1500 vs 2500 Suburban 4x4

I'm shopping for an early 90's-ish (square body) 'Burb, and I'm finding the 1500's and 2500's to be priced very similarly around me. My inclination is to go with the heavy duty parts, thinking that since I won't be roughing it up very much, that they should last longer. But I'm concerned about parts availability and cost when they do go bad. I've had a 1500 2wd GMC pickup for several years, and I've been able to get everything I need at the local box stores, and nothing has ever been more than one store away, and that level of availability is something a guy gets used to.

Speaking of getting used to something, the tired old 305 in my 1500 pickup gets abysmal mileage, so the MPG return for the 454 in the 2500 'Burb isn't a major concern for me. I don't drive enough for 5-10 MPG to make a difference to my budget.

So, pros or cons in the 1500 vs 2500 face off? Or is this a scenario that I should just buy the best one I can find?

If you get something late '90s the 1500 gets you the Vortec engine. Unless you're towing more than 5,000 lbs regularly I don't see much advantage in going with the 454.

In reply to KyAllroad: What I perceive to be the advantage (and I'm possibly mistaken) of the 2500 had more to do with driveline, axles, diffs, suspension bits, etc. The big block is more like icing on the cake - my dad has one in his car hauler and I love the character of the engine; that's kind of a minor consideration, though.

The 2500 will get you better brakes (and suspension, axles, etc) especially for towing. A late 90's would get you the Vortec 454 (96-99). Parts availability should be as good as the 1500.

If I was going to tow, I'd get the 2500. Is it necessary for 5000 pounds? Probably not, but it's nice to have overkill and it's not going to cost you a whole lot more.

Dunno about parts availability for 2500 vs 1500. I would think that the parts that go NLA first tend to be the interior bits, trim, window motors, etc, and those should be common.

I'd do the 2500 for durability and the little bit of overkill you'd have for most duty. A 1500 would probably serve, but on the off chance that you might find a project car to drag home on a full size trailer, you'd be at the limits pretty quickly.

Personally I'd go with the later GMT800 trucks rather than the GMT400s, as they are just better to live with. That's what I got with the 2002 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1 liter. Allowed me to go larger on the travel trailer (since it has a 12,000 lb tow rating) while still giving a really good ride, good durability, and more all around livability. Only problem is often they can get out of budget pretty quickly as there's a good demand for them (I paid $6500 and thought I got a good deal)

It just occurred to me that if/when I get the Burb and sell my pickup, I would indeed be trailering firewood, and extra towing capacity would be nice for that task, since I could get bigger loads less frequently. I last had my pickup SIGNIFICANTLY overloaded with wood, and I'l like to probably avoid that in the future, as it definitely took years off both of our lives.

+1 on GMT800 being a big step up from GMT400. It's noticeably more expensive, though.

Chris_V wrote: I'd do the 2500 for durability and the little bit of overkill you'd have for most duty. A 1500 would probably serve, but on the off chance that you might find a project car to drag home on a full size trailer, you'd be at the limits pretty quickly.

I doubt it, unless the project car was a 77 Cadillac... The towing capacity was around 6k minimum.

But I do agree, for things like this I don't mind the overkill.

I had a '90 Suburban 2500 - the suspension and brake parts were a bit pricier than their light duty versions, but I never had problems finding spare parts.

I love love love 89-91 square body Suburbans with the 4 headlight grill, FI, and OD trans. Did I say I love them? I prefer the 1500 4x4 with the little tbi 350, but I don't tow heavy with them. Mileage is a little better and parts are/seem more plentiful and cheaper for the 1/2 ton. If I tow heavy I use my duramax dually. I know the later burbs are better, and I owned a 97 3/4 ton with the vortec 454, but I'm always drawn back to the 89-91s.

I'm currently looking for a 89-91 two tone blue, 4x4 suburban 1500, with blue interior. For options I would prefer rear heat and air, power mirrors, and g80 rear. I'm flexible on the options, but not the color. I want very good to excellent condition, but honestly body and paint are more important than mechanical, so any leads appreciated.

One of the best reasons in my mind to go with a 2500 is you get the very sturdy 4l80e transmission instead of the marginal 4l60e or 700r4. My 03 2500 has been an excellent beast of burden for the last 4.5 years and 35k miles.

i don't think the old square body (73-90 since we are talking Suburbans here) ever got the overdrive trans in the 2500, and most definitely not behind a 454. pretty sure they just had the good old reliable non overdrive TH400 in them, which went a long way towards killing the mpg compared to the later models when paired with the 4.10 and sometimes 4.56 gears that they generally had.

HD for me. Brakes, suspension, axles, etc. All beefed up.

The 1500 would have an 8.5" rear. The 2500 would most likely have the 10.5" full-floater. Sweet piece.

Front diffs (on 4x4) would be 7.5" for the 1/2 and 8.5" for the 3/4. Major upgrades.

If you think about it, a 1/2 ton 'burb is already darn close to its GVW with two people and a dog in it. 3/4 ton for me.

3/4 will ride rougher when empty, but 2 live axles won't ever feel like a Caddy anyhow. There are 350cid 2500's out there, but the fuel saving probably isn't huge. Might as well have some BB fun.

mtn wrote:

Chris_V wrote: I'd do the 2500 for durability and the little bit of overkill you'd have for most duty. A 1500 would probably serve, but on the off chance that you might find a project car to drag home on a full size trailer, you'd be at the limits pretty quickly.

I doubt it, unless the project car was a 77 Cadillac... The towing capacity was around 6k minimum. But I do agree, for things like this I don't mind the overkill.

A full size car trailer will take up much of a 1500s load carrying capacity, so even a 3000 lb car on one gets to the top of the GVW pretty easily.

Now for me, I tow over 9k lbs on a regular basis so I wanted the 12k rating of the 2500 to have some breathing room.

And the GMT800 rides pretty nice when not towing, so it makes for a decent all around rig, though fuel mileage is crap (11 mpg loaded or unloaded... lol)

codrus wrote: +1 on GMT800 being a big step up from GMT400. It's noticeably more expensive, though.

Gmt800 Half tons are trash compared to gmt400's. The engine is literally the only better thing. I'd 5.3/6.0 swap an 88-98 before ever owning another gmt800

This thread raises an interesting question--how do you determine what transmission it is before you buy? Is it in the VIN? Or do you just need to know what you're looking for?

later 80s/90s Boxy style: 4-speed auto = 700r4/4L60E. 3 speed auto = TH400.

Curvy style: 4-speed 1500 = 4L60E/4L65E. 4-speed 2500 = 4L80E/4L85E

Unlikely you'll get new enough to get 5 or 6 speeds, but a 5 speed would only be in 2500s at it would be the Allison behind an 8.1L. 6 speeds would likely be in a half ton and they're a 6L80.

GM did a pretty good job of matching transmissions to GVW. When I say that, I mean the 1/2 tons always got the wimpy trans and the 3/4 got the good trans. There were a few years that GM did a light 3/4 (88-91 I think) that came with 6 lug wheels and the 4L60.

patgizz wrote:

codrus wrote: +1 on GMT800 being a big step up from GMT400. It's noticeably more expensive, though.

Gmt800 Half tons are trash compared to gmt400's. The engine is literally the only better thing. I'd 5.3/6.0 swap an 88-98 before ever owning another gmt800

I've had both and I'm going to disagree with you completely.

curtis73 wrote: later 80s/90s Boxy style: 4-speed auto = 700r4/4L60E. 3 speed auto = TH400. Curvy style: 4-speed 1500 = 4L60E/4L65E. 4-speed 2500 = 4L80E/4L85E Unlikely you'll get new enough to get 5 or 6 speeds, but a 5 speed would only be in 2500s at it would be the Allison behind an 8.1L. 6 speeds would likely be in a half ton and they're a 6L80. GM did a pretty good job of matching transmissions to GVW. When I say that, I mean the 1/2 tons always got the wimpy trans and the 3/4 got the good trans. There were a few years that GM did a light 3/4 (88-91 I think) that came with 6 lug wheels and the 4L60.

Good info here, except the 2500 Burb didn't get the Allison, just the 4L80E (6.0) or 4L85E (8.1). I wish the Allison was available in the Burb.

MPG wise, my 03 Burb 8.1L gets 14-15 mpg on the highway, 11-12 mpg on backroads.Just have to be easy on the loud pedal, or mpgs will drop fast.

Chris_V wrote:

patgizz wrote:

codrus wrote: +1 on GMT800 being a big step up from GMT400. It's noticeably more expensive, though.

Gmt800 Half tons are trash compared to gmt400's. The engine is literally the only better thing. I'd 5.3/6.0 swap an 88-98 before ever owning another gmt800

I've had both and I'm going to disagree with you completely.

that's fine. i respect your opinion, but in my experience i've had numerous ones of each and the gmt800's fall apart around the glorious engine. especially 4x4's, gm's mid 2000's transfer case game was off.

stroker wrote: This thread raises an interesting question--how do you determine what transmission it is before you buy? Is it in the VIN? Or do you just need to know what you're looking for?

Look at the pan, then use google to identify it..

81cpcamaro wrote: Good info here, except the 2500 Burb didn't get the Allison, just the 4L80E (6.0) or 4L85E (8.1). I wish the Allison was available in the Burb.

Yeah, the Silverado paired the 8.1L with the Allison, but the Suburban paired it with the 4L85E.

I love my Allison.

So what are the Ford options in this discussion?