Tahoe SSV / LS-LT Noticeable Differences

[n2tech]

Hi Folks,

I'm new here and I am looking to buy a newer tahoe (2003 LS currently) and I was wondering if I could get some info as to what the real differences are in the Fleet Type SSV tahoes and the standard models such as LS/LT.

I understand that these will have plain interiors, no fancy components and may have been driven a bit harder, but I'm looking for any specific details like worse ride quality or other cheap components. Basically are the main differences just* the interior components or is there moe to it than that?

I can buy a white 4wd 2010 with 110k miles for $10-12k while a 2007 with 150k is $13-16K private party where I am from.

Thanks in adance!

 

[mr tahoe]

No carpets, third row,dash is full of holes, diffrent rims, ...

 

[n2tech]

Thanks!

 

[iLikeEggs]

Just make sure you inspect it before you buy it. Try to get a 2011 or later if possible, due to some oil issues and AFM.
Yes, there will be leftover mounting holes, antennas, etc. Depends on the agency. Some got more use than others, all are equipped differently. If you find a former K-9 vehicle expect more wear and smell. As far as options, the standard power windows, door locks and base radio will be all present. Power front seats too. Most of the time they come with a new back seat. Prisoner seats and cages are removed and the removed back seats are put back in. They won't come with a third row or the brackets for it but that's and easy fix (under an hour).
What you won't get are frills like sun roofs, Onstar and heated seats. But you will pay a heck of a lot less for a (usually) nicely maintained Tahoe. The seats are usually cloth but they are extremely comfortable.
As far as ride quality, they ride a bit on the stiffer side but handling is extremely crisp. The drive train is the same as any other Tahoe. Computer programming is a bit different but that's easy to work with.
Being that these are fleet vehicles they come with certain things disabled at the factory for the particular agency they are sent to. The key fob will lock/unlock and do the rear hatch but the lights won't flash and honk when doing so. Fog lights will probably be removed as well. You may not get a center console with it. These are all bonuses in my opinion. Bottom line is that if you can, get one with lower miles. If it looks like it was beat on, wait for the next one. Most of them come with rubber floors front to back. This is my favorite feature.
If they removed the antennas you can get the rubber rain plugs on ebay. If they left the NMO antenna mounts you can get the rain caps too. I've had a blast with my SSV. It was in need of a lot of basic maintenance when I got it but it runs like a top now. The trucks are a minor challenge sometimes but for what you pay(or don't pay) they are really great. I paid 12k for mine and I have zero regrets. It even gets better MPG than the 08 Envoy it replaced.

 

[mr tahoe]

Hey dont get me wrong i love my ppv but honestly if i was able to find an ltz or lt with sunroof heated seats and leather i would have bought it but i couldnt find any within a reasonable price, i had to buy a carpet 150/ third row seating 500 brackets for third row 150 fix the holes in the dash 200 had 6 holes only to have my dash crack later, center console with the wood grain 600 plus outer door handels mirrors welding the holes in the roof, its alot of work Depending on your perspective and what you want.

 

[iLikeEggs]

Hey dont get me wrong i love my ppv but honestly if i was able to find an ltz or lt with sunroof heated seats and leather i would have bought it but i couldnt find any within a reasonable price, i had to buy a carpet 150/ third row seating 500 brackets for third row 150 fix the holes in the dash 200 had 6 holes only to have my dash crack later, center console with the wood grain 600 plus outer door handels mirrors welding the holes in the roof, its alot of work Depending on your perspective and what you want.

Exactly. Of course factory installed options are nice, no doubt. However, when I was pricing out standard models against my SSV it came down to dollars. I paid $12 grand for mine. 2011 LS/LT/etc with similar mileage were running between $24-$30 grand. I decided to go with my auction truck, put a small bit of sweat equity into it and pocketed the difference. My previous truck (08 Envoy) was loaded inside and out so I've already been down that road. I figured when I got this thing that even if i had to put a new engine and trans into it I would still be way ahead of the game. If i were to spend $25+ grand and then had to start replacing stuff, that would just suck. But yeah, it's a matter of perspective. I have no car payment and plenty of money left over for add-ons and ammo. Plus I rather enjoy turning a wrench.
BTW I found a brand new center console/jump seat at auction. $150. My Tahoe pretty much looks like every other Tahoe except for the cop wheels, which I'm kind of digging.
Your mileage might vary.

 

[n2tech]

Exactly. Of course factory installed options are nice, no doubt. However, when I was pricing out standard models against my SSV it came down to dollars. I paid $12 grand for mine. 2011 LS/LT/etc with similar mileage were running between $24-$30 grand. I decided to go with my auction truck, put a small bit of sweat equity into it and pocketed the difference. My previous truck (08 Envoy) was loaded inside and out so I've already been down that road. I figured when I got this thing that even if i had to put a new engine and trans into it I would still be way ahead of the game. If i were to spend $25+ grand and then had to start replacing stuff, that would just suck. But yeah, it's a matter of perspective. I have no car payment and plenty of money left over for add-ons and ammo. Plus I rather enjoy turning a wrench.
BTW I found a brand new center console/jump seat at auction. $150. My Tahoe pretty much looks like every other Tahoe except for the cop wheels, which I'm kind of digging.
Your mileage might vary.

Since you said 2011 or newer I am looking at a 4x4 2012 LS model 92k miles that I can get for about $16k. It has vinyl seats, carpet and no holes in the dash and a CD player. I figure over time I could change the front seats and add a third row. Maybe swap wheels out down the road as I like the Chrome tahoe 5 star wheels.

Do you think this could be a good buy?

 

[iLikeEggs]

Absolutely. I would jump on that! $16 is on the high end and you're still under 100k miles. Sweet. I bought mine with 124k on it, which isn't even half life. Is it auction or dealer? If you're lucky maybe you will be able to get the service records.
But yes, I would have gone as high as $16k. You're getting a lot of truck for that money.

 

[n2tech]

This is a wholesaler / dealer. I am trying to figure out where I can run across a large lot of these tahoes at auction. They sell a lot of the police type of govdeals.com, but they go pretty high on there.

 

[FrankU]

SSV's and PPV's have hydro boost power brake units. The rear calipers on these are also bigger. The front calipers are a little different too. I'll find out more when the weather changes. I'll compare my 2006 vs 2011 brakes a bit closer. Yes the PP/SSV's brakes are that much better.

Some not all SSV's and PPV's have aluminum hoods and or tailgates too.

 

[iLikeEggs]

I would love to have an aluminum tailgate! And yes, it stops on a dime.

 

[iLikeEggs]

This is a wholesaler / dealer. I am trying to figure out where I can run across a large lot of these tahoes at auction. They sell a lot of the police type of govdeals.com, but they go pretty high on there.

I just saw one go for $17k. Not all of them go that high though. Just depends where it's located at.
I almost got mine for 8 grand, then some jerk started bidding me up. Of course, I was the other jerk in that bidding war. Lol.

 

[mr tahoe]

i would take it 16 is good and no holes in the dash

 

[mr tahoe]

Man the brakes on mine are soo awesome

 

[n2tech]

Thanks folks.... This has helped me make my decision. I may until after tax time as the car prices artificially go up for about 4 months. Then I will start my hunt.

 

[kronus]

If they removed the antennas you can get the rubber rain plugs on ebay. If they left the NMO antenna mounts you can get the rain caps too. I've had a blast with my SSV. It was in need of a lot of basic maintenance when I got it but it runs like a top now. The trucks are a minor challenge sometimes but for what you pay(or don't pay) they are really great. I paid 12k for mine and I have zero regrets. It even gets better MPG than the 08 Envoy it replaced.

What seller did you get those rain caps from? The agency I bought mine from threw some type of plug with a crap ton of silicone on the holes (pretty ugly.) Also, what gas mileage are you getting with your SSV?

 

[iLikeEggs]

You can get the rain caps from ebay or ham radio outlet. Just search NMO Rain Caps. They're pretty cheap. I got the Tram brand. Are all of the holes plugged with silicone or just the hole for the power cable from the light bar? You could always put the NMO mounts back in so you can screws the rain caps on and have a nice clean look. To get to the holes from inside you can usually just go through where the dome lights are.

As far as mileage, solid 20mpg Hwy. 99% of my driving is city though and it varies between 11-14mpg. When I got it it was getting 10mpg. Doing basic plugs, wires, filters, etc made a huge difference. Superchips Flashpaq econo tune helped too.

 

[kronus]

You can get the rain caps from ebay or ham radio outlet. Just search NMO Rain Caps. They're pretty cheap. I got the Tram brand. Are all of the holes plugged with silicone or just the hole for the power cable from the light bar? You could always put the NMO mounts back in so you can screws the rain caps on and have a nice clean look. To get to the holes from inside you can usually just go through where the dome lights are.

All of the holes are siliconed (3 I think.) I didn't even think about access from the dome lights - I was thinking I'd have to pull the headliner. Thanks for the tip!

Another random question - because the SSV/PPV models don't come with the black short stalk antenna on the roof, do you think there is a way to add one using those existing holes? I'd like better reception while listening to the radio (who doesn't?) Actually, is that black short stalk even for AM/FM or is that the XM antenna?

 

[CrashTestDummy]

Our '10 has vacuum-assist power brake booster, as has all the other PPVs I've looked at. Not sure if they replaced the hydroboost with vacuum, or if that's a later add, but I have yet to see hydroboost on a Tahoe PPV.

I don't think aluminum body parts are an option on NNBS Tahoes.

$16K is NOT a tax-time boost in price. That's not a bad price for a nice PPV with less than 100K miles.

A guy on the New Caprice list found this plug kit on evilbay to take care of some of the antenna and light holes on his Caprice:

http://www.amazon.com/Piece-Flush-M...psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=od_aui_detailpages00

The radio antenna, I believe, is in one of the rear quarter windows. We have a wire loop in one of ours, and that has to be for the radio. Reception is fine, although my wife usually plugs her iphone into the audio jack under the radio and plays her itunes through the Tahoe's sound system.

Good luck with your search. We're still loving our PPV!

 

[iLikeEggs]

You could.

All of the holes are siliconed (3 I think.) I didn't even think about access from the dome lights - I was thinking I'd have to pull the headliner. Thanks for the tip!

Another random question - because the SSV/PPV models don't come with the black short stalk antenna on the roof, do you think there is a way to add one using those existing holes? I'd like better reception while listening to the radio (who doesn't?) Actually, is that black short stalk even for AM/FM or is that the XM antenna?

You could. You would just have to snake the coax through the headliner and down the pillar. Ive got big hammy hands and didn't have to drop the headliner when I ran a second coax. I kept the NMO mounts for my GMRS and ham radios. The one hole that was siliconed over I covered with a fake shark fin antenna from ebay ($4 bucks shipped). It makes a difference in the look. (note- black Tahoe's are pollen magnets).