What do you Love/hate about Your Model year suburban (60's, 70's, 80's-91, 92-99, 00-

[BeachBourbon]

What do you Love/hate about the model year suburban YOU own? Let's get into the real frontline rants & raves of suburban drivers that use their rides!

I own a 1990 2500 which is part of the 1989 to 1991 model year group and I LOVE so many things about it. I love the Steel dashboard and massive leg room due to the lack of a console that connects to the dash (not a fan of the plastic dashes, esp 92-99). I love the exterior styling and think its one of the best designs GM ever made. I love going to the junkyard and looking for parts as a hobby since they are cheap and easy to score. I love never going to the DEALERSHIP. I love having NO car payment, low registration and low insurance. I love that I don't worry about kids & dogs mucking up my interior. I love that the rear seats remove/fold flat which converts the rig into a longbed pickup w/a campershell. I love going to IKEA, COSTCO, Lowes - any store and throwing huge items in the back while others stair in awe. I love that the rear window rolls down (instead of lifting up) which makes it easier to haul long pieces of lumber, etc... I love that I can tow anything legal to tow w/o any noticable loss of power. i love that it drives like the smoothest luxury car on the road. I love that I have Fuel injection, ABS breaks, but still have an old style easy to work on set up. Some may disagree, but I also LOVE that I DO NOT have GPS or ONSTAR! I'm a grown man, and know where the F*&^ I am and how to deal with complex situations, so you can save these for the clueless.

I hate that I don't have a 6 - speed tranny like the 2007 - present versions with the better mileage. I rented one of these and took it on a 10 hr (each way) rd trip and the tranny was better for passing & gas mileage. However, I didn't like the cramped cockpit and the fact the rear seats did not lay flat (weird). I also hate that my towing version doesn't go much faster than 85 which keeps me in the slow lane on Fwys (avoiding tickets though).

Hopefully you can read the love I have for my truck, and you can also see (PIX) here: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3313930/1990-chevrolet-suburban-2500/

What do you Love/Hate about yours!

 

[Robert & Jan]

LOVE so many things I don't know where to start. Bought my '01 Suburban 2500 LT just over 8 years ago. Have never owned any other vehicle anywhere near that long, and I'll sell it only to buy a newer one as close as possible to what I have now. My wife and I had been using a Ford Expedition to tow our 28 foot travel trailer and were interested in the Chevy's tow transmission. It was pure luck that the Suburban we found was also a 2500. It pulls almost 4 tons with ease - I only wish I had gotten the 8 liter instead of the 6. The greatest danger when towing our camper is that the Suburban rides so smoothly and effortlessly that you could forget you're towing it. With its 130" wheel base I sometimes don't bother to use the sway bar. I love the leg and head room, 4 leather captain's chairs, truly comfortable seating for 7 adults, massive cargo space, quality sound of the Bose speakers, accurate outdoor thermometer and compass built into the automatic day/night rear-view mirror, daytime running lamps that automatically switch over to headlights, riding high enough to be able to see traffic clearly, numerous safety features such as steel beams in the doors. Most other traffic is intimidated by my size, and for good reason. If I should ever be involved in a collision, I know which vehicle I'd prefer to be rather riding in. Property tax is nearly negligible, and (USAA) insurance is so cheap I've always had full collision and comprehensive. With 138,000 miles, it's just getting broken in good. My cousin has a similar Suburban with over 300,000 miles behind it, he expects to add many more to that.

Let's be honest - I hate the gas mileage, but it's a trade-off I'll gladly make. The fuel gauge is inaccurate. After my fog lamp covers fell off I began to notice many other Suburban's and Tahoe's are missing theirs also. Maintenance costs can be a bit high, but even so they're still significantly less than monthly car payments.

The Federal Government long ago replaced their Cadillac's and Lincoln's with 2500 Suburban's, and the U.S. military is using them all over the middle east. The additional armor installed on those vehicles is amazing. Sometimes I wonder what other top-secret features have been added that they are not telling us about.

Whenever I hear someone refer to some top-of-the-line product as "the Cadillac of ...", I just roll my eyes and sigh.

 

[BeachBourbon]

I've got to add something to my original post above:

Two things I really like about my 1990 are the TAILGATE w/ the roll down window and the Lay flat rear seating. Let me give you a real life scenario. We went to the drive-in a few weeks back, put down the tail gate and laid out the rear flat to the front seats, added sleeping bags & pillows and Kids from the party. The kids started in the back of a pickup truck and then gravitated toward the BEACHBOURBON. Once inside the cave-like interior, a massive pillow fight ensued that went on until the movie started; at which point they sat on my tailgate. The folks next to me had the latest generation Tahoe, and were floored at how much space and utility I had. First off, they had NO TAILGATE, the whole back end has become a HATCHBACK - WTF?!? They had to sit on chairs outside their vehicle to see the movie. Second they could not lay their rear seats flat, so they couldn't climb insiote and lay down to watch the movie. Needless to say NONE of the children bothered with that truck during the party. The daughter of the Tahoe owner cried when she had to get out of the BEACHBOURBON...LOL...

 

[SWHouston]

This would be a lot shorter Post, in telling what I don't like about my 03 Burb.

I've always like big/heavy vehicles. Started off in the early 50's with Olds and Caddies and stayed with Cadillac for the most part, until they stopped making a "real" car, and focused on making Sports Cars

I really hadn't considered a SUV until I took a good look at the Burbs.
I don't recall that any Cadillac I've ever owned, has any more "accommodations" as does the Suburban. Leather, Auto stuff (specially like that) and gives me a 'feel' of substance. Makes me feel safe.

I have a 4WD, and really like the massive power available, when in Lo Range. Haven't tried to make it climb a Tree yet, but, I bet it would.

My Burb, Me and a half tank of Fuel weighs just over 6000 lbs, and the MPG isn't all that good, but the piece of mind I get is well worth it.

 

[SWHouston]

Uoops, I forgot about the "hate" part
(though it's not going to be much)

I don't like...

When in 4WD hi or lo, the Front Axel "locks" the front wheels together. Causes skipping of one wheel on corners, and one has to apply a fair amount of throttle to get turned. I whish GM had put something like the Eaton which I have in my rear differential up front, where it would "understand" a corner and drive easier.

then...

I have on several occasions (repaired now) received the infamous "REDUCED POWER" message. I don't understand that there may be circumstances when one's control of his speed may need to be regulated. And specially not when on the Freeway, having been driving 60-70 MPH, center lane, in heavy traffic, and suddenly 15 MPH is all GM lets you do. NOT a good feeling when I have my GKids in the Burb.

then...

Another speed issue. GM can regulate how fast you drive, did you know that ? Yep, if by some emergency circumstances, you need to really move out, they can limit your speed to about 95 MPH. I've only had to do this one time in getting someone to a Hospital (several miles away). Made the trip and She got treatment, but I was REALLY ticked off that I had a half throttle beyond what I was doing. I'll be putting a Performance Chip in, and stop that crap soon.

Don't get me wrong...
I really LOVE my Burb, and will buy another if time permits.
I just don't like someone telling me how to operate it,
when its OUT of the Warranty Period. (actually even before that)

 

[BeachBourbon]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a TAILGATE on my 1990 suburban. I didn't realize auto makers took away the tailgate and "feminized" the suburban with hatchbacks until recently. Now I'm floored when I look around and see that ONLY pick ups have tailgates anymore! Everyone else has to hatch their back! I call B.S. on this and frankly it is one of the things that is keeping me from a new suburban. I want a tailgate and rear seats that lay flat!!! And that is THAT. I got it in my 1990 and LOVE it! Why they would get rid of these features that bring tons of utility to the Sport UTILITY vehical is beyond my comprehension.