Diggerdan11
Full Access Member
My whole driving life I have had trucks, but for the last couple years I have had a car as my daily driver. Its a fast little fun car, but sometimes a really miss having a larger rig. My wife has an 07 Yukon Denali and we love it, but its not a vehicle I can take hunting easily and I want to get back into that. My biggest complaint with the 07-14's is the way the second row seats dont fold flat like the previous generations use to. Makes it more of a pain to haul stuff, and my dogs cant stick their heads out the window. I want to keep my car, and my wife loves her Denali. So I was thinking about buying another vehicle that I could use for Hunting/Fishing/Hauling/Etc...
I have been thinking about this coming spring buying a Suburban. I was originally thinking about buying a CC truck (like the one I sold last year), but for how little I ever used my previous truck beds I think that a Suburban might be a little more practical. It will give me the ability to haul dogs and my son at the same time, plus If I need to make a Home Depot run, I can fit most things in the back of a Suburban with the seats down. And If I desperately need a truck bed, I can just go rent a pickup at U haul.
I do know that I want to get a 2500 Suburban. I want the extra power and towing ability, but I am trying to decided between an OBS (GMT 400) or a NBS (GMT 800). And I am looking for advice about the pros and cons of each body style, and what you guys might recommend. Im sure there are plenty people on here who have owned both GMT 400's and 800's so you can probably list the pros and cons of both.
I have been just browsing for several months now and have noticed that nearly all the 400's I have seen for sale have the 7.4L and its about 50/50 on the availability of the 6.0 or 8.1 on the 800. When it comes to choosing between the 6.0 and the 8.1 I am kinda torn. The 6.0 is a great engine and should have enough power for what I need, plus it gets better MPGs. The 8.1 sucks gas, but man that thing is a beast, but I am not sure if the tuning potential is as good as the 6.0.
Just and FYI I am not a newbie to either the GMT 400 or 800. The first vehicle I ever drove was a 94 Suburban 1500 with the 5.7, and my dad had a 99 CC 3500 with the 7.4L, both were great vehicles that never had any issues. My parents also had an 03 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 that I drove many times. I have also owned several GMT 800's (01 Silverado 5.3L, 03 Tahoe, 03 Silverado 1500HD 6.0L, 05 Silverado SS ** 6.0L). If i get an OBS I want to get a 96-99 because of the interior and the more powerful vortec engine.
I want to spend less that $5000 so these will be fairly high miles. What should I worry about with high milage Suburbans (Especially the 400's)?
Some questions I have:
With the 7.4L (96-99) what is the tuning potential? I have previously had a custom tunes on all my GMT 800's (except the Tahoe) and it did not matter if it was the 5.3L or the 6.0L or the ** 6.0L the tune really woke up all of them. Is it the same with the 7.4L? Is a custom tune on a 7.4L worth it?
Also with the 8.1L it seems like there are not as many options for performance upgrades as with the 6.0L? I know that I can get a custom tune for the 8.1, but will it increase the fuel economy any?
It also seems like there are more options for level kits on the 800's. I would like to level it in order to run larger tires.
Pros and Cons I can think of (Will update when I get advice):
96-99 2500 Suburban
Pros:
Can get a better deal on a 96-99 but It might have higher miles
I actually think the GMT 400's look more "trucky" which I like
Cons:
Ususually have higher miles
I know from experience the GMT 400's have fairly crappy headlights (compared to the 800's)
00-06 2500 Suburban
Pros:
I have lots of experience working on 800's
Both engine choices have more power (except the 6.0 has less torque than the 7.4L)
More choices for leveling kits?
I love the Auto 4wd option
Cons:
May have to pay a little more to get one in decent shape since they are newer
So what do you guys think? I am looking for any advice you have, pros and cons and experiences you have had with these tow different body styles.
I have been thinking about this coming spring buying a Suburban. I was originally thinking about buying a CC truck (like the one I sold last year), but for how little I ever used my previous truck beds I think that a Suburban might be a little more practical. It will give me the ability to haul dogs and my son at the same time, plus If I need to make a Home Depot run, I can fit most things in the back of a Suburban with the seats down. And If I desperately need a truck bed, I can just go rent a pickup at U haul.
I do know that I want to get a 2500 Suburban. I want the extra power and towing ability, but I am trying to decided between an OBS (GMT 400) or a NBS (GMT 800). And I am looking for advice about the pros and cons of each body style, and what you guys might recommend. Im sure there are plenty people on here who have owned both GMT 400's and 800's so you can probably list the pros and cons of both.
I have been just browsing for several months now and have noticed that nearly all the 400's I have seen for sale have the 7.4L and its about 50/50 on the availability of the 6.0 or 8.1 on the 800. When it comes to choosing between the 6.0 and the 8.1 I am kinda torn. The 6.0 is a great engine and should have enough power for what I need, plus it gets better MPGs. The 8.1 sucks gas, but man that thing is a beast, but I am not sure if the tuning potential is as good as the 6.0.
Just and FYI I am not a newbie to either the GMT 400 or 800. The first vehicle I ever drove was a 94 Suburban 1500 with the 5.7, and my dad had a 99 CC 3500 with the 7.4L, both were great vehicles that never had any issues. My parents also had an 03 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 that I drove many times. I have also owned several GMT 800's (01 Silverado 5.3L, 03 Tahoe, 03 Silverado 1500HD 6.0L, 05 Silverado SS ** 6.0L). If i get an OBS I want to get a 96-99 because of the interior and the more powerful vortec engine.
I want to spend less that $5000 so these will be fairly high miles. What should I worry about with high milage Suburbans (Especially the 400's)?
Some questions I have:
With the 7.4L (96-99) what is the tuning potential? I have previously had a custom tunes on all my GMT 800's (except the Tahoe) and it did not matter if it was the 5.3L or the 6.0L or the ** 6.0L the tune really woke up all of them. Is it the same with the 7.4L? Is a custom tune on a 7.4L worth it?
Also with the 8.1L it seems like there are not as many options for performance upgrades as with the 6.0L? I know that I can get a custom tune for the 8.1, but will it increase the fuel economy any?
It also seems like there are more options for level kits on the 800's. I would like to level it in order to run larger tires.
Pros and Cons I can think of (Will update when I get advice):
96-99 2500 Suburban
Pros:
Can get a better deal on a 96-99 but It might have higher miles
I actually think the GMT 400's look more "trucky" which I like
Cons:
Ususually have higher miles
I know from experience the GMT 400's have fairly crappy headlights (compared to the 800's)
00-06 2500 Suburban
Pros:
I have lots of experience working on 800's
Both engine choices have more power (except the 6.0 has less torque than the 7.4L)
More choices for leveling kits?
I love the Auto 4wd option
Cons:
May have to pay a little more to get one in decent shape since they are newer
So what do you guys think? I am looking for any advice you have, pros and cons and experiences you have had with these tow different body styles.
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