Purchasing a Tahoe PPV

[DoctorDogfish]

Hello all,
I was curious about possibly purchasing and refurbishing a 2009-2011 PPV Tahoe for personal use. I haven't exactly made the decision yet as I wanted to see what other people have to say about them. The ones that I'm looking at are from a public police auction so they are pretty fresh off duty. The insides are stripped of the electronics and the back has plastic bench along with a couple other issues.
What I'd like to know is are there any special concerns with the PPV vehicles? Engine or transmission issues? Also, what about the sourcing of parts? Do they share a lot with the standard Tahoe's or are the parts specific to the PPV model and expensive? Will I have to get creative with installations and repairs or can I use the standard repair manual? If anyone has done this I'd appreciate their views and experiences with this. Thanks!

 

[2011SSVHOE]

Doctor Dogfish AKA roger , that's easy that's my name also. I think for the most part these vehicles have been well maintained. There are a few mechanical differences such as brakes and a high capacity air filter. also lowered suspension on the 2wd models, most of the changes are on the lack of fancy options . In your post I see you mention the plastic bench seat, are you referring to a hard plastic seat or a vinyl upholstery. because I have seen the hard plastic. Most will come with front cloth and rear vinyl and no third row. If you are really looking I always see some on ebay at a reasonable price. don't know where you live but another member here just got a beauty of one from the NC highway patrol. Good Luck and keep us posted we'll be glad to help. Roger that!!!

 

[Samuraj]

Maintenance hmm....
They do oil changes , and if something fell off ,
They not really like to spend money in the end , so warranty over , couple years more in service , and out
It all depends WHO was driving , or beating S--t out of it !
Yea , sure, government and maintenance, they have vehicles for free ... taxpayer money .
So .. if you can have driving record , then you are 200% sure , till then , hit or miss
I did it , because needed vehicle and money for project ,

 

[DoctorDogfish]

Here are a couple examples of the interior and the 2nd row bench seats I was referring to. The rest of the vehicle doesn't look quite as bad from the pictures provided. My other question is the wiring and how easily that can be removed or should it be removed at all?

 

[RichardCranium]

Is this a state vehicle, or a city/town?

All of that wiring you see will do you no good, its all aftermarket for radios and other equipment (lights, siren, etc). Did that truck have a cage, did you see evidence? The plastic seat in the back could have just been a cost saving method, and if there is no evidence of a cage that should be proof enough. Otherwise, there are probably several types of dried bodily fluids all over that bench. Barf.

I've just barely had the time to start digging in my PPV, but after scouring the surplus lot in Raleigh NC (and having some friends who have bought/searched too), I have several other things to look for as well. One thing you need to ask yourself before you purchase one is how far you want to go with fixing items to suite your taste. Replacing all seats? Adding carpet? Adding OEM console? Door panels? Do some math, make sure it makes sense to get a PPV or SSV for what you need to pay. Especially if you are going to go back and creature comforts that you could get in a LS or LT model.

What to look for on a SSV or PPV:

• This body style Tahoe has the infamous dash crack or two, almost all will be cracked by the passenger airbag area. Pretty sure its a factory option that just isn't listed. I am not sure how, but I have seen multiple SSV and PPV with massive amounts of dash cracking, some even running the length of the dash (from drivers side to passenger side). Don't forget to check for cracking there, really anything more than the normal passenger airbag crack is starting to get excessive and abnormal.
• Cost. Not sure where you are, but explore around you some before you buy. State surplus versus local government, even check the states around you. You'll likely find most have pretty standard pricing for certain types of vehicles. For instance, the 2wd PPV from NC Highway Patrol go for $7500. That is a "buy it now" price, there are other PPV's and SSV's on the state surplus lot that are sealed bid auctions, most of those are not in the best of condition (highest bid wins after X amount of days). I had a buddy pick up a '08 4x4 SSV with full interior that was CLEAN with 80k miles for $7600 on sealed bid. Judging by your photos above, you might find another jurisdiction that orders their vehicles with totally different equipment (carpet, vinyl bench rear seat, OEM console).
• Driver's seat - wear on the driver's seat tells the whole story. You aren't going to find one with less than 10,000 farts trapped inside, but when you find that PPV with no tears or abnormal wear.....you might have found one worth purchasing. If you plan on doing a full seat swap to leather, it doesn't really matter. But when you find that Tahoe with 150k+ miles and the seat is perfect, you've probably found a truck that was only driven by one person in its service life. Look at your pics above, right where that tear is in the seat (on the bolster) is a common place, my guess is its from a holstered firearm or radio on their person.
• Equipment removal. Knowing what the vehicle was used for will help, so you know what may have been where (LED lightbars, cage, radar, etc). This is going to depend on the entity that is offering the surplus vehicle for sale as well, as some don't have the budget to pay someone to remove every bit of equipment and reinstall the panels properly. It's a judgement call on your part as to what you want to handle for repairs/reinstallation. Also consider it in the price, if you are getting a smoking deal it might be worth going through and checking panel fitment yourself. Your biggest enemy will be screw holes in random places.....like the face plate around the radio, random spots on the dash, any of the pillars, etc.
• Fleet maintenance. If you are set on buying a truck from the lot you are currently watching, talk to some of the officers from that jurisdiction. Get to know how they handle PM, are they pretty gung ** about getting to the garage for that oil change that is due? Do they take a truck in immediately for a CEL? You'll learn a lot about the service life and preventative maintenance from an officer who works for that agency. Due to my work, I know several NC Troopers, so I know they are on top of their PM. Even knowing a lot of these SHP vehicles have been idling a lot, they still are on top of maintenance. I was given a printed vehicle history (by VIN) when I purchased my PPV.
• My biggest thing was finding a 2010+ so I could have the 6L80. It's really personal preference for what you like, but I feel the 6L80 is much more pleasant to drive. I was spoiled with my 2008 Sierra Denali (damn I miss the 6.2L also). If you are going to be doing a lot of driving, you might consider getting a '10 or newer as well. That 6 speed auto is worth it.
• Don't forget your basics, like overall body condition and panel alignment, tires, brakes, paint, etc. It's almost a gamble where I purchased my truck, the only thing they will let you do is start the truck up and idle it. No test drives.

 

[2011SSVHOE]

It all depends on price, That excess wiring can be removed easily. You can probably pick up a rear seat from a junk yard and an automotive upholsterer can fix that bolster on the drivers seat. Make sure that they plugged the holes in the roof properly. I'm cleaning up a mess on mine right now because the grommet plug wasn't sealed well.

 

[DoctorDogfish]

A lot of these are pretty cheap which is why I wanted one for a project. The one pictured above sold for less than $1500 and I haven't seen many go higher than $2000.

 

[992dr]

Sh*t, If you can grab one for even $2000, I'd grab two.
At that cost I wouldn't care what was wrong with it, everything is easily accessible and inexpensive.
The perfect base to work off of.
Where are you finding them that cheap?

Around here, they go for quite a bit more but, they are in very good condition and come with all maintenance records.

 

[DoctorDogfish]

It's a public surplus auction. The ones I'm looking at are in the state of Illinois. Chicagoland area to be specific.

 

[jz57]

For $1500, that PPV must have a salvage title. If a 2007 & up PPV has below 200K miles amd a clean title, it should be above $5500 in NY, NJ PA, .... area. I dont think that there could be so wide price gap for a similar condition Chevy SUV PPV in the continental.


[QUOTE="DoctorDogfish, post:
..... The one pictured above sold for less than $1500 and I haven't seen many go higher than $2000.[/QUOTE]