2003 Suburban 2500 with 128k miles for almost 18k?

Joined
Mar 17, 2011
Messages
914
Location
Florida
Am I stupid to even consider this vehicle at this price?
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/40566856-1ff8-4fe8-ba49-b1e84a37b5aa/

I have a 2003 Suburban 1500 with the 5.3 Vortec and love it.
Put some money into it...rear main seal, fuel pump, water pump, PS pump and a few others. Dash is destroyed, paint is faded, but all in all a great vehicle.
Looking to replace the Expedition with a more capable vehicle for towing my RV and possibly upgrade the RV in the future.
Right now, the 1500 is customized as my work truck, and getting it ready to camp is a lot of work, and a lot of work to get it set up for work again. I want something we can just hook up and go when we want.

What kind of problems could I expect from this 2500 of this year and miles?
What kind of life expectancy?
MPG while towing? I get 9 MPG while towing with my 1500 and we do long trips, so don't want to get into MPG much less than that.
 
Price is a little steep, I'd probably be more comfortable around $12k. But if I wanted an 8.1 big-block, this would be a fine example of such. Being a Florida truck, and the pictures do make it look clean. 8.1 isn't a horrible motor but nowhere near as versatile as an LS-based 6.0. In stock form though, an 8.1 would have more grunt.

MPG would probably be anywhere from 8-10. Don't expect pheromonal mileage out of an 8.1.

Maybe the last zero in the price was a mistake. I wouldn't pay over $1,795 for that ancient gas hog.

LOL! Thats just goofy.
 
If you really need it, there's not much out there that fits the bill: How else are you going to get a 3/4 ton full sized SUV?

^^^Pretty sure that fact is why the prices are so high on them.
How much less will a 1500 tow? Here are some examples I found around here without the Florida aura tax.


 
It's worth what some yuk will pay for it. I would never pay that much for a 20 year old vehicle.
 
It is an 8.1 truck. No rust? 127,000 miles? Good for 250,000 easy. It will fetch $14,000 to $15,000. More in my area.
They don't last long on the lots. Huge following for them.

This thing destroys a half ton, full floating rear axle, 3/4 ton brakes, suspension, lots of room, better frame.

It is rated to tow 12,000 lbs and it does it comfortably. 8.1 trucks go for similar coin in that condition.

Biggest issue with those is sometimes the cam position sensor will go out.
MPG towing will be anywhere from 7 to 10mpg depending on weight and terrain.

Offer $13,000 worst they can say is no.

The only way to get anything comparable, as I have towed with an 8.1, is a 3/4 ton or up 6.0 with 6L90E and 4.10 gears. Your next option is a diesel Ford or something new.
 
Ford Excursions, especially the diesel ones, are still worth coin because of "horse people" that tow yet like car-like comforts. You'll probably get some bleed over from that crowd competing for this truck.
 
Ford Excursions, especially the diesel ones, are still worth coin because of "horse people" that tow yet like car-like comforts. You'll probably get some bleed over from that crowd competing for this truck.
This one makes that Suburban seem like a steal!

 
The majority of consumer reviews for the dealer is 1-star. Unless I could see and dig through every corner of the vehicle in person, I would run, not walk, away.
 
A friend purchased that same exact vehicle, very similar mileage. Except he did it around 2009 or so. For $8,500 or so IIRC. He put another 150k on the odometer, probably spent less than $5k in repairs to keep it going through 300k miles.

Gotta love this inflation.
 
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