Hey all, just joined from St Louis Missouri. I've been looking at 07+ Suburbans, Yukon XL, and Sierra Crew Cabs lately, in the process of selling my other truck to move up to something more reliable and practical than a bagged C10 rcsb. Looks like a 10-13k limit is mostly 170K miles and above for the bigger models, what are some later in life issues with the drivetrain or chassis? I have no problem repairing anything myself, just want to know what I should expect to be jumping into. Basically looking for black on black leather, Sub 200k. Thus far the results are pretty plentiful, I joined to see the difference between LT/LTZ and the common mods and problems. I'm decently experienced with the 5.3/6.0 family and 4l60/80e's so that's a plus. I guess that's it.
When buying new, the pickups are less money than the SUVs. When buying used, the pickups are usually much more expensive than the SUVs!
Expand your search distance and you should be able to get a 2009+ with 100-125K miles for your price in certain markets. At this mileage, most of them will require the 100k service and need new hubs, brakes and maybe suspension work.
Decide whether or not you want or need the maximum towing capability as many come with 3.08 gears and a 5000 pound or so tow limit. Those with 3.42 gears are equipped for max towing and come with larger radiators, more powerful fans, engine oil cooler, external transmission cooler, etc. These are the two gearsets found in trucks equipped with the 6-speed transmission, the 2009+ models.
The 2007-2008 will have the 4-speed unless they are Denalis or the 2008 2500s which have a HD version of the 6L90. These Suburbans and Yukon XLs typically have 3.73 gears but some will have 4.10s.
I was against and indifferent to whether or not my truck was FlexFuel or not. Now I love it, saving $12-15 EVERY fill over straight high octane gasoline and getting better performance like horsepower and gas mileage. The 1500s with the 6.0 motor are not FlexFuel and do have AFM. All the 5.3s have AFM. There are some 2010 Suburbans and Yukon XLs that are not Denalis and are equipped with the L9H 6.2 motor, a real gem and a rare find! The L9H is a great motor with 400+ horsepower from the factory and no AFM. I think some 2008 LTZ Suburbans also had a 6.2 snuck into them, the L92.
Others will chime in and happy hunting! We found ours after a month or two of searching and picked it up 700 miles away. No regrets!
