purchase time Tahoe or Sub....a few questions on the different Gen&#39

[Mattt]

The forum looks a lot different from the last time I was very active here, but thankfully my login still worked. Over the years, I've had a few different GM trucks, SUV's.

 

Currently I'm borrowing & daily driving an 01 Suburban LT 5.3 2wd that belongs to a family member. It just rolled 200k on the ticker about 3 weeks ago and is still going, although the age does show in the interior and exterior appearance. Still has original trans and engine with minimal service work done during it's life, a few fuel pumps for sure! It does use oil, but so did my 01 HD with 6.0, so does my parents 07 Suburban, so does my brother's 01 4.8 Silverado, and so did my 97 Silverado 5.7 so unfortunately that appears to be par for the course.

 

Anyway, the reason for my thread is this. I want to buy a replacement for the 01 Sub and I'm considering an 07+ Tahoe or Sub because of the displacement on demand engine. I drive A LOT for work and take a 700 mile round trip once or twice per month to my place in the Mammoth Lakes, CA. So, my first question is....will the additional cost of buying an 07+ with the D-o-D engine yield MUCH better mileage than the 01-06 Generation of 5.3 engine? The 01 I'm driving now gets 16 pretty much all the time. There are other things I prefer about the 07+ later body style, but the possible fuel savings is to be considered. The replacement I will be buying will be 4wd as I need it for snow/winter driving.

 

So, is there a mileage difference with the D-o-D engine and if so, how much of an increase? Is it worth the cost? Are there any possible tech issues with that generation engine that I should shy away from it?

 

 

Next 2 questions are interior related. The '01 Sub I'm driving now has the Bose stereo system. The one thing it is lacking is an input jack for an Ipod or similar device. Does any version of Sub/Tahoe have a factory input jack from 01-06? I'm pretty sure 07+ has a single micro input jack. I have seen a few Tahoe's & possibly Sub that had rear bucket seats instead of the 60/40 middle/rear bench. What year did the 4 bucket seat option become available?

 

I think, interior and exterior wise, the 01-06 Tahoe's & Sub's are more or less the same, but correct me if I'm mistaken. Thanks in advance for any and all advice and info.

[therapy]

My mom has a 2007 Tahoe with the 5.3L engine and the 20" wheels. She gets about 17mpg around town and 19mpg on road trips (or 20mpg if you keep it under 65 - but who the hell does that?).

 

To be honest, the MPG increase is going to be so insignificant that it's not worth it solely for that reason.

 

However, you can get a relatively low-mileage Suburban/Tahoe for a very good deal. I've seen 2-3 year old models with 30k miles for under $30,000. But it seems that after that huge initial hit (almost 50% of their value disappears in the first 3 years!), the rate slows down a bit, because it takes another 3-4 years to drop the next $10k. Hard to find an 07 Suburban with under 80k miles for under $20k dollars where I live.

 

But the new vehicles are a much nicer ride, have much better interiors, more features, a nice six-speed transmission and much better climate control, in my opinion. Especially in the Tahoe.

 

I hope the 2014 Tahoe/Yukon have more 3rd row room and storage. It'd be nice to get a little extra room back there, especially when the Acadia seems roomier than its bigger brother for some reason.

[RyanbabZ71]

We had a 2008 Tahoe 2wd. It was great in the 33K miles we had it. AFM (this is what DOD is called) worked fine. Got between 16-20 mpg. Wife wanted a van so I traded it for a camaro

[KMGZ400]

if you have the funds get a GMT900 hoe with the 5.3 the GMT900's are better on fuel then the 800's, lighter and more aero dynamic with better technology... the hoe is better on gas... smaller+lighter= better MPG.. no GMT800 has a factory ipod input.

 

 

as for the burning oil thing, you and everyone you know who has a GM truck must have bad luck.. I have owned many GM trucks with 150k plus miles that didnt burn a drop

[Mattt]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

GMT800 = 2001-2006?

 

GMT900 = 2007+?

 

After I posted here, I saw a few threads where someone came up with a way to disable AFM. Is that because the system is prone to problems and expensive, dealer only fixes? I'm not hearing much if any mileage difference between the 01 I'm currently driving and the newer Gen with AFM?

 

Since I put a lot of miles on this vehicle, I'm thinking of buying the best condition, older, & moderately priced unit I can find. With the miles I put on, I'd rather most of the hit already be out of this vehicle when I acquire it. I have no problem refreshing certain things, such as trans, in an older vehicle that I can get into for a deal.

 

Anyone know what year the 4 bucket seat option started?

 

Any other reason to stick with 06 and older vs. one of the current Gen units?

 

What are the best options(aftermarket I suppose) for getting an ipod hook up into a GMT800?

 

Thanks again.

[Bad Bowtie2]

2009 is when the 6-spd auto & radio I-pod connection appeared....

[RyanbabZ71]

4 bucket seat is an LTZ option

 

I left AFM enabled on ours never had an issue worked flawlessly. No oil consumption issues either.