Going to look at a Tahoe. High miles-should I worry

[Slow Build]

I'm thinking about taking a look at a 2001 Tahoe 4x4 that has 195,000 miles on it. How much should I worry about the high miles? It looks like it was really well taken care of judging by the pictures. I had a 2002 Silverado x-cab a couple years ago and loved the LS1 engine. How do they hold up? My price range is around $7000 so really can't afford a low miler. Plus I only drive about 8000 miles a year so I won't be piling on too many miles in the next few years. I need a Tahoe so I can tow a travel trailer later this summer with the fam.

Any thoughts

Thanks

[iNsAiNoNe]

I wouldn't worry too much if you test drive it and its running well. I just bought an 02 xcab silverado with 206k miles on it...it had a long crank time while starting it, turned out to just be the fuel pressure regulator. I got the truck at the crazy awesome price of 4k on craigslist and after i swapped the regulator out it starts and runs like a chevy should!

[biggsteve97]

I got my 03 about 2 years ago with around 160,000 miles. Now have almost 184,000 and aside from problems with the right front suspension and wheel bearing everything seems good. Good power trans is still solid which surprises me knowing them they way I do. Only issue I have with the motor is the oil pressure is down from 60-70 psi at 2000 rpm to 40-45 psi at 2000 rpm. I believe that is because the Ford dealer I bought it from in Iowa put 0-20 semi synthetic oil in when they changed the oil and I didnt realize that until I was about half way back home on the 465 mile trip.

[Slow Build]

Well I went and checked it out today. It looked pretty clean for the miles on it. I took it for a test drive and it broke down. It just shut off while I was driving down the street and wouldn't restart. The sales guy thought it was out of gas so he ran up to the gas station and got a gallon. It started right up. We drove about 50' and it shut off again. He thought it needed more gas so we pushed it towards the station. He put a second gallon in. We go to start it and the battery dies. He calls to the office for somebody to bring a battery booster. Now it cranks but still doesn't start. Now he thinks it's the fuel pump and it has to be towed back. For some reason I don't think I'm too interested in this Tahoe. Too bad.

[SamMargritz00]

too bad. looks like a clean tahoe

[jchav62]

Sounds like the fuel pump. Too bad, that things looks pretty clean.

[JWall]

Looks nice.
I'd just tell them to call me after the fuel pump was replaced.

[Slow Build]

That's actually what I did. I figure a new fuel pump is a good thing to have (as long as they used a quality FP). They said they would have it done yesterday but they didn't call so I'm wondering if they have it correctly diagnosed. The last thing I want is a vehicle with electrical demons. He has offered me a free 3 month 3000 mile drive train warranty and would give me full bluebook for my Audi as a trade-in. I'm still leaning towards finding another Tahoe but I haven't ruled this one out completely. It's the omen factor that's bothering me. My wife thinks I’m crazy to even consider it and she may be right.

[Slow Build]

Going to look at this one later today. This one's an LT but still with cloth seats. It has 160,000 miles on the clock. It's 4WD lowered 3"x5".

Update: Owner totally blew me off today. I hate when people do that.

[Slow Build]

Today I finally got to check out the above Tahoe. It was OK. A few minor things but no deal breakers. The one thing that surprised me was how sluggish the 5.3 felt as in comparison to my old 2002 X-cab pickup with a 4.8 in it. I guess the Tahoe is probably heavier but it has nowhere near the acceleration that my truck had. Is this normal?

The other thing which, I almost expected, was the tires didn't feel balanced well at all. They are 305/40/22's and some off brand I've never heard of. Probably some cheap Chinese tire that can't be properly balanced.

The Tahoe that broke down was in better shape than this one.

[kev2809]

IMO, 7k for a truck with nearly 200k miles is not worth it. dont get me wrong, these trucks can last for a very long time. i just think the price is too much for the miles on it.

i find 01-06 tahoes around here for about 6k with way less miles on it. maybe it could be the area im in compared to yours, the average price of these could be different.

my wifes 2002 tahoe has 148k on the clock, and havent had any major problems within the 4 years we have owned it (77k miles when we bought it), just the gas gauge, starter, and front suspension changed in those 4 years. these are some very dependable trucks if you ask me, but it would be nice to find one with around 150k miles. driving 8k miles a year will get you nearly 5-6 more years of life out of it compared to one with nearly 200k miles.

heres one i found in LA area (not sure where that is from you)



$5800, 158k miles, 3rd row seat..
http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv...039544686.html

[Slow Build]

I was thinking the same thing about the price for a Tahoe with that many miles but after looking for 2 weeks I'm finding that there are a lot of them for sale at even higher prices with even more miles on them. I've even seen a few of the old body style Tahoes with more miles at a higher price. I'm not saying they are all that way and I've actually seen a few bargains on the older body style rigs. There are a few I'm still considering that have between 109K to 175K in the $4000 to $5000 range but I would preffer the new body with the LS1 engine. I've seen a few of the new style Tahoes at $6500 with around 160K on them but they are not in as good condition as the first Tahoe I drove that broke down (they did put in a new fuel pump). The second Tahoe I had pics of had 134K on it but there were too many problems with it so I passed. I don't know what to do so I guess I'll keep using my 64 C10 for my DD for a while until I figure it out.

[kev2809]

Ya, i hear ya...before we bought the one i have now i went to a local dealership and seen one. They wanted 15k..had a 102k miles, only reason i didnt get it was because i didnt have enough credit. Thank goodness...mine had over 20k miles less and they wanted 13k, not to mention leather seats and 4 wheel drive...

That was 4 years ago, which was around the normal price of these. Just gotta be patient, theres always that one guy just HAS to get rid of it, always the best bargain deals
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[kylep]

Originally Posted by Slow Build

I was thinking the same thing about the price for a Tahoe with that many miles but after looking for 2 weeks I'm finding that there are a lot of them for sale at even higher prices with even more miles on them. I've even seen a few of the old body style Tahoes with more miles at a higher price. I'm not saying they are all that way and I've actually seen a few bargains on the older body style rigs. There are a few I'm still considering that have between 109K to 175K in the $4000 to $5000 range but I would preffer the new body with the LS1 engine. I've seen a few of the new style Tahoes at $6500 with around 160K on them but they are not in as good condition as the first Tahoe I drove that broke down (they did put in a new fuel pump). The second Tahoe I had pics of had 134K on it but there were too many problems with it so I passed. I don't know what to do so I guess I'll keep using my 64 C10 for my DD for a while until I figure it out.

its california, i bought my tahoe with 100k on it 6 yrs ago and it was 11 000 bucks, in california you will be lucky to get that kinda price.

[kev2809]

6 years ago was a lot different than now though. i bought mine 4 years ago, with 77k and it was 14000.

keep looking, you will find something...

[Slow Build]

I'm still on the hunt. The Tahoes I've checked out haven't been very impressive. I'm glad I paid to get CARFAX for a whole month. I've ruled out a few candidates do to odometer rollbacks and stuctural damage reports. Then there was the one that I past on due to color that had the most amazing CARFAX report I've ever seen. One owner that had the oil changed every 3000 mile at the dealership they bought it and it was garage kept its whole life. It had 167K on it but looked like new. I'll probably kick myself later.

[kev2809]

curious to know the color..lol

[Slow Build]

I knew that was going to be asked. It was very gold. Even though I love the 49ers I don't see myself driving around in a big SF helmet. Teal and red aren't getting much attention from me either (just not my style). I've also avoided black just because the last three vehicles I've had were black and there is never enough room in our three car garage for my DD (can't tell it was washed 2 days after a good scrubbing). If there is ever one slot available in the garage my wife gets it. I'm hoping to get a medium charcoal grey metallic Tahoe.

There is a good possibilty that the first one I asked about will be mine in the next few days. We've been going back and forth on price and warranty for the last few days. If I don't find something else by Monday I might pull the trigger on the deal.

[Slow Build]

I finally pulled the trigger and bought the first Tahoe (pics in post #4 & 8) yesterday. I have a few things to fix but they are basically cosmetic things.

Thanks for the responses.

[1BadAction]

With those miles, might as well get a 4L60E built and have it waiting to go in. Load it up in the trailer when you tow...

[Slow Build]

Thanks for the nice afterthought.

[Slow Build]

Well it looks like I got totally screwed.

The AC didn’t even work all the way home. I had it recharged yesterday and it's already blowing hot air again. The change oil light came on the first morning after I bought it. I had the oil changed today at Winter Chevrolet and there was coolant in the oil so now they are saying it has possible head gasket issues. If so that's about $2500 to fix. The battery is now dead and had to be jumped to start after the oil change. The gas gauge is not working right. Half the time that I start it it says low fuel even though there is over 3/4 tank, then it will go up in a kind jumpy way. On top of that there is no signs that the gas tank was removed recently, which would have to be done to replace the fuel pump as the salesman swore was done after our breakdown (I asked several times).

It looks like the salesman erased the codes, reset the oil change light, charged the battery and recharged the AC on a regular basis.

I'm pi$$ed.

[biggsteve97]

Take it back. With all the paperwork showing what you found. Have everything that has happened documented and give it all to them. Tell them to make it right. Hope you have the lemon law on ur side
Posted via Mobile Device

[Slow Build]

You have to pay $150 before you buy the car to have the right to return it within 3 days, I didin't. And if you did return it you have to pay a $200 restocking fee. I'm not sure what rights I have at this point.

The guy did call me back and left a message on my cell and gave me the phone# to the place that supposedly did the fuel pump, but they were closed for the day by then. He says that the AC blew hot when they got it and he refilled the system about a month ago and it seemed to be fine. I'm thinking NOT.

[Josh]

Originally Posted by 1BadAction

With those miles, might as well get a 4L60E built and have it waiting to go in. Load it up in the trailer when you tow...

LOL I keep a rebuilt 4l60E in the garage as a spare for mine, already had to use it once...