Would you? High-milage 2000+ YukonBurbanHoe?

I go to a local JY that has 25-30 used cars for sale. They seem to go through a good number of GMT800's with 180-200kmi. I'm tempted because they can be had for Challenge money or thereabouts.

I'm not sure they come with a lot of maintainance history.

Well, would you?

Yes. Former boss STILL daily drives a 2001 'burb 4x4. When I left he had just hit 380k miles on the original driveline.

I would and likely will if you are within reasonable distance from me. Used engines are everywhere,any trans shop can do a trans rebuild, well documented fixes for common issues, etc.

Someone I used to work with has one with ~275k on it, uses it to drag his dirtbikes around. It's starting to rot, but he says everything still works. Also original drivetrain, I think. What could possibly go wrong?

What are the problem areas on these? Is the trans still a problem area?

I'm seeing a lot of salvage titled on Sacramento CL for reasonable. Any reason not to? Also, what fails? Drive line has good rep, but does the rest of the truck last?

What does a trans rebuild cost- or do you just throw a junkyard unit in?

Blower motor relay, washer reservoir leaks from battery acid, worn leather....

Brake lines seem to have a shorter than average life expectancy in my experiences. But other than that, they are a solid choice.

I'll say it again.

It's a GM with a V8 and a auto. It will run bad longer than most cars will run.

They have the advantage of being the favorite of just about every soccer mom and dad. They all dump them with 100K-200K miles. That makes them cheap. If I didn't already have a crew cab truck, I'd probably be driving one.

I love my 04 Suburban 2wd! Yes I have a 2wd in New England.

So a 2003 Sub 4x4 with ~180,000 miles may be following me home...

Open for more anecdotal evidence in the meantime. You know, because I need more inspiration to buy a 5,000lb, V8 powered SUV.

MrJoshua wrote: I would and likely will if you are within reasonable distance from me. Used engines are everywhere,any trans shop can do a trans rebuild, well documented fixes for common issues, etc.

These are the reasons i'm kinda ok with the high milage. I'm kind of a Ford guy by birth but I'm positive I'd rather have a high milage Suburban than a comparable Expedition.

I had a 97 that ran just fine at 240k but just about every seal or gasket leaked. It was sitting for months at a time before I owned it and I always blamed that for the leaks, traded it on an 04 Yukon XL and drove that until 202k and it was still running strong. Brake lines under the drivers seat are a problem, the door for the AC, and other stupid electrical goodies breaking were about all I ever did besides maintenance. You will likely never go back if you get one.

ebonyandivory wrote: ...I'd rather have a high milage Suburban than a comparable Expedition.

High mileage Expeditions are a whole 'nother level of hoopty. They do not age well around here.

imgon wrote: I had a 97 that ran just fine at 240k but just about every seal or gasket leaked. It was sitting for months at a time before I owned it and I always blamed that for the leaks, traded it on an 04 Yukon XL and drove that until 202k and it was still running strong. Brake lines under the drivers seat are a problem, the door for the AC, and other stupid electrical goodies breaking were about all I ever did besides maintenance. You will likely never go back if you get one.

The seals and gaskets on the LS based motors are much better than the older gen 1 small blocks, and are much easier to replace in most cases. In the past all small block chevys leaked, but now only some of them do. An oil pan and valve cover gasket leak isnt uncommon but its also alot easier to change than it used to be.

Servicing the LS motors is easy, I love my old LT1 (pretty much just a fancy gen 1 SBC) but everything is easier on an LS.

Common issues are what kia dude said, hub assemblies, ball joints on 4x4s ( like all the big 3 trucks), for some reason all the burbs/tahoes chop up front tires if you dont rotate them, water pumps, TBs if not cleaned regularly on DBW trucks, knock sensors are somewhat common (under intake but easy to do since its a dry intake), evap vent valves.

None are a big deal, expensive, hard to repair or super common (outside of maybe WPs, they all need WPs...thats only a slight exageration).

Parts are always in stock, everywhere.

I would daily drive one and treat it like E36 M3, and the only thing id ever think twice about is trans replacement, but they arent near as failure prone as they were in the older trucks, and if you keep clean fluid in it youll probably never have to rebuild it, and if it does go pop, its probably one of the cheapest modern trans to rebuild, and anyone can do it.

I have a 99 with 227K on it. My buddy at work has a 99 with 250K another co worker had a 2001 he sold off to his brother with 300K and now has a 2003 with 210K.

I'd say suburban do high mileage better than just about anything.

Transmissions and front wheel bearing hub assemblies on HD 4wd models. They fail every 100k miles or so, and are super easy to replace -- bolt on, bolt off. They're also ~$250 each. Almost like they were designed to be a nod to the good ole service dept. They'll go just about forever.

How did this turn out?

To help bring an old thread back up, I have found an 01' Yukon XL with 230k miles needing a/c work. How likely is the repair to only involve the low pressure switch like the InterWebs suggest?

YukonBurbanhoe? I think she lives in pioneer square.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pioneer_Square,_Seattle

My uncle just got rid of his 06ish Tahoe with 320k on it. I think he only replaced it because his son got a 2010is Silverado and my uncle decided he wanted a pickup. So he replaced it with a crew cab Silverado, brand new.

Glad to hear all these testimonials about longetivity. I've got an '02 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 liter at 140k miles. It tows like a champ and barely notices the 8500lb 30ft travel trailer behind it. The brake lines did rust out at 125k miles, and I replaced them with all stainless steel.

MrJoshua wrote: How did this turn out?

2005 Yukon XL Denali in silver. 183kmi. Needed an airbag sensor and the O2 harness had a broken wire. I just diagnosed a noisy AC tensioner pulley which looks super easy and is a ~$45 part.

Trans shifts perfectly, 6.0 feels like the full 345 (or is it 335?) horsepower.

The Denali literally has more options than every single vehicle I've owned to this point combined and they all work.

Paid $3,000 at Everett's Auto Salvage at thier used car lot. Body isn't perfect but I'll either live with the dings or fix them as time passes.

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In reply to ebonyandivory: My 1997 Chevy has 343,000 miles on it and it needed only 4 repairs from new to get there.. Total spent was under $1000. Now not every Chevy will do that. The trick is to find someone who actually did the oil changes, trans fluid drains etc. when scheduled..

To those who feel a particular automatic transmission is "weak" ask when fluids were drained.. Mine is in perfect shape but fluids were changed on schedule or sooner if I happen to run the trans real hot hauling the enclosed trailer up and over the Rockies or in stop and go heavy rush hour traffic.