Exploring 2500 Purchase Options (I'm Back?)

Just returned from a nearly 3k mile road trip in our crew cab pickup, with a 4 year old, an 8 month old, me, my wife, and two dogs pulling our camper. The camper isn't huge, but is big enough that with people, animals, and limited gear I'll quickly be over payload with a regular Suburban/ XL, or the comparable competitor. So I'm looking at our options with the 2500 Suburban / Yukon platform, and these trucks are dwindling down and having a lot of life already used. I'm more familiar with the GMT-800 from my Tahoe, but was thinking about making the jump to the GMT-900 for this for creature comforts since it'll be a road trip vehicle.

Questions are as follows:

GMT-800 vs 900?

Anyone have experience tow-pigging a burb/'yukon for long trips?

what price seems good / fair?

If this vehicle comes high mileage, and I anticipate 2 ~2-3k mi trips a year with nearly monthly smaller trips, what should I reasonably do to make it as reliable and strong as possible?

Should I forget this line of thinking and stick with the truck, which is a 2019 and my favorite vehicle I've even owned?

My responses in yellow.

GMT-800 vs 900?

The big-block 800 with 4.10 gears was rated to 12k. Pure towing capability? 800
Life as a quasi-daily driver? 900 all the way.

Anyone have experience tow-pigging a burb/'yukon for long trips?

Yes, 8600-lb trailer, 35 feet, 3 kids, probably 20,000+ miles all over the US including the Rockies. Total rig weight 16,000 lbs.

what price seems good / fair?

A nicely-optioned 900 (2LT/3LT) with 100k miles could fetch as much $20k. Skip 2007 model year. I have my 2008 insured for $17k with Hagerty.

You'll have to be patient, meticulous, and willing to travel. Budget 3-6 months and a likely plane/road trip to acquire "the one. "

If this vehicle comes high mileage, and I anticipate 2 ~2-3k mi trips a year with nearly monthly smaller trips, what should I reasonably do to make it as reliable and strong as possible?

Not much. It already is. Seriously. Chenge fluids, especially the transmission, as needed and call it good.

Look for plentiful maintenance records and no rust.

Should I forget this line of thinking and stick with the truck, which is a 2019 and my favorite vehicle I've even owned?

A 3-row SUV that can seat 7/8, has a payload of 2000 lbs, and tow 9000 lbs is pretty special.

intheburbs said:

My responses in yellow.

GMT-800 vs 900?

The big-block 800 with 4.10 gears was rated to 12k. Pure towing capability? 800
Life as a quasi-daily driver? 900 all the way.

Anyone have experience tow-pigging a burb/'yukon for long trips?

Yes, 8600-lb trailer, 35 feet, 3 kids, probably 20,000+ miles all over the US including the Rockies. Total rig weight 16,000 lbs.

what price seems good / fair?

A nicely-optioned 900 (2LT/3LT) with 100k miles could fetch as much $20k. Skip 2007 model year. I have my 2008 insured for $17k with Hagerty.

You'll have to be patient, meticulous, and willing to travel. Budget 3-6 months and a likely plane/road trip to acquire "the one. "

If this vehicle comes high mileage, and I anticipate 2 ~2-3k mi trips a year with nearly monthly smaller trips, what should I reasonably do to make it as reliable and strong as possible?

Not much. It already is. Seriously. Chenge fluids, especially the transmission, as needed and call it good.

Look for plentiful maintenance records and no rust.

Should I forget this line of thinking and stick with the truck, which is a 2019 and my favorite vehicle I've even owned?

A 3-row SUV that can seat 7/8, has a payload of 2000 lbs, and tow 9000 lbs is pretty special.

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Great answers and pretty much exactly what brings me here. I found a BEAUTIFUL 08, Midwest truck with no body rust (waiting to see underneath) but,

It’s 9.5 hours away and has 215k

Honestly, I’m not scared of the high mileage, as there are so many of the trucks that it should be simple to find parts, and I’ve rebuilt all but the bottom of these engines.

After 2500 miles with two car seats and two dogs, I just don’t think the crew cab is gonna cut it anymore.

Oh, one more thought. I had envisioned middle bench (for maximum seating, and ease of installing car seats 3 wide if needed) but my wife told me today she was leaning middle row buckets. Any thoughts? Both the Tahoe I have and Escalade I don’t have anymore were middle row buckets. I don’t really care because I’m not riding there, and my kids are really little.

jarydM said:

Oh, one more thought. I had envisioned middle bench (for maximum seating, and ease of installing car seats 3 wide if needed) but my wife told me today she was leaning middle row buckets. Any thoughts? Both the Tahoe I have and Escalade I don’t have anymore were middle row buckets. I don’t really care because I’m not riding there, and my kids are really little.

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My first Suburban had the middle bench. Current one has middle buckets. Each has pros/cons...

A Suburban with the bench seats 8. Better for hauling little league teams. As the kids get older, they can keep their trip "stuff" in between with easy reach. Kids going to the third row love rolling over the seat back to get there. Better with small kids.

Buckets have the empty space, allowing kids to walk between the rows. Also allows a really tall person to sit in the middle of the third row and stretch their legs. The buckets recline. Better with older kids/teenagers.

But, at the end of the day, you're not going to have the luxury of being choosy about little things like this. If you find "the one," I certainly wouldn't pass it up over the middle row. And you can always do a swap with another Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade/Escalade ESV owner if you wanted to.

My 2008 came with the "Escalade" 2-person third row. I hated it. Bought a 3-person third row off eBay. It's actually kinda dumb - such a huge vehicle and technically, according to the sticker, it's a 6-passenger vehicle.

jarydM said:

Great answers and pretty much exactly what brings me here. I found a BEAUTIFUL 08, Midwest truck with no body rust (waiting to see underneath) but,

It’s 9.5 hours away and has 215k

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We've traveled across country to get exactly what we wanted and you ought to consider doing so as well being as you are looking for a special vehicle that will serve you for the next ten or so years.

Get as new of a truck as you can. The 2012 and 2013 have all the latest towing improvements, like sway control and such. The trailer brake controller became standard in 2009. The 2012+ have a better nav unit and radio but it cannot be updated past 2016 data.

Like Bill said, you can always swap out the seats to whichever configuration you like.

I think you can't wrong with either. I daily drive an 06 Suburban LQ4 2500 2wd 4.10 and really like it. I bought an 04 2500 LQ4 4.10 4x4 as a project/camping rig several years ago but haven't really messed with it much. And my wife daily drives an Express passenger van with the L96/6L90 combo so I occasionally drive that one as well.

Both engines are great. Slight power advantage on the Gen IV on the mid/high powerband, but not a significant difference. "Maybe" a slight torque advantage on the LQ4(?). I'm splitting hairs here. Transmissions I would favor the 4L80e because it's so simple and reliable (I've rebuild a few of them myself.) The 6LXX are expensive to rebuild, but they do have more gears/ratios. So a tradeoff. Axles I think are the same between the generations. Transfer cases, IDK? If you are looking at a 4x4 of course.

I've never been inside or owned a GMT900, so I can't really compare there, but sounds like they are solid vehicle from me hanging out here. More advanced electronics seem like a plus to me on that generation.

I still see GMT800 2500 SUVs occasionally down here on the country side. Most do have higher mileage. I rarely see GMT900 2500 though. I figured they made less of them? No rust around here, so that at least gives you some confidence on the frame and suspension.

Good luck with your search.

intheburbs said:

But, at the end of the day, you're not going to have the luxury of being choosy about little things like this. If you find "the one," I certainly wouldn't pass it up over the middle row. And you can always do a swap with another Tahoe/Yukon/Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade/Escalade ESV owner if you wanted to.

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Yeah, absolutely. I wouldn’t let it be a decision maker for me, just wanted some real world opinions from people that have used it for what I envision, and based on your examples, I think you have!

swathdiver said:

Get as new of a truck as you can. The 2012 and 2013 have all the latest towing improvements, like sway control and such. The trailer brake controller became standard in 2009. The 2012+ have a better nav unit and radio but it cannot be updated past 2016 data.

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Oh, that’s good info. I wasn’t so worried about factory brake controller (bizarre they didn’t make that standard much earlier) but the sway control is actually a nice feature. And has saved my bacon in 50-60mph crosswind gusts trying to run away from severe (tornadoes) weather in the plains states.

strutaeng said:

I still see GMT800 2500 SUVs occasionally down here on the country side. Most do have higher mileage. I rarely see GMT900 2500 though. I figured they made less of them? No rust around here, so that at least gives you some confidence on the frame and suspension.

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Yeah, I’ve seen more of the 800s too, but they really look like they’ve been used up, or someone is selling it for 38k, and it just isn’t worth that, not in the condition they’re selling them. I’m more familiar with the 800 as a whole, as I’ve done just about everything to my Tahoe, but having previously owned a 900 (Escalade) there are some definite comforts and technologies that improved. However, I’ll NEVER own another truck with cylinder deactivation. Not an issue with the 2500s though.

Transmission rebuilds is a good point, but with a 100k-200k+ truck that I plan to pull with, I’d probably do (or have done) a full transmission service, and look into any “built” transmission for towing.

It seems like a common complaint with the 6L vs the 8.1L is lack of torque, but honestly I’m pulling 7600lbs and a 31’ trailer with a half ton with 3.31 gears (and a 10 speed) and haven’t ever really had any issues, so I’m not really worried about it, it’s not a drag race after all. But I would still explore upgrades and the like to improve performance as much as possible.


Thanks all for the info, there isn’t another forum as good as this one, or has as good a group of people, for any other type of vehicle and it would be good to be around here again.

There are a lot of 2500s here in Florida, especially in Martin County for whatever reason. We see two or three every time I'm down there.

Then there are the Duraburbs!

Regarding how many 2500s were built, I have several friends who work at GM. They ran a build sheet for my truck, but it also included how many total vehicles had a given RPO code.

Based on that, GM built 5,687 2500s in 2008. Compare that to, what, 50k or 75k (or more) half-tons? So yes, rare trucks.

Don't get overly-enamored with the sway-control feature of the factory controller. It's not a magic bullet. I read a story of a guy who flipped his rig, thinking he was magically impervious to sway with his fantastical factory brake controller. Wouldn't be surprised if he ended up suing GM for false advertising.

If excessive sway happens, you have to apply tension to the hitch. The factory "sway control" system simply uses the yaw sensor to detect excess sway and then applies the trailer brakes.

I have a Tekonsha Prodigy controller in my 08. It has a boost feature. When I apply/tap the brakes, the controller first "over applies" the trailer brakes compared to pressure on the brake pedal, applying necessary tension to stabilize the rig. Different methods, same result.

Knowing your rig is key, and knowing the physics of towing helps, too. Most folks' first reaction to excess sway would be to hit the brake pedal, but unless you've properly set things up, that's the absolute worst thing to do. Either hit the gas or manually apply the trailer brakes with the spring switch. Again, you need tension to "pull" out of it. Learn that habit. It might save your (and your family's) lives.

intheburbs said:

Regarding how many 2500s were built, I have several friends who work at GM. They ran a build sheet for my truck, but it also included how many total vehicles had a given RPO code.

Based on that, GM built 5,687 2500s in 2008. Compare that to, what, 50k or 75k (or more) half-tons? So yes, rare trucks.

Don't get overly-enamored with the sway-control feature of the factory controller. It's not a magic bullet. I read a story of a guy who flipped his rig, thinking he was magically impervious to sway with his fantastical factory brake controller. Wouldn't be surprised if he ended up suing GM for false advertising.

If excessive sway happens, you have to apply tension to the hitch. The factory "sway control" system simply uses the yaw sensor to detect excess sway and then applies the trailer brakes.

I have a Tekonsha Prodigy controller in my 08. It has a boost feature. When I apply/tap the brakes, the controller first "over applies" the trailer brakes compared to pressure on the brake pedal, applying necessary tension to stabilize the rig. Different methods, same result.

Knowing your rig is key, and knowing the physics of towing helps, too. Most folks' first reaction to excess sway would be to hit the brake pedal, but unless you've properly set things up, that's the absolute worst thing to do. Either hit the gas or manually apply the trailer brakes with the spring switch. Again, you need tension to "pull" out of it. Learn that habit. It might save your (and your family's) lives.

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Oh yeah, I’m well versed with pulling and safety. The anti sway in my current truck though caught us once in a sudden crosswind, and before I could even react it had put on the trailer brakes and straightened us up. I’ve also had to use the spring level before, but I’ve found that proper loading, speed, and setup are far more important.

The one I found, as I said, is an LT3 with 215k, and seems to be a pretty decent deal. Wife and I have already talked about me flying or driving to get it.