Chevy Suburban: 1999 vs 2000+, which would you buy to re-sell?

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Maybe you should get a nice 2500 Suburban and have a buyer lined up before you even leave.  Fly and drive to Michigan for a California Suburban makes sense to me.

Stampie said:

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Maybe you should get a nice 2500 Suburban and have a buyer lined up before you even leave.  Fly and drive to Michigan for a California Suburban makes sense to me.

This. Find him a big block one while you are at it.

I've only got $6k with me and can't get enough out for that $6.7k one, but that certainly wouldn't be a bad choice. If I could obtain more cash/could open up my budget. Worst case, if the others feel through, I could potentially give them hold money and go to an ATM every day and withdraw my daily limit. 

I thought about trying to find a buyer beforehand, but with the amount of time I have, and the fact that it'll be sitting in Cali for a month before I bring it back, it didn't seem like the most workable plan. I need to be able to have some flexibility on what I buy, instead of having to look within someone else's search parameters and deal with complications if it's not what they expected. Just too much stress for me and my anxiety brain. 

I did see Stampie's thread earlier this week, and thought about posting something in there, but figured waiting until the end of May to be able to pick it up from me might not be optimal, along with the supply of 2500 Suburbans not being huge, and me not being fully in control of my search radius. 

In reply to JShaawbaru :

I understand.  Was just throwing that out there.

In reply to Stampie :

Yep, it would have been really cool if it could have worked out.

Just found out that the '99 has a bunch of minor issues that add up to it being a mess, so I won't be looking at that tomorrow.

Might message the guy with the $6700 one, I could offer $500 off asking and then go to an ATM. Couldn't hurt to look at it while I'm in Victorville. 

The $6700 one would be my pick.

In reply to dj06482 (Forum Supporter) :

I am going to see it tomorrow, unfortunately I have to wait until the afternoon, but it is 4WD, and all the new parts and the overall condition are appealing. Maybe they'll give me a fellow Josh discount... 

I would expect if they're asking $6700, they'll take between 6k and 6,200.

I wouldn't make a phone offer.  I would go see it.  I have a feeling once he sees someone passionate about cars and not just a lowballing email flipper you'll reach a sales price that works.

Nobody buys 2wd trucks here in Michigan. If you're buying to resell, you're shooting yourself in the foot by bringing back a 2wd truck. 

In reply to glueguy (Forum Supporter) :

Yep, I'll wait to see it in person before making an offer, but I will probably try to get a few hundred off to keep me near my original budget.

I did find one other truck out in Victorville, so I'll see it since I'm out there anyway.

2003 Suburban Z71 4WD, $3800: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/521699142995353 seats aren't in the best shape, but it's at the bottom of my price range, and seems to be in good condition otherwise, aside from the complete lack of clearcoat on the hood (or a matte black respray)

I think there's only one 2wd truck on my list right now, but I do agree something 4WD will sell much better to most people (although I'm sure there are some people that would mostly use it as a tow vehicle during the warmer months, and won't even drive it when 4WD would be most beneficial)

I did find another in the Lancaster/Palmdale area (which is where I'm staying) that might be worth looking at if none of these work out, but I think I'll be able to find something today.

2002 Yukon, 4WD, $5500: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/514570466875111 (not the best pictures, but it's probably within 20 minutes of me, so it couldn't hurt to look)

Black one looks good for the price and should sell for the same price/some higher amount in MI. Is your goal least cash outlay, or best prospect for resale and profit? Even with dings, I would think the Gold Yukon may be a little better bet/easier to sell than the black one, though in need of a new radio :)

I am the rare Michigan man. I brought my 2WD Expedition up from GA 4 years ago and have driven it through each year. I have "decent" all-season tires on it and have never had issues, due to massive weight and truck torque. (I also live in areas that get plowed/salted pretty quickly, but still - never been a concern with decent tires on it). If you end up with an -800 in decent shape, I may end up being a player - but I'm not sure enough to really advise you on anything!

So I saw the black $3800 Yukon from my first post, the green $6000 one, and the new black $3800 one.

Both $3800 ones have a lot of issues, some larger than others, but I'm not really interested in either of them. Maybe the one I added today if nothing else works out.

First one had stability control issues, speedometer doesn't work, 2 seats are torn, hood gap is massive like something isn't lined up right, and the grille surround is missing. I'd have to fix most of that stuff before even driving it home in a month.

Second one has a wonky fuel gauge, the check engine light is on, and one of the tires is mismatched, but other than that, all the other issues were shown in the pictures (interior, clear coat)

The green 2WD one is far better than either of them, and the guy's price had built in lowball protection, he's really looking for around $5000. There's nothing wrong with it, it drives great, and I would have no worries trying to drive it home to Michigan. I know it might be harder to sell, but unless the $6700 one blows it out of the water, and I can get the price down, I'm probably going to risk it on the green 2WD one.

So, for myself and others playing along at home...

This is the current front-runner: Green 2002 w/181k but 2wd and could maybe be bought for $5k-ish off $6k asking price.  

Still to be seen is: 2004 Denali XL w/ 181k and awd asking $6.7k

In reply to John Welsh :

Yep, thanks for the summary. I was on a dying laptop when I typed that up, and my phone was really low too, so I didn't have time to pull links. 

Also a little more info on the green 2002 (not sure if it's on the ad) but on top of the new tires, it's also got new bilstein shocks all the way around, and has a trailer brake controller. Interior is pretty much perfect other than the slightly squished driver seat, but at least it's not ripped. Underside is absolutely rust free, barely even any surface rust, as you'd expect from a California vehicle that isn't near the ocean. 

This is my favorite thread right now.  I kind of wish this could all be live blogged

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Have you expanded your search to Las Vegas or LA?

I used to go up to the Lancaster/Palmdale area for work (Edwards AFB) when I was stationed in LA. Not to bad of a drive at all. 

In reply to yupididit :

Vegas is too far, and the person who's providing transportation doesn't like driving into LA. If it wasn't for that, my search area would be quite a bit bigger. I'm trying to keep their drive time around an hour. 

Another green truck update, the guy found the original key and fob, so now it comes with that and two metal keys. Not that buying/programming fobs for these is difficult, but it's nice that I wouldn't have to if I buy it. 

$6700 Yukon guy came down to $6000, so I'll be picking it up later today. 

Thanks to John for finding it, and everyone else for their advice and input. 

In reply to JShaawbaru :

That's a good buy!

I'm super happy for you!  I hope it's all that it appears to be. 

A lot of buying a car for me is the "who" you're buying it from. How well the PO cared for the truck is more important than anything. From this ad and the guys FB profile he seemed to spare no expense and his story looked legit. In the truck ad he speaks of getting a different camper and sure enough, he's got a camper listed for sale too. 

In reply to JShaawbaru :

Save screen shots of the current FB ad. All those words and pictures will otherwise disappear as soon as the seller takes down the ad. Those screen shots could be helpful to show to your Michigan buyer in a few months as proof of "genuine California."

Also convenient to retain the written words of what was added/improved and when. 

In reply to John Welsh :

Yep, him and the green Suburban guy both seemed like good people, and they both had several more cars than the average person, just like many of us here.

His whole story checked out just like John said, the new motorhome did exist, he asked me if I wanted to buy the toy hauler that he was selling, and when I was there he showed me the trailer he'd be refurbishing to use to tow his ATV. He also did have the receipt from the suspension work and tires like he said. 

He pointed out every flaw that he mentioned in the ad, plus a few other little things.

I was still on the fence about which one to buy after driving it, but once he lowered the price, it was a no brainer to spend an extra $1000 to get 4WD, better slightly newer tires, 6.0L over the 5.3L, and all the extra interior amenities. 

Also good advice on the screenshotting, I've taken a long screenshot of the whole ad, and then one of each individual picture. 

Congrats. I think that is a really good buy. Should do exactly what you need and you should make a dollar or two when you get back to the mitten state.