Opinions on Suburban 2001 rig?

[nicochau]

Hi all,

New to the forum here and seeking feedback on my plans.

I live in SoCal and I’m dying to get an off road rig. Currently assessing my options for a family friendly off road rig that would be used for road trips, camping and light off roading. My options vary from $30k to $6k and wanted to get your thoughts on the lower side of the range.

I’m eyeing a Suburban 2001 2500 4x4 with the 8.1l engine. Currently has 160k miles on it.

From the research I did:

• This is a great rare rig
• Perfect for family of 5 with: kids, camping gear, toys…
• 8.1L engine is virtually unbreakable
• 2500 has all the heavy duty chassis upgrades to make it a great off road ready platform

The truck itself:

• Previous owner was towing race cars with it (assuming this is not heavy towing)
• The truck is not in great shape: driver seat in bad condition, few dents here and there… but the price is reasonable (KBB value) so I won’t complain
• I have asked for VIN and maintenance history: didn’t get it yet

My plan is:

• Buy the thing early next week… TBD
• Change all fluids - (we are probably talking few hundred dollars here)
• Change the driver seat cushion and arm holder - saw options on ebay already
• Change the shocks - because nothing rides well with bad shocks -, possibly change the tires - TBD
• Get a quality 12V air compressor
• Take it for a first camping trip after the summer

I am not planning further upgrades. Reason: I want to keep it good on-road (90-95% of the expected driving) and want to keep a center of gravity relatively low (I know…). I also want to limit the added weight.

My priorities:

• I can live with the older styling…
• I can live with the limits of the model off road...
• I can live with the mileage…
• I can live with a few repairs… ideally handled upstream
• I cannot live with a non-reliable truck (this thing will be transporting my family)

Before I pull the trigger, I’ll be checking the following:

• Status of fluids / maintenance history
• History or repairs: fuel pump, tie rods, pitman arm (don't even know what this is!), spark plugs, belts.
• History of ownership and locations of ownership: rust on the chassis
• How the transmission drives
• Smog test
• Anything missing?

I know at the end of the day, the value of the deal will not be defined by purchase price, it will be defined by whether this was a well maintained truck or not. If it’s a lemon and it leaves my family on the side of the road then I’m missing the point here.

Questions:

1. So what do you think?
2. Is it completely unrealistic to believe that such an old truck can be made reliable?
3. Is there anything else I should check before buying?
4. Is there another upgrade / maintenance I should consider?

Thanks for your help! All comments are welcome.

 

[Rippin'AV]

Its all in the details. Make sure you get as much service history as possible on that. Check the usual wear items, belts, hoses, sensors, etc. Your list seems pretty good. I'd bet at 160k there has been some work to the tranny and transfer case and if there hasn't, be prepared for that. A good transmission shop can get you a bulletproof rebuild/upgrade at a decent cost but worth peace of mind if service history is unknown.

Its a solid rig though, my good buddy had one of those and it was a beast. Survived numerous trips towing a trailer with motorcycles down into Baja and getting rallied down there. Great engine and good sized rig.

Good luck.

 

[lilkia]

Youll be happy with everything about the 2500 8.1ltr except the mileage. If you stay off the skinny pedal youll see 12mpg if it hasnt been thrashed. The problem is the skinny pedal is so much fun to mash to the floor. The 8.1 is a beast. I have a 2001 2500 8.1 and I freakin love it. It has a Black Bear tune and long tube headers.

If the guy was towing a race car it probably wasnt abused to much. Probably 5-6000lbs load which is nothing for the 8.1/4l80e trans. The 02+(and some late 01s) have a little better trans with the 4l85e but either are fine.

Pitman arm goes from the steering box to the drag link for the steering. It has a ball joint where it connects to the draglink. They wear and get sloppy.

Throw a key lift on it, a set of 285/75r16s and youll have a nice handling capable off road rig. They are heavier than the 1500s but its all down low so it actually has a lower center of gravity.

They 2001s are very reliable. Id drive it across the country without worry. Matter of fact I have. They dont have the extra electronic crap of the 2003 and newer that is prone to go on the fritz and the 8.1 4l80e are nearly bulletproof. I drive an 01 8.1 4-5 days a week to work and tow a 9000lb boat with it on the weekends. If its in good shape I say go for it.

 

[rayra]

Lot of folks here having a good time with them in 1/2 and 3/4 ton. THere's a link to a list of most the GMT800 guys in the first post of my 'Hey Vortec Guys' topic, as well as some of the typical minor issues to be dealt with.
https://www.expeditionportal.com/fo...uburban-yukon-etc.155266/page-21#post-2302987

One of the key things is that these are in their prime in terms of replacement parts. And if you can wield a wrench you can save a lot of money doing some work yourself. I can also heartily recommend rockauto.com

 

[XJLI]

As far as the driver's seat goes, pick up some foam and a new leather cover from the seat shop. I put the durofoam in my truck a couple weeks ago and it's an amazing difference.

Everything else is nothing to worry about. If there wasn't anything that scared you on the test drive, all there is to do is basic maintenance. The trucks are bulletproof.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Yeah, the 3/4 ton trucks are pretty solid. As long as you can endure the beating your wallet will take at the gas pump @$4.00+ per gallon, you should be fine. With a 37 gallon tank, fuel-ups are likely to be in the $150+ range!

 

[Martinjmpr]

The nice thing about GMT800 interior parts is that they were mostly the same for the entire product run so getting a replacement seat should be easy at a junkyard.

 

[nicochau]

Yeah, the 3/4 ton trucks are pretty solid. As long as you can endure the beating your wallet will take at the gas pump @$4.00+ per gallon, you should be fine. With a 37 gallon tank, fuel-ups are likely to be in the $150+ range!

Totally, still considering things! ?

 

[nicochau]

Youll be happy with everything about the 2500 8.1ltr except the mileage. If you stay off the skinny pedal youll see 12mpg if it hasnt been thrashed. The problem is the skinny pedal is so much fun to mash to the floor. The 8.1 is a beast. I have a 2001 2500 8.1 and I freakin love it. It has a Black Bear tune and long tube headers.

If the guy was towing a race car it probably wasnt abused to much. Probably 5-6000lbs load which is nothing for the 8.1/4l80e trans. The 02+(and some late 01s) have a little better trans with the 4l85e but either are fine.

Pitman arm goes from the steering box to the drag link for the steering. It has a ball joint where it connects to the draglink. They wear and get sloppy.

Throw a key lift on it, a set of 285/75r16s and youll have a nice handling capable off road rig. They are heavier than the 1500s but its all down low so it actually has a lower center of gravity.

They 2001s are very reliable. Id drive it across the country without worry. Matter of fact I have. They dont have the extra electronic crap of the 2003 and newer that is prone to go on the fritz and the 8.1 4l80e are nearly bulletproof. I drive an 01 8.1 4-5 days a week to work and tow a 9000lb boat with it on the weekends. If its in good shape I say go for it.

@lilkia how is the ride quality in the 3/4 suburban?

 

[BigTex]

Nico, you seem concerned with reliability due to the age of the vehicle and I don't believe you should be. The GMT800s have some quirks, but they are well built. While not a suburban, I daily drive a 2005 GMC 2500HD 100 miles a day through Dallas traffic. I have 232K on the odometer. I'm running 1/2 ton keys in the front and a 1.5" block in the rear with 285's on aftermarket rims. I see almost 13mpg average (6.0). Reliability hasn't been an issue. Little things like water pump, had to rebuild the front end due to all the miles, but as far as engine, trans, etc. it's been a great truck. I think you'll like the suburban.

 

[lilkia]

@lilkia how is the ride quality in the 3/4 suburban?

Its a little stiffer than a 1500 truck but they arent bad. My wife actually prefers taking it over my bmw when we go somewhere like San Antonio or Austin which is about 4 hours.
Offroad is a little rougher unloaded but they are much more stable when loaded with camping gear. You dont get the wallow like you do in a lighter duty truck.

 

[Buddha.]

I think the 2500 Suburban is pretty much the same as the Silverado 2500. There's some quirks like the stepper motors going out leading to the gauges not working. But if you keep an eye on transmission temps and engine oil level it should be reliable.
I wish I had the 8.1 in my 2011 2500 truck. I've got the 6.0 6spd 4.10 gears, best mileage I've ever seen is 13.6 all highway. I've had it for a couple years, 130k on it. The only problem I've had was an o2 sensor going bad which was 100$ fix.

 

[lilkia]

As mentioned above the gmt800s 2500s are very reliable. They do have some of the same issues as 1500 trucks with interior parts like stepper motors, window regulators, or switches but even these arent common. The one issue with the 8.1 is oil consumption. Its not terrible but you do need to watch it. You can expect at least a 1 quart loss every 3000 miles.

The drive train and suspensions are much more durable. Its easy to get 200k miles before any steering or suspension rebuilds are necessary. Except for the switch to LS based engines in 2000 and the 6lxx trannys in 2009 the 2500s are pretty similar from 96 through 2013. The gmt800 is a tried and true platform without any major issues. The most important thing is how it was treated. There arent many 2500s for sale for a reason. People tend to hang on to them when they get them.

 

[wirenut]

I had an 8.1L in a 2001 dually; it was a great engine, smooth, quiet, powerful. I wouldn't worry about the age or the miles. My families current rides are: 2005 Chevy 3500 with 248,000 miles, 2002 Grand Cherokee with 210,000 miles, 2010 Buick with 211,000 miles, 2009 2500 Suburban with 105,000 miles. They are all solid reliable vehicles. I'll probably keep the truck another 1 -2 years until I hit 300,000. The others, I'm not sure how long we'll have them.
I love my 2500 Sub. It tows our 7,000 pound boat with our family of 5 with no problems. I can hold the speed limit going over mountains on the way to the lake. I considered buying a GMT800 but I wanted to have the 6 speed auto so it would automatically downshift in case my wife ever drove it towing the boat.

 

[Buliwyf]

Race car trailers are very heavy towing. Completely wrong reasoning there.

RV's contain foam, plastic, and wood veneer. Race car trailers haul steel tools, steel tool boxes,steel jacks, and steel stands. Racing is 24/7, not just a weekend hobby. Race through the work week while fixing the car at night, race to the track, race to the hotel, back to the track, etc. etc. It's very hard on tow vehicles and your sanity.

Keep room in your budget for a complete trans rebuild. Replace the fuel pump and brake calipers. Don't freak out about oil consumption. The 8.1 drinks oil regardless of condition.