Hey ya'll, been awhile...here's what's I got;

[Derick]

Hey all, so I've been driving my 2500 now for 4 years. I have put the better part of 80k on it, and probably spent about the same..

Anyhow, it is starting to disintegrate and is generally a pile of shit at this point. The thing is, it's never left me stranded, and provided i dont leave the GPS on for a week, it always starts right up.

I gotta do body mount bushings but outside of that, I'm right at 199.5k, have no dummy lights on, and while the ride is generally atrocious, and I dont really keep the interior nice or clean, it does what I want it to do.

I'm thinking about saving up for next year, I'll have my last credit card paid off, and my honda will be paid in full by around June. I've been watching ads for various full size vehicles...and I really just want to stick with an SUV. I've been seeing 09-14 escalades for 12-16k in reasonable condition. WHY?! That seems nuts, but these decent looking vehicles, at around 150k miles, are really reasonably priced. So, I guess just a general question to the peanut gallery - if you had 15-18k to buy a GM Full Size SUV, what would you be looking for as the best bang for the buck and reliable vehicle?

edit; I dont NEED the 3/4 ton features. My buddy got me all amped up on the 2500 and i ate it up. I pull 5000-6000# max from time to time, but maybe a couple times a year. I WOULD like to stick with the long body though....

 

[Big Mama]

What kind of driving do you do? Is mpg a deal breaker? 2WD, 4WD, AWD? I’m partial to the GMT900 of course.

 

[swathdiver]

I wanted a 2500 with a passion but logic won out and bought the 1500. So why don't you get a 2012-2014 Z71 Suburban? It'll have all the software updates like Hill Start Assist and Trailer Sway Control and get one with the Integrated Trailer Brake Controller for all of those features too since you do tow.

Truck will be familiar to you and yours so driving it will be seamless and of course you know how to work on them already and what their quirks are.

I say Z71 for the cool fender flares, better approach angles up front for off-roading and neat dash overlay. Just to make it a little more different but the same as your 2500.

With the K5L and 3.42 gears your new Z71 will be rated to tow more than your old 2500. Of course the payload and GCWR will be less.

If you have the Tech-2 already, you can keep on using it, if not, put one in the budget.

 

[Derick]

What kind of driving do you do? Is mpg a deal breaker? 2WD, 4WD, AWD? I’m partial to the GMT900 of course.

I'm 99.9999% 2wd, but I do like the 4wd in the snowy winter. That said I only use it when it's really bad, and when I get to less bad roads I just click back in to 2wd.

 

[Derick]

I wanted a 2500 with a passion but logic won out and bought the 1500. So why don't you get a 2012-2014 Z71 Suburban? It'll have all the software updates like Hill Start Assist and Trailer Sway Control and get one with the Integrated Trailer Brake Controller for all of those features too since you do tow.

Truck will be familiar to you and yours so driving it will be seamless and of course you know how to work on them already and what their quirks are.

I say Z71 for the cool fender flares, better approach angles up front for off-roading and neat dash overlay. Just to make it a little more different but the same as your 2500.

With the K5L and 3.42 gears your new Z71 will be rated to tow more than your old 2500. Of course the payload and GCWR will be less.

If you have the Tech-2 already, you can keep on using it, if not, put one in the budget.

That's kinda the info I was looking for. I never knew that model existed, nor the specific years, so that sounds spot on. I'd love to do a fly and drive from a salt free state too....

 

[swathdiver]

Sounds like a plan!

No ITBC but it has three televisions!

Used Chevrolet Suburban for Sale - Autolist

Check out this Chevrolet Suburban for sale!

www.autolist.com

This one has it, no memory seats though.

Used Chevrolet Suburban for Sale - Autolist

Check out this Chevrolet Suburban for sale!

www.autolist.com

They are not ubiquitous, at least lower mileage units. So they are kinda unique in the world of 900s.

 

[t_bergman]

That's kinda the info I was looking for. I never knew that model existed, nor the specific years, so that sounds spot on. I'd love to do a fly and drive from a salt free state too....

The Suburban z71 is a good truck, I'm certainly not going to talk you out of one but I will provide my perspective on why I did a fly and drive for a 2500.

The 2500 is a different beast altogether as you are aware and I wanted another specifically for a few reasons: free floating 10.5" vs semi floating rear axle, 6.0l L96 engine without DoD, 500lbs heavier curb weight, 39 vs 31 gallon fuel tank. Mine is my daily driver, and I NEED the capability of the 2500 5% of the miles that get logged on the clock, the other 45% of the miles are highway cruising to the lake and back. The 2500 is highway dream when it's loaded to max payload and it doesn't sag one bit. I wasn't willing to compromise the overbuilt nature of these trucks for my particular mission and I know that it was going to take time and money to go get another one that was in good shape.

If you are looking to do a fly and drive, I picked my '13 K2500 up from Peak Cars in Bozeman MT, https://www.peakcars.com/. They have an employee who works the auctions in CA, purchases the vehicles then they are shipped up to Bozeman via semi and sold as it's near impossible to get a rust free used vehicle in MT. I'm sure if you worked with them they could find a rust free '13 Z71 suburban.

To start searching, I'd use https://www.autotempest.com/ as it'll grab almost everything out there on the net. You should be able to find a z71 faster than a 2500.