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Good deal? 91 V2500 or 90 V2500 Burb

mini_mull

mini_mull

1/2 ton status
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Opinions, or things to look for on these suburburbs:

91 Chevy V2500, 167K, rear a/c (a/c needs charged), power everything, 350 TBI, 4L80E (I'm guessing owner didn't have a clue), barn doors, good body, possibly nwer paint, only owned 1 yr, bought to haul stuff for house remodel, don't need & have nowhere to park, looks/runs great $3650

90 GMC V2500, 194K, 350 TBI, TH400, good body, a/c (probably rear too), all pwr, (I'll find out tomorrow if barn doors, won't buy if it's not), same owner since 20K miles. $3500

I believe both were originally sold in CA, and both are the same color scheme, and I like the GMC and Chevy brands/grille equally.

Which burb would you with and why, or neither? What questions would you ask or parts would you check out in each, and why?

I've bought 3 trucks (2 chevy, both '87s) and had good luck with both, but you guys have so much experience and good advice, I though I might as well ask for it, since that's why I bought a membership. Thanks in advance.
 
I prefer the 73-91 body style, esp the 85-88 dual headlight grille, or the 89-91 dual headlight grille. Is that really a lot of money for that many miles, if it's in good condition?
 
I paid $3500 for my '90 V1500 in Feb. '04. It was a one owner highway queen with 184K on it, street tires, and the paint and interior were in almost perfect cond. P.O. used it to pull a camper.
I would probably go with the '91 just for the 4L80E. If it's what you're looking for then a good price is whatever you're comfortable paying.
 
I paid $5000 for my '90 V2500, TH400, 350 with 92,000. Also an all option highway queen. May give you some reference.
 
Both prices seem fair, I paid almost 5k for my crew cab.

Personally, I'd go for the 91 - last year, o/d & lower miles. Sounds like they might be in a bind to get rid of it too, negotiate down on the price based on the a/c not working.
 
Personally I would lean toward the '91 simply for the 4L80E...OTOH the TH400 would probably be cheaper to rebuild vs. the 4L80E should that be necessary. The price looks pretty attractive on either one.

BTW, don't you already have a 'burban? :grin:

Dave
 
Thanks for the advice guys, I really appreciate it. Yeah, Dave, I already have a burb, but I'm really short and the tailgate is bugging me, plus, I decided I want a different color, stupid girl reason to buy a truck, I know, but it's a pain to change interior and exterior colors. I don't regret buying my burb, it was a great deal from a friend and is almost perfect mechanically and pretty good cosmetically for over 214K miles, maybe it'll be on the for sale board soon.

Any specific mechanical problems I should look for? Anyone have pics of a '91 V2500 engine bay?
 
I sold a lifted '91 V2500 for more than double that this spring.
It also was a rust free CA truck but had 35s, 4.56s etc.
 
91. Less miles and you'll love the 4 speed, overdrive automatic. I paid $6K for my 91 a few years ago with 117K on it. I thought that was a good deal at the time.

Eric M.
 
Looks like the 91 wins. Thanks for the reassurance guys. I though it was a good deal (as long as everything checks out once I get there), I know it's worth it to me. (hope I can get it for a little less though w/ the a/c being questionable, JIC it need more than a charge)

Hey Eric, I checked out your sub pics on your homepage. Is your sub stock height and uncut fenders? If so, what size meats do you have on there? They look LARGE! (do they rub the fenders?)

Can you fit bigger tires w/o cutting or rubbing on a V2500 than a V1500, if so what size?

Still looking for any advice on what to look for mechanically. Any tell-tale signs of trouble to watch out for? Feel free to mention anything, even simple, I'm not totally ignorant, but I'm a newbie, so I won't be offended if you remind me of even the simplest things to check.

It's a couple hours away, so I'm not going to see it until Friday. Waiting stinks, I'm like a kid the week before Christmas. I hope I find what I asked for under the tree and not some cheap imitation. I think it'll be just what I wanted, but I'm trying not to get my hopes to high JIC. :woot: :woot:
 
I'd watch out for--oh--nevermind!

I was going to warn you to inspect all the brake and fuel lines and gas tank before buying--but I see your in AZ!--nevermind! :blush: --ball joints and A-frames are a weak spot in IFS trucks,might want to make sure they arent shot--we see lots of IFS trucks here with rotted torsion bar supports too,probably not a problem in your area,unless the truck came from the northeast! :crazy:
 
diesel4me said:
I was going to warn you to inspect all the brake and fuel lines and gas tank before buying--but I see your in AZ!--nevermind! :blush: --ball joints and A-frames are a weak spot in IFS trucks,might want to make sure they arent shot--we see lots of IFS trucks here with rotted torsion bar supports too,probably not a problem in your area,unless the truck came from the northeast! :crazy:
Click to expand...

A 1990 or 1991 4wd burb is straight axle :D
 
ooopps!

I forgot they didnt change the suburbans in 88 like the other trucks! :blush:

I dont fool with the "new" style trucks much,I only see them on the lift at my friends shop--and most of the newer ones are rustier underneath than most 80's trucks around here for some reason--must be the salt,and recycled metal they use now... :confused: :crazy:
 
I just paid $5K for a 93 GMC Suburban 2500 with 454/4L80E, 113K miles in excellent shape. Tons of power, has a high idle I am trying to solve, brand new tires, trans rebuilt at 80K.

I looked at some of the older ones for $3K range, but decided the extra $2K was worth it for the creature comforts, power, and looks of the newer one.
 
Make sure you check out the bed under the carpet at the tail end, but in AZ I doubt you'll have a big rust problem there.


I personally think that's high miles for the price, but that's just me. :rotfl: I bought a truck with 223k miles on it for $400, and found out the tranny was junk, so I'm not feeling like someone who should be giving car shopping advice right now...
Quick search of the local paper's online classifieds shows that's about average price for the specs, though.

BTW, are these the trucks you had me carfax the vin on?

Good luck with them, too!
 
Yeah, they are. Clean records on both. The last one I sent you was the burb I have now, I bought it for $500, but dropped $1500 in it right away, then another 700 on resto type stuff, not needed, but for comfort. As long as the '91 checks out, I already have my burb sold to my sister. I'll check for rust, but like you said, it's unlikely. Thanks. Anyone else?
 
If you are going to use the A/C (I assume so in AZ) keep in mind that freon (even R134) is $10/can. You will need 8-9 cans. That's if everything else in the A/C is ok. The 90-91's came with R-12 which is much more expensive ad hard to get. You will probably have to convert the system (I did) which can get kind of pricey. Mine is still giving me fits - front is cool, rear blows hot - and has been nothing but trouble. Use it to bargin the price down.
 
Should the A/C have a sticker or something on it that says whether it's R134 or R12? I have a feeling the seller isn't going to know since he never used the A/C, has only had the truck a year, and doesn't seem to know that much about it.
 
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