Any Avalanche experience?

The only Av i would want (do want) is the 8.1 powered 2500. Comfy tow beast!
I can't really see any reason to not buy a Silverado/Sierra crew cab over a 1500 Avalanche. JMO.

SVreX:

Damn fine work out of you, I just cackled like a moron in front of coworkers for at least five minutes. Well played.

I have a 1500 and have been using it as a tow vehicle for the past 3 years. I normally only tow about 5K lbs, but have never had an issue. Mine is an 02 and I now have about 110k miles on it. I have had zero problems, just normal maitenance. I did add the GM aux. transmission cooler, and would recommend you do the same if you want to keep the trans happy.

When they first came out, I thought they were stupid and ugly, and that the short bed was pointless. When I started looking for a truck, they were actually exactly what I needed. It is short enough to fit in my garage, but has four full size doors. I have one with the body cladding, and it is nice not worrying about door dings, or anything scratching the paint. If that is not your cup of tea, in 2003 they started offering them without the body cladding, and they have the normal Silverado front end.

The bed is fine for normal day to day hauling, and when I need to get lumber or drywall I can fold down the midgate and carry it. You can leave the window and bed covers on, and just fold the midgate down. It's nice going to Home Depot in the rain or snow, and knowing that I don't have to worry about getting my drywall wet on the way home.

Also you can fold the midgate down throw a sleeping bag in there, and sleep comfortably with your head in the cab. I also bought the tent made for the Avalanche, and use it at hillclimbs, Lemons races, and camping trips.

Plus they ride better than a Silverado or other "normal" truck as they have coil spring rear instead of leafs. I am putting Firestone airbags in my rear springs to help a little with extra tongue weight from the tire rack and tool box I am adding to my trailer.

Basicallly if you won't be using an 8 ft bed every day I don't see any reason why an Avalanche wouldn't fill all your needs. Also if you tow heavier loads than 6-7K lbs (1500 is rated to tow 7-8K depending on rear end ratio) you can look for a 2500 (only available from 2002-2006 with the body cladding). They are rated to tow 11-12K IIRC.

Readers rides link Here

I really, really, really want to do something similar to this:

http://nelsonperformance.com/avalanche.htm

There's not many threads on here about the Avalanches. I've got a deposit on one now as I really liked the test drive (well, as good as can be expected in a Chevy, I still prefer Fords) but I have a few questions. How do I tell if it's got a tow package? What exactly is included in the tow package? Anything else I should look for? The transmission shifted smoothly in every gear with no 1-2 or 2-3 lag. Reverse was also quick.

What year are you looking at?

Most questions will be answered by a quick look at this site: http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php

Thank you for the link.
It's an 03 Z71.

Treads like this, full of good info and good laughs are what make GRM great.

The tent gave me Aztec flashbacks though

I was thisssssssssss close to pulling the trigger on the first year of the Avalance(yes, the one with too much body cladding and in ugly grey too) and rather than buying the 8.1 3/4 ton, I got a V-10 Excursion instead. The Excursion was probably a better tow vehicle whereas the Avalance would have been better around town. Since I rarely drove the tow vehicle for any other reason, I bought the Excursion at a cheaper price. I still like the basic idea of the Avalanche, especially at 2/3rd the price of a suburban. And the newer ones are much more attractive.

Sentravalanche