Quote Originally Posted by hurley842002 View Post
At 175k, if taken care of, your suburban shouldn't be thinking about dying.
I agree, and the "core" systems are pretty solid. The 5.3 is not a particularly powerful engine (certainly not by today's standards) but it's pretty bulletproof. The 4L60E transmission is a notorious weak link but mine was rebuilt ~ 20,000 miles ago, so I'm not too worried about that. I replaced the transfer case encoder motor (about the only failure-prone component there) earlier this year as well. Some have also said the G80 rear locker is a failure prone item (though I've heard this mostly happens for those who are 'wheeling their trucks pretty hard, spinning tires, etc.)

However, there are a few well known failure points on the GMT800 Suburban. One is the fuel pump, which is not a particularly expensive part, but it's an expensive repair because of its location on top of the fuel tank that requires dropping the tank to replace (or cutting a hole in the floor.)

The other things I worry about are what, in computer terms, might be thought of as the "peripherals:" The dual zone AC, the HVAC blend door actuators (another known failure point, a $10 part that requires nearly $1000 worth of labor to install because the entire dashboard has to be removed) and the other electronics. Those are things that, if they fail, it won't necessarily leave me stranded by the side of the road (except for the fuel pump, which can do exactly that) but which will put me in a dilemma of "do I pay $1000 to repair something that isn't really going to increase the value of the truck by more than a couple hundred, if that, or do I cut my losses and get rid of it now?"

The other issue is timing, which is tricky. Wife and I do a lot of camping every year - and I mean we go out typically every other weekend from about April through October, with an occasional trip in March or November. With our camping trips scheduled so close together, that means that whatever vehicle I start the "camping season" with, that's the one I finish with, too, because I don't have time (between trips) to buy a new vehicle and get it ready for the next trip. So if my vehicle were to have a catastrophic failure in, say, mid June, it would mean having to either rent a tow vehicle or cancel a camping trip so I'd have time to both buy and outfit a replacement.

I actually really like the Suburban and would love to keep it. It's slow, especially pulling a 3500lb trailer up a steep CO pass (going up to the Eisenhower tunnel a couple of weeks ago it would occasionally drop down to first gear at about 35 mph!) Those steep climbs make me dream of the 6- and 8-speed transmissions that most newer trucks have, as well as 350+ HP engines with massive torque. MPG is another gripe - around town I rarely break 12mpg and it's 10 - 11 towing. Modern trucks do a lot better.

On the flip side, I've put a lot of effort into the 'Burb. A mild lift, 33" tires, dual batteries to run a fridge and extra power outlets, new stereo with Bluetooth and iPod controls among other things. Other than the transmission going out at 150k it hasn't had any issues (and to be fair, while the transmission failed, it "failed safe" in the sense that I only lost gears 3 and 4. So even with a broken transmission I was able to drive home, 100 miles from Kremmling pulling a trailer and with 2 kayaks on the roor, in 2nd gear all the way!)

the other thing that deters me from replacing the Suburban is, of course, the cost. I haven't had a car payment in over 4 years and I like the extra money in the bank each month. Furthermore, not only does a new(er) truck mean a return to payments (at least for a little while) it means getting screwed over on taxes, registration and insurance - all of which are dirt cheap on my 14 year old 'Burb, even with full coverage.