Any Tahoe lovers out there

So, Tom Suddard suggested I solve my (made up) dilemma of how I get the Morgan home to Florida that I don't need, (but still bought). The car is still trapped by the pandemic, in Stockton, CA. There are too many spare parts to transport the car conventionally and I don't have the time to drive both ways. and a one way rental of about anything is going to cost thousands.

So, Tom suggested I fly out there, buy a 10-15 year old Tahoe, pick up the car and tow it home with a U-Haul trailer. (which is less than $1000). As I have been casually shopping a 6 passenger vehicle that can tow, I really like this idea. If I like it, I keep it, and if I don't, I sell it and get most, if not all of my money back.

I found an '07 in Stockton (where the Morgan is) for about $8000. The next year they went to the six-speed trans which is compelling. Anybody have any Tahoe wisdom to impart or know where a decent one is for sale? I don't really care where I fly to (as long as it is withing about 500 miles of central California and I don't want a black one and would rather not have black interior.

I guess I would like to keep it under $10,000, but it probably wouldn't change my life that much if I spent $15,000 (especially if I sell it when I get home). Sounds like the 5.3 is the most troublesome, but also most prevelant And I think I want to stay in the 3rd gen range, which started in 2007.

I would be more tempted by the 2000-2006 era. You get the LS engine without DOD and they can be had for sub $5k in good condition. I bought a 00 Suburban a couple of years ago for a vacation trip for $2500 and put 4k miles on it over 2 weeks without issue. It's has made the run from Charleston SC to New Orleans 4 times this year already and been flawless until it ate the AC compressor on the last trip down. It just turned 315k miles. 

My 07 Silverado was a whole different story. I put $5k in repairs into it over 2 years and 50k miles. It was not a good vehicle. The 07 Tahoe my business partner drives has also been a bit of a money sink. Electrical issues. BCM replacement. HVAC systems that are frequently confused. If you want to stick to that generation, I'd look into the later years of that chassis. I think it took them a few years to work the bugs out of it.

My 02 suburban had 190k miles on it and terminal rust. But every time you hit the key it works. In fact everything works. Sure the ac compressor makes a terrible noise but  it still works.  
 

toyman is on to the right path. Get one before dod snd it'll run forever.  No fancy 6 speeds but reliable. 

Not a Tahoe but lately I have had some fascination that Fastenal sells trucks. 

Very low mileage Dodge Hemis. The prices seem to be under market price which should make it very easy to sell upon return. 

Right now, they seem to have low stock but the site gets updated. You might find more by calling the phone number. 

Looking at the site, there is a 2019 quad cab 4x4 in Sparks Reno, NV.  Fly into Reno and make the short drive to Stockton. 

Something in 7.3 diesel. Californians are scared of them. Every so often CARB rumors to outlaw them due to no emissions equipment on them. That's how we got our e350 tow beast van/truck cheap. 

Yeah I love the Lake Tahoe area. Beautiful scenery, nice towns, great skiing.... wait, wrong question.

GMT800s are quite capable. I've spent some time towing with a Yukon XL and my only complaint was the brakes. That particular car has 450k on it and is still used extensively as a tow pig.

If looking '07 and up, the hot tip is that the early Escalade and Denali have the 6.2 without the DOD.

dj06482 (Forum Supporter) said:

If looking '07 and up, the hot tip is that the early Escalade and Denali have the 6.2 without the DOD.

I was about to say the same thing. If I remember correctly 2007-10.  The AWD system can be a little failure prone I've heard but 2WD is available.  That would be my bet. 

Also ventilated seats in Florida would be nice. 

My 2001 Tahoe was absolutely bombproof, I drove it over 300k with nothing more than oil changes and brake pads/rotors.  It had the smaller motor which was adequate, but I would want the bigger 5.3L motor if I was towing anything substantial.  I loved that truck almost as much as it loved the gas pump.  I think on a good day it got 12mpg highway.

I think to maintain the proper GRM cliche you need to go older, like GMT 400 older. I think that runs 88-98. Super simple to fix, probably won't break, and will not lose any money on the resale. 

Unless you are running this on dealer plates or want a new 'hoe in your life, south-to-south doesnt seem like a money making proposition by the time you go through tax/title/license.

Whole different story if you were taking a Cali vehicle back to Michigan or Ohio.  

Think you could install this in a parking lot?

In reply to Tom Suddard :

I was thinking parking lot cam swap as a possible DOD workaround, but I like where your head is!

In reply to Furious_E (Forum Supporter) :

you don't even have to go that far. As long as the lifters havent failed, you can tune out the DoD with a flash tuner and roll. Dad did that on his 07 and he's at 200+k.

EDIT: if you do this and don't like it, I know someone looking for one without rust in that price range.

I got nothing helpful, but I've seen a few mildly lifted, late model Tahoes around here lately and I'm becoming obsessed with how cool they look:

Admittedly, this one is a smidge too tall. But you get the idea.

In reply to ultraclyde :

I was thinking more Tahoe PPV, but lifted looks good too. 

In reply to bobzilla :

do those things work well?  I'm thinking about looking for a newer suburban with the 6 speed, but I want don't want cam swap stuff...  I'm lazyyyyyyyyyy about daily drivers.  I've heard the issues with the GMT900's and the cheaper door handles, switches and such.. I'm not worried about it.. I'm worried about the engine going kaput.

Is there anything complicated about living with a "California emissions" vehicle in places that aren't California?

In reply to Fueled by Caffeine :

I mean he did it 3 years ago and has put 100k miles on it since.

In reply to wae :

Only thing I can speak to is someone I knew had a California BMW.  I think the fuel pump (gas tank? something related) failed outside the normal BMW warranty but because California required a longer warranty it got replaced free.

wae said:

Is there anything complicated about living with a "California emissions" vehicle in places that aren't California?

there's a possibility these models will have additional emissions equipment that other cars do not have. Preety sure cali legalNB1 miatas had an additional cat for example.

dj06482 (Forum Supporter) said:

If looking '07 and up, the hot tip is that the early Escalade and Denali have the 6.2 without the DOD.

^^ This. Don't forget the GMC and Caddy brands.

Slippery said:

In reply to ultraclyde :

I was thinking more Tahoe PPV, but lifted looks good too. 

For what Tim's looking for, this might be the solution.  Plenty of power with the 5.3, almost all are 2wd, probably an extensive (although long) service history.  From what I've heard, they also handle fairly well for such a big car, so after done with the towing duty, it might be fun to daily.  You'd just need to get a hitch installed.

-Rob

In reply to wae :

No 

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

I can run it on my transporter tag for a few weeks.