006) or Ninth gen (1992–1999) Suburban purchase in the 3/4 ton flavor. It will be used as highway cruiser/tow vehicle. I'm not going to be off-road other than the occasional dirt/rutted road. Comfort and reliability are essential.

1. Is one of these 2 a no brainer vs the other?

2. What are the "baseline" maintenance issues that I will want do to make sure the truck is as "new" and reliable as possible? (timing belt, water pump etc etc... what "goes" on these?). I understand about brakes, oils, belts, hoses etc, I'm thinking a little deeper than that here....

I know these are newbie questions... my experience is with Toyota Land Cruisers, not heavy American metal....

Thanks,
mark

SWHouston

Most of it is obvious (belts/brakes) when in need of repair as you pointed out. One of my priorities when purchasing a used vehicle is it's lubrication needs. Those which include transmission, transfer case and differential (both if 4WD) often go without any maintenance until you buy them.

A well maintained Burb can run uneventfully for hundreds of thousand miles. So noted elsewhere on this forum, owners quoting 250,000 miles or more.

woytovich

Thanks... are there any "known/recurring" issues that would be good to look at (water pump, heads gasket etc) that are outside routine maintenance?

intheburbs

The 00-06 2500 trucks are considered by many to be the "king of the hill" Burbs. The newer 2500s are handicapped by a weak receiver.

My '01 is a half-ton, so not a lot of shared components with the 2500s, but I will tell you the power window regulators are a known (but cheap to fix) issue, as is the A/C system. I had to replace the clutch, compressor and idler pulley.

If it's in your budget, I'd say definitely go with the 00-06 2500 Burb. You won't regret it. Most of them have the 6.0 motor, but there are also some beasts with the 8.1 motor and Allison transmission. Gas guzzler, but totally bulletproof.

Something like this. It'll probably sell for around $13-$14k.

woytovich

Thanks so much... narrowing the target really helps!

woytovich

Or this... local to me... I'm asking about the tranny replacement...

2001 Suburban 2500 LS 4Whl. 6.0 4speed Auto

intheburbs

Long Island, eh? I was born and raised in Melville.

FYI - the LS has cloth seats. LT has leather and heated seats.

Don't forget about the Yukon XL - it's identical to the Burb, just a different front clip. SLE is the cloth trim level, SLT is the leather trim level.

That one has the barn doors - I'm not a fan. I prefer the tailgate, and separate lift glass, and a rear wiper. That back window gets pretty filthy in rain and snow. That price seems awfully low - I'd approach it with the mindset of "OK, what's wrong with it?"

woytovich

I like cloth seats... I like the IDEA of barn doors but I think the gate/hatch combo is a better solution. I do not want the one piece hatch.
Prices SEEM lower here on these that in other locales... maybe its because of the size and the congestion/traffic issues? Maybe gas prices?

woytovich

This...

2001 Suburban 2500 4x4 8.1

would need to check rust issues of course...

intheburbs

Most common areas for rust are the bottoms of the doors (on the inside) and the rocker panels right in front of the rear wheel.

That one in NEPA looks lifted. Personally, while I like the look of a modest lift, the additional stresses it puts on the various drive/suspension components would give me pause when considering purchasing one.

The 00-06 trucks never had a one-piece hatch. Barn doors or gate/hatch are the only choices.