Talk me out of a Tahoe

[nakman]

How about this take: get a Land Cruiser, and you get to decide what you work on, and when you do it. Hmm... maybe next weekend I'll repack my front end... perhaps next month I'll do the starter contacts... one of these days I'll do that PHH...

get a GM truck at it'll decide what gets fixed for you... hey lucky owner, today's the day I get a new fuel pump! Surprise, I need an alternator... you get the idea. cruiser=proactive, tahoe=reactive.

 

[ebod]

Thank you for all of the replies. You guys are providing great, open minded (insofar as this is a landcruiser forum), thoughts. I think I'll just redouble my efforts to find an 80 series, but please keep the input coming.

 

[PHAEDRUS]

nakman,
I might be out in left feild on this one but is part of the difference between when the service gets done the owners responsibility? If for some unkown reason I owned a tahoe at 60 k I would be dropping in a fuel pump. We as a group of owners will do a lot more to our vehicles than the common driver will ever do within 6 months of buying a used 80. thats just the way it is. Please don't think I am slamming anyone here but we are a pretty anal retentive bunch when it comes to our cruisers. Do I think that the same level of attention to a tahoe would make its lifespan increase? of course it would. Do I think this would make a tahoe more reliabel. Hell yeah. Would I let my wife take the tahoe on a road trip without me and not worry about breakdowns? No way. Do I also think you will spend twice as much doing the maintenance on the tahoe over 150k of driving due to short part life intervals. you betcha! Lets face it the average tahoe is driven by someone who doesnt wrench on their own rig and doesnt fix anything until they have to. Hence the hellish dealer costs for repairs and tow bills.
If my wife were to take my truck tomorrow and try to drive 800 miles to salt lake tomorrow I would probably check the belt tension as they are newer belts and tell her to watch the temp sensor and take it easy. No worries other than idiots who drive. FWIW I have 180k on my truck and plan on hitting 250 before I start to worry too much about it.
I am saying our trucks all have little issues ie brae pad life PHH issues and such but we as a group see fit to take care of them before they leave is stranded. not so with 90% of the population.
Dave

 

[quicktodoze]

cruiser=proactive, tahoe=reactive.

The man tells no lies.

 

[VTCruiser]

its like comparing dog years to human years. In terms of quality and repairs:

70,000 miles on a Tahoe = About 10,000 miles on a 'Cruiser

Now why spend $40,000 on a dog? :

PS: No offense to dog owners, I love dogs. The animals that is...perhaps it isn't fair to dogs to relate them to a chevy

 

[quicktodoze]

Lets face it the average tahoe is driven by someone who doesnt wrench on their own rig and doesnt fix anything until they have to. Hence the hellish dealer costs for repairs and tow bills.

Phaedrus, I have to respectfully disagree.

Granted, I put more work now into my LC than I did the Tahoe but then again I didn't reach 100k on the Tahoe. Also, the maintenance I've done on the LC is high-mileage maintenance like a birf repack and starter contact replacement. I changed fluids just as much in the Tahoe as I do in the LC.

How do you "maintain" an electric fuel pump? Why oh why should I think of preventative maintenace on a fuel pump or an alternator on a three year old (at the time) vehicle. Would a LC owner worry about this in the same time frame? I hear a resounding "no". Do your LC doors fall because of weak pins? Nope. Does you interior rattle? If it does, it's not as much as a chevy, I can guarantee you.

The point I was trying to make is that no amount of PM would have helped my situation with the Tahoe because at 60k these things should not have been happening so frequently.

Oh and one more thing. The Tahoe leaked oil like a sieve. Every time I replaced one gasket, another would let loose.

We LC owners do have problems with our rides but the difference between the LC and the competition is the type and frequency of problems. We have problems with getting our windshield fluid to only spray on the back window instead of spraying the back and the front. We have problems with our antenna mast not going up and down any more. We hear an annoying buzzing sound coming from the exhaust when we mash on the gas. And can't SOMEBODY come up with nice solution to the pathetic sound system with our wimpy 6" sub? Geez.

When something's broken we fix it. And guess what? It stays fixed. Unlike the competition you may have to replace it all over again in a few months, regardless of what maintenance you perform.


Nic

 

[landtank]

Buy the damn thing, what the hell do I care

 

[syrinxstar]

The Tahoe was redesigned in 2000 and there were acknowledged improvements in quality over previous years. However, reliability is still rated as average per Consumer Reports.

 

[PHAEDRUS]

quick,
not arguing with you here I agree 100% just poinitng out there is a difference between those of us who love their vehicles and care for them and those that drive it till it pukes. thats all. I just didn't want to see someone get sold on the cruiser idea and then be dissapointed when they actually have to get dirty to keep it going to 200+k
Dave

 

[DA95Cruzah]

They can be found. I just bought a '95 80 , 67k miles for $17k, Leather, lockers, not a ding or dent.......great shape...

 

[DA95Cruzah]

Ebod,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6443&item=2462216936 ???

 

[quicktodoze]

:whoops: I read my post again and it sounded a little snappy.

I agree with you, though, it's going to take some dirty elbows to get to 200k or 300k.

 

[Beowulf]

>> Buy the damn thing, what the hell do I care <<

Amen!

Hey Junk. Please get this thread over in Chat where it belongs.

-B-

 

[Riley]

[quote author=DA95Cruzah link=board=2;threadid=12151;start=msg111850#msg111850 date=1077918875]
Ebod,

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6443&item=2462216936 ???
[/quote]

Wow, buy that rig or I will. Looks great!!!

 

[Beowulf]

>> Wow, buy that rig or I will. Looks great!!! <<

[sarcasm]
But Riley, it's not PERFECT. As you can clearly see the wheel caps have been repainted. Who would buy a 7 year old truck that wasn't perfect?
[/sarcasm]
-B-

 

[Mr.Bryan]

OK, I too will join the fun. It was stated before that you should consider looking for a 100 series. I also agree with this statement as what you sound like you want and will be doing with the vehicle you will want more of a comfotable road ride and more of that "plush" feel. If you are going to wheel the vehicle including lift it put mud tires on it and go and beat it up alittle then stick with an 80 series, but if this is not in your plans, go for a 100. You will be happier. As far as determining between and american vehicle or a toyota, again there is no comparison. High milelage for a chevy would begin around 120,000.

High milage for a toyota would begin around 250,000. You can see the diffrence that most people confuse here in america. they do not understand the principal's of toyota. they see a camry with 110,000 mi. and say woah thats way too much. I see it and say hey! its got another 200,000 mi. to go! So all I am saying is: that if you are not used to toyotas then this is something to consider. they out last american trucks 10 fold. So with this advice and all the great advice from everyone else, go and get yourself a nice 100 series land cruiser and cruise your way to where ever you have to go.


-Bryan

 

[nyk438]

60-65k on a tahoe is equal to 130k on an 80. My cruiser has 130k miles on a 91'. Only problems we've had is power steering related and the usual maintence needed for a 13 year old car. Oh and that thing that goes when you run it through 5 ft of mud and water...damn alternators



Also, FJ's in Cali are like gold. You could find one out of your state a lot easier than in Cali.

Good Luck

-Nick