Boomer73
Boom Boom
Its worth sorting out a couple of abbreviations commonly used on this board (and others):
OBS = Old Body Style = yrs 1988-1998 = GMT400
NBS = New Body Style = yrs 1999-2006 (also 2007 Classic) = GMT800
NNBS = Newest New Body Style = yrs 2007+ = GMT900
There's a reason GM has the internal designations of GMT 400/800/900. They probably couldn't keep track of the OBS/NBS/NNBS either - its really ridiculous.
I pretty much agree with everything these guys have said about the merits of the longer wheelbase Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade ESV. The downside to those platforms is their size and proportions which are aesthetically somewhat ungainly.
Personally, while I really like the styling of the GMT900s, I have found the build quality both inside and outside to be inferior to their GMT800 counterparts. I know I'm not alone in this from talking to people on the other forums. There seems to be more plastic/vinyl, the metal seems thinner, the seats are not as comfortable, there are more creaks and rattles and annoying little "features", and without a doubt the general design is not as driver-oriented as the GMT800s. While certainly not without their faults, the GMT800s seem to be a little more solid.
If you're the kind of guy that likes to have the latest thing, maybe finding an '07 in your price range that you can add options little-by-little would be the way to go. But if not and you like the GMT800 styling, then I would really recommend it as I think they are much better built trucks. I couldn't recommend the GMT400 unless you were looking to do a resto-mod because nice specimens from that era are increasingly hard to find. And I'm not hatin' on the GMT400s - I think a shaved, dropped, clean GMT400 still has the best lines out of everything we're discussing here, but the interior leaves so much to be desired.
-B
OBS = Old Body Style = yrs 1988-1998 = GMT400
NBS = New Body Style = yrs 1999-2006 (also 2007 Classic) = GMT800
NNBS = Newest New Body Style = yrs 2007+ = GMT900
There's a reason GM has the internal designations of GMT 400/800/900. They probably couldn't keep track of the OBS/NBS/NNBS either - its really ridiculous.
I pretty much agree with everything these guys have said about the merits of the longer wheelbase Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade ESV. The downside to those platforms is their size and proportions which are aesthetically somewhat ungainly.
Personally, while I really like the styling of the GMT900s, I have found the build quality both inside and outside to be inferior to their GMT800 counterparts. I know I'm not alone in this from talking to people on the other forums. There seems to be more plastic/vinyl, the metal seems thinner, the seats are not as comfortable, there are more creaks and rattles and annoying little "features", and without a doubt the general design is not as driver-oriented as the GMT800s. While certainly not without their faults, the GMT800s seem to be a little more solid.
If you're the kind of guy that likes to have the latest thing, maybe finding an '07 in your price range that you can add options little-by-little would be the way to go. But if not and you like the GMT800 styling, then I would really recommend it as I think they are much better built trucks. I couldn't recommend the GMT400 unless you were looking to do a resto-mod because nice specimens from that era are increasingly hard to find. And I'm not hatin' on the GMT400s - I think a shaved, dropped, clean GMT400 still has the best lines out of everything we're discussing here, but the interior leaves so much to be desired.
-B
the longer it is the smothier the ride. both are good trucks / SUVs look at the 2008 or newer Tahoe LTZ's too. very nice.
