And the Lord said let my people have 10,000 lbs of Towing Capacity!

Thanks for all the help gang. This thing is a beast.

Specs!

2003 Suburban 2500

233K miles

8.1L monster truck engine (Not really but it is almost 500CI!)

4L80E

4x4

New Sailun (?) tires

Front end has fresh ball joints and such

New battery

$4250

I think I did alright.

Sweet. I'd love a set of those PY0 wheels for mine.

Only 10,000?

Amateur..

8.1? how'd you find one set up like that.

Sounds like some Chinese el-cheapo tires, otherwise I see lots of win here.. That's a 496cid engine.

I got on my LOCAL craigslist and typed Suburban. It was freaking crazy. I was gearing up to drive to STL (2hrs) or Chicago (6+Hrs) to find a rig. Instead I went on my way to work! I am pretty happy.

It isn't perfect but what 4k vehicle is?

Trans_Maro wrote: Only 10,000? Amateur..

It might be 12K but I don't know if I have a 3.73 rear (10.4K) or 4.10 (12K) rearend.

singleslammer wrote: New Sailun (?) tires

Sounds legit

So post up a review after you've towed with it a little. I'm looking at these too, so need some real feedback! From what I hear if you're towing with a gasser the 8.1 is about as good as it gets.

Yeah, it was amazing that this fell into my lap and was right around where I wanted to spend. The fact that it came with 1k in maintenance items is a perk. I got it from a guy that is a part time dealer and told me that he made less than 200 on this after everything. The number on the back of the title for transfer backs that up. I love free labor.

Heck, my wimpy little V6 truck can tow nearly 10k!

IMO, that's a heck of a score for 4 grand. I was looking a few years ago for cheap haulers, and I would have been all over that!

Tom_Spangler wrote: Heck, my wimpy little V6 truck can tow nearly 10k! IMO, that's a heck of a score for 4 grand. I was looking a few years ago for cheap haulers, and I would have been all over that!

The towing ability of the newer stuff is pretty amazing. I rode with my buddy in his 2011, 5.0, extended cab, 6ft bed, 4x4 f150 and was SHOCKED at how well it handled a load. I mean it was towing almost as well as my old modified 95 diesel dually and that thing dynoed at over 700 ft lbs of TQ. Now he was revving the piss out of it, but still. Of course my truck was 5k and his was 40, but damn can the new stuff tow well. I haven't ridden in a new 1ton, but I imagine they are pretty amazing.

Everyone that has the 2500 version of the Avalanche seems to love them for towing, and that is the same chassis. Looks like you got a great deal, and when you are bored with the 8.1 you can always throw a Duramax in there. Lots of people are doing that swap.

Good score! That works out to around $0.73 per pound

Trans_Maro wrote: Only 10,000? Amateur..

Only 10,000 lbs straight up the side of a mountain, puttering along, with the AC on. Not a TT V6 with 4.10 gears screaming along at max output.

That's a very good price and I say you did really well. Now nothing is out of your reach!

I'm curious to hear about the long term reliability of these rigs. Mileage isn't the best, but who cares?! It was made for towing anything you want to put behind it.

Interior looks nice and clean.

Wish I could find one with the big V8. Only 5.3s around here.

I wanted a 5.3l or 6.0l but when you can get this puppy for less, why the hell not.

The mileage is REALLY high but it isn't my DD and will be gone over before it goes out of state. I am excited to take her out for an extended trip but am terrified of my first stop at the pump. The tank is something like 37 gallons!

I will post up if anything other than regular maintenance is required. I doubt the long block will have issues though. It is like 9:1 compression or so and is not making much power for the cubes. Under-stressed!

nervousdog wrote: Good score! That works out to around $0.73 per pound

Ha ha, that easily makes it the cheapest running car I have ever bought. Doesn't help that I have a first gen Insight (1900 lbs) and a have had a couple MR2s.

Actually the 8.1L is a 502ci so its not almost 500!

Sailun is a Chinese brand but surprisingly some of their tires actually have pretty good reviews.

I have the 6.0 in my Suburban 2500, and it gets such awful mileage I can't imagine the 8.1 would be much worse, so why not have the extra power of the big ass motor. Filling the 37 gallon tank is painful, though I always max out the amount of gallons that I can get from the supermarket gas rewards points, and it still doesn't fill it up!

Yeah, filling the tank is the hard part. But the 8.1 does such a nice job of towing effortlessly that it's worth it. Nice score, OP. Mine was about $2k more than yours, but has half the miles. And most of them that I run across in this spec are $10k and up, so double nice score for $4k.

You can't complain about filling up until you've pumped 38 gallons of diesel. At least those rigs run on 87 octane.

DaveEstey wrote: You can't complain about filling up until you've pumped 38 gallons of diesel. At least those rigs run on 87 octane.

Only if you love the sound of detonation.... I'll take the $ hit with diesel.

Looks like you got a great deal on that bit of heavy metal. Congratulations!