Looking at an 03 Z71

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MJW602

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Hello all,

I am in the market for a 01-06 Tahoe and I saw an 03 black Z71 4X4 on Craigslist for $2500. It looked relatively clean in the pictures, however, the ad stated that the mileage is unknown due to cluster change. I am going to have a thorough inspection done before I purchase any vehicle. Does this sound like it's worth a look or should I be leery of the unknown mileage?

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated!
 

adriver

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That's cheap enough that if it checks out it could be a good deal. An 03 z71 in great condition (minimal, cheap problems) with 150-200K miles on it will be twice that.

However, lets start out with the obvious problems so far: I find it hard to believe there is no way to get a rough idea at least about the mileage. A Carfax, an inspection, a registration, work done at all dealerships and some shops will all have mileage listed. How do they know the cluster was changed, but not know when it was or how many miles were on it before it was changed? This alone sounds so incredibly shady to me, Its not that I would avoid the vehicle, I would avoid the seller. I don't care how clean a vehicle looks, Don't let a $200-$300 detail (or $30-$50 in chemicals and several hours), sell you on several thousand dollars worth of problems. If you are not a mechanic, get a PPI (pre purchase inspection) done. Any dealership or repair shop can do one, and they will tell you the last time it had a listed mileage. They will give you a great idea on what the problems are that need to be addressed immediately, and what you need to be aware of in the future. If you don't know how to inspect the different components of a vehicle, this is your best way to know what you are getting into.
 
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