Searching for a Unicorn, Apparently - GMT400 Suburban

To make your search even harder...

I would strongly suggest not doing an early one with the TBI.  Go 96-up with the "real" Vortec engine.  I still fish with the guy who helped develop the Delphi TBI and his running joke is that he's so sorry for inflicting the TBI on us.

They are wheezers that suck fuel.  At best, they made 215 hp, and in a 4x4 3/4 ton 'burb, you'll be lucky to make 12 mpg empty.  I would rather have an Olds 350 diesel than a TBI chevy.  I had an 88 K2500 with the 350 TBI at 180hp.  13 mpg empty, and a whopping 7.8 mpg towing 6500 lbs.  Going up a mountain at 50 mph and WOT, when the fan clutch engaged I would start losing speed fast.

Sure, they're reliable.  Sure, they run smoothly.  But they are just wheezer beyond belief.

Search nationwide.  I was looking for a very specific square body suburban.  I ended up finding one in CA and having it shipped to TN.  Shipping was only around 1300 and I got almost exactly what I wanted.  The bonus was that it was cheaper than any of them I had found near me that met less of my criteria.  

In reply to Curtis :

We've chatted about TBI before.  We have two TBI trucks- Mrs' current '91 Burb (350) and my '93 K3500 with a 454.  She gets about 14-15 mpg in the 4x4 Burb and I get about....10 in my truck.  If we need to tow anything heavier than our 2000 lb camper, we use my truck.  And it still gets 10 mpg.  

Reliability is key for us.  The main think I like about Vortec is the OBDII.  But, I've been learning TBI and it's fairly simple.    

That said, the Vortec trucks also come with a nicer interior that eschews the funky radio/ climate controls for more conventional controls.  And if we found a 454 Vortec 3/4 ton I might pull the trigger, since with a gentle foot they seem to get about the same fuel economy as her current TBI 350.  

In reply to Cotton :

I have been, at least on eBay.  The problem I have with craigslist is trying to prove to someone 1000 miles away that I'm not a scammer, and trusting them on their end.  And them selling the truck out from under me to someone local.  

volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to Cotton :

The problem I have with craigslist is trying to prove to someone 1000 miles away that I'm not a scammer, and trusting them on their end.  And them selling the truck out from under me to someone local.  

Amen!  Been there, done that!

Looking at craiglist or Facebook marketplace type places is fun, but its hard enough to get a local seller to actually sell you their car, much less somebody over 100 miles away.  When I see NMNA ads here, I skip on by.  GRMers have been wonderful to deal with long distance.  Everyone else, not so much.

In reply to logdog :

Agreed.  I've been fairly lucky with CL, but so far I've bought one vehicle through it - my diesel conversion van.  

Good luck to VCH with the Suburban search.  A buddy of mine has owned one for a long time.  He toyed with replacing it, but eventually bit the bullet and bought a new transmission for it instead.  It's a late 90's 4x4 1500 with cloth interior.  It's closing in on 300K miles. It's maroon, though. Regardless, it's not for sale (since he would then be in your position looking for another one).

Found one on CL just recently, good candidate, but when I went to click on the "contact" button it kept generating an error.  So I can't contact the seller.  

I swear I posted this earlier

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/mauldin-1995-chevrolet-suburban/6802143473.html 

Its not a 1500 but seems to be in good condition and lowish miles and barn doors.  It is over your budget, but its been listed for a month.    

volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to Cotton :

I have been, at least on eBay.  The problem I have with craigslist is trying to prove to someone 1000 miles away that I'm not a scammer, and trusting them on their end.  And them selling the truck out from under me to someone local.  

It can definitely get interesting.  I’ve purchased several cars and motorcycles remote over the years and it requires some trust on both ends,  but I haven’t been burned yet.  Most have been from doing CL searches (mainly west coast),  then a couple from eBay,  and a few from forums.   Last year I purchased three Suburbans (all from CA) and one motorcycle from Kansas City sight unseen and had them shipped back.  Payments varied from combinations of PayPal,  bank wire,  and cashiers check depending on what the seller was comfortable with.   And yes,  before anyone points it out,  I have a slight problem buying Suburbans.  

Also,  if really want to put eyes on it hop a plane,  even if you don’t have time for a fly and drive you can still see it and get the deal done.  I did that once,  took an early morning flight,  looked the car over,  called to arrange the wire,  then the seller and I went to lunch while it went through.  I flew back late afternoon and had the car picked up a couple of days later.  My flight was around 300,  the rental 45 or so,  and he paid for lunch,  so not a lot of money out for some peace of mind.

spitfirebill said:

I swear I posted this earlier

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/mauldin-1995-chevrolet-suburban/6802143473.html 

Its not a 1500 but seems to be in good condition and lowish miles and barn doors.  It is over your budget, but its been listed for a month.    

I didn't see it, but that's an awesome truck.  Wildly over budget, though.

The ad I mentioned above that was missing contact info now has it.  

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/spartanburg-1999-chevy-suburban-2500/6833617685.html

I'm going to contact the guy and see if it has cloth seats.  If it does, I think we may have found our winner.  Anyone in the GSP area who could check it out?  I can offer a meal at the Beacon in exchange for services.  

I had exactly what you're looking for as my tow vehicle for 5 years 

'99, 4x4, 2500, 350 vortec, 9 seater cloth, rust free

The 2500 is heavy and harsh, the 350 feels very underpowered. lots of wind noise and poor mpg. 1st gear of the 4L80 is way too tall.

I would upgrade to a GMT800 1500 with the 5.3. They are just better in every single way. 

volvoclearinghouse said:

spitfirebill said:

I swear I posted this earlier

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/mauldin-1995-chevrolet-suburban/6802143473.html 

Its not a 1500 but seems to be in good condition and lowish miles and barn doors.  It is over your budget, but its been listed for a month.    

I didn't see it, but that's an awesome truck.  Wildly over budget, though.

The ad I mentioned above that was missing contact info now has it.  

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/spartanburg-1999-chevy-suburban-2500/6833617685.html

I'm going to contact the guy and see if it has cloth seats.  If it does, I think we may have found our winner.  Anyone in the GSP area who could check it out?  I can offer a meal at the Beacon in exchange for services.  

That one is 2wd.  Thought she had 4x4 as a must have?

Cotton said:

volvoclearinghouse said:

spitfirebill said:

I swear I posted this earlier

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/mauldin-1995-chevrolet-suburban/6802143473.html 

Its not a 1500 but seems to be in good condition and lowish miles and barn doors.  It is over your budget, but its been listed for a month.    

I didn't see it, but that's an awesome truck.  Wildly over budget, though.

The ad I mentioned above that was missing contact info now has it.  

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/spartanburg-1999-chevy-suburban-2500/6833617685.html

I'm going to contact the guy and see if it has cloth seats.  If it does, I think we may have found our winner.  Anyone in the GSP area who could check it out?  I can offer a meal at the Beacon in exchange for services.  

That one is 2wd.  Thought she had 4x4 as a must have?

Ah E36 M3.  Missed that.  Oh well.

volvoclearinghouse said:

Cotton said:

volvoclearinghouse said:

spitfirebill said:

I swear I posted this earlier

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/mauldin-1995-chevrolet-suburban/6802143473.html 

Its not a 1500 but seems to be in good condition and lowish miles and barn doors.  It is over your budget, but its been listed for a month.    

I didn't see it, but that's an awesome truck.  Wildly over budget, though.

The ad I mentioned above that was missing contact info now has it.  

https://greenville.craigslist.org/cto/d/spartanburg-1999-chevy-suburban-2500/6833617685.html

I'm going to contact the guy and see if it has cloth seats.  If it does, I think we may have found our winner.  Anyone in the GSP area who could check it out?  I can offer a meal at the Beacon in exchange for services.  

That one is 2wd.  Thought she had 4x4 as a must have?

Ah E36 M3.  Missed that.  Oh well.

That one looks nearly identical to my 99 1500.  That exact color and the barn doors.

Regarding the barn doors, have you and the Mrs driven one with them?  I found the blind spot distracting and the lack of weather protection unpleasant.  My 04 has the two piece hatch and it's awesome.

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) :

Yup.  Mrs. VCH is 5'2" and has trouble reaching over the tailgate portion.  She specifically requested barn doors.  The two piece hatch IIRC didn't come in till the GMT800 platform.  The 400's have a split tailgate and lift glass.  She had a GMC Jimmy several years back with a similar arrangement.  

2002maniac said:

I would upgrade to a GMT800 1500 with the 5.3. They are just better in every single way. 

Except in the way that matters, namely, what she wants.  

Too spendy, but looks nice

https://www.classicchevynation.com/VehicleDetails/used-1999-Chevrolet-Suburban-1500_4WD-Lawton-OK/3380506283

Yeah, there's basically two types of sellers out there- the ones who are legitimately trying to sell a vehicle and they others who are using the stale old technique of setting an initial anchor point stupidly high in hopes of reeling in a sucker.  

That's a 20 year old, 130,000 mile Suburban.  A $4000 or $5000 truck, to the right buyer.  

This a possibility? Wrong coast but hey you like road trips. 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264226679051

llysgennad said:

Too spendy, but looks nice

 

https://www.classicchevynation.com/VehicleDetails/used-1999-Chevrolet-Suburban-1500_4WD-Lawton-OK/3380506283

That belongs in the “crack pipe” price catagory.  Holy crap!!

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non :

Saw that one.  I think, on the advice of Curtis, I'm going to stick with OBDII-equipped models.  So I'm open to a big block, but we'll narrow it to 96-99 range.

And yes, cross country is fine.  I'd probably have it shipped though, unless a GRM'er wanted to make a few bucks driving it back for me.  ;-)

volvoclearinghouse said:

In reply to Sine_Qua_Non :

Saw that one.  I think, on the advice of Curtis, I'm going to stick with OBDII-equipped models.  So I'm open to a big block, but we'll narrow it to 96-99 range.

And yes, cross country is fine.  I'd probably have it shipped though, unless a GRM'er wanted to make a few bucks driving it back for me.  ;-)

It sold for $1450. Missed opportunity?

This decent-looking 1 owner 1/2 ton recently popped up near me.

https://louisville.craigslist.org/cto/d/louisville-1999-chevy-suburban-lt-4wd/6833247639.html

So did this gorgeous 3/4, but you said no red and the price might be a bit optimistic. 

https://bgky.craigslist.org/cto/d/central-city-1995-chevy-suburban-4x4/6839561433.html

Got a lead on a decent Vortec-era truck in Arkansas.  Seller seems honest and willing to work with me on the East Coast.  I'd fly out and drive it back, but the nearest major airport would be either Little Rock or Shreveport, both of which are 2 hours from him.  Got a couple of shipping quotes for around $1000.  

Truck is a '99, 2500, 4x,4, cloth interior, 350 Vortec, barn doors, and tan.  Pictures look really clean.  Its pretty much what we want.  

Nice to hear! Hopefully you get it...keeping fingers crossed.