Suburban Poptop vs. Excursion Poptop….

[zoomad75]

I bet you could probably work it out.

2500 Suburban for sale in Ft. Collins. Engine and t-case recently replaced within 10k miles, fresh radiator and fresh front end. It's a high miler, so it could be riddled with all the same worn out issues yours has, but it's under 10k.

Might be worth a look and see.

craigslist

 

[Grassland]

You need to look at your actual miles per year driven, average that over the last several years, and realistically guess on what your lifestyle will be for a decade plus down the road and if your annual miles driven will be the same.
Only then can you begin to guess if a couple or five MPG will make a big difference over time vs purchase price and minimum maintenance costs.

I have a 3.7 Ford V6. I just did a 13,000 km road trip towing. I averaged roughly 20 liters per 100km or 12 US MPG. Unladen the best I can do is 20 US MPG.
But if the truck is never unladen, what does it matter?
I don't know what average fuel costs are for you, but I've filled up several tanks at or over $2 a liter, or over $7.50 per US gallon.
If I was driving a Ford 6.2 V8 with 100 lb ft more of torque and an extra 80 HP and got 10 MPG I wouldn't really have noticed the difference much on fuel, but the drive would have been easier.

 

[dur66@msn.com]

I'm in California so I know about expensive gas. It's the state government here that causes the cost to be so much. Not the national supply of petroleum.

I also own a 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche 2500 which has the 8.1L engine and a 4L85E transmission. The powertrain has 233,000 miles on it and I would feel comfortable driving this truck anywhere. It's all in how the truck is maintained.

 

[boll_rig]

I wanted to bring this thread back up with some new thoughts, being a couple years since the post. First off, for all you saying stick with a suburban, you were right.

Bought a 2002 Excursion with 102k on it. Flew to Cali to pick it up and headed back to Colorado. It was an amazing vehicle for the year I owned it, but it just wasn't for me. I didn't love the diesel and it also felt like I was sitting on a gold mine with it being so nice. I knew it could fetch some coin, so I sold it for 6k more after putting 17k miles on it.

A few notes. Best mileage I ever got was 17.1 mpg. It averaged about 13-14 towing my snowmobile on highway. Around town and at my house it got 11.5 (live 3000 feet above Boulder and do that drive to town). This wasn't enough for me to keep it, especially considering all the time to rework the pop top. The interior also felt cheap to me, the seats nowhere near as comfortable (however, I loved the room inside, its huge.) The noise did get old too. They are loud as ******** if you're coming from gas. On top of it all though, I hated to drive it. The ride and the handling were terrible compared to my suburban. And until the turbo kicks it, you really don't have much horsepower. Was it fun to try out though? Absolutely, just not for me. I will say though, I miss the 44 gallon tank and ~650 mile range.

So I found an 8.1 burb... 96k miles, 2001, in Pewter. Compared to the ex, suburbans drive like a race car—cannot emphasize this enough, they are way more fun to drive. Off-road, windy roads, even parking. Add the 8.1 and you really feel it. That off-the-line power was back. Here is a photo right after I got it.. don't worry, chrome handles removed.

It's now been almost a year since I have owned it. Best mileage is about 14-15 mpg going 60. See 12-13 occasionally. Otherwise it's 10 flat pretty much no matter what. 75-80 on highway or around town. Same with the snowmobile on back. Doing the math, I really don't pay much more than the ex in fuel. And even if so, I'd still go 8.1. It's just a pleasure to drive. However, after being in my '03 for close to 18 years, I miss the updated interior. The seats in the '01 don't really compare.

They both have their advantages and both are amazing vehicles, just depends on what works best for you and what feels better behind the wheel.

 

[vintageracer]

This is my daughter's 2004 GMC Yukon XL 4WD 8.1 (496 CI) we purchased from the second owner about 3 months ago with 200K miles for $6K. Original paint with no damage history. What a BARGAIN!

This replaces her other 2004 GMC Yukon XL 4WD 6.0 that she drove for the last 5 1/2 years and 135,000+ miles. Both Yukon's are same color and interior trim with only difference between the trucks being the 6.0 had a sunroof and the 8.1 does not.

The 6.0 had 325,000 miles when I sold it 2 weeks ago for only $600 LESS than we paid for it 5 1/2 years ago. Not to shabby for 135K miles of use in 5 1/2 years and only lose $$600 over what you originally paid for the it. These really are great trucks.

I cannot emphasize how much difference the 8.1 makes over the 6.0. Night and day difference. I also have an 8.1 in my 4WD van. Plenty of towing power to spare! These Suburban/Yukon XL's are far better trucks than her old boyfriends 7.3 4WD Excursion that she got to drive a lot!

It's hard to justify the "Diesel Tax" these days given the power and reliability of most modern gas engines!

 

[boll_rig]

That thing is clean, and a great deal, good find. They truly are amazing trucks.

I am actually looking around slowly to see if I can't find an 03-04 with the newer interior, barn doors, in charcoal/dark grey. I get in my 1500 from time to time and I just really love the interior so much more. Would have be the perfect vehicle for me to sell my 01 though.

Considering the amount of effort it will be to swap the poptop over, I might wait out another half year to see if I can't find one before cutting the roof on my 01.

 

[arveetek]

I'm a die-hard diesel guy. Been driving nothing but diesels since 1995. I love everything about them - the noise, the smoke, the rattle, the vibration, and the fuel economy.

However, the days are gone for making a valid reason to justify buying a diesel purely for the better fuel economy. Today's diesel engines are so complex, expensive to repair, expensive to maintain, and expensive to purchase, that it just doesn't make sense from a financial view to purchase a diesel, especially with diesel fuel being more expensive than gasoline.

If you tow trailers and haul heavy loads everyday, or if you just simply want a diesel, then that's fine. But we can no longer use the financial savings as a justifier any more. It's just not there. And that makes me sad!

It also makes me sad how quiet modern diesels are.... it's just not right! If I can't tell there's a diesel under the hood, I don't want it!

That old 7.3L Powerstroke is one of my favorite engines though.... it's just so obnoxiously loud (as you found out)!

Casey

 

[SDDiver5]

Sweet update!

I used to work near the local FBI office so I used to see 2500 suburbans on the reg. I love how undercover they are.

 

[boll_rig]

Arveetek I miss that 7.3 often. Anytime I hear one I look up. Even the smell. As my only vehicle day to day, though, I would prefer gas. And you make some great points, you really have to love owning one and be able to afford it to make it worth your while. Or tow heavy, often.


SDDiver5, fully agreed, love the undercover-ness.