Long story short, I'm buying a Suburban tomorrow in California, and I'll be driving it back to MIchigan in month, towing an unknown vehicle on a trailer/tow dolly. I know either one would be capable of towing, but the plan is to sell it when I get home, so I'm mostly thinking about ease of resale. Personally, I like the older body style more, but since I'm only driving it a few thousand miles before I sell it, I'm more concerned about whether the older one would be any more difficult to sell.
I feel like there are people out there specifically looking for the GMT400 over the 800, and having a rust-free one in Michigan would make it worth more, since that generation has had more time to rust, and I see a lot less of them on the road. I'd like to get some input from other people (not that GRM necessarily represents the general car purchasing collective) and see what you think. Obviously whatever I buy would go up for sale here, so your input could be directly relevant if you're looking to buy one of these at the end of May.
For quick comparison, the 1999 is $5000, has 136,000 miles, new battery, newer tires, "excellent condition" interior (no pictures), and the seller is confident it could go on a long trip while towing with no problem (in the ad, not a question I specifically asked).
The 3 2000+ Suburbans that I'm planning on looking at range from $4000-6000, and are in more or less comparable condition, with anywhere from 159,000 to 216,000 miles.
Both are completely rotted out in Michigan. Buy the best one you can find.
I don't know about MI, but in Ohio, it seems like GMT400 Suburbans do not have the same collectors value as the pickups and Tahoes, but there is still some interest. Considering how rare rust-free GMT800 Suburbans are in the rust belt, it may be a toss up as to which is going to net the most profit. Although, being the final year, with such low mileage, that 99 would be tempting.
In reply to eastsideTim :
Agreed that, to me - the 00+ Suburbans do really look like the next generation and I would think carry a premium as such. I think they also get the "LS"/Vortec vs. the small blocks of the prior generation?
I bought my 00 Expedition at 126k miles and it's now at 216k. Lower mileage and Vortec/newer engine seems like it would be the ideal. Not sure I can justify replacing it though, will run it by the wife - but it's likely not going to be me as a buyer..
Start with the condition. Buy whichever one is in the best condition. They will always be easier to sell.
From there, I would buy whichever one has a cloth interior.
From there, I would prefer the 800.
Condition first. Priority #1 is to actually get home so buy the one most up for the trip. I think the 800 will be a better ride for 3,000 miles but choose the one that you think will be best to you for 3,000 miles. Choose the one with comfort and things like working cruise control. Knobby tires will suck for 3,000 miles. Choose the one with best highway tires.
I think you might have an easier high dollar sale on the 800 to someone who will really DD it. The target market for the 400 might be more the "collector" and than there will be fewer of those shoppers for you. Also, those shoppers will not be shopping in Michigan because they expect they have to go far to find what they want.
Feel free to post links to the ads. We can then tell better what we see in each vehicle.
Super cool trip! Please take us along.
Thanks for the advice so far, I appreciate it.
I do agree that overall condition is the most important, I'm looking to get the one that has the least cosmetic/interior issues, and of course no mechanical problems, or if any, something small that I could fix in an hour or two before the trip.
I'd usually be a little wary about posting all the ads in case someone tried to swoop in and grab one, but I feel like that's pretty unlikely to happen here. Plus, whatever I buy ends up for sale here in a month anyway.
Here's the ad for the '99: https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/687526642216788/
and here are a couple of the newer ones:
2005 Yukon SLT, 4wd https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/410060161119189/ (not a fan of the aftermarket lights, but it does have features some of the others don't, and it's the least expensive)
2002 Suburban 2wd https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/732753098096151/ (this is the first one I'm looking at, and the one I'm leaning most toward buying, about tied with the '99)
2001 Suburban 2wd https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/342177361190429/ (this one has the 8.1L, and I can't see it until Sunday, and I'll have probably made a purchase before then)
I agree on the gmt400 suburban not seeming to keep their value here.
I'd get a 4wd especially if you are taking it back to snow county, it's value would be way higher in the long run
If I was buying it to sell I would get one of the 4wd ones. I think the 1/2 ton is more marketable but there is a market for the 3/4 T too. GMT400's get ohs and ahs but not cash offers (my experience).
In reply to John Welsh :
I just asked the guy, and it's RWD only.
It would possibly sell better if I could get a 4WD one, but there's only one 4WD available (guy with the 8.1L hasn't gotten back to me about 2WD/4WD), so I'll probably end up with a 2WD one, unless the Yukon is in better condition even though it's priced lower.
Plan right now is to see the Yukon first, then 2002 Suburban, then the 1999.
The black 2005, the 2500, then the green one are my order of preference. The 8.1 will probably sell the quickest even with it having more miles.
2wd will be a hard sell in Michigan. Sure, it will sell but will take longer and sell for less.
In reply to yupididit :
On paper the 2005 seems the best, as long as the lower price doesn't mean it's in worse shape. That would be my choice if there aren't any issues hiding in the parts of the interior that aren't shown. That would be my go-to if everything is good.
I did just hear back from the 8.1L guy, it's also 2WD, so the Yukon is the only 4WD option.
I would wait until Sunday to see the 8.1L, but for my sanity's sake, I'm probably going to make a decision out of the other 3, and get something Friday, so I can spend the rest of my trip not worrying about the other ones selling, and then having the 8.1L one turn out to be no good.
In reply to JShaawbaru :
Interior: out west, the harsh sun kills interiors, but back at home, JYs are filled with gently worn interiors of cars that rusted to death before wearing out.
Get your metal, south and west. Get your plastics/interior north and east.
2005 looks to have good tires. They're Goodyear Wranglers too. We can argue about quality of brands but for resale, the tires are at least a first tier brand not some BS, no name brand. They also look to be a tread that will be pleasent for hyw driving.
I don't like the he headligts/taillights but you can convert those to "stock" cheaply for resale.
2005 has a modern radio. That might be nice for your long travel
Strange: left front wheel doesn't match the others on the 2005 which then makes me question the quality of the tires overall.
2005 relink
2005 seller, Estiban, also has auto body services listed on FB. Is the Suburban a rebuilt salvage title?
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1209519399574277/
I don't care so much if he's done quality bodywork but if the truck is saddled with a rebuilt title, it will sell for less when you try to sell.
Ask Estiban if the title is rebuilt. Also ask how much body damage the Suburban had.
I agree with others, I'd go with the Yukon, just for the 4x4.
The 99 would be cool, but with 2WD and GMT400, you'll be looking at a very small set of buyers. If I wanted to build a lowrider, it'd be a great start.
In reply to John Welsh :
Good call on the mismatched wheel, I didn't notice that, and it's something I would probably try to fix before selling, just to get rid of one more thing to have people use to get a lower price. It is good that they're decent tires (hopefully all 4). I think all 3 that I'm looking at tomorrow have new or at least newer tires, which is nice.
The modern radio would be nice, but since I will have time, I could order something for the other ones and install it if needed, or use a aux/radio to bluetooth thing. Definitely a better option though for convenience, since I wouldn't have to do anything.
Lights could definitely be swapped for stock ones, I probably would do that, and I'm sure someone else would end up buying the aftermarket ones to recoup some money.
I did check the ad and it SAYS clean title, so assuming that's true, no salvage to worry about. I would walk away if it is salvage though, I definitely do not want to deal with trying to sell a salvage title vehicle.
Also good point on possibly being able to get interior replacement parts here, but the less work I have to do the better.
I used some mod power to add years to your original posting
Thanks!
After all the advice given, my game plan is to see the Yukon first, then the green 2002 Suburban, and then if neither of them are good, I'll move on to the '99 in Tehachapi. It's 3-hour round trip to see that one and go back to Victorville where the other 2 are, so I'd rather not do that if one of the first 2 is good, since the collective opinion is that a 2wd GMT400 will take the most time to sell.
In the near-worst-case scenario that all 3 of them are bad, I'll spend the rest of Friday and all of Saturday looking for other Suburbans (my search area isn't huge right now, but I don't want to extend it unless I have to), and if I can't find anything, see about looking at the 8.1L on Sunday.
If you are just going to get rid of it when you get home, you may also want to look at regular Yukons and Tahoes, too, unless you need the extra interior room during the trip.
In reply to eastsideTim :
Yep, the extra room is needed, I won't just be just transporting a vehicle, but also a bunch of stuff, so the extra space is very necessary.
2004 Long Denail w/181 asking $6.7k
Honest and through description. Seems to be built to tow with 6.0L and some mods. Near the others.
Also, replace the wipers before you head out. They're all dry rotted in dry Cali areas.
John Welsh said:
2004 Long Denail w/181 asking $6.7k
Honest and through description. Seems to be built to tow with 6.0L and some mods. Near the others.
My pick based on the seller and that ad. Nice find, John.
