Looking at an '03 Suburban. Couple questions for you guys...

[NorCalBryan]

I currently have a 96 Yukon, so I lurk a lot in the OBS section of the site. Oh, and yeah, I know this isn't a Suburban forum, but...close enough.

So, the vehicle is a '03 Suburban LT. 150k. Most of the bells and whistles, and it's going for $7500.



The good:

-Paint is in fantastic condition (well, except for some damage that I'll list later)

-No rips or tears in the leather

-Runs and shifts super smooth

-Tranny fluid is red, doesn't smell burnt, and isn't gritty at all

-No leaks anywhere on the motor, and it looks great! (no, the previous owner didn't have it cleaned...yeah there is some dust, but it looks alright under the hood)

-Most of the features work well



The bad-

-Scratch down the entire right side. Luckily, the fender flares and door moldings took most of the damage

-Buttons on the radio and seat heater switches are peeling

-The driver's climate control knob is all jacked up. When you turn it to the left, the temperature goes down...when you turn it to the right, the temperature goes down...unless you turn it SUPER SLOWLY.

-Previous owner installed the '01-'05 Denali wheels, which I'm not too fond of.



So, here are my questions:

Is the climate control problem common? Is it an easy fix? Perhaps a little compressed air will clean everything up? Are these units easy to disassemble?

I've seen on eBay that you can buy replacement buttons for the peeling stereo controls, are there similar buttons available for the seat heat switches?

I feel like the price is pretty fair, considering the mileage and mechanical condition of the vehicle. Your thoughts? Opinions? Comments?

Thanks in advance.

 

[07Burb]

sorry read it wrong....

IMO....it's a little bit overpriced and would try to talk him down to closer to they $7k or lower range to do the mileage and issues listed.

 

[NorCalBryan]

Haha are you serious?

 

[soulsea]

Well, I would think the best way to determine if it's a good deal is to take the KBB value, subtract cost of repairs, and take 10% off, and that would indicate a reasonable deal for the truck. That's what I'd do anyway.

 

[07Burb]

Haha are you serious?

no, sorry about that. I read the post wrong

any pics you can throw up here? That might help as well.

 

[91RS]

That's probably a fair price if it is as clean as you say, but you can always try and haggle and get them down a little. Your biggest problem would be the body damage though and whether you would want to fix it or not. An HVAC control head should be an easy and cheap find for a used one and the radio might be as well depending on which radio it has.

 

[NorCalBryan]

Okay, so I bought it, and gave him the $7500 asking price. I checked KBB and figured it was a fair price. In fact, after calling him the first time, I noticed that he re-listed it for $8400.

I ordered the replacement buttons for the radio, as well as a keyless entry remote.

As I was driving home yesterday, the damn check engine light came on. Pulled the codes and it's a knock sensor. Damnit...

All in all I'm happy with the purchase. Here's a pic of the exterior:

 

[07Burb]

Congrats on the purchase man

 

[ScottyBoy]

Knock sensor is a PITA to replace. The whole intake has to come off.
But 7500 seems like a pretty fair price if it doesn't have too many issues. I paid 16k for my 01 suburban back in 06. Only issues I have had besides normal stuff like battery, belts and brakes, is my waterpump went out about 6 months ago and now my AC compressor went out. Other than that its been very reliable for the past 5 years.

 

[NorCalBryan]

Knock sensor is a PITA to replace. The whole intake has to come off.
But 7500 seems like a pretty fair price if it doesn't have too many issues. I paid 16k for my 01 suburban back in 06. Only issues I have had besides normal stuff like battery, belts and brakes, is my waterpump went out about 6 months ago and now my AC compressor went out. Other than that its been very reliable for the past 5 years.

Yeah, I've been reading up on the knock sensor issue. I'll order the parts and tackle it next weekend.