Older model Expedition/Suburban recommendations?

[BowNisPar]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam


--Former fleet vehicle. Power drivers seat/windows/locks/mirrors, keyless entry, cruise, rear heat & a/c. Deep tinted factory glass. Skid plate, and heavy-duty trailering packages. Fortunately for me, these don't garner nearly the interest of a comparable pickup, so they slide under the radar.

--Only a few, common GMT-800 issues:
Oil pressure sensor
Blower motor resistor
Blown speakers

All parts that are easy to source, inexpensive, and straight forward to replace. With those fixed, it's great, and passes all OBD tests (green light!)

--When you think about "Suburban", what's the first thing that comes to mind...a massive/tough to maneuver vehicle, right? Well, come to find out (especially when riding on the stock tires), it's positively compact relative new HD trucks, and not that long either, with a wheelbase comparable to a regular cab/8ft. bed pickup.

--The 4.10 gear ratio makes all the difference, putting this thing square in the middle of the power band at most any time. Even with only four gears, there aren't huge drops between them. Pulled around 5k the other day, and was thoroughly impressed with how it handled the load. From a dead stop you could tell that it was there, but once up to speed? Wouldn't hardly know unless you looked in the mirror. When towing, trans temp gets up to around 160°F running down the road.

--The G80 is very nice. Start spinning a little, it engages with an audible thunk, and you're on your way.

--Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w-30 is working great. Very smooth/quiet, no external leakage, and negligible consumption.


Awesome purchase. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Ramblejam]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Is the gas mileage decent?


It's a 6500lb, 325hp gas powered 4x4. Define "decent". If you solely look at the numbers, then I'd say no.

However, if taken in context of what it's capable of (interior space of a large van, load/towing capacity of a truck, road comfort of a car), and that you only need one vehicle to accomplish what several do, then things start looking different.

Of note, as it relates to fuel: When purchased, you could easily hear engine pinging when cruising down the road (unloaded). I have no idea as to what was in the tank at the time, but some research beforehand led to the knowledge that these engines prefer 89 octane for optimum performance and economy.

Filled it up with mid-grade at the first fuel stop. Even when towing on one of the hottest days of summer so far, it was absolutely quiet, with zero audible ping.