Two suburbans for the price of one...

We have been frustrated with the prices of parts for our 1994 Volvo 850 turbo. So, now that we have it running and looking nice, We decided to replace it with a cheaper-to-fix domestic vehicle. We also wanted something that could tow a trailer or another vehicle. But we didn't want to sacrifice the 7 passenger seating and dog hauling capabilities of the Volvo. So we decided on a GMC Suburban. It even fits 9 passengers!

I looked on craigslist, with our budget limit of $800. There were a few suburbans, but most didn't run, or had other problems. The best two deals at the time were model years 1978 and 1988. The 1988 was only $350, so I was sure that it was sold, but I called and left a message anyways. In the mean time, the 1978 "4X4, under 100k miles, new transmission, fuel pump and filter" suburban showed up asking $800. So I called and asked if they would take $750, as that was all the cash I had at the moment. They agreed. When I arrived at the location of the 1978 suburban, I discovered that it was not 4X4, and that it did not run. I still saw some potential, so I offered $650. The lady we talked to said that it was a carburetor issue, and that her son is usually able to get it started. So, even though I couldn't get it to stay running after multiple attempts at dumping gas down the carburetor and pumping the gas, we bought it anyways. We promised to tow it home the next day. We hoped to tow it with our Volvo, but we worried that, since it was such a light car in comparison, it might not do the job well. But we planned to give it a try. We bought the necessary tow hitch accessories to adapt the 1-1/2" 3500lb tow hitch to fit the 2" post and ball. When we arrived home, we checked our voicemail messages to find that the $350 suburban was still available in Vancouver. So we decided that that deal was too good to pass up. (Part of the reason that the 1988 suburban cost only $350 dollars was because the owner had lost the california title, and that it needed a new starter) So we purchased the $35 new starter that the suburban would need, and drove up to Vancouver to see the cheap suburban. It was in great condition (other than sitting for two years, hence the dead battery and inoperable starter) and we decided to buy it too. I spent a couple hours (mostly in the dark, since the daylight faded around 7 or 8pm) replacing the starter, and with a jumpstart, the suburban fired right up. We drove it home that night. The next day, I charged the battery for a couple hours, and it held a charge. So, since the running suburban had a tow package, we would use it to tow the other suburban home. My cordless drill seized up while drilling the holes in the bumper for the towbar on the 78 suburban, so I took the bumper off with Mandy's help, and walked the bumper over to the seller's home to use my corded drill. With the towbar properly hooked up, we hauled the old suburban home. It was ironic that the cheaper suburban was in good enough condition to tow its more expensive predecessor home.
Also, here are some of the spec's on the two suburbans if you are curious.


1978 GMC Suburban Sierra Classic C15 (this is a half ton truck)
2 wheel drive 5 lug wheels.
carbureted V8 350 automatic transmission
9 passenger seating
odometer says about 80k miles, who knows if it rolled over. (2007 emissions test lists 100k miles)







interior:






















1988 GMC Suburban Sierra Classic 2500 (this is a 3/4 ton truck)
4 wheel drive 8 lug wheels.
fuel injected V8 (I think its a 350, but could be the 454) automatic transmission
5 passenger seating (would be 8 passengers with the rear seat.)
odometer says 56,000 miles, who knows if it rolled over.
electric trailer brakes




interior:

From the Front: The one with the brown side stripe is the 1988, the other one is the 1978.

From the back