Moving on up

[tsuintx]

So... When kids have been gone for a few years, it's time to upsize the house and the ride, right? Upsized the house last year, so now it was time for the ride.

Not sure why, but for the last couple of years my wife has been wanting a Suburban to accomodate those 2-3 times a year Tahoe wasn't quite enough. I tried talking sense to her to stay on a Tahoe, but to no avail.

Time to get to work, then. Sold her 2010 Tahoe last Monday after just 10 days on the market and replaced it with a 2015 Suburban LT today. Looked at a few and I think on this one it all clicked the best.

Was kind of hoping for butt coolers, but just didn't find something to fit the budget and/or condition. Only heaters on this one, but coolers have been something at least I have been missing since we sold her 07 Escalade some years ago. Oh well, maybe next time.

Bought it for 19.5K from second owner who had it since 2016. Has 137K miles, but since 20-23K was our budget, we had to stick with 100K+ miles. Latest two Tahoes (07 and 10) both had roughly the same miles when we bought them, so I'm not afraid of miles. Especially if the truck looks to have been well maintained and based on the records I got with it, that has been the case. Including frequent fluid changes, AC condenser last year, new front/rear brakes and KYB struts in front a couple of months ago. Haven't gone through all the paperwork yet, but those are the main things I noticed.

Has had front and rear bumper covers replaced due to parking lot fender benders and the guy even sent me pics of both incidents. Crawled under to see if I can find any marks anywhere and none were found, so didn't hesitate due to those. Also has really clean tan interior with WeatherTech floor covers front and rear. No cover in the cargo area, so need to get one for that since I don't want to get the tan carpet dirty. I'll probably post better pics once the weather cooperates better in the next few days.

It's wife's truck, so no big plans for mods etc. Just need to take care of the basics first: catch can, Airaid MIT and DiabLew tune. Tires (22") are getting there, so those will probably also need to be addressed still this year.

 

[gat0r]

nice upgrade
& rims look good

 

[swathdiver]

The wife is right, bigger is better!

 

[ReaperHWK]

Nice looking truck. Are those wheels an OEM option? They look good.

We just got a 2015 Tahoe LTZ, wife didn't want a suburban, lol. Also with higher mileage at 104k..... Couldn't afford the ones with under 50k they were 10k more.

Like yours is was in good shape, good luck with it!

 

[Miami-Dade]

Nice find on your well maintained Suburban LT! Looks brand new!

No worry on the 137K miles. I generally find lower mileage vehicles are in worse shape mechanically then higher mileage ones plus not well maintained. I have almost 95K miles on my 2016 LT and plan on taking a ton of trips with it next summer if not before.

 

[tsuintx]

Thanks, guys!

Not sure about the wheels. Haven't had time to look at them yet. Will try to do some over the weekend. They are 22s and I don't think GM had that style of 22s available... I do like them, but what I don't like is that the guy put some Chinese Fullway, or something like that, rubber on them... They still have good tread on them, but I just haven't had good luck with the cheapo Chinese rubber, so will get rid of them soon.

Also, while going through the receipts, I found that the torque converter was replaced under warranty in 2018 at 83K miles. Tranny was dropped, cleaned etc., so I guess that's good, too.

And yeah, miles clearly don't bother me. My 2016 Silverado had 179K when I bought it in August.

 

[Ron Mills]

Thanks, guys!

Not sure about the wheels. Haven't had time to look at them yet. Will try to do some over the weekend. They are 22s and I don't think GM had that style of 22s available... I do like them, but what I don't like is that the guy put some Chinese Fullway, or something like that, rubber on them... They still have good tread on them, but I just haven't had good luck with the cheapo Chinese rubber, so will get rid of them soon.

Also, while going through the receipts, I found that the torque converter was replaced under warranty in 2018 at 83K miles. Tranny was dropped, cleaned etc., so I guess that's good, too.

And yeah, miles clearly don't bother me. My 2016 Silverado had 179K when I bought it in August.

If you're looking at replacement tires/wheels, maybe consider 20's... a little smoother ride but still look good, and more readily available. I just bought a 12 Tahoe with 20's, and the only time it's smooth riding is with my travel trailer attached... food for thought

 

[tsuintx]

If you're looking at replacement tires/wheels, maybe consider 20's... a little smoother ride but still look good, and more readily available. I just bought a 12 Tahoe with 20's, and the only time it's smooth riding is with my travel trailer attached... food for thought

20" is pretty much where I personally think the sweet spot is. The 07 Tahoe we had came with 24s and was ridiculous. Went immediately down to 22" and eventually to 20". 2010 Tahoe came with factory 18s, but upgraded them to factory 20s.

Haven't driven this one that much to form an opinion yet, so we'll see. As said, there's still quite a bit of tread left, so not in a hurry to make changes. Will evaluate over the next few months and go from there.

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Nice truck! Good find.

If you do consider going to 20" wheels in the future, you may want to consider a 305/50x20 tire, which should fit with no rubbing and no suspension leveling or lifting. Just a thought, if you want a wider tire.

 

[tsuintx]

We'll see about the tire size if/when we get there, but I've seen 305s in some trucks and they do look nice and beefy (=comfortable).

One thing I'm actually a bit bummed about is that this thing doesn't have Apple Carplay. It has the I06 with factory navi, but no Carplay. Not really excited about having to spend another 500 bucks or so for HMI and radio module upgrade. She might need to settle just for Bluetooth for now. She does like the Carplay in my truck, so I'm sure the pressure will come.

 

[ReaperHWK]

We'll see about the tire size if/when we get there, but I've seen 305s in some trucks and they do look nice and beefy (=comfortable).

One thing I'm actually a bit bummed about is that this thing doesn't have Apple Carplay. It has the I06 with factory navi, but no Carplay. Not really excited about having to spend another 500 bucks or so for HMI and radio module upgrade. She might need to settle just for Bluetooth for now. She does like the Carplay in my truck, so I'm sure the pressure will come.

I feel ya. My 2015 LTZ doesn't have carplay, wireless charging, WiFi, and some other things that all other LTZ's have. There was a midyear update in 2015 that added all that. My truck missed it by a few months!

What is the gear needed to add carplay? Interested..........

 

[tsuintx]

I feel ya. My 2015 LTZ doesn't have carplay, wireless charging, WiFi, and some other things that all other LTZ's have. There was a midyear update in 2015 that added all that. My truck missed it by a few months!

What is the gear needed to add carplay? Interested..........

Haven’t dug too deeply into it, but it seems you’d need a newer HMI module (version 2.5) and the radio module and have them programmed to your VIN. The thing that gets me a bit confused is that most comments/instructions are talking about upgrading from I05, not I06 which I have.

Definitely don’t want to spend more than absolutely necessary, so need to do some more research to see if there’s something I might be able to omit. Probably not, but anyway... Not too high on the priority list, that’s for sure.

 

[ReaperHWK]

Haven’t dug too deeply into it, but it seems you’d need a newer HMI module (version 2.5) and the radio module and have them programmed to your VIN. The thing that gets me a bit confused is that most comments/instructions are talking about upgrading from I05, not I06 which I have.

Definitely don’t want to spend more than absolutely necessary, so need to do some more research to see if there’s something I might be able to omit. Probably not, but anyway... Not too high on the priority list, that’s for sure.

All that OEM equipment sounds expensive. I guess your just upgrading the old electronics to the newer ones.

I did look into an aftermarket head unit, they of course have carplay and tons more features, but the factory touch screen integration with the vehicle settings is what makes it a no go for me. Looks like I'd have to get a separate screen to adjust vehicle settings and I don't want that.

For right now I have Sirius and Pandora, I'm good.

You know what's kinda funny is that in older vehicles(e.g. my 2006 F150) the radio was just a radio and not connected to all car settings/features. It was so easy just to change out that head unit to a top of the line one with carplay and everything.

 

[Tahoe14]

Do a google search as there are companies that will add it to your OEM radio if it is compatible.

 

[tsuintx]

Do a google search as there are companies that will add it to your OEM radio if it is compatible.

Yes, there are at least MVI and Navtool who offer such add-ons, but at a cost. Just to reiterate: Having it or not is not a major priority, just something I want to explore if the price stays low enough. So far it's not worth the price.

Hence, being the cheapass I am, I'm hoping to find a cheaper solution somehow by collecting pieces here and there. I guess gathering all the necessary hardware shouldn't be too hard. It's the programming that needs to happen since I don't have the capability to do that.

 

[FrankU]

Handsome rig you got there. Enjoy !

 

[07Burb]

So... When kids have been gone for a few years, it's time to upsize the house and the ride, right? Upsized the house last year, so now it was time for the ride.

Not sure why, but for the last couple of years my wife has been wanting a Suburban to accomodate those 2-3 times a year Tahoe wasn't quite enough. I tried talking sense to her to stay on a Tahoe, but to no avail.

Time to get to work, then. Sold her 2010 Tahoe last Monday after just 10 days on the market and replaced it with a 2015 Suburban LT today. Looked at a few and I think on this one it all clicked the best.

Was kind of hoping for butt coolers, but just didn't find something to fit the budget and/or condition. Only heaters on this one, but coolers have been something at least I have been missing since we sold her 07 Escalade some years ago. Oh well, maybe next time.

Bought it for 19.5K from second owner who had it since 2016. Has 137K miles, but since 20-23K was our budget, we had to stick with 100K+ miles. Latest two Tahoes (07 and 10) both had roughly the same miles when we bought them, so I'm not afraid of miles. Especially if the truck looks to have been well maintained and based on the records I got with it, that has been the case. Including frequent fluid changes, AC condenser last year, new front/rear brakes and KYB struts in front a couple of months ago. Haven't gone through all the paperwork yet, but those are the main things I noticed.

Has had front and rear bumper covers replaced due to parking lot fender benders and the guy even sent me pics of both incidents. Crawled under to see if I can find any marks anywhere and none were found, so didn't hesitate due to those. Also has really clean tan interior with WeatherTech floor covers front and rear. No cover in the cargo area, so need to get one for that since I don't want to get the tan carpet dirty. I'll probably post better pics once the weather cooperates better in the next few days.

It's wife's truck, so no big plans for mods etc. Just need to take care of the basics first: catch can, Airaid MIT and DiabLew tune. Tires (22") are getting there, so those will probably also need to be addressed still this year.

View attachment 261003

I know you were trying to sway your wife away from a burb but you'll be so glad you have it. The really is no downside to a burb other than a little extra length which some people have a hard time navigation but they drive so smooth and the extra cargo space is priceless

 

[tsuintx]

I know you were trying to sway your wife away from a burb but you'll be so glad you have it. The really is no downside to a burb other than a little extra length which some people have a hard time navigation but they drive so smooth and the extra cargo space is priceless

No question the Burb definitely rides smoother, but I still think we could've just gone with a Tahoe/Yukon. But who am I to say anything, right? Happy wife, happy life.

She finally got what she really wanted and is extremely happy with it and remembers to say how she loves driving it after pretty much every time she drives it. LOL!

 

[07Burb]

No question the Burb definitely rides smoother, but I still think we could've just gone with a Tahoe/Yukon. But who am I to say anything, right? Happy wife, happy life.

She finally got what she really wanted and is extremely happy with it and remembers to say how she loves driving it after pretty much every time she drives it. LOL!

My wife is the same

 

[avalonandl]

Chinese Tires.......uhhhh no.....

Get some Michelin or Bridgestone on there...