Going to look at a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban tonight. Any thoughts?

[palmettosunshine]

Hey all,

Wife and I are going to look at a 1999 Chevrolet Suburban tonight. It's a base model, 4wd, with 168k on it. Looks to be in phenomenal shape. Not looking at for an everyday driver but rather a boat hauler (sold my truck last year) kid hauler, family vacation, camping, hunting, fishing and get the heck out of dodge when they order an evac vehicle. We live on the SC coast and the neighborhood we're in now will flood during a heavy thunderstorm. If we get any type of tropical storm or hurricane we're in a mandatory evacuation zone. If I have to pack up the valuables, cats and wife and child, I want something that will comfortably hold all of us.

From what I've been reading online it looks like they are fairly bulletproof. Anyone here have any experience with them? Anything I should look for? I worked in the car business for a few years so I have a fair amount of experience looking at used cars and trucks, just wondered if there were any particular problem areas to check on these.

Thanks!

[frkelly74]

I do wish I had gotten a Suburban instead of the Econoline 150 that we did get.

[opos]

I have a 95 4wd with a 454 engine...it has 210K miles on it and still looks and drives like a new one. One thing...if it has a big block in it they tend to be hard on timing chains...I've owned a couple of them and learned the hard way on the first one I had. I had the chain checked on the one I drive now and at 140K it had enough slop to warrant a change...that's the key along with regular service...I run 10-40 Valvoline and change oil every 3K miles (many say it is a waste to do that and let it run for 5K or so between changes...whatever suits them..I go by my experience)..Mine burns about 1/2 quart in 3000 miles...normal things like a radiator, water pump, ball joints, etc over the years but at 210K miles I still drive it every day. Gets about 10 mpg running or sitting still...not an economy vehicle. I hauled a 25' Larson with it for about 3 years with no problem. I'm a Suburban fan all the way. Good luck with whatever you do.

[27judge]

MY wife has one bought it new in 2003 with every option chev could put on it (dealer had it ordered for customer and he canceled . Has 4 wheel drive one of the better 4 wheel drives I ever owned. Has 65k on it so it looks like we will have it for some time to come excellent vehicle tks Ken

[joesig]

Half ton or 3/4 ton? I prefer the full float axles on the 3/4T.

Was the tranny serviced/replaced recently? I had a 87 Jimmy with 156K. I pulled the tranny when I got it just to see. There was a cracked ring in the pump. Glad I caught it before it really ate the pump. The 4L60E MAY need a refresh. The 4L80Es should be fine. The 350 is still chugging along @ 215K miles now.

[km101]

If it is a 454, as mentioned above check the timing chain!! Also check for exhaust leaks. The 454's I have owned were prone to exhaust leaks at the manifold. They are generally strong dependable vehicles.

[bear67]

Made the mistake of buying the wife lady a suburban in 1970 and she has with a couple of exceptions, driven them ever since.
Actually they have always been great. We had a '90 model that we put 330K on and sold it and bought an '00 and put 325 on it. Had normal wear, but in 600k, only replaced one radiator, rebuilt one tranny and normal maintenance for that pair. They both were serviced by me or my son regularly and ran Mobil One throughout their life. I have pulled trailers, hauled kids, canoes, kayaks and even dogs around in them and they have always hauled the freight and served us well.
I have always driven 3/4 ton or one ton trucks as everyday drivers, farm haulers and while in the construction business and don't feel comfortable is small cars or even small SUVs so the Sub is great for my family. My son and his wife drive one also, so something works right.

[phonejack]

I have a 1999 GMC Yukon. Same thing, only one and a half feet shorter. I've changed the oil and replaced the serpentine belt. That's it ! Still runs great, nothing else to report.

[RickinTN]

I have a 2003 purchased new. It has about 295,000 on it now. I had to replace the electronic dashboard "panel" twice at about $350 each but GM retro-paid for the first one although it was out of warranty when it occurred. I've averaged between 85 and 90,000 on each set of tires. Started using a little oil at around 250,000 and now at almost 300,000 it is using about a quart every 3,000 miles. I've changed the oil every 6 to 7,000 miles with Castrol. I hope it goes another 300,000. I think it's the best vehicle I've ever owned and when it's time comes will hate to see it go. I'll probably replace it with another. Mine is the LT half ton and has the 5.3L (327?) engine.

If it's been cared for reasonably well it should be a good vehicle.

Good Luck,
Rick

[palmettosunshine]

Thanks for all the input everyone. Unfortunately the Suburban was a complete ***. My wife and I were saying on the way up there that we hoped it would be an easy decision either way. Either we would take one look at it and say "we'll take it" or "no thank you." Turned out to be a very quick "no thank you." Didn't even drive it. It was that bad.

The search continues!

[waksupi]

Something I discover the past few months when looking for different vehicles. Enter the year and model along with consumer comments, and Edmunds in Google. You will find comments from real people who have had them for awhile. Yes, you will get some real ignorant reviews from young kids, but you can get the general drift of things there.
Also, most vehicle makers are subjects of dedicated forums on the net, that are real treasure troves of information. I found the Ford forum http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/index.php while checking out the purchase of my 30 year old pickup. They, along with people on this forum, definitely sent me in the right direction.
Pretty much every make has a similar forum.

[Lloyd Smale]

couple things to watch on a chev truck are brakes if its a half ton. They dont tend to last long especially if your in a salt road enviroment. Front driveshafts, i call the jackshafts but theres probably a proper name for them. Boots rip and once that happens the clock is ticking on them going bad. Wheel bearings can have a short life and arent cheap because they have the antilock break sensor in them. Transmitions dont have the best reputation for longevity but knock on wood ive yet to have a problem with one. As you can see most of this is normal wear things that arent all the expensive to put back right. Overall i love my chev trucks. Been driving them for 35 years and will be a customer for life.

[wlc]

We had a 99 2wd before moving to AK. Good service and couldn't have asked for a better vehicle. Sold it before we moved up here with 120K+ on it. The only "problem" we had was with the "lifetime" antifreeze Chevy put in them at the time. The antifreeze and the gasket material for the intake, or head gaskets was not compatable (can't remember which now.... been a while. Anyway we wound up having to have them replaced in the 99 burban, and in my 98 4wdPU. Same problem.

I ,just this past week, bought a one owner 99 4wd 3/4 ton with the 454 in it. Its got 166K on it and still looks and runs like new. I'm a happy camper once again.

[KinkBreaker]

more than ten years old around the coast over here usually equals rust bucket

[destrux]

If you're looking at chevy trucks and suburbans/yukons one major expense to check for on the 2000+ models (if you ever come across one that you want to buy) is the brake lines. There's a section of steel lines right along the outside of the frame rail right below the drivers door behind a section of wiring harness loom (and sometimes a plastic cover) that collects mud and is known to rust out and leak. The lines are not easy to change because they are in a tight spot, have a lot of tight bends and are hefty 1/4" tubing. They make stainless steel pre-bent aftermarket replacements (inlinetube.com) lines which are the best way to go because they will last forever. If you pay a shop to do them you can expect about a $1000 job and half of that is for band-aids and the curse jar. I work on these all the time, and I've yet to see a truck older than 5 years that didn't need the lines replaced. I've probably done over a dozen of these in the past 5 years. It's a good bargaining chip if you find rusted lines, because where they are hidden the owners almost never notice them. Better yet if they were already done.

[mold maker]

Sorry the Sub turned out bad. Keep looking. I put over 300000 on a basic 73 C20 and traded it for a new 03 dodge pu. Wish I had my old Sub back. It would climb a pine tree and carry whatever I needed. I've already spent more in repairs on this goat than than the Sub in 30 years.

[joesig]

If you're looking at chevy trucks and suburbans/yukons one major expense to check for on the 2000+ models (if you ever come across one that you want to buy) is the brake lines. There's a section of steel lines right along the outside of the frame rail right below the drivers door behind a section of wiring harness loom (and sometimes a plastic cover) that collects mud and is known to rust out and leak. The lines are not easy to change because they are in a tight spot, have a lot of tight bends and are hefty 1/4" tubing. They make stainless steel pre-bent aftermarket replacements (inlinetube.com) lines which are the best way to go because they will last forever. If you pay a shop to do them you can expect about a $1000 job and half of that is for band-aids and the curse jar. I work on these all the time, and I've yet to see a truck older than 5 years that didn't need the lines replaced. I've probably done over a dozen of these in the past 5 years. It's a good bargaining chip if you find rusted lines, because where they are hidden the owners almost never notice them. Better yet if they were already done.
Happens on the older trucks too. I have found the nickle-copper lines to be a breeze to work with! Pretty easy to find them with a search engine and order locally or on line. Hope to never use steel lines again.

[Jim Flinchbaugh]

I have a 99 Tahoe, with 5.7 liter. Bullet proof so far. Had it 4 years, put a fuel pump it right after I got it.
Almost 190k on it now, still drives and runs great, uses no oil. IF you have a choice look for a 2000 or newer in a Chevy,
they switched to a new style Vortec injection system that squeezes a bit more torque and fuel mileage.
Common problems are front wheel hub bearings (all over ebone) steering sensors go out on the variable rate PS system, easily changed for about 30 bucks,
keep good fuel filters on it, and keep the tank over half full for longest fuel pump life. Mine hates K&N air filters, mileage drops instantly

[Lloyd Smale]

forgot about the brake lines. Mines an 06 and they had to be replaced last fall. If your in a salt enviroment they will rot and there all bundled together so if you try to replace just one youll usually break one of the others. Mine werent a 1000 bucks to replace but i did for once have the local mechanic do it as my back wasnt in good shape at the time and he charged just under 500 bucks to do it
If you're looking at chevy trucks and suburbans/yukons one major expense to check for on the 2000+ models (if you ever come across one that you want to buy) is the brake lines. There's a section of steel lines right along the outside of the frame rail right below the drivers door behind a section of wiring harness loom (and sometimes a plastic cover) that collects mud and is known to rust out and leak. The lines are not easy to change because they are in a tight spot, have a lot of tight bends and are hefty 1/4" tubing. They make stainless steel pre-bent aftermarket replacements (inlinetube.com) lines which are the best way to go because they will last forever. If you pay a shop to do them you can expect about a $1000 job and half of that is for band-aids and the curse jar. I work on these all the time, and I've yet to see a truck older than 5 years that didn't need the lines replaced. I've probably done over a dozen of these in the past 5 years. It's a good bargaining chip if you find rusted lines, because where they are hidden the owners almost never notice them. Better yet if they were already done.

[Boondocker]

If you're looking at chevy trucks and suburbans/yukons one major expense to check for on the 2000+ models (if you ever come across one that you want to buy) is the brake lines. There's a section of steel lines right along the outside of the frame rail right below the drivers door behind a section of wiring harness loom (and sometimes a plastic cover) that collects mud and is known to rust out and leak. The lines are not easy to change because they are in a tight spot, have a lot of tight bends and are hefty 1/4" tubing. They make stainless steel pre-bent aftermarket replacements (inlinetube.com) lines which are the best way to go because they will last forever. If you pay a shop to do them you can expect about a $1000 job and half of that is for band-aids and the curse jar. I work on these all the time, and I've yet to see a truck older than 5 years that didn't need the lines replaced. I've probably done over a dozen of these in the past 5 years. It's a good bargaining chip if you find rusted lines, because where they are hidden the owners almost never notice them. Better yet if they were already done.

Yep we can thank our great state government using that brine spray. 454 great engine just ehaust manifolds would crack under heavy loads or pulling or pop studs. The 460 fords did the same. When I was mechanicin for the phone company,till they shut down the garage to farm the work out (man did they realize their mistake) on the chevys was the front hub assemblies getting slight play would set the abs light,easy fix yourself about 125.00 per side if you can shade tree. I can do one in 1/2 an hour. Rear rotors rot out and backing plates. If your going to tow get the 3/4 ton with the 4l80e trans as the 60 doesn't hold up real long we know because we pulled alot of 35k gensets. Other than that I drive fords cause I like my weekends for my hobbies.

[popper]

And of course you can get into a locked Chevy with a screw driver on the door handle.

[TXGunNut]

And of course you can get into a locked Chevy with a screw driver on the door handle.

Pretty sure it was a San Antonio street gang that pioneered that method, a similar method works just fine for Fords. Seeing more of them around the Metromess as well.
I like the old Suburbans and Tahoes but many of the pricey bits are getting pricier and harder to find. I've made my living in the OE auto parts business for 35 years and have seen a disturbing trend in the past several years. Ford, GM and to a lesser extent Chrysler have a strategy of part number changes, price changes and outright early obsolescence of many critical parts. In some cases the aftermarket folks have stepped up to fill the need, in others not. Salvage yards are not always the answer either. They keep mostly late model stuff and crush the older vehicles to be sold as scrap. I own and occasionally drive a 97 4X4 F150 that regularly takes me hundreds of miles away from home and it makes me nervous. At 235 miles it's no spring chicken and needs a few thousand in repairs to cover the next 100K miles. I don't need a truck very often but I'm pretty sure my next one will be new or very close to it. These new trucks are pretty awesome and dependable. Could do without all the hi-tech electronics but other than that they are better than they've ever been.

[Kull]

Sorry the Suburban didn't work out. Just for the record my first thought was hello gas money! You don't want something like that for the get away, kid hauler, camping, fishing rig. Not if you have any distance at all to drive. I don't know how much you go out and do those type of things but me for example I go a lot, gas millage is a big concern.

[higgins]

We had 4x4 Suburbans of late 90s vintage at work that were used to tow heavy boats loaded with gear. They took a lot of abuse (as most fleet vehicles do) and held up very well. Ours were equipped with the 454, auto trans, and heaviest available factory tow pkg. I don't thing such a rig could be beat for towing heavy boats or campers.

Despite advice to the contrary, a corporate bean counter type decided to save some money once by getting lighter duty Suburbans with an aftermarket heavy-duty hitch. He didn't realize a factory tow package included things like extra transmission cooling. After a couple of transmissions were prematurely fried we were back to properly equipped vehicles.

[TXGunNut]

We had 4x4 Suburbans of late 90s vintage at work that were used to tow heavy boats loaded with gear. They took a lot of abuse (as most fleet vehicles do) and held up very well. Ours were equipped with the 454, auto trans, and heaviest available factory tow pkg. I don't thing such a rig could be beat for towing heavy boats or campers.

Despite advice to the contrary, a corporate bean counter type decided to save some money once by getting lighter duty Suburbans with an aftermarket heavy-duty hitch. He didn't realize a factory tow package included things like extra transmission cooling. After a couple of transmissions were prematurely fried we were back to properly equipped vehicles.

That's exactly right, HD trailer towing package is one of the most cost effective options on a rig like this. A 2500 (3/4 ton) is an even better idea but they're pretty hard to find. They're generally purchased by GSA or fleets and they're built to haul, not for fuel mileage.

[palmettosunshine]

Thanks for all the responses. There is now a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe in the driveway. Found one with 152k, 4wd, LT and the barn doors for a great price. Persistence pays off. My wife thinks I'm a lunatic since we bought it Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning I was tearing down the engine for a lower intake manifold gasket replacement. Explained to her that it was just a matter of time before it was a problem since the radiator was low and the coolant tank empty. GM owners will know exactly what I mean. Decided to go ahead and R&R everything I could find now, in the driveway, as opposed to being on the side of the road or at the boat ramp, in the pouring rain, because that's when things break. Just waiting for the rain to stop here so I can finish up and put her back on the road. Wish me luck!
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff1/palmettosunshine/Tahoe040_zps35d1fe89.jpg (http://s237.photobucket.com/user/palmettosunshine/media/Tahoe040_zps35d1fe89.jpg.html)
http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff1/palmettosunshine/Tahoe042_zps887e1153.jpg (http://s237.photobucket.com/user/palmettosunshine/media/Tahoe042_zps887e1153.jpg.html)

[destrux]

forgot about the brake lines. Mines an 06 and they had to be replaced last fall. If your in a salt enviroment they will rot and there all bundled together so if you try to replace just one youll usually break one of the others. Mine werent a 1000 bucks to replace but i did for once have the local mechanic do it as my back wasnt in good shape at the time and he charged just under 500 bucks to do it

$500 isn't bad if he used normal steel or copper nickel alloy. The stainless lines I was talking about cost about $350 by themselves (about $500 after shop mark-up) and that doubles the cost of the job... but they last forever.