In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Is there a possibility of a story here? Maybe in the form of a long-term factory test vehicle?
Does Nissan need some help further exposing the capabilities of the diesel Titan?
Would Chevy be upset enough to see their iconic Corvette towed by a Nissan?
Does Dodge need help portraying the Durango as capable and still relevant?
John Welsh said:In reply to JG Pasterjak :
Is there a possibility of a story here? Maybe in the form of a long-term factory test vehicle?
Does Nissan need some help further exposing the capabilities of the diesel Titan?
Would Chevy be upset enough to see their iconic Corvette towed by a Nissan?
Does Dodge need help portraying the Durango as capable and still relevant?
Maybe, but we've kind of done that already to som extent. Also, some problems are easier solved by the strategic application of money than long chains of proposals and pitches and promises and responsibility. If I'm going to fart in a truck, I want to not feel guilty about it.
For the love of god please don’t buy an 06+ 5.3 gm. I don’t care what the fanboys say about failure rates with the AFM bits, but everyone i know who has had one has lost the engine to the issue, or had it happening when they traded it in. There was even a member here who bought one, everyone myself included said please delete the AFM, and a year later he posted motherberkeleying gm up and down because he didn’t listen. I got to quote myself from the prior year saying I told you so, and it felt satisfying doing so.
Patrick said:For the love of god please don’t buy an 06+ 5.3 gm. I don’t care what the fanboys say about failure rates with the AFM bits, but everyone i know who has had one has lost the engine to the issue, or had it happening when they traded it in. There was even a member here who bought one, everyone myself included said please delete the AFM, and a year later he posted motherberkeleying gm up and down because he didn’t listen. I got to quote myself from the prior year saying I told you so, and it felt satisfying doing so.
So what's the sweet spot? '04-05?
Patrick said:For the love of god please don’t buy an 06+ 5.3 gm. I don’t care what the fanboys say about failure rates with the AFM bits, but everyone i know who has had one has lost the engine to the issue, or had it happening when they traded it in. There was even a member here who bought one, everyone myself included said please delete the AFM, and a year later he posted motherberkeleying gm up and down because he didn’t listen. I got to quote myself from the prior year saying I told you so, and it felt satisfying doing so.
Is there a mileage where if the vehicle has exceeded that mileage you can be pretty sure its already repaired (thinking of 170k PPV Auction Tahoes mentioned earlier in this thread)
Mine is an 07 5.3 with AFM. 206k. 
Rolling failure analysis is fun.
mazdeuce - Seth said:Mine is an 07 5.3 with AFM. 206k.
Rolling failure analysis is fun.
Yeah, it doesn’t happen to them all but it’s too common to not be aware of. It happened to ours at 118k. Lifter problem sparkled the oil and ate 6 rod bearings. I’ve read of ones that happened before 20k. I’m never buying one for a donor, that’s for sure.
I had lots of issues with the 05 avalanche but the engine was not one. I’m pretty sure it towed heavily before i got it, and I continued to do so and it was just whooped. I liked the thing overall but i’m jaded now because of all the repairs i did. If i had bought a new truck instead it would be paid for already. But i bought the new truck 3 years later.
1988RedT2 said:yupididit said:In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Cool for novelty, not that good for the money when it comes to hauling and DD duty.
No novelty. Just a solid, dependable truck when a truck is what you need. Hauling? None better. But yeah, no proper tow vehicle is going to make a good DD.
As a person who daily drives a 7.3 rwd excursion, I disagree. The old 80s trucks are cool but compared to today's 3/4 in safety, braking, and towing they don't compete.
Excursion 7.3s are solid. I would always lean towards a 5.3 or 6.0 GM powered machine for towing. My pops has an 07 Avalanche he's own sinced new. 200k on the clock+ and it tows our chumpcar around everywhere without a hitch. Have had the tranny rebuilt once because of some slipping. That was a $1200 setback.
I suppose, if pressed, I'd have to admit I overbought when I got my latest "Family Truckster". So if you have an interest in a 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer with a 6.0 and about every option they made 13 years ago, I might be interested in moving it down the road.
KyAllroad (Jeremy) said:I suppose, if pressed, I'd have to admit I overbought when I got my latest "Family Truckster". So if you have an interest in a 2004 Suburban 2500 Quadrasteer with a 6.0 and about every option they made 13 years ago, I might be interested in moving it down the road.
Say some numbers.
Mileage?
How muchoo want?
Where u at, dawg?
jg@grassrootsmotorsports.com
WOAH. JG, you want that. It's amazing. Quadrasteer is the best thing ever. Buy it, bring it here, and then sell it to me in 2 years.
05-07 Sequoia (with the extra power and extra gear above the 01-04). The 4.7 is decent power, super-smooth, and bulletproof to hundreds of thousands of miles. Cavernous, comfortable, and quiet interior (if a bit dated in appearance). Roll-down tailgate window is one awesome feature compared to most other similar size SUVs. Tows well (just add rear air bags for a hundred bucks) as long as you're not pulling something super-heavy. We load up with about 6k worth of car, trailer, tools, tires, and gear and it has no problems.
The best part about them is that they don't get the "4Runner/Tacoma/Tundra Tax" nor the "Tahoe/Suburban/Yukon" tax since apparently nobody thinks Sequoias are cool. But every member of my crew who has ridden in or driven it long-haul to races always says what a great tow rig it is. Not quite as powerful as the GMs from the same years, but I'd argue it's more reliable overall and (IMO) more pleasant place to spend time inside. The usual Toyota fit and finish. Mine is 13 years old now and not a single squeak or rattle anywhere in the interior. Basically it's just a big 4Runner with a lot more space that costs half as much on the used market, lol...
I know, I know. Suggesting anything other than a GM truck around here is like suggesting anything other than a Miata, but I have to try anyhow lol....
Tom Suddard said:WOAH. JG, you want that. It's amazing. Quadrasteer is the best thing ever. Buy it, bring it here, and then sell it to me in 2 years.
Except there is some sort of module in them that goes bad and its NLA. At least one member here spent some quality time ripping his out because it was the cheaper option. Maybe doesn't happen in the south?
Ive towed a car with Jeremy Randolph`s Nissan Armada and it does well. His wife DDs it otherwise. 5.6L engine. The tarted up version is the Infiniti QX56.
6,000 lb tow capacity. 9,000 lb tow capacity if equipped with factory tow package.
Sample near you
mazdeuce - Seth said:Tom Suddard said:WOAH. JG, you want that. It's amazing. Quadrasteer is the best thing ever. Buy it, bring it here, and then sell it to me in 2 years.
Except there is some sort of module in them that goes bad and its NLA. At least one member here spent some quality time ripping his out because it was the cheaper option. Maybe doesn't happen in the south?
Those are my unicorn truck. I've towed racecars all over with them (borrowing work's). I know many people with quadrasteer pickups - none with any issues.
IF something causes the rear steer to stop working, the default condition functions like a standard axle. There is a stack of belleville washers on both ends of the steering system that force the wheels to center. It becomes a very fancy non-steering axle at that point.
I'll send details directly.
(the hazyness is frost, it was chilly the morning I grabbed a pic)
I love the Sequoia but I would want the 5.7 one which definitely are at a premium vs the GM products mentioned
John Welsh said:Ive towed a car with Jeremy Randolph`s Nissan Armada and it does well. His wife DDs it otherwise. 5.6L engine. The tarted up version is the Infiniti QX56.
6,000 lb tow capacity. 9,000 lb tow capacity if equipped with factory tow package.
Sample near you
Geez, I'd love to be able to find SUVs this nice and this cheap up here in Rustland.
You can't use the pursuit package tahoes as tow vehicles, they don't have hitches or the mounting points to add them. Plus, the suspension they have won't hold the weight of a trailer. What you want are the Special Service Package tahoes. They have heavy duty alternator/trans cooler, and come with a hitch and all the wiring done up. They can be told apart as the PPV ones usually have black steel wheels, and the SSV ones have silver painted steel wheels.
For $10K you can get a 2002 Duramax Silverado Crew Cab. I know ths is because mine sat on Craigslist for a month at $12K before I finally sold it for $10K. It had the all the injector work already done to it, as well.
That's definitely cheap for what they seem to go for around here :) For a dmax with injectors done unless the truck was thrashed would easily be 14-16k in NC from what I have seen
Mine was in great shape, but was 4x2.
Being in FL and able to get away with 2WD, I'd say 2500 Suburban all day, every day. More room than a Tahoe. Basically a truck with a built-in cap and 8' of enclosed cargo area. Unless you foresee hauling bulk yard stuff on a regular basis (gravel, mulch, etc), there isn't a lot of need for a pick-up.
I love my 2004 Tundra. I want to keep it forever.
It tows great - used to haul 40 ft rowing shell trailers with it. I did upgrade to Hawk rotors and pads. When I bought it the braking was terrifying!
The double-cab has lots of room front and back, and the bed is sizable. 4 ft sheets of plywood lay flat in the back. All our camping junk takes up like one layer. Bikes for all? No problem. DVD player to pacify the kids.
The 4.7 V8 has plenty of power. The later versions have variable valve timing and are a little more powerful, but I've been happy with mine.
For me this size is just about perfect. Big enough to be really useful but not so big that it's hard to take to the grocery store. Though it is a pain in the grocery store lot...
They're trading for about $10-12K locally.
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