Hey guys anyone have any opinions on Tahoes? We are looking at a '99 for the wife as a replacement for her '96 Tacoma. It's a 4 door LT package with the 5700 Vortec motor and is a 4x4. Basically we are looking for something for her that is a little more practical for hauling the upcoming baby around in and her two dogs (the Anatolians). The Tacoma really is not large enough and even though it is an extended cab getting into back is a pain in the butt. It is also a 4 cyl so kinda under powered for even going up to the lake around here (some roads are damn steep). But hey I have someone that wants to buy it.
Basically the thing is bone stock and doesn't look like it's been on anything more serious than a gravel road. Cosmetically there is a scuff on the tail light and a light scratch on the side. Inside the seats have some wear and there is some staining on the carpets but nothing that can't come out. Biggest thing to me is it has 190k on the clock which I know for some rigs these days that is nothing. Test drive was smooth and everything seemed to be good from what I could see. The wife likes it and honestly so long as it will last her a couple years I am perfectly fine with it. Seems like most of the reviews I read the things seem to last forever or have problems from the start. Anyone here have or had one? Any opinions? What kinda life could I expect to be left in that Vortec?
my father put 100k on a 97 yukon, same basic vehicle. id have a shop look over the front suspension, stuff there usually fails around 200k, and can get pricey. might help in the negotiations.
the motor/trans is literally a 'dump oil in it every 5k and ignore it' setup.
it WILL need rear shocks every 2 years. period. they just do.
dual exhaust and a cheap power programmer really do wake up the motor. the enhanced shift points and lockup setting in the trans for towing are nice too.
theres a plastic control valve in the heater lines near the firewall, keep an eye on it, they leak straight to the ground, dont leave any mess, and dont leak unless the RPMs are over 1600 or so, so it wont leak in the driveway. if you just notice your coolant missing and see no evidence of a leak...look there.
some people don't like the mushy brakes. i found a flush with fresh DOT5 and a new master cyl. made it better. ours has 63K when we got it, 170 when we sold it. brakes are just spongy. i thought SS lines would help, but never tried it. someone else recommended a 2500 LT master cyl, it has a bigger piston, never tried that either, but i bet that would help too.
overall its a solid, reliable, tough truck. look for 13-14 MPG with the 4X4.
-J0N
My tow pig/family hauler is a 1999 Suburban 4x4. Same exact thing but longer. After catching up on the deferred maintenance the PO had ignored I take all seven of us on all our trips (1000 miles, non-stop, overnight drive, etc, etc) and feel line doing so. it only has 225K miles so the motor is just about broken in now. 
what's the budget/price? 200K isn't necesarily used up, but personally I'd rather spend time in a 2001 or newer GMT 800 as something you're going to keep for the next several years.
A '99 is near the tail end of the '88+ Chevy styling/platform and was a bit long in the tooth (though perfectly adequate/serviceable).
After rebuilding the engine on Dad's 99 'Hoe, I don't have a lot of nice things to say. The Dexcool (and idiots that owned them new), poor intake manifold design and weird CPI make this an odd duckling. The steering is still recirc/ball type and has 14,211 different weak points (inner and outers, drag link, pitman arm, idler arm, gear box. The brakes were barely adequate when new and age has not been kind to them. Between rusting brake lines, rear brakes that were likely never adjusted in their lifetime and siezed up and weak calipers/hoses up front it's not somethign I would recommend.
BUT..... and here's where it gets weird... if it's been maintained it's entire life PROPERLY, has low miles and is rust free, it won't be a bad ride. I don't like them because I'm used to the newer body style and better chassis/engine/brake design. I would hold out for an 01-up personally.
Yeah there is no rust that I saw from my crawl around and under the beast. Honestly we really don't get much rust out here. Basically we are getting $3300 out of the Tacoma and I can get the Tahoe for the same money (talked him down a bit from where they were already). So no real cash investment just going from one to the next. I had thought about looking for a newer one and swapping my truck as part of the deal but this popped up.
I bought a '97 two door about three months ago. 269K miles on it. Changed shocks and lower control arms (the shock bolts snapped the head when trying to remove them), front pads and brake fluid flush. Made a big difference. Mine was maintained well in some regards but seriously lacking in others (radiator fluid looked like beef soup). I've had to pour quite a bit of funds into it, but it's still cheaper than new and tows my 6x12 trailer MUCH better than my 2007 Tahoe did. Just take a good look at all the normal wear points. And I'm getting about 12 on the freeway, but that's towing a trailer at 75 mph. It's hooked to a trailer 90% of the time.
So far, I'm happy with the truck and figure it'll last another 100K easy.
Yeah, shocks are a pretty common fault. The spider EFI harness has a tendency to let go. Someone already said, exhaust and a programmer really help. They are great trucks and should last you a long time.
Oh another thing the wife likes this because it has the back that opens to the sides not up. She is rather short and worried about not being able to close the rear hatch on newer ones.
rebelgtp wrote:
Yeah there is no rust that I saw from my crawl around and under the beast. Honestly we really don't get much rust out here. Basically we are getting $3300 out of the Tacoma and I can get the Tahoe for the same money (talked him down a bit from where they were already). So no real cash investment just going from one to the next. I had thought about looking for a newer one and swapping my truck as part of the deal but this popped up.
For $3k, it's nota bad deal. Just expect stuff to break etc.
Oh and that is also the same amount she paid for the Tacoma 3 or 4 years ago.
xflowgolf wrote:
what's the budget/price? 200K isn't necesarily used up, but personally I'd rather spend time in a 2001 or newer GMT 800 as something you're going to keep for the next several years.
A '99 is near the tail end of the '88+ Chevy styling/platform and was a bit long in the tooth (though perfectly adequate/serviceable).
This, you'd probably be happier in a newer body style one the comfort is a world different
Well we went and looked at a couple newer ones yesterday and they seemed to have lived harder lives than the one she was looking at in town. There were also little things here and there she did not like. So long story short she went and bought the '99 this morning. At least when I checked it out it seemed in decent shape for the age and miles. I would have prefered something newer with a 5.3 but oh well. My mom has a 5.3 in her '02 2500 and has nearly 300k on it.
Bob mentioned rusting brake lines already but allow me to pile on. I had 4 of that generation of GM trucks in the company fleet (1 1500 series, 2 2500 series and one Yukon). Every single one of them blew out at least one hard line and two of them popped front flex lines to boot. Had intake manifold leaks on two of the pickups. Fuel pump failures on the Yukon and one pickup plus a couple of alternators and water pumps. I don't think either of the 2500 series trucks ever saw double digit fuel mileage.
Just gassed up tow pig. 12.5 mpg
Yeah we aren't expectin great mileage from the thing as it will also be a replacement for my Ram. Goin to sell that and maybe get an old beater for in the mountains.
