Thinking about an 01 - 03 Suburban Z71

[Superu]

It's going to be time to replace the old minivan in the next year so I'm looking at my options since my 3 sons aren't getting any smaller. Trips under a 1000 miles are fine in the Superu, but for longer outings I'm gonna need something with more room.

After looking at a lot of options for less than 10 grand, I'm really leaning heavily towards a Suburban. I figure with the quad captain seats and the third row, there'll be plenty of room for the 5 of us as well as my Engel MT45 and camping gear.

I know the 01+ models have IFS but I'm not planning on any serious rock crawling or trails calling for major articulation.

I'd like to eventually build something up to include an Ezi-Awn 2200, winch bumper, sliders and rear bumper to carry fuel, water and spare tire and a mild lift maybe 3" or 4".

I'd love to hear from others about availability of build components as well as things to look out for going down this path.

Thanks,
Bill

 

[bigreen505]

Stick with the regular back seat and ditch the third row. If you are driving in the mountains at all get the 4.11 gears, it makes a big difference both in mileage and power. If possible, stay away from the autoride system. It is very nice and works well, but is costs about $5k to replace when it dies and you can't use standard shocks without the ECU freaking out. The towing package is worth getting for the oil and tranny coolers. Plan to spend some time, money or both to replace bushings and ball joints in the front end.

Overall, they are great trucks.

 

[Superu]

Third row is a requirement to separate the 4, 7 and 9 year old boys on long trips!

Thanks for the heads up on the auto-ride, bushings and ball joints. It's always helpful to know what to look out for and what to plan on replacing.

 

[02TahoeMD]

Chevy owner checks in....

I love my 2002 Tahoe, which I am sure you know is a close sibling of the Suburban. My personal feedback for what it is worth:

The "NBS" Chevy trucks are separated into 2 groups. The 2000 1/2 to 2002, and then 2003 to 2006. Physically they are the same in appearance, with minor differences in interior and exterior trim. But in 2003 they changed the wiring and some of the other "guts" of the trucks. A common problem for the 2003-06 versions is a whacked out speedometer, that would show wrong speeds, etc, at random and unpredictable intervals. If you buy a used truck from that year group, see if the speedometer has had a rebuild or recall service done on it.

Totally agreed on the observation made about autoride. If you can find a Suburban with the four captain chairs and third row, you should be set for your boys traveling in style. Add a roof mounted DVD player and you may even forget they are on the trip.

My vote, if you intend to take the truck into rugged areas, would be to get the 2500 Suburban with the towing package. This gives you HD suspension components and would be a big leg up on any "improvements" you wish to do in the future.

As for my Tahoe, I absolutely love the ride and have spent up to 13 hours in the saddle, travelling, without problem. My brother has a Sequoia, and my work truck is an Expedition, and of all three SUV's I truly love the ride, performance, and interior ergonomics, of my Tahoe, hands down.

There is a pretty fair amount of "toys" available for the NBS Chevys, although in some cases we have to fab our own stuff. ( I modified a Safari Snorkel for mine, since none existed, just as an example. ) Check out the links in my sig, the stuff I have done to my truck can all be done to a Suburban quite easily. Also, pay a visit to z71tahoe-suburban, you will find a wealth more of information about these trucks.

Anything else I could help with, just ask.

 

[Nitromethane43]

It's not a bad choice to choose an suburban for what you are looking to do, as far as differences I personally prefer the older version of the NBS which is pre 03 which has less electronic controls. If you can get look for an 02 which has the latest updates and fixes in the 99-02 generation of vehicles.

If you have five in your family and you are looking for a lot of storage it may be better off going with a bench seat in the second row for ample storage space. The third row takes up a lot of your usable space. Or get one with captain seats and replace the front center console with the jump seat, this way the second row also has good access to the back.

As far as auto ride, it's nice to have but there are a lot of components which may make it more venerable, if things to do out or you do decide to change out to shocks of your preference, it can be bypassed and regular shocks can be put in it's place.

Have you looked at any of the Yukon XL's? I use to have an 2000 Tahoe and now I have a 01 Yukon XL, it seems that there are some little details Chevy seems to leave out both were LT/SLT trim GMC seems to have it more refined.

 

[ujoint]

I would recommend staying away from the half tons, especially if you plan to lift. Get a 2500. More durable suspension, better rear axle (14 bolt full floater), more aftermarket components available.

 

[JoshInReno]

Look for one with the 6.0 motor.

Have had LOTS of problems with the 5.3's.

The fuel module (pump, sending unit, strainer) have been a problem on GM trucks since 98 - they usually run around $600 - if it all possible, try to keep the tank half way full or better. The pumps rely on the fuel to keep cool, so when the level drops they overheat quickly and burn up.

 

[Superu]

Look for one with the 6.0 motor.

Have had LOTS of problems with the 5.3's.

The fuel module (pump, sending unit, strainer) have been a problem on GM trucks since 98 - they usually run around $600 - if it all possible, try to keep the tank half way full or better. The pumps rely on the fuel to keep cool, so when the level drops they overheat quickly and burn up.

Thanks Josh.

I'm familiar with that design problem as we burned through two units in the 99 Yukon that we had. And the kicker was that you have to drop the tank everytime to replace the darn thing!

Did they modify the design for the 6.0's?

 

[JoshInReno]

Thanks Josh.

I'm familiar with that design problem as we burned through two units in the 99 Yukon that we had. And the kicker was that you have to drop the tank everytime to replace the darn thing!

Did they modify the design for the 6.0's?

No, basically the same modules. The reason I suggest the 6.0 over the 5.3 is longevity.

Like others have recommended, get the 2500 version. That way you only have the 6.0 or the 8.1 as an optional motor. Just try to keep the tanks more than 1/2 full to extend the life of the module.

 

[nineeleven]

Have had LOTS of problems with the 5.3's.

Are you base this on experience or just guessing?

My 03 Tahoe hit 85k and I haven't any problem so far (knock on wood).

Tahoe and Suburban has been on Consumer Report recommended list for number of years now due to their above average reliability.

 

[Guinness44]

X...on the 3/4 ton. Think about the "truck" instead of the car. Lots of campinggear/water, to haul and it just wont matter. More loadrating in wheels and tires also, probably a more HD TCase. If you even think about a trailer some day... that might just keep you from upgrading again. Our ex Burb, was a 3/4, the crocodile.
We rescued two mountainbikers, and their gear, (it all FIT inside, on top of our campgear), the humans had a real seat also. But the truck was a little rough, hence slow, and did have this rearoverhang, the tail.

 

[Railvan]

I would recommend staying away from the half tons, especially if you plan to lift. Get a 2500. More durable suspension, better rear axle (14 bolt full floater), more aftermarket components available.

I agree about getting the 2500. Brakes are bigger too. I think the 14 bolt on the 2500 is the semi-floating unit though. I had a 1990 3/4 ton and it was the semi, not the full-floater. Not sure when GM changed it as the 2500 had a full-floater back in the '70's. A full-floater will likely drop right in though. I kept my semi-floater as I wasn't going to tow with it and the Eaton E Locker had just come out, so I put that in.

 

[ujoint]

I agree about getting the 2500. Brakes are bigger too. I think the 14 bolt on the 2500 is the semi-floating unit though. I had a 1990 3/4 ton and it was the semi, not the full-floater. Not sure when GM changed it as the 2500 had a full-floater back in the '70's. A full-floater will likely drop right in though. I kept my semi-floater as I wasn't going to tow with it and the Eaton E Locker had just come out, so I put that in.

The current 2500 Sub's (01 & up) have the full floater, thankfully!!