Past Contemplation, Bought a Full Size Expo rig. GMT400 Tahoe - ideas welcome

[tommyp]

Am in the final stages of my samurai build and finding that I really want a larger vehicle I can travel out west with my wife and two sons. The samurai is great for exploring around VT but I have the itch to get out west again. Both my wife and I are teachers so we can take off in the summers with the kids for a while.

I am thinking I want a Tahoe. I was thinking about a burb for the larger internal size but I think it will just be a pain in day to day use. I don't see us all sleeping in a burb anyway. I like the GMT400 because they are relatively cheap to purchase and I would probably be swapping stuff in anyway. I was thinking a 5.3 for somewhat decent highway mileage. Keep the tranny if it is in good shape. Possibly a SAS I am undecided on that. I would like to keep it low for decent mileage but with such a long wheel base I imagine larger tires are going to mandatory to gain some clearance. Not trying to get too crazy with the rig but want something that can eat some miles in comfort and still be ok on backcountry trails in Utah. Also to do double duty as a tow rig if i wanted to take the sammy somewhere.

I have thought about a diesel excursion but it seems like they are hit and miss. the 7.3 being better but returning about the same mpg as a gas hoe. So I think I am pretty set on gas.

Is there anything else vehicle wise I should be thinking about? I can weld fab and do pretty much any automotive work, engine swaps etc, that I need to. I don't think I want to go down in size to a 4dr Taco and a crewcab would be tight even in a full size.

Any thoughts are happily welcome.

 

[CCPAJeeper]

Hi Tommy, saw your post and thought I would share some thoughts. For durability, in my opinion, you cannot beat a solid axle front end. I have had 02 F250 diesel, a Tahoe, Expedition, presently a WJ and an XJ and just traded an 05 Burb. Great vehicle, just not very good for wheeling. It would have cost me nearly $10,000 for a SAS. For the trails we are doing now, the independent front suspension was just was not strong enough. If you lift the IFS, wheel travel, for the most part, is not increased. I agree with you as to gas engine, unless your going to tow a huge trailer, why pay the tariff for diesel. Oil changes $120, fuel .50 more per gallon than gas in my area. Fuel filters, etc. They are not cheap to run. I just traded my burb for an 04 Dodge 2500 quad cab short bed, 5.7 hemi. So far, I love the truck. Runs great, interior is roomy, lots of room in the bed. I lost a few MPGs from the burb, burb pulled 17 hwy, I am seeing average of 13 hwy with the Dodge. A trade off, full float rear axle, AAM front axle, towing package, all are heavy, so mileage is adversely affected. It is an every day driver for me. Don't know if this helps, hope so. Good luck with your contemplation and decision.

 

[Larry]

Tahoe’s age great rigs and should serve you well. I noticed you listed GMT400 is what you are looking for but you mentioned a 5.3L which was not offered in the GMT400. Below are the platforms if that helps with your search any. We had 2 GMT800 Tahoe Z71’s and a GMT900 Z71. The 2004 GMT800 was my favorite of the bunch while the 2013 GMT900 was my least favorite. Kept it a year and ditch it for a new Impala. GM totally ruined Tahoe’s and Suburban’s for 2015.

Tahoe GMT platforms

GMT400: 1995-1999/2000
Engines: 5.7L and 6.5L diesel

GMT800: 2000 – 2006
Engines: 4.8L and 5.3L

GMT900: 2007 – 2014
Engine: 5.3L

K2XX: 2015 to ??
Engine: Direct Injected 5.3L

 

[redthies]

GM totally ruined Tahoe's and Suburban's for 2015.

Ain't that the truth!

 

[Kaisen]

Having a lot of seat time in the new 2015s, I can't really imagine what you guys are complaining about. Functionally, they are better than ever. At least, better than a 2013

 

[02TahoeMD]

Hi TommyP. Personally, I love my Tahoe for exploring and find it quite capable for travel and light exploration duties. I do not feel any burning need to throw a SAS under it, and I have literally hundreds of miles off pavement on it. Mine is the GMT800 platform but I have also driven the GMT400 in the past and enjoyed it as well. If you have kids and are looking to do towing, I would look into a 2500 Suburban. Plenty of capacity inside for your family and will give you more options for available drivetrains. If I could do it all over, I would probably get a 2500 Suburban because of the extra room, enabling my truck to be packed for travel and be slept in comfortably.

I agree with the comments above - the quality of the GMT900s is not the greatest ( I have one for work and it is already showing more wear items at 30K miles than my personal one has at 90K ) and GM really made the 2015+ models into just oversized cars, which is the road they started down in 2007. IMHO the GMT800 series SUV is the last proper truck - looking vehicle that GM made. (in the SUV category that is)

 

[tommyp]

Lots of great ideas thanks. Jury is still out on the burb. I just think it is too big for everyday but would be great on the road. My wife has an Honda Element now and I could see here managing a Tahoe I don't think anyone would be safe if she had a burb. I am thinking this next rig will take over kid hauling duties.

I would swap the 5.3 into the GMT400. I am looking at low cost of entry vehicles with ether blown engines or transmissions rather than a newer working car. My thoughts are I will have a solid plan and build it into what I want rather than be stuck with an expensive stock vehicle.

Yeah the SAS is really a solid maybe. I would like it to ride well on road and I know that the IFS does that. If I wasn't contemplating a solid axle a GMT800 would make more sense just get one with the 5.3 and be done I guess. But whats the fun in that. Maybe that is the sane thing to do.

 

[rayra]

could you define / refine your cost terms more? I just recently bought an '02 K1500 Sub 5.3L in very good shape for $5300 [correction, $6000. Must have brain-farted on the 5.3L). 116k mi, just needed tires and did a full round of 100k preventative maintenance stuff. Got a solid vehicle for what I thought was 'low cost' / not expensive.
I originally set out shopping for a '98-99 K2500 but had a hard time finding anything that wasn't hagged out or too high a mileage / no life left in it. Coming off an '85 C-10 with 360k mi on it which just had a full transmission replacement, I wasn't looking for a 'fixer upper'. Eventually moved up into the 2000-2003 bracket and bump in price from $3k to $5-6k range to find something in good shape with another 50-75k mi worth of life in it. Prices climb sharply for anything in the newer brackets.
What sort of price point are you talking about? How old are you willing to go?

 

[tommyp]

Don't really have a set price. Probably $5k for a vehicle but would rather go cheaper and build/fix as I go rather than sink a lot of cash in right off. I'll have a better idea when I sell my Audi and recoup some money there.

 

[Simons]

Contemplating a Full Size Expo rig. GMT400 Tahoe - ideas welcome

Heres my 2¢. The pre-2000 is the better truck. For some reason the 00-06 4L60's seem to be junky, the door hinges are always sagging, and the interiors are such heavy plastic they rattle, squeak and creak so much it makes driving down a gravel road very unpleasant. The 5.3 is a very reliable power plant with a decent bump in hp and a little more mpg over the 5.7, but the constant sweet coolant smell from the perpetually weeping water pump is something you'll need to get used to. Then there's the genius behind GM's decision to jam the abs pump into the frame rail under the cab and hang the computers in vulnerable low lying areas. Of course this is only an issue if you live in an area where winter roads are salted.
Oh and look for a floor shifted t-case cuz encoder motors suck!

 

[Simons]

That is one sweet Zuk you have there!

 

[tommyp]

Heres my 2¢. The pre-2000 is the better truck. For some reason the 00-06 4L60's seem to be junky, the door hinges are always sagging, and the interiors are such heavy plastic they rattle, squeak and creak so much it makes driving down a gravel road very unpleasant. The 5.3 is a very reliable power plant with a decent bump in hp and a little more mpg over the 5.7, but the constant sweet coolant smell from the perpetually weeping water pump is something you'll need to get used to. Then there's the genius behind GM's decision to jam the abs pump into the frame rail under the cab and hang the computers in vulnerable low lying areas. Of course this is only an issue if you live in an area where winter roads are salted.
Oh and look for a floor shifted t-case cuz encoder motors suck!

Cool I can deal with a little coolant smell. Salting is an issue but I will deal with that. Same case? just some are shifted?

 

[tommyp]

That is one sweet Zuk you have there!

Thanks it was a lot of fun to build. The build thread is here: http://www.zukikrawlers.com/showthread.php?t=48990

Most of the heavy mechanical stuff is getting nailed down moving on to the winch wiring and building a new dash now.

 

[duckhunter71]

Cool I can deal with a little coolant smell. Salting is an issue but I will deal with that. Same case? just some are shifted?

I thought I'd offer a little input on the GMT-800 trucks. I've had three - two 2001 Silverado 1500 Ext Cab Z71s and one 2003 Silverado 1500HD 4x4. One of the 2001s and the 2003 both had the electronically controlled transfer case with AutoTrac and the other 2001 had the floor shift manual 4x4. I did have to replace the actuator for the 2001 1500, but it was a $70 fix and took the technician literally 30 minutes to fix. I had no issues out of any of those trucks and all were run hard and sold with at least 100k on them (2001 AutoTrac - 100k, 2001 manual shift - 120k, 2003 1500HD - 148k). They aren't perfect, but they are tough, comfortable, and easy/reasonable to fix. I loved the 5.3L in the 1500s except for the cold start knock on the AutoTrac equipped one.. not a big deal, just sounded awful for 10-15 seconds when started cold in the winter. I don't think you can go wrong with either generation of Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban as you seem to have realistic expectations about what you're getting. FWIW - I have also had two GMT-900 Silverados and my dad has a GMT-900 Sierra, all three have had AutoTrac electronic 4x4 and none of them have had issues.

 

[02TahoeMD]

Heres my 2¢. The pre-2000 is the better truck. For some reason the 00-06 4L60's seem to be junky, the door hinges are always sagging, and the interiors are such heavy plastic they rattle, squeak and creak so much it makes driving down a gravel road very unpleasant. The 5.3 is a very reliable power plant with a decent bump in hp and a little more mpg over the 5.7, but the constant sweet coolant smell from the perpetually weeping water pump is something you'll need to get used to. Then there's the genius behind GM's decision to jam the abs pump into the frame rail under the cab and hang the computers in vulnerable low lying areas. Of course this is only an issue if you live in an area where winter roads are salted.
Oh and look for a floor shifted t-case cuz encoder motors suck!

I have had my 2002 for almost 10 years now (anniversary is this coming August) and have none of the problems you have listed - no smell of coolant, no weeping from the water pump, the doors are just as square as the day I bought it, the only thing that makes noise in the interior is the cargo I have carried in the back. My computer is mounted behind the radiator and if something actually is reaching the computer to damage it, the rest of the front end is having a really bad day that is gonna end in a body shop. True, the ABS pump is mounted in a total P.I.T.A. location but even after driving mine in the salt belt (snow and beach driving) the pump still is working fine. Of course, the brake lines, on the other hand, did require replacing, a very common ailment around here.

Not sure I got a gem of a vehicle by chance or other people have had really bad luck with theirs.