As I wrote previously, I ended up not using my motorcycle as much as I thought, but a couple trips with it (and also past motorcycles) still had me excited to spend more time exploring the outdoors. I spent a few months heavily researching a 4x4 that would allow me to easily go do that, and I settled on a GMT400 Suburban.
Meet Shirley
She’s a 1999 GMC Suburban. A little over 250,000 mi, but you’d never know it. Mint interior and excellent exterior. Mechanically in great shape with just a few maintenance items to catch up on (shocks, fluids, wheels and tires — all done by the time these photos were taken).
Her name is Shirley Sherman the Suburban. 5.7L Vortec V8 (the famous small-block Chevy 350 that first came out in the 1950s, in its ultimate evolution). Automatic transmission. 4x4 with low range.
Fun Fact #1: 1999 is the final year of the GMT400 Suburban. Fun Fact #2: 1999 is the final year of the GMC Suburban (after this, they called the GMCs “Yukon XL”).
Why a Suburban? Why GMT400?
I like the mix of utility it offers — I can carry a lot of other people, plus cargo. Or a mix of cargo plus my dog. Or a bunch of larger cargo. I can sleep in the back. I considered 8-ft-bed pickup trucks but ultimately I felt the utility was higher with the Suburban. I live in an apartment, so it isn’t like I am hauling gravel or lumber or something a lot — a place where the pickup would be preferred. If it comes to that, I can easily tow an open utility trailer that I can rent for the day for <$50.
Truth be told, I probably would have still jumped on the right pickup, but at least in my area, Suburbans were often:
- In much better condition inside and out, especially for the price
- Much more likely to be 4x4
- Seemed to have more examples that, for the same price, were better-maintained than the trucks (similar to the first point, but actually a somewhat different thing when you’re looking at vehicles of this age).
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Why not another SUV? Well, for one, just about the only other option in the size range is the Excursion. I’m very much a Ford guy over GM, but the Excursions seemed more expensive, somehow more rare, and often were absolutely ragged-looking. Restoration and aftermarket support for the GMT400 Suburban seemed much better. Lastly, I feel like the look and feel of the GMT400 (debuting in 1988) was a bit more of a timeless/classic look at this point compared to the solidly early-00s look of the Excursion. I had no intention of making this some kind of monster truck or rock crawler, so the IFS in the Suburban is actually a plus for ride quality over the solid front axle in the Excursion.
So why the GMT400 and not an older squarebody? Why not a GMT800? Well, I actually love both of those platforms. Truth is, the 400, aka “OBS” (old body style), struck a balance in the budget department. Squarebodies are pretty cool, but they’re also solidly classics — they ride, drive, and behave like a 1970s truck (they lasted until 1991 or something, but are based on a 1973 debut). There are no Squarebody “survivors” at any reasonable price anymore, and people are way too precious about the value of their “restorations.” I’d have to pay A LOT more for one in the condition of the truck I bought.
The newer generation — GMT800 — has a huge advantage in power and somewhat better fuel economy, given it has the LS-based motors, but with more technology comes more gremlins that are more difficult to repair. Good ones are out there, but the price was out of my range, and the ones available for anywhere near what I paid for Shirley… Absolutely run-out and usually listing pretty significant issues.