Advice on what truck to purchase? Crew cab vs suburban for family of 4+dog adventures

[jhc5]

I've been lurking around here for a while now, bear with my exposition. I'm in the SF Bay Area, and my dad and I have been wilderness backpackers for a long time. But my dad can't do the week+ hikes anymore. Dad is set on buying his way into the overlanding hobby when the redesigned JKU's come out. It's the right size for him and my mom. But I need a rig too, and right now I've got my wife and infant son, but in all likelihood we'll be a family of four+dog in a couple years. I'm looking for something that can haul a family's worth of gear. Only looking to do a mild lift and tires, since this will by my main vehicle too (I only commute a few times a month).

From spending time around here, it seems like either a 4-door pickup or a suburban could fit the bill. I like the old square body suburbans, and they're relatively affordable, but will need TLC and a lift, tires, etc. But it would also be a truck I could learn to work on (I haven't worked on vehicles much at all other than oil changes since high school shop). Buying a pickup is probably more expensive upfront (crew cab less than 10 years old) but could be a little more turn-key.

What do you folks think who have already spent time figuring out how to accommodate the family? Is the suburban unnecessarily large? Will it limit where we can drive if my main trail buddy is a JKU? Does the pickup restrict sleeping options too much? What do you guys do?

Thanks!

 

[Buliwyf]

I'm going to vote crew cab long bed pickup every time.

Our Excursion was always a little too small and cramped, while our CCLB truck always had a little extra room we didn't need. Dog was happy with the kids in the back seat, and often was happy in a nice walled crate ratchet strapped in the bed. That was unexpected, but the dog actually looked forward to riding in that.

 

[Burb One]

I have a suburban, that through the years of me exploring has started to become a little more than mildly lifted, etc.

Saying that, I started with the same intentions, and installed a 2-2.5" lift via keys and longer shocks (free-$200 depending on if you want to piece together something from a junkyard or just get the ease of a kit) and 33" tires. Exploring the Sierras, western NV and CA coast, I rarely ran into places I couldn't go, even with my buddy with a 4runner on 37's. You couldn't do the Rubicon, but all forest service roads, and most moderate trails are more than doable. Being it is your dad, you could go to a destination, have your truck as the base camp, and go on the local tough trail with the JK if you wanted, but that's if you are looking for trouble, the suburban for 98% of the stuff out there, can get you there with just a few modifications.

I slowly added stuff as I went to my current setup, but the above is completely possible to stay one, depends what you want out of the trucks! If you do think you will want to do a little harder wheeling, or just want to benefit of not having to worry, the 6 inch lifts for these trucks are fairly cheap, with 33's makes it very capable and not overly large (plus get's you the lift with an optimal CV angles), and may save you $ down the long run so you don't have to buy twice (like I did)

What took me to stay with a Suburban vs. a Chevy or dodge pickup, was the seating space inside. A couple times a year, I need to seat 8, and even with my current sleeping platform, I can take it all out and throw the third row in within 15 minutes. Also, in comparison the exterior dimensions of the pickups are basically the same size as the suburban (The pickups do give a little better space efficiency for packing stuff in, but it's marginal IMO), so I figure, it was either a topper on the pickup, with no option of ever putting people back there, or the suburban, with the option.

Unless you have a reason to stay with the GMT-400's (emotional attachment, etc.) I would recommend a GMT-800 the creature comforts are much, much better from my experience having grown up and using both. The GMT800's are almost the same price, maybe $1k more but the bigger variable will be the example you are looking at. In your and my area you can find a good GMT800 for $4-6k, and a GMT400 worth buying seems to be 3k-5k.

The biggest $ buy item in our area, is the transmission. Try to find one with a recent reputable rebuild, if this is unsure budget ~1-1.5k for a good rebuild at some point. Also make sure to wait for a rust free one, being in CA, with so many of them available there is not reason to wait to find the right one, with no rust. It wont take long.

Also search around here, there are many of us with varying degrees of setup that have talked about this and all there else there is to now about trail prepping these trucks. Let us know if you have any other questions too!

 

[jhc5]

Buliwyf -- Do you guys sleep in tents, RTT, combo? Thanks for your input. I do like that a CCLB would give me a truck bed I could beat on.

Geronracing -- Man, I took a look at your build thread, and what a rig! I hadn't really considered the GMT800s because I had thought they were a little more than I wanted to spend, but you're right, they aren't really too much more now that I'm looking. Definitely see your point about creature comforts vs going for the classic look.

I'm going to do some more digging around here and take better notes on model/years that interest me.

 

[Ducky's Dad]

If you get serious about a big pickup, look around for a Dodge/Ram MegaCab. The early ones are probably getting down to a reasonable price level now. If you go with a Sub, try to get a 2500 or 3500, much better than the 1500 and ride is almost as nice. On any GM product, look for one with the G80 option code on the sticker, usually in the glove box; that indicates auto locker or limited slip rear. If interior space seems a bit tight at some point, it's easy to mount something like a Yakima basket to the roof rack.

 

[upcruiser]

So we are a family of 4 with a dog, albeit a small one. I put a ton of thought into what we wanted for long trips and for a mix of some local daily driving. I ended up deciding on a 2500 Suburban GMT800. I wanted something that could eat up miles, be relatively mechanically simple, be reliable with drivetrain longevity, affordable, and easy to find parts for. We also are avid skiers, mountain bikers, paddlers, etc so we needed something that could be super flexible with hauling gear. We also use a 23 foot camper to base camp for mountain biking trips and that was a big reason we went with the 2500 though I probably would have done it anyway since I wanted something that felt truck like and that was a bit over engineered in order to promote durability. The big thing for us doing the Burb vs a pickup was that we could put the 3rd row in when needed otherwise we used the storage space to haul bikes etc and with a 130" Wheelbase it is a bit less unwieldy with regards to breakover angle. I cranked the front a small amount and run 33's with no issue. It has a nice stance, ride, and gets us anywhere we need to go. The G80 locker is actually pretty effective for the stuff we have used our truck for. The 6 liter is renowned for longevity and so is the 4L80E tranny. I had a hard time finding a good one, took me 6 months and had to go out of the area to get it but I feel it was worth it and plan to have it awhile. The thing I found with Suburbans is that people LOVE them, but they aren't really an enthusiast car so they typically aren't well cared for, driven hard and neglected pretty often. Finding a well cared one is surprisingly tough and especially that same notion with a 2500. Oh, and with two kids in car seats you still have room for a full size dog on the second row seat, and that holds true for a full size Ford, Chevy, Dodge crew cab.

Now to admit, we really still wanted a pickup because using a trailer to haul stuff that we didn't want to throw inside the Suburban was annoying at times so my wife just got a new Colorado Duramax and let me tell you, that thing is sweet.

 

[tennesseewj]

Suburbans are actually shorter than crew cab pickups even though they don't look it because the wheelbase is so long. If you're looking to get lots of "stuff" down a road of any kind, it's hard to beat the cargo capacity of a Suburban.

If you squeeze 2 kids + a dog in a crew cab you're relegating all of your gear to the bed, which is neither dry nor lockable unless you add a cap. In a Suburban it's dry, lockable, and climate controlled!

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[boss324]

I'd vote for a GMT800 2500 Suburban with the 6.0 14 bolt semifloat. Most 4wd models will also have G80 autolocker and skid plates. I've been slowly building up mine recently after owning it for 14 years. The platform is fantastic all the modern amenities decent interior lot of room to carry people and gear plus tow! We still love taking the Burb out on adventures.

Couple of things if lifting, the IFS is the weak link but if you invest in goodies to beef up it will take you alot of places.

Id go with either Cognito or Kryptonite UCA with lift keys this combination will give you the droup back which you lose when just keyed. The Cognito PISK helped keep my steering nice and tight after putting 33s on. Also I'd recommend the Rare Parts HD tie rods 1.5" or Kryptonite HD 1 1/8" sleaved tie rods. Out back I just did a set of 2" lift blocks to maintain the factory look. This setup with the Fox 2.0 shocks maintain the factory ride but much more compliant off-road.not to mention I love the look...lol

 

[toastyjosh]

suburbans are cheaper than crew cab pickups, for the most part. Both are great. A pick up has more options that you can do with it.
If budget is your issue go with a burb and a roof box.

 

[TwinStick]

I was also in that dilemma at one point. Started out with a 2000 Dakota 4 door, 360 5.9L V-8 gas, 3.92's & pulled a Coleman 3000lb tent camper. Went to a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4 door short box, 5.7L Hemi 545RFE auto trans & 4.10's. Now have a 2008 Dodge Power Wagon w/G56 & pull a 18' camper. Because our camper fridge is so tiny, ended up putting an ARE MX series cap, no windows, Yakima roof basket, made my own bed slide & put our 82 qt & 50 qt ARB fridge/freezers in there. We can stay gone for a good long while. No regrets so far.

 

[rayra]

seconding everything geron and tennessee have pointed out. I've got all three vehicle options and it's Suburban hands down and going away, for all their reasons and more. not least of which is the ability to fit four adults and gear AND 2 dogs at the same time. Road trips are comfortable and pleasant. The aforementioned security and climate control.

My seat config in either Sub or Tahoe will hold six (buckets in 1st and 2nd, bench in third). The Sub still has 30cu' of storage behind the THIRD row.

My Sub is within an inch or so of the overall length and wheelbase of my single cab longbed pickup. With the 2nd and 3rd row folded in the Sub, I can fit entire 4'x8' sheet products in it, with the Liftgate closed. I've even fit 12' mouldings and lumber in it with everything closed up. ~100cu' of space behind the front seats.

The only drawback in the Tahoe is the inability to roll the back windows down more than ~60%. The door shape and its shorter wheelbase just don't allow it. And if you are using the third row you won't fit much more than a small bag per person. Road trip for 4 is nice, snug with dogs too. The Sub has ~56" of depth behind the 2nd row.


eta also seek out mccustomize if he doesn't spot this topic. He's got a real nice quad cab pickup build . He can speak to hauling a family in it. and IIRC he's leaning towards a Suburban build with a straight axle

 

[Martinjmpr]

suburbans are cheaper than crew cab pickups, for the most part. Both are great. A pick up has more options that you can do with it.
If budget is your issue go with a burb and a roof box.

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This right here. I've remarked on it before but it's something that always amuses/fascinates me.
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Brand new, a Suburban will be more expensive than a more-or-less equivalent crew cab truck. That makes sense because not only does the SUV have more sheet metal, but typically SUVs have a lot more in the way of "features" like power windows/doors, climate control, more high tech suspensions (4 link/coilover vs. simple leaf springs, etc) fancier interiors, better stereos, and so on.
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But once they hit the used market, the prices invert. In fact, it's not just in Suburbans, this is a phenomenon that is true of every SUV/Truck comparison I am aware of: The SUV will always - ALWAYS - be less expensive than the pickup.
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IOW, a 4runner will always be cheaper than a 4x4 Tacoma of the same year even if the Tacoma is in worse shape and has higher miles. A Silverado/Sierra will be more expensive than a Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Yukon XL. An Xterra or Pathfinder will be less expensive than a Frontier. An Expedition will cost less than an equivalent F-150. So if cost is a factor for you (and really, who ISN'T it a factor for?) that favors the SUV right there.
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There's also the "bulkhead" factor. With a crew cab truck you will have two completely separate cargo areas, the cab and the bed. Many modern crew cab short bed pickups don't even have a full 6' bed which means that you can't set up a sleeping system back there unless you want to sleep with the tailgate down, and that usually means you sleep in a ground tent or RTT. OTOH, if you want a longer bed - 6.5 to 8' - you end up with some hideous wheelbase like 150" or so (not to mention the additional weight the longer wheelbase brings.) With a Suburban, by contrast, everything is under one roof - as others have said, carrying 8' long building materials is easy if you remove the 3rd row seat, and if you fold the front seat down you can even get materials up to 10 - 11' inside the burb (also the rear glass opens so you can stick stuff out the back.)
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From 2002 - 2013, Chevy had, IMO, the perfect solution to this dilemma: The Avalanche. The Avalanche, with its disappearing midgate, got rid of the bulkhead and could haul 8' materials and also haul 5 adults, just by flopping the back seats up and down, all in a package the same size as a Suburban.
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Unfortunately, there weren't enough people who really appreciated the unique versatility of the Avalanche and Chevy realized they could make crew cab pickups (with a near-useless 5' bed) for less $$ so they dropped the avalanche.
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But try to find one on the used market and you'll see how valued they are to the people who own them! It's nearly impossible to find one under $10k even if it has 300,000 miles on it (I REALLY wanted an Avalanche when I was shopping for my tow vehicle but I wasn't prepared to pay $14,000 for a 10 year old vehicle with 200k on it so I got the less expensive Suburban instead.) BTW the Avalanche actually sits on a Suburban chassis, with the same 130" wheelbase and the same 4-link rear suspension.

 

[mccustomize]

Suburban /end thread

Seriously I have both configurations of four door chevy pickups, ex-cab and crew cab, hands down I would have started with a suburban if I could do it all over again.

 

[p nut]

Crewcab pick up gets my vote. It's just a more versatile platform, especially if you're using it for a daily driver. Ie, I'm heading over in a few minutes to pick up a yard of mulch. You could do that with a trailer as well, but it's more convenient for me. Camping: don't count on sleeping inside. Roof is fairly low in the burb. You'd be better off just doing a tent or RTT. Truck gives you another option: Flippac (or wildernest). I just ground tent it with my 2 kids. They love it.

I could honestly do ok with a burb as well. Just little less convenient.

 

[Burb One]

Crewcab pick up gets my vote. It's just a more versatile platform, especially if you're using it for a daily driver. Ie, I'm heading over in a few minutes to pick up a yard of mulch. You could do that with a trailer as well, but it's more convenient for me. Camping: don't count on sleeping inside. Roof is fairly low in the burb. You'd be better off just doing a tent or RTT. Truck gives you another option: Flippac (or wildernest). I just ground tent it with my 2 kids. They love it.

I could honestly do ok with a burb as well. Just little less convenient.

I think this hits on the points made quite well. What I get out of the discussion is on the camping/ overland side, they both have small pluses and minuses. The big difference is for those other days not in the forest- it's Hauling people? Suburban- Hauling stuff? Pickup.

I must say though the suburban has more than enough head room to sleep. I have a ~10 inch tall drawer setup we are on top of , and we sleep and live inside fine. I'm sure a pickup has more headroom with the high toppers. RTT gives a whole other world, but when traveling with two, not having to put up a tent or deal with anything outside of the truck is nice (same could be said of the pickup).