Considering a 2005 Tahoe Z71.

[mnutz]

My expedition rigs for the last 10 years have been family camping rigs. We now have 3 kids, and I need a new rig.

I've driven Japanese trucks my whole life. Most recently a Pathfinder and an Xterra. I now live in the Heartland of America, imports are hard to find, and so are import mechanics. I can do the basics myself, and I've had great luck with not needing much major service on my rigs.

I think it's time now that I need a full size rig, to go domestic. The tiny rural community where I live has a Chevy dealer, as do all little American towns. That seems like a big plus.

I had no idea used, high mileage Z71s would be so high priced. I'm looking to stay under $6k.

I've found a 2005 Tahoe Z71, with G80 code, silver birch metallic, at a dealership. It's got 175,000 miles on it, but it's got a just installed re-manufactured engine and comes with a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty on internals.

The body has a bit of touched up rust. Maybe I can attach some pics. Otherwise everything works except seat heaters, and the driver power seat. Gray leather interior is very clean. Runs and drives nice.

$5650 is the price. What do you guys think?

Oh yeah, carfax says accident free, 2 owner. First 120,000 was a corporate owner.

 

[Tire_Marx]

3 kids? Family camping? Suburban will be a much friendlier option for a family.

 

[ExplorerTom]

3 kids? Family camping? Suburban will be a much friendlier option for a family.

Exactly.

Unless you plan on towing to haul the gear.

 

[rayra]

Have one sitting in my driveway, we're about to roll 200k mi on it. I'd be more concerned about the transmission than the motor (although our trans seems fine, it's almost all highway commuting miles). The price is reasonable.

If the kids are small and you don't have to use the 3rd row seating - is the second row a 60/40 bench or a pair of captain's chairs? -, you'll have plenty of rear cargo space.

If you need or want to use the 3rd row seating, you'll only have about 10" of cargo room behind it, IIRC (our 3rd row seats have been hanging in the garage for a long time)

Get a Suburban. 22" more cargo room, even with the 3rd row in. Got an '02 Sub in my driveway, too. Pricing will be very similar.

And one more 'decider' - especially with young kids - the Tahoe back door windows only go down about 8". Got to have a Suburban to have the windows go down all the way.

eta one more thing, if you aren't brand conscious, you'll find the GMC Yukon XL - same vehicle as a Suburban, but with different front grill and light arrangements (and Yukon = Tahoe) - are about $750-1200 cheaper.

 

[XJLI]

3 kids? Family camping? Suburban will be a much friendlier option for a family.

x3.

Burbs are usually cheaper too.

 

[mnutz]

Thanks guys. I didn't realize there's that little space behind the 3rd row in a Tahoe.

From what I'm seeing in my area, rural south central Nebraska, Suburbans are the same are more than Tahoes.

I'm going to look at one tomorrow at a Chevy dealer 60 miles away. It's an 04 Z71, white with tan leather, DVD, and roof, 199k. From the online pics it looks super clean. They've got it priced at $6950.

 

[mccustomize]

Thanks guys. I didn't realize there's that little space behind the 3rd row in a Tahoe.

From what I'm seeing in my area, rural south central Nebraska, Suburbans are the same are more than Tahoes.

I'm going to look at one tomorrow at a Chevy dealer 60 miles away. It's an 04 Z71, white with tan leather, DVD, and roof, 199k. From the online pics it looks super clean. They've got it priced at $6950.

Seems really high compared to prices in my area, for this deal you could fly down and drive it back cheaper, and NO rust!
https://waco.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-chevrolet-suburban-z71/6373635140.html

https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-chevrolet-suburban-z71/6344384740.html

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/2004-suburban-z71/6369230093.html

 

[Martinjmpr]

I would look at maybe doing a fly-and-drive from a warmer part of the US. Texas? And as other said, don't overlook the Yukon XL. However, a caution with the Yukon XL: "Denali" models have a different drivetrain than base Yukons/Yukon XLs. 4wd Denalis have a 6.0l V8 (as opposed to the 5.3 on the Suburban/Tahoe/non-Denali Yukon) and a single-speed transfer case (i.e. no low range) and full time 4wd. A "Denali" model is basically a Cadlillac Escalade with GMC badges. I don't know whether that's a deal breaker for you or not (it would be for me - the lack of 2wd and the lack of low range IMO negate the benefits of the bigger engine) but it's something to keep in mind as you search for Yukons/Yukon XLs.
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Ditto what they said above about Suburban vs. Tahoe. Unless you need to fit it into a small garage, I can't think of any good reason to go with the smaller Tahoe. Right now, with camping season over, my 'Burb is in "winter bus mode" which means the 3rd row is back in. I'm amazed at how much room there is behind the 3rd row seat! Here's a picture. This is behind the 3rd row!
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And here's what it looks like with the 3rd row removed and the 2nd row folded flat. That's 8' of cargo room! You can carry sheets of 4' x 8' building material and keep it all dry inside the truck. Unlike many modern SUVs, the 'Burb has a completely flat load deck when the seats are folded. Great for carrying cargo. This is our normal "summer camping" configuration since it's just the wife and I.
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Another big plus on the 'Burb: 5 more gallons in the tank. You'll appreciate that 31 gallon tank on long trips, I know I do. For towing the extra 12" of wheelbase is nice, too. MPG is comparable, so that's really a non-issue at least to me.
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I'll also echo what Rayra said WRT the transmission. It is a potential failure point. Not something to be unduly worried about, but just know that if/when it goes the cost should be around $2k (which I believe is much less than it would cost to rebuild/replace the tranny on a Japanese vehicle.) 4L60 failures are so common that I'll bet there are half a dozen transmission shops in your area that can do the work. I don't know if this is always the case, but when mine went out last year, it "failed safe", that is, I lost gears 3 and 4 but was able to make it home in 2nd (pulling a 2000lb trailer and with two kayaks on the roof, wife and dog in the truck!) And my road home took me over an 11,000' pass (Eisenhower Tunnel.)
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Once you have your truck, the GMT-800 mafia can advise you on upgrades and mods. :ylsmoke:

 

[Martinjmpr]

Exactly.

Unless you plan on towing to haul the gear.

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Even then the 'burb is a better tow vehicle due to the longer wheelbase.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Seems really high compared to prices in my area, for this deal you could fly down and drive it back cheaper, and NO rust!
https://waco.craigslist.org/cto/d/2002-chevrolet-suburban-z71/6373635140.html

https://austin.craigslist.org/cto/d/2003-chevrolet-suburban-z71/6344384740.html

https://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/cto/d/2004-suburban-z71/6369230093.html

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Between all those I'd take the '04. 04 saw a lot of mid-series upgrades, among them I know was the brakes.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Final comment and picture: OP, with a spouse and 3 kids, assuming you can put all 3 in the 2nd row (most likely you can), here's what your cargo area would look like in a Suburban:
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A lot of the Z71 Suburbans have the 2nd row buckets. I don't know what they look like folded down so I don't know if they have the same flat load deck. I definitely wanted a 2nd row bench in mine and the lack of a bench in the 2nd row would have been a deal breaker for me. I don't know if it's possible to retrofit a bench to a truck that came with 2nd row buckets - as with anything else, I assume that with enough application of force and/or money anything is possible, but in your situation I would definitely favor a 2nd row bench rather than the bucket setup often found in Z71 and Yukon XL models.

 

[jeep-N-montero]

FWIW, we found our 2003 Yukon XL 2500(a slightly nicer version of the Suburban 2500) locally last year being sold by the original owners with 128k miles on the 6.0 for $5500, they accepted $5k due to needing a water pump and tune-up. It has zero rust on the body and the heated leather seats with rear DVD for the kiddos are our favorite features. If I were you I would avoid dealers with painted over rust spots and search in drier climates, a plane ride will be far cheaper than chasing rust issues and high mileage headaches.

 

[DavidS]

Take it from a guy who has owned both....Go for the Suburban. Tahoe was my all time favorite vehicle until I owned a suburban...

 

[DavidS]

FWIW, we found our 2003 Yukon XL 2500(a slightly nicer version of the Suburban 2500) locally last year being sold by the original owners with 128k miles on the 6.0 for $5500, they accepted $5k due to needing a water pump and tune-up. It has zero rust on the body and the heated leather seats with rear DVD for the kiddos are our favorite features. If I were you I would avoid dealers with painted over rust spots and search in drier climates, a plane ride will be far cheaper than chasing rust issues and high mileage headaches.

Good advice here.

 

[Martinjmpr]

WRT the Tahoe-vs-Suburban issue, I think one reason people avoid Suburbans is the perception that "it's too big!" Too big to fit in a garage, too big to take on a trail, etc.
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While it's true that compared to the current crop of compact and mid-size vehicles the Suburban is "big", it's actually smaller than most full size pickups, and people don't think twice about taking a full size pickup onto a trail or into the city.
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By way of comparison, one of the more common configuration of most full size 4wd pickup trucks is the 4 door cab pickup with the short bed (usually about 5.5' or so.) Comparing the 2004 Silverado Crew Cab to the Suburban reveals that the Suburban is significantly smaller than the Crew Cab pickup, even with the short bed:
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Suburban: 130" wheelbase, 18'3" overall length, curb weight 5549, turning radius 43.7'
Crew cab short bed pickup: 143" wheelbase, 19' 2" overall length, curb weight 5117, turning radius 47.3'
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So while the Suburban is "big" compared to the Tahoe, it's not too big for the street or the trail. And at 18' 3" OAL it will fit in most garages while many pickups will not.