2005 Suburban

[phsycle]

My father in law is looking at replacing his old Pathfinder. Its been a mixed bag as far as reliability goes. He mainly uses it to tow a 4K lb enclosed trailer (6x12). So nothing heavy but still a midsize platform leaves a lot to be desired especially towing in the mountains.

So I was looking around and found a Suburban (link below). I think it will do nicely for what he uses it for. I don’t think he would benefit from going to a 2500.

What do you think? 2005 Burb. 135k miles. Seems like in good condition.

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Search %VEHICLE_SEARCH_PAGE_KEYWORDS% vehicles for sale in %CITY%, %STATE% at %DEALER_NAME%. We're your preferred dealership serving %DEALER_GEO_ONE%, %DEALER_GEO_TWO%, and %DEALER_GEO_THREE%.

www.colechevrolet.com

 

[Mericas_Meuth]

@physcle that looks like it's in great shape. I'd check for rust on the underside for sure but from pictures that thing looks stellar. I'm very very sure you could get that for MUCH less than 9k though, especially during this covid-19 crap, ~6-7k? Itd be great for towing.

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[phsycle]

Thanks. Yes, price would need to come down a bit. The vehicle was in Washington for a little bit then spent the rest of the time in Idaho. So I don’t think rust will be an issue, except for some surface rust. But will check for it.

 

[Mericas_Meuth]

From my experience with these, I'd definitely cycle the HVAC unit through all the different output settings, all the temperature ranges (front & rear). That would be one of my concerns, because they can be expensive fixes. If rust isn't an issue though, not a whole lot else comes to mind.

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[Luckie1999]

I was in the same boat a few months ago, and did a ton of research and months scouring craigslist for a unicorn 'Burb with all the right features for respectable but light overlanding and towing a 6x10 cargor trailer for a reasonable price. I had a few extra VIN searches on www.compnine.com and pulled your linked Sub's option codes. A few thoughts .

1) It has the "G80" limited slip rear end, which from what I found is great for everyone but serious offroaders (where they tend to explode). For me, not having this option was a deal breaker because it adds a lot of capability and I don't indent to ever abuse it or put it to the test unless I get in over my head.

2) Option code "GU6" for 3.42 rear gear ratio isn't ideal for towing and is gonna make everything a little more sluggish (but never driven one so this is based just on my research of other peoples opinions).

3) Option code "JH2" for Hydraulic brakes; Again, can't confirm as I have the vacuum brakes on mine but read in more than a few different forum posts that hydraulic work better but are less reliable.

4) Cost; I live in Washington and looked for burbs between WA, OR, and some parts of ID. For the miles (assuming no accidents and clean title etc.) its not over the top in price but I've seen plenty on craigslist in the same range for closer to 8k that were just as clean with some better options.

Final thoughts; I bought the burb because I wanted the most interior space I possible could get for kids, dogs, gear or just sleeping in for solo trips to the mountains. If your father in law is mainly concerned about towing, I would look into Tahoes instead/as well. They tow a little more because they are lighter, they are not as long, have the exact same Engine/Transmission etc, and (at least in my research) you can find a comparable miles/condition/optioned Tahoe for noticeably less then a same year burb. Either way GMT800 Tahoe/Burbs (2000-2006) are some of the most reliable large SUVs and from what ive seen/read and can easily go 200k+ if taken care of.

Oh, and you can look at GMC Yukons (aka tahoes) and Yukon XLs (AKA suburbans), almost exactly the same everything, made in the same factories, just badged different (but don't go for the denalli trims as they only have AWD and no 4x4 with low range)

Happy hunting.

 

[rayra]

Here, all the mechanical stuff to look for and expect in here -

Expedition Portal

Largest and Oldest Overland Forum

www.expeditionportal.com

Price is a little high for a GMT-800 at this point, but was appropriate a couple years ago. And if it is not all rusted underneath and the drivetrain is well kept, it's not that bad a price. Maybe somewhere 7-8k, if you can find and negotiate some defects. But they could very well get that 9k, in the rust regions of the country.
I only paid $6k for my '02 ~4-1/2yrs ago, with 116k mi and the 05-06 were running around 12k then.

He'll want to put a larger trans cooler on it, even if it comes tow-mode equipped. The tow package added external cooler is terribly small and poorly situated, right behind and only partially below the bowtie on the grill.

 

[tyler.armijo]

I was in the same boat a few months ago, and did a ton of research and months scouring craigslist for a unicorn 'Burb with all the right features for respectable but light overlanding and towing a 6x10 cargor trailer for a reasonable price. I had a few extra VIN searches on www.compnine.com and pulled your linked Sub's option codes. A few thoughts .

1) It has the "G80" limited slip rear end, which from what I found is great for everyone but serious offroaders (where they tend to explode). For me, not having this option was a deal breaker because it adds a lot of capability and I don't indent to ever abuse it or put it to the test unless I get in over my head.

2) Option code "GU6" for 3.42 rear gear ratio isn't ideal for towing and is gonna make everything a little more sluggish (but never driven one so this is based just on my research of other peoples opinions).

3) Option code "JH2" for Hydraulic brakes; Again, can't confirm as I have the vacuum brakes on mine but read in more than a few different forum posts that hydraulic work better but are less reliable.

4) Cost; I live in Washington and looked for burbs between WA, OR, and some parts of ID. For the miles (assuming no accidents and clean title etc.) its not over the top in price but I've seen plenty on craigslist in the same range for closer to 8k that were just as clean with some better options.

Final thoughts; I bought the burb because I wanted the most interior space I possible could get for kids, dogs, gear or just sleeping in for solo trips to the mountains. If your father in law is mainly concerned about towing, I would look into Tahoes instead/as well. They tow a little more because they are lighter, they are not as long, have the exact same Engine/Transmission etc, and (at least in my research) you can find a comparable miles/condition/optioned Tahoe for noticeably less then a same year burb. Either way GMT800 Tahoe/Burbs (2000-2006) are some of the most reliable large SUVs and from what ive seen/read and can easily go 200k+ if taken care of.

Oh, and you can look at GMC Yukons (aka tahoes) and Yukon XLs (AKA suburbans), almost exactly the same everything, made in the same factories, just badged different (but don't go for the denalli trims as they only have AWD and no 4x4 with low range)

Happy hunting.

Where did you find that vin decoder I would love to use it for my avalanche


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[Luckie1999]

www.compnine.com. It is a paid site but works well and seems accurate. You can get a monthly subscription if you run a lot of vins but if you look at the finer print at the bottom of the package option page you can just buy 5 searches for 5 bucks, which is what i did.

 

[phsycle]

Thanks, fellas. I’ve forwarded the above info to him. I think he’s planning to go check it out this weekend.

 

[rayra]

just google GM RPO codes and you'll get info on all the stuff on the sticker in the glovebox.
Sites like LMC Truck also have breakdowns on the VINs

LM7 vortec 5.3L
Z71 suspension and/or trim
Z82 tow package
GT4 3.73 gear
GT5 4.10
G80 locker

 

[CrazyDrei]

Great looking truck but the price is ridiculous.

I paid $4,100 for my 2000 Sub 6 years ago with 108k miles on it.
I paid $10k for my 2011 Suburban 2500 last year with 116k miles on it.

Look around, you should be able to find a 2000-2006 Suburban for under $5k in great shape and no rust, or under $2k if it needs some minor work and under 150k miles

 

[XJLI]

Prices are holding for these trucks, clean examples are going up. Sure, cheap high miles ones will always be around but I'd still call $8k for ~100k miles clean rust free one a deal.

 

[Martinjmpr]

Just as a point of reference I sold my '04 1500 with 185,000 miles on it for $5500 in November.

With regards to this specific vehicle if Luckie99 is right and it has a 3.42 rear end that would be concerning to me as far as pulling a trailer goes. My '04 struggled pulling a 3500lb travel trailer over the high passes in CO and it had the 3.73. I would also be surprised if a vehicle with a 3.42 rear end would also have a towing package - a ratio that low doesn't seem to be a good match for towing.

The price seems quite high to me even considering the reasonably low miles. But it does look clean.