After 3 blue Expeditions and 10 yrs, there's a Suburban in my driveway

[saxonyron]

The Expedition was rolling at 95,000 miles.  It was giving us just enough warnings to know it was time to move on before the 100k mile warranty ran out.  We also needed a little more room, since the Expedition with the 3rd row seat up had about 10" of luggage space in back. An Expedition EL was not on the list since I don't think the rear end is very good looking, plus my wife was frustrated by Ford's inability to fix a torque converter shudder after 4 trips to the dealer.  (They never admitted a problem and instead replaced 2 coil packs which did nothing to help.  They would test drive it, say "yup - we notice a shudder.  But there's no transmission code tripped, so there must be no problem with that.    But it did trip a coil pack code, so here are a couple new coil packs.  )

It feels weird having a Chevy in the family again, but it feels good.  We scored this from a dealer. 29,000 miles, 2 yr lease return, 2007, LT with a long list of options.  There's stuff in there that I wouldn't have ordered, but the deal was so good, it would have been nutty to pass on it.  Sticker was $50,000, KBB was $42,000.  Edmunds "True Market Value" was $33,850.  We got it for $33,900, plus a $1,700 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty.  They gave us $14,000 for a trade-in on the Expediter, which was a grand more than I was hoping. 

Well, here she is...



Dashboard is damned nice.  GM is turning out a good product overall - fit and finish is impressive, materials feel good.  Even the light switches and 4WD selector switch are solid and well-damped.  Ford could use a few pointers here.   The touch screen with Bose radio, navigation and backup camera is real slick, and it sounds almost as good as the A6's Bose system. 



The DVD system is nice - infrared headphones, and if you're parked, you can watch the movie on both screens.



Dirty as hell after driving on country roads for one rainy day.  I love the black color, but I hate it too.  Living on a dirt road, it'll be a PITA to keep it looking good. But the black looks so nice, it'll make up for it.



It drives about like the Expedition.  It's a bus, no matter how you slice it.  5.3 L 310HP gives it a nice off the line acceleration.  At speed, it's squishy and speeds up like a locomotive.  No neck snapping here.    But it's smooth and handles decently. It's 16" longer than the Expedition, but only weighs 140 pounds more (5,740 lbs).  Gas mileage should be about the same - 14 - 16mpg on average, so all the extra room is almost free.

So life with General Motors has begun. I hope this new ride works out as well as the last 3 Fords. 

[Raza]

Isn't time to get rid of the kids and get something a bit more sleek?

[Eye of the Tiger]

I'm pretty sure they make a supercharger kit for that.

[saxonyron]

Isn't time to get rid of the kids and get something a bit more sleek?

  I keep trying, but they keep coming back.    At least I'm not the one driving this beauty every day.  I'm a weekend warrior only.  The rest of the time I'm enjoying my automatic transmission on the sleek A6. 

[saxonyron]

I'm pretty sure they make a supercharger kit for that.

That sounds tempting...  Another what, 30 or 40 horses?  Good thing my wife is happy with it the way it is.  She's a cheap date. 

[Eye of the Tiger]

That sounds tempting...  Another what, 30 or 40 horses?  Good thing my wife is happy with it the way it is.  She's a cheap date. 

More like another 130 HP

http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/product.php?p=154

[saxonyron]

More like another 130 HP

http://www.vortechsuperchargers.com/product.php?p=154

Shiiiiiiit!  442HP ought to give it a little more giddyup! 

[Eye of the Tiger]

Shiiiiiiit!  442HP ought to give it a little more giddyup! 

It is very important for the safety of the children!

[Raza]

Shiiiiiiit!  442HP ought to give it a little more giddyup! 

What you need is a bag, some rocks, and some rope.

[Eye of the Tiger]

What you need is a bag, some rocks, and some rope.

What happens then?

[saxonyron]

What happens then?

Raza seems to think my kids are kittens.  Sorry Raza - that method only works for cats. Besides, I know you'll be shocked to hear this, but I actually really enjoy the little buggers. You'll find this out for yourself when someday you'll get married, settle down and become an enthusiastic dad.  

(Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ! I kill me.  I'm so funny. )

[CALL_911]

Should've gotten a Q7.

[saxonyron]

Should've gotten a Q7.

I was close to it, but towing capacity did that idea in.  That, and the Suburban is about 20 feet longer.  Actually, the Q7 is only 4" shorter than the Expedition, IIRC. But that's a stultifying 20 inches less compared to the Chevy.  Plus the boxy truck body gives you a lot more volume.  But the Q7 is soooooo sweet.  Take away the heavy trailer load, and we would have squeezed into the Q7.  Stickers were very close for the same year and mileage.  A few grand more for the Audi, but worth it.

[the Teuton]

The Sub is like the Tahoe, but with a real back seat.  Also, I think the longer wheelbase makes the ride nicer.

Definitely a nice ride.  You're still going to need a trailer to haul all of the munchkins at the same time.  I would have gotten an Econoline transit bus if I were you.

[AutobahnSHO]

congrats- one of the original SUVs.
(Anything that's not a Jeep, Exploder, Range Rover, 4Runner, or 'Burban is just a pretender.)

BTW for $35large we bought 70ft with a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, builtin microwave, 2 bathrooms- one had a garden tub, and lots of windows. But the wheels were off, it was in a trailer park, and it was 1999....

[cawimmer430]

Ah, you'll be spending more time at gas stations. 

[SVT666]

Those black Suburbans look awesome.  Nice pick.

[J86]

Congrats, nice truck!  I'm jealous of your tow vehicle.

[Rupert]

The Sub is like the Tahoe, but with a real back seat. 

Thank you, Captain Obvious! 

[Rupert]

congrats- one of the original SUVs.
(Anything that's not a Jeep, Exploder, Range Rover, 4Runner, or 'Burban is just a pretender.)

BTW for $35large we bought 70ft with a kitchen, 3 bedrooms, builtin microwave, 2 bathrooms- one had a garden tub, and lots of windows. But the wheels were off, it was in a trailer park, and it was 1999....

Land Cruiser, S10 and K5 Blazer, Trooper, Carry All ( )...

[Catman]

 

I'll never own a black vehicle again though.  Unless it's a 3rd car that's garaged all the time.

[The Pirate]

I'll never own a black vehicle again though.  Unless it's a 3rd car that's garaged all the time.

Yeah, black vehicle and a dirt road is just a bad, bad combination.  But black cars look fantastic when they are clean.

Congrats on the truck, Ron.  I really like Suburbans a lot. 

[the Teuton]

Thank you, Captain Obvious! 

Sit in one.  You'll see.

[saxonyron]

The Sub is like the Tahoe, but with a real back seat.  Also, I think the longer wheelbase makes the ride nicer.

Definitely a nice ride.  You're still going to need a trailer to haul all of the munchkins at the same time.  I would have gotten an Econoline transit bus if I were you.

It rides amazingly well, but doesn't handle with much agility.  The Ford with the independent rear suspension action handled the curves better.  As for the Econoline bus, I've threatened my kids that if they didn't keep the new ride looking new, I was going to trade it in for a lime green E-250 extended crew van.    I've noticed that they've been picking up their crap a little better than before.  When the honeymoon wears out in a few months, I'll see how they're doing. 

[Rupert]

Sit in one.  You'll see.

I... didn't deny?

[the Teuton]

I... didn't deny?

But the difference is remarkable.  Really.  The Suburban is worth the money over the Tahoe.

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

NIce pick! I just rented on last month for our adut weekend at my cabin. I really enjoyed that yacht! 

[Rupert]

But the difference is remarkable.  Really.  The Suburban is worth the money over the Tahoe.

Well, it's bigger, obviously. Bigger is bad, unless you can use the size.

But I was just pointing out that it's pretty obvious that the 'Burban is a long version of the 'Hoe.

[TBR]

NIce pick! I just rented on last month for our adut weekend at my cabin. I really enjoyed that yacht! 

 

[saxonyron]

Ah, you'll be spending more time at gas stations. 

  No matter how you slice it, these things eat gas, but it's still better than driving 2 cars everywhere! The gas mileage so far is very close to the Expedition. Only 150 pounds more, plus basically the same engine.  I figure we'll average 14 - 15 mpg on this one too.  Besides, the gas tank is around 30 gallons - absolutely huge!  The Expedition was only 23 or so.  So I guess we'll be spending less time at the gas stations!