Hey ya'll! Been reading this forum for a few years, but this is my first real post. I hate for my first post to be a request for assistance (and a long-winded one at that) rather than a contribution of some sort, but I could really use some advice on a potential purchase and thought no one was more qualified to help out on these matters than the folks who hang out here.
I've always been a Toyota guy (several Tacomas and 4Runners), but a while back we decided we'd really like something bigger for our frequent weekend road trips to the beach and mountains for kayaking/paddleboarding/camping/hiking/biking/skiing, as well as a slow build for a long trip out west and down into Baja in a couple years. This would also be my daily (or near-daily) driver, as well.
Anyway, I've been browsing CL for a while now, and have looked at a handful of Suburbans, mostly in the 99-2002 year range. Nothing that excited me too much....until this past week, when I found what looked like a real gem. A 1999 Suburban 3/4 ton 7.4L, 4.10 rear end with only 95k! Looked really clean in the pics on the dealership website. When I asked a salesman in an email if it needed anything at all, his reply was "it's real clean, low miles, runs great, and everything works". Price was $7,600 out-the-door, and "firm", according to the dealer, as he had recently lowered it. The truck is exactly what I've been looking for......yeah, it's a little pricey, but it didn't seem too bad coming from a dealership and being as clean and low miles as it is. The only rub: it's 4.5 hours away and this dealership isn't open on the weekends.
So......I decided I wanted to see it bad enough that I took the day off work, took the cash out of the account, and left really early in the morning to get there at a reasonable time to take a look, hopefully make the deal, and be home in time to make dinner for the family.
When I got there, it was immediately apparent that the salesman had been a little less than 100% honest.
First, the good:
- The exterior was, overall, very clean and solid
- The engine purrs....motor and exhaust sound just like a low-mileage big block should
- Upholstery had no stains or rips. Vinyl flooring was in great shape. Dash and trim are in great shape with no cracks
- Engine compartment was very clean
- Undercarriage was very clean
- Drove very well. Engine, transmission, drive train, brakes all felt smooth and healthy.
The questionable:
- Interior is dirty. I turned the AC on to make sure it worked, and a ton of dust and small leaves flew out of the vents. (Not a big deal, but just didn't make a good impression)
- Paint is badly faded on the roof, with light rust in a few spots (not a big deal, easily repaired)
- Remote door locks do not work
- Electric door lock switches from the front seats do not unlock either rear door
- Driver side door never did open at all - it wouldn't unlock electrically or with the mechanical lock handle
- Driver's seat was kind of cockeyed, leaning back and to the right some. Not sure if the seat frame is bent or what
- One of the rear windows only rolled halfway down
- Passenger side mirror was broken
- Neither front door closed smoothly. They seemed out of alignment. Not sure if that is just a matter of tightening the hinges, or what.
- Needs tires. Not a big deal of course, but just one more expense to have to deal with right away.
Overall, the truck is very solid, clean, and mechanically in very good shape. My impression was that you could probably drive it from Florida to Alaska and back with no mechanical issues. I don't know if my expectations were too high for a 16 year old truck, or if I was just surprised and annoyed because the salesman led me to believe that the truck needed nothing at all. Not that I'm looking for a cream puff, but for almost $8k and coming from a dealership I guess I expected not to have to deal with gremlins like this as soon as I get it home. Perhaps the biggest problem is that I'm just not that familiar with GM trucks, so I'm not really sure what I'm getting myself into.
So for an otherwise solid truck with only 95k on the clock, should these issues be a concern? It's mostly electrical stuff; I don't know how simple or hard that might be to get in shape. I'm only somewhat mechanically inclined - I normally do my own basic maintenance and very minor repairs, but that's about it.
Should I keep looking, or should I just fork over the $7600 to get this otherwise solid beast and fix this stuff myself?
I've always been a Toyota guy (several Tacomas and 4Runners), but a while back we decided we'd really like something bigger for our frequent weekend road trips to the beach and mountains for kayaking/paddleboarding/camping/hiking/biking/skiing, as well as a slow build for a long trip out west and down into Baja in a couple years. This would also be my daily (or near-daily) driver, as well.
Anyway, I've been browsing CL for a while now, and have looked at a handful of Suburbans, mostly in the 99-2002 year range. Nothing that excited me too much....until this past week, when I found what looked like a real gem. A 1999 Suburban 3/4 ton 7.4L, 4.10 rear end with only 95k! Looked really clean in the pics on the dealership website. When I asked a salesman in an email if it needed anything at all, his reply was "it's real clean, low miles, runs great, and everything works". Price was $7,600 out-the-door, and "firm", according to the dealer, as he had recently lowered it. The truck is exactly what I've been looking for......yeah, it's a little pricey, but it didn't seem too bad coming from a dealership and being as clean and low miles as it is. The only rub: it's 4.5 hours away and this dealership isn't open on the weekends.
So......I decided I wanted to see it bad enough that I took the day off work, took the cash out of the account, and left really early in the morning to get there at a reasonable time to take a look, hopefully make the deal, and be home in time to make dinner for the family.
When I got there, it was immediately apparent that the salesman had been a little less than 100% honest.
First, the good:
- The exterior was, overall, very clean and solid
- The engine purrs....motor and exhaust sound just like a low-mileage big block should
- Upholstery had no stains or rips. Vinyl flooring was in great shape. Dash and trim are in great shape with no cracks
- Engine compartment was very clean
- Undercarriage was very clean
- Drove very well. Engine, transmission, drive train, brakes all felt smooth and healthy.
The questionable:
- Interior is dirty. I turned the AC on to make sure it worked, and a ton of dust and small leaves flew out of the vents. (Not a big deal, but just didn't make a good impression)
- Paint is badly faded on the roof, with light rust in a few spots (not a big deal, easily repaired)
- Remote door locks do not work
- Electric door lock switches from the front seats do not unlock either rear door
- Driver side door never did open at all - it wouldn't unlock electrically or with the mechanical lock handle
- Driver's seat was kind of cockeyed, leaning back and to the right some. Not sure if the seat frame is bent or what
- One of the rear windows only rolled halfway down
- Passenger side mirror was broken
- Neither front door closed smoothly. They seemed out of alignment. Not sure if that is just a matter of tightening the hinges, or what.
- Needs tires. Not a big deal of course, but just one more expense to have to deal with right away.
Overall, the truck is very solid, clean, and mechanically in very good shape. My impression was that you could probably drive it from Florida to Alaska and back with no mechanical issues. I don't know if my expectations were too high for a 16 year old truck, or if I was just surprised and annoyed because the salesman led me to believe that the truck needed nothing at all. Not that I'm looking for a cream puff, but for almost $8k and coming from a dealership I guess I expected not to have to deal with gremlins like this as soon as I get it home. Perhaps the biggest problem is that I'm just not that familiar with GM trucks, so I'm not really sure what I'm getting myself into.
So for an otherwise solid truck with only 95k on the clock, should these issues be a concern? It's mostly electrical stuff; I don't know how simple or hard that might be to get in shape. I'm only somewhat mechanically inclined - I normally do my own basic maintenance and very minor repairs, but that's about it.
Should I keep looking, or should I just fork over the $7600 to get this otherwise solid beast and fix this stuff myself?
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Strictly because I have a 2001.