Suburban shopping

[goin camping]

We've been looking at Suburbans lately. Lots of years, styles and power trains to sort through.

We need it to tow the trailer and be a stand alone camping vehicle so we're tied to getting a big block. And of course it will be 4WD.

We've been drawn to the 2001/2/3 DOB burbons with an 8.1. They are going in the $12K range. Since it'll only be used for towing and camping fuel costs are not a real concern.

Feel free to suggest model years with big blocks that have a better design. Or modifications to these years to make the systems more reliable.

Every one we've looked at needs off road tires and the front end raised. The auto level rear is high enough for our purpose which is dirt roads and washes out in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. Then we need to build a platform in the back for sleeping and storage underneath.

Is there a kit to allow the rear barn door windows to open? Air flow when sleeping in the desert is niiice. :sombrero:

We are selling our 06 Ford PSD 4X4 so we should have the cash to buy the burb, raise the front and put some decent tires on it and have a few bucks left over for incidentals.

 

[xpndbl3]

put on ventshades on the front 4 doors and just crack those windows instead of the rears

 

[evldave]

The '03 model years had the new dash...I prefer that to the 00-02 dash. I don't think there are any other major changes in those model years.

If you want to really set it up for airflow, put in a roll-down screen in the back - then you can open the barn doors and roll down the screen...use velcro around the edges to keep all the bugs out and it's almost like sleeping in a tent.

For lower long-term maintenance costs, try and find a Sub without the Autoride suspension...I've heard that it's more expensive to repair/fix and more likely to break than the non-Autoride. That said, my parents owned an '03 Tahoe w/Autoride and towed a trailer regularly...it makes it very nice leveling for the trailer weight!