Should I be thinking about the Suburban?

[ForkEvolution]

Hey everyone,

Im new to the fourms so first of all I hope I can meet all of you. Im 16, and I'm most likely going to be lucky enough to get a car within the next two years. My question here is, should I get the Suburban? Now I know this depends on the circumstances, so Ill explain. Ive always liked the Suburban. I've always liked its look, my friend had it and I loved riding in it, and in my favoruite show the Sopranos, Tony Soprano drove one for the first couple of seasons. When I get my first vehicle, I know I want an SUV for sure. It would be mostly used for short drives I guess as I'll be going to University when I get it, so not a crazy amount of mileage for the first few years, or for most of the year excluding the summer at least. At the same time I want it to be able to hande winter well, rough weather, and just times when I need it. I know the gas mileage is its strong con, so thats really the only reason why Im asking, if its worth it for the mileage or not. My other idea right now for my first vehicle is a Nissan X-Terra, just for the interest of anyone.

As for the Suburban, I would definently be acquiring a used model, although im not exactly sure how old I would have to buy it, as this is up to those that would most likely be paying, my parents :lol:

Anyways, any specific advice on whether I should think of purchasing one or not, and things like if I do what year/model etc etc. Any help at all is great.

Thanks alot for your time, and thanks in advance for helping me out.

[04sierracrewcab]

:sign0016: to the site!
Ill say this first if you go to a GM site and ask this question they will tell you get the Burb.
If you go to a Nissian forum theyll of course tell you to get the Xterra.


I can tell you the burb will be dependable (its got a bow tie on it now comeon) :happy:

I would reccomend a 99ish model its my favorite body style. If you are looking for fuel econonmy then go with the Nissian, because as many of the burb owners here will tell you the milage is pretty poor.

I would reccomend the 7.4 liter 2500 4x4 due to its massive amout of power and off road capabilities (which would be good in the winter weather)

Hope this helps!

You cant go wrong w a GM!

[ct9a]

Welcome!

Of course my opinion is biased, but you asked. Get the 'burb. You won't get what you're looking for with an Xterra (I figure you're probably looking for the cargo space and comfort of a full size truck). I have a 1/2 ton '94 that has the 5.7L V8 and I get ~12 - 13 mpg with mixed city/highway. Not too bad considering how old and heavy the truck is. The newer models get better mileage so it really depends on what you're comfortable with.

As far as what years to get, that depends on what you really want to do with it. If you're looking to make a full size trail/road rig, then get a pre-1991 model, then came with solid front axles. If your 4 wheeling will be kept somewhat mild to moderate, then an IFS will do just fine (I've taken on some pretty good trails with mine).

[ForkEvolution]

Ok so to make it more clear, I would like the comfort of the Suburban, and the space wouldnt be needed, but I like the space it has for times when it is needed. Im not really looking for any towing of any sort so I guess a 1999+ model would be better? The 4 wheeling will mainly be used during winters as I live in Canada and the conditions up here can get crazy sometimes. In addition, my main question about the mileage is, is do you think its bad enough to stop me from getting a Suburban with my current situation?

[vncj96]

Ok, your looking at buying a suburban purely as status, you say no towing, off-roading, and maybe the few times a year when you could actually fill it with 7-8 people (when your not actually going for a road trip or DD) you will be only 18-19 and your insurance will not be pretty, even if you go 99+ you still will only be looking at 16mpg and you live in Canada isnt gas pretty much double what it is down here for a gallon. In MN I can garauntee you that for what you are looking at and what your age will be and male it would be $150 a month for insurance, thats hoping you dont get any tickets of any kind, i have paid even over $200 a month in insurance and no tickets just so I could have a cool vehicle at that age. so unless your parents are loaded and dont care then go ahead if not have fun with college and a fulltime job. Oh and fixing isnt cheap either! Not to sound like a jerk, but this is the truth. Your age and lack of driving experiance get what you NEED not what you WANT!

[ForkEvolution]

Ok, your looking at buying a suburban purely as status, you say no towing, off-roading, and maybe the few times a year when you could actually fill it with 7-8 people (when your not actually going for a road trip or DD) you will be only 18-19 and your insurance will not be pretty, even if you go 99+ you still will only be looking at 16mpg and you live in Canada isnt gas pretty much double what it is down here for a gallon. In MN I can garauntee you that for what you are looking at and what your age will be and male it would be $150 a month for insurance, thats hoping you dont get any tickets of any kind, i have paid even over $200 a month in insurance and no tickets just so I could have a cool vehicle at that age. so unless your parents are loaded and dont care then go ahead if not have fun with college and a fulltime job. Oh and fixing isnt cheap either! Not to sound like a jerk, but this is the truth. Your age and lack of driving experiance get what you NEED not what you WANT!

Yeah pretty true. Id most likely get a 99 or lower, and the prices on them are pretty good, like for a 96 I found an ad for about $4800. But I guess the long term costs add up. Is the X-Terra a more realistic car then in your opinion?

[vncj96]

x-terra would be worse, overhead cams are not for the common man to work on and anything with a foreign name on it is just another way to say we are gonna charge you more for repairs. honostly if you are STUCK on an suv then get a jeep cherokee one of the boxy ones, cheap, the inline six is very dependable and easy to find if you want to lift it they are very reasonable for lifts as well. very easy to work on especially for beginners. may not be the most comfortable ride but for a first vehicle your main concern should be dependability/reliability and affordability not status. or an old chevy pick-up with a 350. SUV is more to ensure then a pick-up

[Crawdaddy]

I have a '91 Suburban and I get 13-16mpg with my 5.7L motor in it. I absolutely love my truck because of the space. I can camp out of the truck and be very comfortable. Insurance for me is pretty cheap, but I have it insured as a pleasure vehicle. However, a suburban is probably overkill for your needs. A nice small pickup might be better for the pocketbook. I dunno. Good luck!

[dwill3015]

Welcome to the site!
Everyone is throwing their opinion in here so here is mine...

SUV's are very versatile and come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Most of us already own or have owned a Chevrolet SUV so we are partial to the "Bow-tie" as mentioned before. No SUV is going to get great gas mileage (American or Foreign) because even though you might think a V6 would get better mileage than a V8, it's not true in many instances. Since you are dreaming about someday owning a Burban, why not look at the Tahoe instead? The Tahoe not only looks the same from the front and rear and is every bit as plush with the same interior, engine, just a little shorter and you will only miss some cargo space. I own a 2001 suburban that is my wife's vehicle and we got it for the cargo space and seating for having kids/grandkids to haul around We are pretty much only down to 2 kids at home instead of 4 now so when we upgrade it will be a Tahoe sized vehicle.
Just my 2-cents. Good luck with your search and please feel free to hit us with more questions.

[ForkEvolution]

Thanks for the opinions guys. As for vncj96 I appreciate your realistic approach, but my main concern with my vehicle isnt going to be how much it will cost to repair. I know thats something that needs to be factored in, but you seem to have it as a prominent issue for you, while for me it would be a secondary issue.

For Crawdaddy, again I appreciate the response, but I want an SUV regardless, even if its not a Suburban or a X-Terra.

Finally to dwill, great post, I may post this thread in the Tahoe section. I was thinking of looking at a Tahoe too as it seemed like a similar truck just a bit smaller, and maybe that would be right for me.

Thanks for the help guys and keep posting your opinons, youve been great.

[phoebeisis]

I bought my 1998 2wd Suburban about 1.5 years ago with 195,000 miles on it.It has 207,600 now and has been extremely reliable.We even took 2 long-3000 mile-roundtrips in it.

On the highway,I get surprisingly good mpg-21.2- over the 6000 miles of the trips.I set the cruise control to 67 mph, pump the tires to 40 psi and point it.
Now in the city-expect 11-13 mpg-they weigh 5000+ lbs- hard to get great mpg in the city with that weight.

The Xterra will beat the Suburban in mpg, but not dramatically. It will get maybe 25% better-say 25 hy and maybe 16mpg city.

The Suburban is a lot more vehicle for the $$$, so if you need/enjoy more truck-carry stuff or travel etc-you can do a lot worse than a Suburban. Parts are cheap also.

You can buy plenty of 96-99 Suburbans in good shape for under $4000 now.Mine was $2950-that would be more than mine would sell for now with all those miles.Selling, mine might go for $2000 and it looks good. You can get a great deal on a used Suburban.

Just depends on what you need/want.

Like VNCJ says, you can get a decent 5.7 truck also for good prices.We have dogs(1-2)/cats(4-5) to evacuate with us if we get another hurricane(New Orleans) so the Suburban is perfect for us.

Charlie

[vncj96]

hey to each his own, but if you want a chev get it then, a few things to look for though, on the 96-99 350 vortec they are known for intake gasket to go around the 75,000-100,000 mark so look at any vehicle and make sure you know if it has or hasnt it cost me $400 3 years ago at a small shop. and check all u joints on the truck and the front CV axles if they have never been replaced they need to be right away most likely, they dont last much longer then 100,000 with light use even. you also want to look for "slop" or a "clunk" when shifting out of park, thats a tell tale for u joints or rear end going, this is a start anyway, good luck:great:

[Kraziken]

x-terra would be worse, overhead cams are not for the common man to work on and anything with a foreign name on it is just another way to say we are gonna charge you more for repairs. honostly if you are STUCK on an suv then get a jeep cherokee one of the boxy ones, cheap, the inline six is very dependable and easy to find if you want to lift it they are very reasonable for lifts as well. very easy to work on especially for beginners. may not be the most comfortable ride but for a first vehicle your main concern should be dependability/reliability and affordability not status. or an old chevy pick-up with a 350. SUV is more to ensure then a pick-up

I would disagree a bit here. Although I'm personally not a fan of most Nissan vehicles. If you research the Xterra, depending on the model year they are rated very reliable.

I think the Suburban has some definate marks against it in the fuel pump and transmission department, and maybe costs of brake maintenance (some of that to be expected with such a heavy vehicle). With that said I've been fairly lucky. Buying an older car there are going to be some extra maintenance costs associated, no matter what the brand.

If you don't need the space, I have to ask, why look at a SUV at all? If a SUV, why not a much smaller model like the Trailblazer if you like Chevy. Don't get me wrong, I think from now on I will always have a Suburban because I love the versatility and I use the cargo space. If I didn't have those needs, there are other vehicles that are much more fun.

A wagon maybe? It may not seem as a cool but have you thought of a Subaru wagon, but would probably meet most of your needs in space, much more fun to drive. I would not recommend a WRX wagon, well just because your insurance rates will be ridiculous, and that kind of power you are apt to get in trouble at your age.
:lol:

[phoebeisis]

Like others have said, once you start looking you might ask about what repairs have been done.
Mine had the trans rebuilt at 185,000-it is a $2000 job and you can expect a 150,000 mile Suburban will need it sometime soon.
The intake manifold gasket- like Kraziken said they go out and they are $400 to repair.Mine was done at 155,000 miles.
AC "stuff" usually croaks at 150,000 miles.
Water pump 150,000 or less.
Radiators go out 200,000 miles or so.
Brake booster-same story.

Older high mile vehicles will have stuff that will break "soon"- keep that in mind,and check to see what the PO can prove he did-reciepts etc.Some folks don't keep receipts, so just because they don't have it, it doesn't mean it wasn't done.

Luck,
Charlie

[JMoney02]

It appears that I will be the bearer of bad news, the one with the realistic views and common sense. I say this as you are 16 yrs old as you stated, correct? Are you putting up any cash to help support this purchase? Remember your age and insurance, repair costs, fuel costs............. And so much more, sounds like your Dad talking, well at almost 50 yrs old(2 months) this would be the voice you'd be hearing, sorry reality check here. College, cost hard cash, how will this be paid for? Do not take this wrong, not to be a buzz kill but all good things are worth waiting for, the Burb is not in your budget yet, the Xterra is not really either. Not sure about your finances(Poor, Mid Class or filthy rich) so these statements are made without that knowledge, so now for your answer......
I to always wanted a Burb, bought a 02 with 62k, fully loaded listed for 37.9k,mint, now is the time to buy, especially since gas went down, will it go up, yep..... I love my Burb, but I can afford to drive it.
The Xterra is an excellent vehicle, my wife would like one after she is done with her 06 Titan. I believe that the Burb will be to much for you right off the bat, but the Xterra's are holding their value, so you really need to do you "HomeWork" when searching for them in your area. So that is my Fatherly advice, so what are you deciding on now? Sorry, not meant to be a Buzz Kill like I stated earlier.:neutral:

Jeff

[mn972500]

You're looking for a dependable vehicle, good in the snow, something you can work on, etc and pre-99.

I've got a '97 2500 Burb (255 hp, 5.7 L , 10-14 mpg), '96 Jeep Cherokee (5 speed, 190 hp, 4.0L, 18-22 mpg) and a '82 Bronco (155hp, 4 speed, 5.0L, 12-16 mpg).

The Burb is a lot of vehicle even for just part time driving. Great for long road trips, pulling heavy loads, and packing lot's of gear...but off road it'll suffer due to weight and length.

I would try to get a 95-96 Bronco which you can get with a 5 speed manual....rated at 18-20 mpg. Or possibly the Tahoe.

The Cherokee is a lot of fun but under the hood it's really crowded (but everything built in the last 20 years seems to be). It'll cruise all day at 75 mph getting 20+ mpg. But's it's so light (2950 lbs) that you need to be careful in the snow.

Have you looked at any of the early big Broncos or Blazers ? Maintenance and access is a lot simpler.