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Too much for an '89 Suburban...?

M

Martino

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Jun 21, 2005
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Location
Albuquerque, NM
Hey everyone.
Brand newbie here at CK5. Been reading some, though and it is a great place...

So I am all set to buy an '89 Suburban, 2WD 1500. Absolutely beautiful, 185,000 miles altogether, 40,000 miles on a new crated Delco 350 and totally rebuilt back half of the transmission. (700..? forgive my total newbness).
So much new or rebuilt stuff I can't even remember it all. (and by new I mean 5 years ago/40,000 miles ago)
New U joints, rebalanced drive shaft, re-arced back springs, brand new muffler system.
Rebuilt the front half of the tranny 100,000 miles ago.
Interior is real nice, not perfect but still pretty sweet.
Everything works, all the AC, lights, power everything all works.
Has a hitch, but I'm guessing that doesn't mean it has a towing package. (which I must admit, don't even know what that is... fancy transmission details?)
New brakes, barely touch them and it stops on a dime.
Lived in New Mexico it's whole life, so no rust.
Beautiful chrome rims with damn new tires, normal size, not huge. (bummer...)

This suburban has obviously been impeccably maintained. It's a dream to drive, totally straight, powerful and smooth...
The guy seems to have thrown money at it for a long period of time. Hell, he put $4000 into the GORGEOUS all black paint job (5 years ago as well).

And that's what he is asking for it.... $4000. He's not moving, either.

What do you guys think? I don't care if it's a bit more than fair, I trust the way this truck found me and I trust the seller. I just want to make sure it's not totally outrageous!

I know this is an annoying newbie type thread, but I couldn't resist.
 
As a 2wd, I think it is overpriced. As a connesuier (sp?) of Burbs, I'd look for a better deal. Use this one as a possible cost comparison,
 
4k sounds high for anything w/ those kinda miles to me... but I'm also not there looking at the truck... it's also not 4wd...

I paid $3,900 for my '89 w/ 90k miles on it three years ago. Back then I thought it was a good deal... but back then it was actually clean... perfect interior... power everything… and shiny paint w/ little or no rust (or so I thought).

I guess what I’m getting at is… it’s hard to find any full-size truck for less than 2-3 grand or so… what ever pushes the price higher is up to the individual’s personal preferences as to weather or not it’s worth the extra cost.

My advice is to shop around. Now if I came across a rust-free ‘burb like that on the east cost I might jump on it. But being in AZ, there ought to be a hand full of rust-free late 80s-early 90 era burbs and Blazers around. Check ‘em out… compare features and prices against what you are looking for… but 4k and 200k miles… yikes!

As for rebuilding the tranny…I don’t know about rebuilding front and rear “halves” of a tranny… maybe rebuilding the internals of the actual transmission is the “back half” and replacing the torque converter is the “front half”…
I’d be skeptical of any transmission rebuild. The 700’s lifespan is 70k+ miles depending on how well it was taken care of and what it was used for. The 4L60 (which is basically a computer controlled version of the 700) in my ’97 C1500 currently has 140k miles on it and is running strong… although I think I’m ready for a new torque converter….
W/ a 100k on a rebuilt 700 in a burb???… I would hardly call that freash and I wouldn’t be surprised if it is due for another rebuild soon.

Anyway… that’s just my objective opinion… having said all that… it may still be a good deal on the truck… in the end, it’s all up to you….
;)
 
I've seen first hand of otherwise mint vehicles- that I checked the tranny fluid- and it looked good. Except, when you acutally compared it to the color of new fluid... you'd realize how dark most of them really are. Most owners change motor oil on at least a somewhat regular interval, but very few change their tranny fluid or gear oil.

the PO of the burb I got... has like 5 years of receipts including the rebuild, of yearly tranny flushes and filter change. I honestly have never seen such maticulous paper keeping, and what not.

my k5 came with a GM direct updated 700, put in only the year before. My pickup is on its original, but it only has 85,000 miles on it.
 
Thanks for the responses, guys. I appreciate the perspective.
I agree it seems a bit overpriced, but if it's only $500 overpriced...
Maybe it seems crazy, but it's not worth that much for me to spend a huge amount of time or effort hunting for a deal that's only that much better.
Maybe I'm nuts.

As far as the transmission being done in halves... I'm fairly clueless and I'm just paraphrasing what he told me, so I'm probably relaying the information the wrong way. To use his exact words when he was talking about the "back" half, he said "it was rebuilt from the pumpkin all the way out to the brakes."

Anyway, thanks again. Very generous of you guys to respond so quickly and in such detail. Like I said, I don't mind overpaying a bit, as long as I'm not getting totally taken.
 
Well friend, I suppose it depends on a lot of things, what you want, what you want to do with it, your previous experience, luck... I'll tell you though, and I used to live in New Mexico (my folks are from Aztec) what you're describing sounds like a $2500 truck to me. It sounds like one that would be good to have, just a bit pricey. I can see the seller wanting that if he has had it so long and put so much effort into it. My first offer on a used rig is almost always 50% of what they're asking. Good luck-
 
Would I pay 4k for a used burb? Probably not. The way I figure it is....

1. You have to spend money on it, whether you like it or not. Even the BEST of owners have something wrong with the truck somewhere, whether it be a mental thing, or acutal physical defects. You just dont know it yet. Prepare to spend at least 1k just in parts/upgrades/ little dodads.

2. Its weird, but as a 2wd burb owner, you feel kinda ... small. Like, every other truck is looking down on you, cause your so close to the ground. There's something really sweet looking about a slightly lifted burb with larger tires.

I would only consider 4k for a burb if it was a 3/4 ton burb with a diesel and a manual. It would still have to be pretty mint.
 
Martino said:
I agree it seems a bit overpriced, but if it's only $500 overpriced...

Maybe it seems crazy, but it's not worth that much for me to spend a huge amount of time or effort hunting for a deal that's only that much better.
Maybe I'm nuts. .
Click to expand...

If your getting the $500 over priced idea from the link that BurbLover gave you then IMO there is no comparison.. The burb that he posted is 4x4 and from what he says it is in just as good as far as condition and maintenance.. As we all know a 4x4 version of the same truck is worth more money.. So if your getting that number from comparing it to that truck then your off by way more then $500.. It is like comparing apples to oranges again IMO..

I will give you a better example.. A buddy of mine bought a 89 suburban 2wd about a year ago with 150,000 miles.. It had a fairly new motor, new tires, towing package, new exhaust from the Y pipe back, new alarm system and it was fully loaded with almost perfect interior.. He paid $700 bucks and the only thing it needed was painted because the factory paint was starting to chip and peel.. He has been driving it everyday and pulls his fishing boat behind it almost every weekend.. The only thing to go wrong with it as of yet was the transmission which he bought another one for $150 bucks and we put it in.. Not to say that you can find deals on a truck like that all the time but they are out there..

On your next statement that it is not worth your time and effort to look for a better deal on somethings whether it be on this truck or anything else you might buy then I would aggree with you your nuts :screwy: or just have plenty of money to throw around.. He looked at quite a few different Suburbans before he found this one but for a couple thousand dollars difference for basicaly the same thing then I would say it is worth it to save that kind of money..


In the end it is your decision and it is worth whatever your willing to pay.. But you did ask what everybody here thought and I think you will agree that everybody who posted thought the price was a little high.. Sometimes when you ask questions like this you don't always get the answer you were looking for but I think you now have a better idea if it is a fair price or not..

Either way whatever decision you make I wish you the best of luck with it :D .. If you have any more questions don't be afraid to ask :thumb:
 
Hell, I can't get $2000 for my 3/4 ton 2wd Big Block burb which is in extremely decent shape. It's an 87.
 
But you did ask what everybody here thought and I think you will agree that everybody who posted thought the price was a little high.. Sometimes when you ask questions like this you don't always get the answer you were looking for but I think you now have a better idea if it is a fair price or not..
Click to expand...

I did ask what you all thought, and I do really appreciate all the answers. Maybe I do seem nuts to you guys. That's ok, I wanted the advice and I am really grateful. I guess my point was that I'd rather spend too much money than too much time and/or stress making sure I get the best deal. I can totally see why that sounds crazy. But it's all good, thank you very much again!
 
Martino said:
I did ask what you all thought, and I do really appreciate all the answers. Maybe I do seem nuts to you guys. That's ok, I wanted the advice and I am really grateful. I guess my point was that I'd rather spend too much money than too much time and/or stress making sure I get the best deal. I can totally see why that sounds crazy. But it's all good, thank you very much again!
Click to expand...

Does that mean you bought it? I'd say 4k is about $500 overpriced for a 4x4 burb, and probably 1k-1.5k over for a 2WD. I would seriously consider burb lover's offer. $500 less for the same thing but 4x4. So if you flew over to him with a buddy, picked it up, and drove it home... You'd be looking at that $500 right there. So you break even but have 4x4. Worth it? Hell yes!
 
oh... haha... gotcha

Yea... I'll get you some pics... just got my digi working again!

You just want the whole tail light setup?
 
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