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High Mileage Suburbans

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  • most_ancientmost_ancient Member Posts: 1
    Hey guys. So a friend of mine that owns his own mechanic shop has a 2007 suburban 1500 LTZ with 428,000 but he’s done a complete Engine w/ 38k miles and Transmission w/ 21k miles swap at 350,000. It’s that being said he’s stating the car has only 118,000 miles on it. Do you think it’s wise for me to purchase the car for the same price as the engine and transmission swap parts only, no labor cost at $6.5k? With labor it would cost well over $11k. With everyone stating 120,000 is just having the engine broken in. I would please love to hear some feedback on what I should do. Also it has been inspected by Uber qualifications so all the bells and whistles is intact. I’ve driven the car and it feels like it’s brand new. Now the speedometer stops at 500,000 miles so I would have to change the cluster with a lower mileage. But he guarantees me I won’t have any problems at for at least another 100,000 miles just as long as I change the oil full synthetic every 3,000 miles. Please give me all the feedback you can. Thanks
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    The only negatives I can think of, since you know the person selling it (which is good) are:

    1. You'd better be driving it a long time because it's going to be hard to re-sell it to anybody
    2. The rest of the truck still has 428K on it, so it could nickel and dime you to death with things failing.

    You're right, a clean, low mileage version of this truck would cost you about $10,000. So the question is, is the $3500 savings enough for you to take on such a high miles vehicle?

    The "Uber Inspection" is a rather breezy affair and doesn't get into things like structural problems, suspension bushings, reading the codes or even a road test. So it can miss a lot.

    I think to minimize risk I'd take it in for a pre-purchase inspection with special attention to things like ball joints, control arm bushings, tie rod ends, shocks and sub-frame welds--and have the codes read. It's certainly worth the $100-$200 bucks you'll spend.

    Vehicles were never engineered to go this far, so you need to exercise due diligence--like if you bought an ancient house. Someone needs to go into the foundation.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    YES SOFTWARE GLITCH-- you may see older posts, so just ignore and carry on regardless B)
  • tugboat62tugboat62 Member Posts: 2
    edited March 2018
    2005 Yukon with 320,000 with the 5.3.  Trany rebuild at 275k and bearings in the rear end after that. Runs like a champ. Mpg is at 14.9 used to run at 17.3. Can’t figure out why mileage dropped?
  • convss396convss396 Member Posts: 1
    2001 sub 2500 4x4 with 185000. So far have replaced starter twice, alternator once(at 183000) and both fuel pumps. It has the 8.1l engine, and I can pull most anything. Has autoride and had to replace shocks at 135,000. Drop dead reliable vehicle. This is my fourth suburban, and I have had good luck with all of them. All were bought used. Regular maintenance goes a long way!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    I just drove a 2003 'Burb with 180,000 on it. The truck looked great and ran beautifully. It had all the service records and was obviously well cared for.
  • dad_e_odad_e_o Member Posts: 1
    My current Suburban is a 2007 daily driver with 160K - she is still going strong and don't see any reason I shouldn't watch her roll over 200K. Routine maintenance is all the investment I've done. 

    This is my 4th longest running..

    1987 Accord - 312K, running when sold

    2000 Mitsubishi Montero Sport - 208K, running when sold

    2004 Nissan Quest - 169K, running when sold


  • dustydust1987dustydust1987 Member Posts: 3
    Should I buy a 2002 z71 suburban with 175000 miles for 6900. From Chevy dealership. Any opinions will help
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Maybe, if it were super clean, had a clean CARFAX and some kind of short-term warranty attached. I have seen high mileage Z71s advertised at around that price but I'd certainly bargain hard on it, and get a pre-purchase inspection if there's no dealer warranty of any kind.

    The problem with high mileage vehicles like this, even sturdy ones like the 'Burb, is that anything can let loose at any time. You need to improve your odds by getting a very close inspection--you don't want to buy it and have to immediately put tires, or belts and hoses on it, or fix leaks or brakes.
  • dustydust1987dustydust1987 Member Posts: 3
    Ok. I will test drive and inspect tomorrow. I'm not the best mechanic but I know the obvious things to look for. How much do you think I can bargain for 
  • dustydust1987dustydust1987 Member Posts: 3
    Also I did a free vin lookup online. I don't know if it was the full report but there were no accidents reported and in the pictures the body and interior appear to be in very nice shape
  • burbproudburbproud Member Posts: 1
    My 2006 Suburban LT 4x4 fully loaded has 156,000 miles and the ONLY thing I have EVER done is some sensor for the 4wd..... cost about $800. I did buy it used with about 80K on it so have no idea what was done before I owned it. I change the oil regularly and that's it. We drive it for family trips and not day-to-day. I adore this car and would own several more for my teens if I could afford the gas! It does use a lot of gas. Perfect car! Way better than my Jeep Rubicon for off-roading.
  • TomtoterrificTomtoterrific Member Posts: 2
    Gents. I just bought an 03 suburban with 130K and had the gauge cluster replaced.
    While I now enjoy fully functioning gauges I lost a portion of the menu.
    I only get odometer, trip odometer, and hours.
    I lost all the DIC display options. Trip, fuel, oil life, locking, lighting, seat position memory, curb view etc. I’m a little concerned the low coolant, engine hot, and other warnings may not work either. Any ideas?
    Also I can reset the clock but it switches from PM to AM after the reset.
    Anybody have experience with this? Thanks.
  • Shaw_bradleyShaw_bradley Member Posts: 1
    I see a lot of people saying they got their guage clusters replaced? This summer my speedo was bouncing all over and I couldnt tell how fast I was going, so I called my local shop and they quoted me 200+ dollars, so I instead went to a pickpull and swapped all the stepper motors from the new guage cluster into my gauage cluster which I purchased for 50 bucks, and it worked like new! If you own anything older than 06 I suggest you just pull parts and use them rather than paying for new and labor. Just youtube the issue! 
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    edited February 2019
    The basic rule of negotiation is that if you cannot get up and walk away from the table, you cannot negotiate. If you walk and they don't contact you in a day or so, then your offer was too low. Walking away is your ace in the hole. Of course, you can't throw a ridiculous low-ball either. If you research a bit on line, looking at comparable cars for sale, averaging those out, and then taking 5-10% off the average asking price, you'll probably have a number you can live with.

    The dealer is probably willing to bargain on that car, because of miles. That's a lot of miles.
  • ksm4780ksm4780 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 1994 Suburban K1500, 234,000 miles. Runs strong and used daily. Been in the family since new. Major repairs were a new transmission about 9 years ago, has also gotten a replacement starter in 2014, alternator in 2010, power steerring pump 2016, fuel pump in 2017, some other routine service as well. Truck has been kept out of the sun and has been well maintained c oil changes, trans flushes, tires, ac maintenance, more over the years. Engine is unopened and still tight. 25 years old now and running great.
  • Lalajb7Lalajb7 Member Posts: 1
    My dad owns a 1996 Surburban 1500 with 460,000 + miles. Still has the original engine and transmission. Normal routine maintenance done on a regular basis and still purrrrrrs like a kitten!
  • MLAMLA Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Suburban 1500 and it has 230,000.00 miles on it. Other than replacing batteries, fuel pump and some minor repairs nothing has gone wrong. I had my mechanic do an assessment on it to find out what repairs should be done this year. There are several maintenance things and a total would add up to about $1,500.00 . I love my Suburban. I bought it bare naked and did add ons like radio, darkened windows, sun roof and cd player after market. I am so scared of the new ones with all the electronics in them. The new ones start at $60,000. I have regular maintenance done on it every 3,000 miles without fail. Same mechanic since 2003. My question would be if the engine or trans go bad would it be worth it to repair/replace or is that putting too much money in an old vehicle?
  • GAChevyGAChevy Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Suburban LT with 420,000 miles on it and it's still running. I am the original owner. Bought it for my wife when my boys were babies, and my daughters were pre-teens. All of them have driven this vehicle. It's been everywhere on the east coast for travel baseball, soccer, and family vacations. The transmission had to be replaced a few days after the warranty ended. GM said it was premature and paid for it (service was done by the dealer). Other than that, NOTHING major. It is beginning to get some valve tap and every now and then I get the low oil pressure message. Other than that, she runs smooth. The Vortex engine was one of the best in my opinion and when it eventually goes, I'm going to replace the engine with a new one. I really want to see how many miles she will go. This vehicle has more than paid for itself. Whenever I take it to the dealer, they always tell me to keep it as they don't make them like that anymore. There's no rust on it and the paint is in excellent condition. one of the best purchases I have ever made!
  • YonsayvitchYonsayvitch Member Posts: 1

    Have a 2008 Suburban Z71 2wd with 320k miles. Bought it new in December 08. Driven through 48 states and doubled back over many. Things that went bad were the alternator at 8000 miles, engine at around 120k miles ( 5.3 ) New engine with 200k miles just replaced all seals and gaskets. Will be replacing lifters soon. At 280k miles the sunroof track broke. Doesn't slide back but still pops up. Second dashboard replaced is cracked again. Besides suspension and brakes everything is still original. Still love this Suburban and looking forward to hitting that 500k mark.

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