1983 Suburban 4x4 Question/Advice

[azxc]

I'm interested in getting an '83 Chevy Suburban 4x4 which I found on CL and was told be a good friend that this would be a good place to get some advice and possibly answer some questions.

I found a bone stock '83 Suburban on CL and they are asking $5000 for it.

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2590593395.html

I'm going to initially use it as a family wagon and in the next year convert it into camping/hunting/G.O.O.D. truck.

I'm curious to know what everyone thinks and if the price is fair. Any other advice would be appreciated.

I spoke to the owner and found that it does not have a 3rd row seat which I need for the family. Would I have to retrofit it to fit the 3rd row in or are there already tabs that I can just bolt down the seat?

Thanks in advance for the help.

AZ XC

 

[Ray Hyland]

Looks like a nice clean burban. I think they all have the tabs in the back but the current owner should be able to look for you.

Price seems a little high, but if it is in great shape it is probably fair. Better to pay more for a good truck than pay less and then pour money into it later.

We had a slightly newer one for a while, it was a great family exploration truck.

Let us know if you buy it.

 

[clandr1]

Hopefully he tells you the mileage on both the motor and the truck. It seems overpriced for what it is. Around DFW you could get a pretty nice 1987-1991 Suburban for $5000.

That being said, I think these trucks are bulletproof.

edited to add links:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2609232237.html

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/2573819331.html

And the money shot:

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/2557411613.html

 

[Deleted member 9101]

Clean truck, and if it was 2500 I'd go for it.. but not for 5,000. If it is "low miles" then why would it have a motor installed in the last few years? Although if it is a 454 with a Th 400 behind it, it will be almost unbreakable....lol.

 

[98dango]

a 1/2 ton with a 454 not stock from my knowlage. Appers to be clean but i would look for a newer 87-91 efi 3/4 ton with bard doors. The price is on the top end but like i said looks to be clean.
http://api.viglink.com/api/click?fo...9232237.html&jsonp=vglnk_jsonp_13166384635929

 

[azxc]

Thanks for all the good advice and links to the other 'burbs. I'm slated to test drive it tomorrow afternoon and hopefully will update with some post-purchase price. Any further advice will help as I'm definitely a noob at the 4x4/Expedition thing but look forward to getting into it.

AZ XC

 

[goin camping]

Looks very clean! The price would be high if it had a 350 in it. But with the 454 there is a premium added as us trailer towers need that big block and pay for it.

Heck, I'd buy it to replace my 2001 big block burb.

BTW, I have a third row seat I do not want or need. If a third row seat from an 01 will fit yours. You can have it.

 

[roostercruiser]

Damn all those burbans are nice.

 

[mr250twostroke]

Wow way to much, keep looking. These gas guzzlers aren't fetching premium prices. I paid 3k for my 87 and it already had lots of upgrades.

 

[rxm6]

This truck looks like more of a family truck/road queen. I would look for a cheaper truck with a 350 if you're not going to tow. The 454 would limit your range from a fuel station severely with a stock tank.

However, I suppose with the 454 you could tow a fuel tank trailer. :ylsmoke:

 

[Erik N]

Get a 3/4 ton model.

 

[azxc]

Update:

I test drove it and it's not quite as in "great condition" as in the ad. The A/C was out which is AZ is a must have especially in the PHX area and when I brought it to my mechanic he said that it appeared the truck had been sitting for a couple years with the presence of several field mice nests in the engine bay. These same mice had eaten all the insulation on the hood and my mechanic (along with most everyone else) said $2k would be a good price for it since it would cost about $1200 to get those things taken care of.

Seller explained he had an offer for $3800 which he turned down on it and obviously didn't take me up on my $2k offer--worse thing he could do is say no, right.

So out again on the hunt for a 4x4 older suburban.

Thanks all for the advice and tips.

AZXC

 

[MEESSS]

That happened to me a lot when I was looking for one, it took me 8 months to find the right one for the right price. Good luck

 

[raven1911]

Update:

I test drove it and it's not quite as in "great condition" as in the ad. The A/C was out which is AZ is a must have especially in the PHX area and when I brought it to my mechanic he said that it appeared the truck had been sitting for a couple years with the presence of several field mice nests in the engine bay. These same mice had eaten all the insulation on the hood and my mechanic (along with most everyone else) said $2k would be a good price for it since it would cost about $1200 to get those things taken care of.

Seller explained he had an offer for $3800 which he turned down on it and obviously didn't take me up on my $2k offer--worse thing he could do is say no, right.

So out again on the hunt for a 4x4 older suburban.

Thanks all for the advice and tips.

AZXC

Careful of the mice! I have a buddy that had field mice at his house, the mice lived in his diesel truck and made a nest in the exhaust piping. He didn't notice is for a while and it caused some mechanical problems until he found the nest which was had completely occluded the pipe!:Wow1:

 

[bajajoaquin]

I agree with the advice about getting a 3/4 ton model. If you need the third row for family, you're going to be very heavy when you're loaded down to camp. Get all the capacity you can.

When searching, you can sometimes do a lot of weeding out of garbage by reading the ads carefully. Someone above noticed the discrepancy between "low miles" and "new engine." There was also that it's a "one owner" in the ad, but the time frame for the engine was "some time in the last five years." If it was the original owner, he'd know that. So what he meant was, "it was a one owner truck before I bought it."

Not that people won't outright lie, but frequently they don't. They will hedge their bets so they can later claim to be not lying. That makes their ads read weird.