Hey guys (and gals) -
First post on here and wasn't really sure where to put it as it spans two different Tahoe series. I am considering picking up a used Tahoe (I'd like a new one, but they are out of my price range). I'll give a little background on my situation -
I am a 30 year old professional, commute approximately 35 miles round trip daily in SE Michigan. I actually work for GM, just started a few months ago. The wife and I are also expecting our first child any day. I currently drive a lightly modified 2007 Jeep Liberty. I'm a decent shadetree mechanic, and can perform quite a bit of maintenance and repair on my own.
The Jeep was decent enough when I bought it - was fairly fresh out of college, recently married, not a lot of income. It was a good price and a good size for me at that point in time - fairly nimble, easily manuverable. I've driven it the past 4 years (bought it new on 2007) and currently have 65k on it. I've been looking at the newer style GMT900's (new and used), but I really can't swing that payment with the baby coming and other factors. I'm concerned about the size of the Liberty - thought I'd have enough space for a family, but now that the baby seat is in there...the passenger seat has to be pushed fairly far forward to fit, plus we have two small dogs. I can't imagine trips in the thing now! It'd also be nice to drive a GM product seeing as I work for them. To top it off, I am currently getting something like 15-17 mpg in the Jeep. My thought is if I can get something vaguely similar from an economy standpoint in a Tahoe, it just makes sense to swap - bigger vehicle, it's a GM vehicle, similar mileage (actual odometer mileage) and economy.
My parents have a '99 Tahoe LS with 81k on it, so I am familiar with the vehicle and I like it.
My real question (after all that crazy lead-in) is - what's the REAL difference between the GMT400 and GMT800 series? I am finding 400 series trucks with low mileage (75kish) for approximately the trade-in value on my Jeep - so, I could net to $0. One in particular looks to be a very clean LT with a good service record. My hangup on it is that it is a good 12+ year old truck no matter the mileage, and that could lead to other mechanical issues like seals drying up, etc. I could score a GMT400 series for probably $5k-$10k more. Obviously, the 800 looks newer and I assume has a nicer interior...seems economy is very similar between the two although the 800 has more power. I do like the idea of the old school 350 as they run forever, but it seems the 5.3 is a great, reliable, long-lasting powerplant as well.
Any thoughts on my situation- is there a drastic difference between the two, or is it really just cosmetic?
First post on here and wasn't really sure where to put it as it spans two different Tahoe series. I am considering picking up a used Tahoe (I'd like a new one, but they are out of my price range). I'll give a little background on my situation -
I am a 30 year old professional, commute approximately 35 miles round trip daily in SE Michigan. I actually work for GM, just started a few months ago. The wife and I are also expecting our first child any day. I currently drive a lightly modified 2007 Jeep Liberty. I'm a decent shadetree mechanic, and can perform quite a bit of maintenance and repair on my own.
The Jeep was decent enough when I bought it - was fairly fresh out of college, recently married, not a lot of income. It was a good price and a good size for me at that point in time - fairly nimble, easily manuverable. I've driven it the past 4 years (bought it new on 2007) and currently have 65k on it. I've been looking at the newer style GMT900's (new and used), but I really can't swing that payment with the baby coming and other factors. I'm concerned about the size of the Liberty - thought I'd have enough space for a family, but now that the baby seat is in there...the passenger seat has to be pushed fairly far forward to fit, plus we have two small dogs. I can't imagine trips in the thing now! It'd also be nice to drive a GM product seeing as I work for them. To top it off, I am currently getting something like 15-17 mpg in the Jeep. My thought is if I can get something vaguely similar from an economy standpoint in a Tahoe, it just makes sense to swap - bigger vehicle, it's a GM vehicle, similar mileage (actual odometer mileage) and economy.
My parents have a '99 Tahoe LS with 81k on it, so I am familiar with the vehicle and I like it.
My real question (after all that crazy lead-in) is - what's the REAL difference between the GMT400 and GMT800 series? I am finding 400 series trucks with low mileage (75kish) for approximately the trade-in value on my Jeep - so, I could net to $0. One in particular looks to be a very clean LT with a good service record. My hangup on it is that it is a good 12+ year old truck no matter the mileage, and that could lead to other mechanical issues like seals drying up, etc. I could score a GMT400 series for probably $5k-$10k more. Obviously, the 800 looks newer and I assume has a nicer interior...seems economy is very similar between the two although the 800 has more power. I do like the idea of the old school 350 as they run forever, but it seems the 5.3 is a great, reliable, long-lasting powerplant as well.
Any thoughts on my situation- is there a drastic difference between the two, or is it really just cosmetic?
