Shows how different people’s lifestyles are. I have four kids and have never owned a truck and never will. I have a Tahoe and we take it everywhere. If I have a need to haul something big, I have a trailer.
Hahaha unfortunately, I think you are right about gas prices. I actually was thinking about a subaru due to mostly hard surface driving but I'm just having difficulty choosing an AWD over 4wd option for when I am busting through snowy country roads here or unmaintained mountain roads out west.
I have a pickup with a topper now with 278,000 miles on it and it's been super reliable. I bought it from my uncle who was the original owner. I was originally planning on buying another truck and topper for camping in but when I looked back at how I have actually used my truck for the last few years I realized I almost never used the bed for anything that wouldn't fit in an suv with the seats down. The only thing I put in the bed that I wouldn't put inside an suv is a dead deer and I plan on buying a hitch cargo platform for that on the suv. I actually have slept in the bed with topper more than I use it for things that wouldn't fit in an suv and I think sleeping in an suv will be more convenient than a truck bed since you would still have access to the "cab". My beat up truck is only worth $1500 now anyways so I plan on keeping it for if I really need a truck to move something.
4wd vs 2wd drive makes a HUGE difference in snow. Maybe not on plowed and salted roads, but 4wd is far more stable on a slippery road. And it allows you to dig through snow in situations where nobody has driven on the snow. I can easily get to a lot of places with 4wd that would be impossible in 2wd.
This is correct. Had that exact setup in my 2005. Loved it. Wasn't great on gas mileage though, both my F150 and my Grand Cherokee I've had since have been better.
What bumper do you have? I have an 03 also with 285,000 miles.A 2003 Z71 Tahoe owner here.
210,000 miles on the 5.3.
Paid $3k.
I haven't added it up recently, but I think I spent between 2-3 k in upgrades, but $1200 was just in the front bumper and Apex winch. Got a good set of used 305/70R16 (33x12) K02's on Method wheels and put on lots of lights. Indexed torsion keys for 2 or 3 inches on the front and 1.5 inch pucks on the rear coils. Also upgraded tie rods, air intake, new plugs and wires and a few other random parts.
Does decent on mild rock crawling, excellent on gravel and trails, especially with tire pressure in the teens and my front sway bar removed. Gets through snow as long as you aren't sinking in more than the clearance (~12"). Flotation is pretty good for not having extreme tire size, partly because of front/rear weight balance.
It gets 13 ish driving around and that includes a lot of idling time because it's winter and I never put my tires above 30 psi and I sometimes drive it with tires aired down. All driving is at 4,500+ ft here.
Things I would have a hard time giving up:
4 auto- still handles fine on dry roads but kicks in as soon as the rear wheels slip.
Limited slip rear dif- a locker would be the ultimate, but the limited slip sure is helpful sometimes.
I can haul 7 people if I need to, but I can pull the rear seats in <2 min
Sunroof- Sunroofs are UNDERRATED imo!
Sorry for the ramble.
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"MOVE Bumpers"
