90s suburban owners, please chime in...

[83turbomon]

im thinking of picking up a 94 suburban that has about 180k miles on it, 975 dollars, needs a new radiator which are pretty easy to do... how are these rigs for daily driving? gas mileage, towing, maint, utility, all that stuff? it seems to be in nice shape and the engine is either new or rebuilt.

anything i should know?

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

im thinking of picking up a 94 suburban that has about 180k miles on it, 975 dollars, needs a new radiator which are pretty easy to do... how are these rigs for daily driving? gas mileage, towing, maint, utility, all that stuff? it seems to be in nice shape and the engine is either new or rebuilt.

anything i should know?

don't do it for daily driving unless you daily drive is VERY short. MPG suck on these trucks.
i have towed with my brother's 95 and 99 trucks and they worked really well.
Good luck

 

[forcefed3.8's]

Gas mileage?? Its a Suburban. The early 90's 350's aren't as powerful as the 96 and up Vortech's, but will do. They are a diehard engine. My dad had a 92 Silverado and we drove it 24 hours straight to FL without shutting it off with the air on even stopping to sleep, both ways. When we got home, the mud flap was melted around the tailpipe. Ran like a champ. The 3.8 Buick and Chevy 350 are the most reliable and universal engines GM ever made.

 

[klrv6]

We love our 99. It was very well cared for when we bought it and we have always kept up on things. Ours is 2wd so, the mileage isn't that bad. 20-23 on the highway from our last trip. Some people think I'm crazy because I detail the thing before we take it on trips. This is a pic from last year....150K on her, all factory paint.

The bottom end is starting to make a little noise, but still sits at 25psi oil when at idle hot. One day I may do a 5.3 or 6.0 swap into it, the body is way too nice to get rid of.

 

[TexasT]

I have a 94 with 275k and a 99 with 175k.

The 94 is a c1500 that my dad bought new. Engine does good. Pulls our small trailers well. Gets 17 or so mpg. I have replaced the trans with one from the wrecking yard at about 250k and am ready to do a rebuilt one as that one quit shifting out of first. Small block 350 with tbi. Easy to work on, parts are easy to get. If I was going to get a radiator I'd order one online as it seems the locals here want to gauge on a radiator.

The 99 is my hoss. It is a k2500. BBC 454/4l80e. It pulls my big trailer and it is my wife's dd. Big and safe are expensive. I just put $93 into the tank. It gets 13 or so mpg. Towing drops that to 9-10th mpg depending on what is in the trailer and the wind.

If you want better mileage look into the 2000 and up with the 5.3 I used one my dad had and fully loaded and running pretty hard it would knock down 20mpg on hiway trips.

I love my Burbs. They are expensive to fuel but safety has its price.

 

[SGRIM]

Should be worth all most that at j/y! It is a tough vehicle that will last forever if maintained... Gas mileage as stated sucks.... It is a mini tank

 

[mikes86ttop]

had my 92 burb 2wd 5.7 190k sold it 2yrs ago to a friend he still drives it to boston 3-4 days a week and it got better gas mileage than my 99 4.3 blazer,,,go figure

 

[Chuck Leeper]

Had several, and..

the best of the bunch was a 95 1/2 ton 2 wd. [Bought it new]
Lowered w/ boards paint matched, wheels.... Was a great tow/cruiser!
Got about 20 on the hiway, and 14-16 on short runs.
I pulled a 20' open rollback w/ the Puick on it...Worked well! 14 towing on the open hiway.

However, I just dumped an 07 1/2T.. Loaded. Was a total gas PIG. VVT and DOD, still got 12.6mpg...
Kept it a month...Back to an 08 1/2T SILVE p/u...

 

[slow305]

The Chevy 350 is the most reliable and universal engine GM ever made.

^ Modified your quote a little.

It really is though. By this time, GM had been making the same basic engine since the 1950's. People may complain about the build quality of GM vehicles, but their engines are beasts, even now.

 

[TURBOPOWERED68]

^ Modified your quote a little.

i was thinking the same thing :biggrin:

i looked for a 2wd sub. but they are not easy to locate.

 

[TexasT]

i was thinking the same thing :biggrin:

i looked for a 2wd sub. but they are not easy to locate.

If you are willing to travel, hit the Houston and Dallas Craigslist. No shortage there.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

AKA a..

If you are willing to travel, hit the Houston and Dallas Craigslist. No shortage there.

TEXAS Cadillac!

 

[Scott A.]

Check the brake and fuel lines to see if they are rotted. My 97 Tahoe popped the rear brake line yesterday out of the blue, guess its pretty common on these trucks.

 

[scojack_2001]

I have a '94 K1500 Silverado, a pickup but essentially the same truck. These TBI motors will run forever if you keep up on the maintenence and change the oil every 3000 miles. Mine has just under 210,000 original miles on it, trans included. Runs great. Im about to do the intake manifold gaskets on it. Not a bad job, but one of the things these motors are known for. Along with the oil cooler lines getting spongy over time. Again, not a hard job to do. And yeah the brake lines like to rust out. Easy to fix, just time consuming. Also check the ball joints. If the truck was exposed to salt (beach use) they'll be on the way out.

If you can get it that cheap, Id go for. Cant really go wrong if its in decent shape. They tow well and since its a Sub you can haul people around. I usually get around 14mpg in mine. Ive got a new Edelbrock intake and shorty headers to throw on, hoping ill pick up a little power and maybe some mileage.

Hope this helps.

 

[klrv6]

We drove to greenville, sc to get ours. The KY dealers wouldn't risk picking up a 2wd if we decided we didn't want it. It was $50K new, we got it off lease three years old for $14,100. It had all the GM labels on everything, I call it a freak of nature because it was so clean.

 

[83turbomon]

its a decent rig... it definetley need a new radiator, an oil change, and some clean brake fluid... and the interior is pretty dirty, but its all there. and its a good deal. trans fluid looked good, but i really do want to check the transfer case. umm besides a few dings and key scratches and a loose doorpanels, its dooable. and ill be picking it up today and heading to the junkyard for a radiator!

 

[t-typex1]

its a decent rig... it definetley need a new radiator, an oil change, and some clean brake fluid... and the interior is pretty dirty, but its all there. and its a good deal. trans fluid looked good, but i really do want to check the transfer case. umm besides a few dings and key scratches and a loose doorpanels, its dooable. and ill be picking it up today and heading to the junkyard for a radiator!

People always complain about mpg. They are awesome tow rigs, and I daily drove mine 2 yrs 50k miles, got between 14-17 mpg. Not too bad for a big truck with alot of capabilities. And as noted, the 5.7's are very reliable

 

[MY T FAST]

i have a 92 k1500 pickup w 210xxx and a 94 k1500 pickup with 139xxx. both are 5.0's and 5speeds. no real complaints at all. daily drove 20k miles between the 2 of em in the last 12 months. don't expect to soil your shorts when you step on it, but the power's decent all things considered. best mpg i've gotten to date is 22mpg avg on a tank in the 94. (all highway and its a 5spd). the 92 does better in town mpg bc its a 3.73 rear. the 94 is 3.42. anyway sorry for the longwinded reply. my .02: go for it! they are a great platform, and i've had no major issues (knock on wood). they don't do anything super well, but they do everything decently. bear in mind, you are buying a mini-bus so don't expect honda economy. post pics when you get it

 

[WIKEDV6]

I have 1997 with 175K on it. I had it for over 7 yrs. The thing is a beast, we abuse the crap out of it and no issue. It gets 12mpg. I had to replace the u joints recently, that about it along with the usual oil changes.

Prasad

 

[83turbomon]

picked up the suburban today.. check out the juggernaut post...