Martinjmpr
Full Access Member
So as I said above, I'm looking for some advice and direction. I'll apologize in advance for a somewhat long and rambling first post.
Here's my situation: My current vehicle is a 2007 Toyota 4runner, SR5, V6 4x4. Great vehicle, exactly what I wanted when I bought in 2012.
Then late last year wife and I bought a bigger travel trailer (we had a small Teardrop before.) Our new trailer is about 2,000lbs and rather tall (It's a T@B Clamshell, if you know what those are.)
We've taken a number of trips with it, in fact 8 this year, with the 4runner as my tow vehicle, including a 5200 mile trip that took us through 13 states and one Canadian province (Ontario). Great trip, but it reinforced to me that I need to consider a more suitable tow vehicle.
The specific issues that are affecting me that have me looking at getting a bigger truck are:
* Marginal towing power, especially when crossing mountain passes (we live in Colorado so we go over high roads a lot.)
* Short wheelbase makes for a less comfortable ride
* MPG is abysmal (on the order of 10-12 MPG) when pulling the trailer, and combined with the 4runner's 23 gallon tank, range between fuelups is ~ 200 miles.
Technically, the 4runner is rated to pull 5,000lbs but it feels overtaxed even with 2k and honestly, I like to be a little over cautious with my tow vehicle - my thought is "it's better to have too much capability than too little."
The 4runner is the perfect vehicle for the kind of driving I USED to do, which included not only towing but also mild off-roading where the short wheelbase and good ground clearance were benefits.
But I've come to the realization that that isn't how I use my truck anymore. Most of the time it's pulling the trailer on a highway, or hauling my family around town on snowy days.
Anyway, after all this I came to the conclusion that I needed something that was longer in wheelbase and had a V8 engine to pull the trailer and do all the other duties I need a truck to do. Because of my need to haul passengers and also fit in my garage, it has to be an SUV, not a pickup (though an Avalanche would actually work for me, too.)
I did hours of research on line of the "big 4" contenders: The various GM SUVs (I lump Chevy and GMC together since they're more or less identical), Ford (expedition), Nissan (Armada) and Toyota (Sequoia.)
Toyota got nixed because the newer Sequoias are well out of my price range. I also think they're ugly.
Fords got dropped because of problems with the 5.4 motor. I also don't care for independent rear suspension on an SUV.
The Nissan has spotty reliability and quality reports and, again, IRS that I don't like.
So it seems like no matter what I look at, I keep coming back to GM. Initially I had thought the Tahoe/Yukon would be best for me, but the more I look into it, the more I'm thinking either Suburban or Avalanche.
The main thing I like about the Suburban is that for a "penalty" of around 1 MPG it would give me a longer wheelbase, 2 feet more storage and 5 gallons more in the tank.
I haven't gotten to the stage of test driving yet and probably won't until the end of the year at the earliest. I don't plan on selling the 4runner until the end of camping season anyway (which for us will be Thanksgiving week.)
OK, so again, sorry for the long preamble, but here are my questions:
I can afford a new vehicle but I hate the idea of making payments. When I sell the 4runner I'll potentially have anywhere between $12k and $15k and from what I've seen there are quite a few GMT800 (2000-2006) SUVs (Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons and Yukon XLs) in that price range. Most have anywhere between 110,000 - 130,000 miles.
My question is, what is the likelihood that one of these SUVs would be reasonably trouble free? I understand anything mechanical can break, but I'm talking about major components like engines, transmissions, T-cases, and so on.
I've seen some high mileage (210k+) GM SUVs going for as little as $3500 on local ads but that just makes me think it's going to have some major problems fairly soon. I don't mind paying more for a vehicle that is likely to last longer, in fact I would prefer that to gambling since it looks like I'll be putting something like 16k/year on any vehicle I get, most of that pulling a trailer.
Are there any known issues with the drivetrain or other components in, say, the 2004 - 2006 Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/XL? Any troubling or worrisome things to look for when I'm shopping?
Finally, does this all sound reasonable or should I bite the bullet and pay more $$ for a newer vehicle? I've heard about problems with the AFM in the early GMT-900 series (2007-14) trucks but I don't know if it's been exaggerated by the internet. I generally prefer to buy a later model year in a given series or generation just because I figure the manufacturer has got all the bugs worked out by then, hence my thinking that an 05 or 06 would be my best bet.
Thanks in advance for any help the forum can provide!
Here's my situation: My current vehicle is a 2007 Toyota 4runner, SR5, V6 4x4. Great vehicle, exactly what I wanted when I bought in 2012.
Then late last year wife and I bought a bigger travel trailer (we had a small Teardrop before.) Our new trailer is about 2,000lbs and rather tall (It's a T@B Clamshell, if you know what those are.)
We've taken a number of trips with it, in fact 8 this year, with the 4runner as my tow vehicle, including a 5200 mile trip that took us through 13 states and one Canadian province (Ontario). Great trip, but it reinforced to me that I need to consider a more suitable tow vehicle.
The specific issues that are affecting me that have me looking at getting a bigger truck are:
* Marginal towing power, especially when crossing mountain passes (we live in Colorado so we go over high roads a lot.)
* Short wheelbase makes for a less comfortable ride
* MPG is abysmal (on the order of 10-12 MPG) when pulling the trailer, and combined with the 4runner's 23 gallon tank, range between fuelups is ~ 200 miles.
Technically, the 4runner is rated to pull 5,000lbs but it feels overtaxed even with 2k and honestly, I like to be a little over cautious with my tow vehicle - my thought is "it's better to have too much capability than too little."
The 4runner is the perfect vehicle for the kind of driving I USED to do, which included not only towing but also mild off-roading where the short wheelbase and good ground clearance were benefits.
But I've come to the realization that that isn't how I use my truck anymore. Most of the time it's pulling the trailer on a highway, or hauling my family around town on snowy days.
Anyway, after all this I came to the conclusion that I needed something that was longer in wheelbase and had a V8 engine to pull the trailer and do all the other duties I need a truck to do. Because of my need to haul passengers and also fit in my garage, it has to be an SUV, not a pickup (though an Avalanche would actually work for me, too.)
I did hours of research on line of the "big 4" contenders: The various GM SUVs (I lump Chevy and GMC together since they're more or less identical), Ford (expedition), Nissan (Armada) and Toyota (Sequoia.)
Toyota got nixed because the newer Sequoias are well out of my price range. I also think they're ugly.
Fords got dropped because of problems with the 5.4 motor. I also don't care for independent rear suspension on an SUV.
The Nissan has spotty reliability and quality reports and, again, IRS that I don't like.
So it seems like no matter what I look at, I keep coming back to GM. Initially I had thought the Tahoe/Yukon would be best for me, but the more I look into it, the more I'm thinking either Suburban or Avalanche.
The main thing I like about the Suburban is that for a "penalty" of around 1 MPG it would give me a longer wheelbase, 2 feet more storage and 5 gallons more in the tank.
I haven't gotten to the stage of test driving yet and probably won't until the end of the year at the earliest. I don't plan on selling the 4runner until the end of camping season anyway (which for us will be Thanksgiving week.)
OK, so again, sorry for the long preamble, but here are my questions:
I can afford a new vehicle but I hate the idea of making payments. When I sell the 4runner I'll potentially have anywhere between $12k and $15k and from what I've seen there are quite a few GMT800 (2000-2006) SUVs (Tahoes, Suburbans, Yukons and Yukon XLs) in that price range. Most have anywhere between 110,000 - 130,000 miles.
My question is, what is the likelihood that one of these SUVs would be reasonably trouble free? I understand anything mechanical can break, but I'm talking about major components like engines, transmissions, T-cases, and so on.
I've seen some high mileage (210k+) GM SUVs going for as little as $3500 on local ads but that just makes me think it's going to have some major problems fairly soon. I don't mind paying more for a vehicle that is likely to last longer, in fact I would prefer that to gambling since it looks like I'll be putting something like 16k/year on any vehicle I get, most of that pulling a trailer.
Are there any known issues with the drivetrain or other components in, say, the 2004 - 2006 Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/XL? Any troubling or worrisome things to look for when I'm shopping?
Finally, does this all sound reasonable or should I bite the bullet and pay more $$ for a newer vehicle? I've heard about problems with the AFM in the early GMT-900 series (2007-14) trucks but I don't know if it's been exaggerated by the internet. I generally prefer to buy a later model year in a given series or generation just because I figure the manufacturer has got all the bugs worked out by then, hence my thinking that an 05 or 06 would be my best bet.
Thanks in advance for any help the forum can provide!
(Disclaimer: I am not a drug dealer or rapper and prefer the more plebian "oh yeah I just have an old Yukon" on first dates)
