There's an SSV in my future - the search is on

Been thinking about an SSV vehicle to handle my daily driving and an occasional light tow. Initially was looking at Explorers but am gravitating towards Tahoes. Quick research shows 2010 to 2014 y.m. being most reliable, with the latter being the best of the bunch.

What to look for or avoid when searching for the SSV? Where to buy in So California?

Tirefryer said:

Been thinking about an SSV vehicle to handle my daily driving and an occasional light tow. Initially was looking at Explorers but am gravitating towards Tahoes. Quick research shows 2010 to 2014 y.m. being most reliable, with the latter being the best of the bunch.

What to look for or avoid when searching for the SSV? Where to buy in So California?

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You won't really find any from Southern California, there are people that buy them out of state and bring them here to sell.
There was a tiny dealership that I bought mine from down in Huntington Beach that they basically only had used police vehicles for sale.

Definitely get a later model with the 6-speed.
Things to look out for would be cylinder deactivation lifter issues (afm/dod).
The exhaust manifold bolts closest to the firewall tend to break off and cause an exhaust leak and that's on either head.
The plastic end tanks on the radiator are known to get brittle and give out at some point.

I bought mine with 100,000 miles on it, turned off cylinder deactivation and put a little trans tune on it and have driven it hard daily and occasionally off-road and in the snow for the last hundred thousand miles.

Have yet to touch anything in the power steering system.
Alternator went out, radiator blew up, broken exhaust manifold bolts, and other than regular maintenance that's about it.

Batteries, tires, spark plugs, oxygen sensors, air filter, oil changes, transmission fluid and filter changes, brakes. Front wheels bearings.
Nothing crazy

Also there are recalls on the passenger side airbag and the engine fan Wiring.

RooTBeeRthe1st said:

You won't really find any from Southern California, there are people that buy them out of state and bring them here to sell.
There was a tiny dealership that I bought mine from down in Huntington Beach that they basically only had used police vehicles for sale.

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I'm seeing that. There's a dealership in Anaheim, Wild Rose Motors but compared to what I'm seeing on FB and in other states, their prices are indeed wild. Their Tahoes are priced significantly higher than the cleanest civilian examples on the market.

Do see PPV/SSV vehicles locally on the road but those are mainly Explorers and now an occasional crown Vic. The attractions the SSV holds for me are the heavy duty components and the durability resource built into these vehicles

Tirefryer said:

Been thinking about an SSV vehicle to handle my daily driving and an occasional light tow. Initially was looking at Explorers but am gravitating towards Tahoes. Quick research shows 2010 to 2014 y.m. being most reliable, with the latter being the best of the bunch.

What to look for or avoid when searching for the SSV? Where to buy in So California?

Click to expand...

That you, George? Welcome! A lot of great info here. -Joel

What are prices looking like in Cali? I bought my 2013 PPV (retired Springdale, Arkansas vehicle) with 125k miles on it for $9k. It is super clean. There are a few dealers in the southeast that regularly stock police vehicles at great prices. If you're willing to look outside the southwest, deals can be had.

I bought mine out of Phoenix - quick check, they have a few of them on their site. I had a decent experience and they were easy to work with but your mileage may vary. https://www.deusmotors.com/

Look for one that hasn’t been beaten to hell as a patrol car and you are golden.

I had a checklist of criteria i wanted my truck to match. Particularly i did not want a “radio patrol” unit you know, vinyl seats, prisoner cage, a zillion holes drilled everywhere.. NO.. do not want.

specifically wanted one with cloth seats both front and back and carpet, amongst some other luxuries. When i found the one i wanted we flew out , bought it, and drove it 1000+ miles home.

Tirefryer said:

The attractions the SSV holds for me are the heavy duty components and the durability resources built into these vehicles.

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Given a choice, I'd choose an SSV over a PPV,
because I specifically prefer 3.42 over 3.08 axle gearing, and 4WD over 2WD.

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

You are already receiving sage advice from the knowledgeable folks on this Forum.

Tirefryer said:

I'm seeing that. There's a dealership in Anaheim, Wild Rose Motors but compared to what I'm seeing on FB and in other states, their prices are indeed wild. Their Tahoes are priced significantly higher than the cleanest civilian examples on the market.

Do see PPV/SSV vehicles locally on the road but those are mainly Explorers and now an occasional crown Vic. The attractions the SSV holds for me are the heavy duty components and the durability resource built into these vehicles

Click to expand...

They absolutely are high here, when I was shopping for mine and 2018, I found my 2014 for $15,000, 100,000 miles.
Just because it was the new body style, they also had a 2015 also with 100,000 miles and they wanted 25 grand for that