What to look for-Used Suburban

[bretcopsey]

Sorry if this isn't the right forum...

I'm considering buying a high milage (230k) 1993 1500 Suburban to replace my daily driver. I need something that is capable of transporting the family in the event that the family mini-van ever goes templorarily out of commission. The current owner has only had it for less than a year, so doesn't know the whole history. His best guess is that the moor has been rebuilt/replaced because it runs strong, doesn't leak or use fluids...

I'm sure that it was only driven on Sundays too LOL!! Anyway, I'm pretty confident I could tell by looking for the VIN to see if it has been swapped, and if not, looking at the general condition may give hints as to engine originality/rebuild. It is 2wd, so no need to worry about transfer case, just tranny.

The truck has also been lowered quite a bit (more the reason to like it!) The rear leafs are upside down and on top of the axle now, with the rear sway bar removed (assume there was once one because there are now some unused links). Exhaust looks fairly new.

Frontend-I thought that by looking at the upper ball joints to see if they are riveted or bolted on may give away whether a frontend rebuild has ever been done, but I'm not familiar with the Suburban chassis. Would that be something to look for?

Any other pointers?

The body is pretty solid, paint is decent. It has 16" TTII's and new Goodyears on it. The interior is cloth and showing its age, but no tears or worn through spots. Overall, it looks like it would serve my needs well, but the high milage/age have me a little concerned.

Opinions/tips??

[myclone]

While Ive dealt mostly with high milage trucks most if not all of what Ive seen will prolly carry over to burb.

1.Stock TBI motors can easily go well pas 300k if maintained so dont count on the engine being rebuilt (its a crap shoot really). High milage TBIs usually weep a little oil from the rear main and need valve seals (smoke on start up) but thats about it.
A. I almost forgot...pull the valve covers and make sure the oil drain back holes arent stopped/sludged up. If they are then clean them out and put valve seals on while youre in there.

2. The stock trans is probably about had it after 230k so IMO its prolly been rebuilt at one time. Ive seen them go past the 300k mark but they were low hp 305 trucks that were used as transportation only with no towing/hauling. If yours has actually never been rebuilt then plan for it to need it at any time.

3. Steering boxes tend to die at about the 250k mark for some reason (youll know when it happens since the steering acts like the ps pump isnt working).

4. Dont be suprised if the bearings in the rear diff start to give up at about the 280k mark. For some reason thats the life span of them on the truck 10 bolt.

5. If the fuel pump has never been replaced then your 130+k past where its on borrowed time. If it were me Id throw a fuel pump in it just to keep from being left along side the road (at the worst possible time of course). Dont run the tank below 1/4 full and your new fuel pump will thank you.

6. Stock GM ball joints are riveted in. Rivets=stock bolts=replacements

7. The truck prolly needs door hinge bushings unless theyve been replaced already. If the prev owner let them go to the point that the steel hinge part was rubbing the pin then more than likely youll need to repair the hole where the bushing seats or the new bushings wont last very long at all. Look for the striker hitting the top of the opening in the door where the latch is as well as the door sagging. Chewed up metal here but no door sag is a sign that the bushings were let go too long and the hinge holes are prolly wallowed out. Not hard to fix but time consuming and a PIA wrestling with the door(s).

Thats about all I can think of right off the top of my head but as Im sure youre aware be prepared for other misc do dads like HVAC controls, window motors/switches, etc to constantly need attention/replacement with high miles.

HTH

[chicane67]

What ever you decide....... make sure its at least a 3/4 ton if you even tink of towing anything like a car and trailer or your gonna be rebuilding the tiny 8.5" in it in no time.

[Bill Howell]

What they said!
Surely with gas prices like they are, you can find something with fewer miles. I would stay away from anything with that many miles unless it was super cheap. You are just asking for headaches and breakdowns with anything driven that far.
There was a carshow in town this weekend and plenty of cheap trucks and yukons.
Just my .02

[Jim Nilsen]

I couldn't tell where you live but in IL. a Suburban that old would have very visible problems that you don't discribe in the discription. The vent windows would be rusty and the paint would be poor and most of all it would leak something and burn something noticably.

It sounds to me that someone along the line cared enough about it to modify it and restore the body and paint a bit. If that is the case you can't be sure about the engine even if the vin matches because it could be rebuilt.

If you like 8-10 miles to the gallon and 12 if your lucky and you can get it for 1k then it might be an alright deal for an emergency vehicle. Otherwise I would walk away and not spend good money out for bad. You need to look more for a Caprice wagon or a Buick Century wagon and be careful even then but at least it will be better on gas. But at least you can carry the family still and if you ever get rid of it you can find a buyer a lot easier IMHO.

Picture would really help.

Jim Nilsen

[myclone]

I dunno guys... Ive had no problems with the ol 8.5 ten bolt holding up to towing or average hauling. Granted I only tow an open tilt bed car trailer (2200lbs) which normally hauls a 3400lb vehicle every now and then and hauled whatever I needed to at the time within the load rating of the truck and I have yet to break an 8.5 under normal usage (Ive blown up a few from abuse though :lmao: ).

A 3/4 ton does give you a little extra piece of mind though so IMO you wont go wrong stepping up to a little heavier duty tow vehicle if the price is right.

[bretcopsey]

Well, I still haven't been able to check it out. The owner's wife just had twins and they were kept in the hospital.

I can stop buy after work and get a couple pictures though. I currently have a 92 Caprice wagon. But after a somewhat hard hit to the pass side front last fall, it has been going downhill. I've had this car for six plus years and am ready for somethig a little different. The wife's van still has a couple years worth of payments though, and I don't want to take on another new car payment right now.

This Suburban just jumped out at me though, and the asking price is $3600. I think it looks worth about that, KBB retail matched too. If I were only concerned about milage I would consider a Civic or something similar. But I just don't feel comfortable with that because you certainly need somethng bigger to haul a family of six, plus car seats and diaper bags etc. If the van ever needs to be down for repairs I want to be able to use my daily driver as a backup for hauling the family. I don't forsee any towing.

This truck sits very low, but from the view I was able to get there is no rust underneath. The exhaust is fairly new looking. Thre is no major body damage. The mileage is the only thing concerning me for now. We'll see if that changes if I ever get to look it over better & drive it.

[Jim Nilsen]

The more you describe it the better it sounds. Suburbans hold a good resale value if they are clean and run good. I have seen a few older than that go for over 5k around here but they had the whole towing package and looked and ran as good as new. They are hard to beat when it comes to haulin things and being dependable.

My old 77 1/2 ton pu is as reliable as it can get, it will sit sometimes for 3 or 4 months and start right up and go down the road. Parts are also easy to still find in salvage yards all day long. Yours just might have a completely updated drivetrain in it for all you know since they can be found rather cheap once in awhile.

Jim Nilsen

[69protour]

I don't know where your located at but I've got a 96' burb for sale. I'm in Iowa and it's a LS 1500 series, 350 Vortec, 4x4, tow package, rear air and heat, Loaded, Red no rust. 3rd seat, fits 8 persons no problem. New trans. with hardened shell that went bad last trans, new alternator. Runs excellent. $6500.00 obo. Interseted let me know. Trond

[bretcopsey]

Well, I guess the 93 was sold because the guy stopped returning my calls and it's not sitting in that lot anymore.

A few days ago I spotted a 99 2500 4x4 (3/4 ton) with a 7.4L-not exactly what I said I was looking for, but it was a damn steal! This truck has just about every option-Leather, third row seat, rear heat/air, power everything, tow package, almost brand new tires...you get the idea. The only negative was the 130K on the clock. I picked it up last night.

I ran it through www.kbb.com (http://www.kbb.com) and the retail value came up as $14,995. Anyone care to guess what I paid?

[Bill Howell]

9K :dunno:
You said guess! I am thinking with gas like it is, there are some real deals out there and book values are out the window at the moment. I know the local dealerships are loaded with pickups and SUVs.

[bretcopsey]

Actually, you about nailed it on the head! I paid $8995 and was out the door with tax/title at $9630!!!

You're right about the gas though, it has a 35 gallon tank and cost me $91.00 for the first fill-up. That will take some time to adjust to!!!

[USAZR1]

If I had known you were looking for one,I would've sold you my 99.
FWIW,my Suburban has a 42gal fuel tank.