08 Tahoe PPV

[PistolgripPoetry]

Hey all, just got an 08 Tahoe PPV at auction. Paid $1200 for it. I have been looking for a tahoe/yukon/suburban etc... for a while now and the used car market is crazy so I figured I would take a gamble. At $1200 I just couldn't pass it up.

143k miles
3k engine hours

The Pros:
- 17 years of detailed service records, maintained every 3k miles
- Semi recent suspension work, rear diff, pumps & belts replaced...
- no accidents / body damage
- new tires

Cons:
- Beat up interior
- front fender wheel well rust
- Low oil pressure reported at 120k - thicker oil + additive used for the next 20k miles
- At 140k vehicle was "running rough" - replaced ignition coils, plugs, o2 sensors, catalytic converter
- currently has P0430


So my main concern is the oil pressure + running rough and P0430 code after replacing sensors & converter. That kind of leads me to believe there's an issue with the lifters, which I think is a common issue with these. I paid a price for it basically anticipating having to do the cam and lifters but also possibly just swapping the engine.

Does anyone have a similar experience?

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please. If we can't see it, it does not exist.

I cannot personally assist you with your issue, but other members of this Forum much more knowledgeable than me in PPV's will chime in.

 

[JRs09TahoePPV]

I purchased an '09 Tahoe PPV, with 150,000 miles on it, back in April of 2024.

The one I bought was in good shape, it was lightly used by a small town police department in my state. It was in service for two years and then used by the Public Works Dept.

Mine equally came with detailed service records, which was so much fun to go through to find out the history of the vehicle. After I went through everything in the maintenance schedule I got a set of new tires, changed all fluids in the truck, spark plugs, wires, replaced drive & AC belt, new rotors & pads on all four corners.

I then turned off the AFM/DOD at the ECM; I'm not quite ready to do a full mechanical delete just yet.
Shortly after turning off the AFM, I had an engine code for low oil pressure and my oil pressure gauge was at 0. It ended up being my oil pressure sending unit and filter that needed replaced.
I replaced that part in April of 2026 and it's been running strong ever since. It's currently at 165,000 miles.

In your case, it sounds like you may have some larger issues to address with the engine. It's really up to you and your budget as to how you want to approach resolving those issues.

 

[PistolgripPoetry]

She's not pretty, but here it is!

Pics of the truck, please. If we can't see it, it does not exist.