Worth upgrading to GMT800?

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Just thought I'd ask for some 2 cents on this.

We have a 98 Tahoe with about 120k miles that's getting a bit old (drivetrain great, seats, body, little plastic things not so much).

We bought it to tow a light trailer, but now we have a larger 18ft tent trailer - (2k empty/3500lbs max) and that plus the kids, gear etc - it's still great for local camping, but we are planning on some longer trips, so I was thinking of getting something newer/fresher and with a longer wheelbase.

The catch is I don't want to spend too much as we don't use the truck that often.

I was looking at at 2006 Crew Cab GMT800 Sierra with the 4.8, and a Crew Cab 2010 2WD Sierra GMT900.

Is it worth upgrading to a longer wheelbase GMT800 or GMT900 Suburban or Sierra/Silverado Crew Cab? Is the 4.8 good enough for our needs?

I also was looking at a 2006 Ford F-150 with the 5.4 Triton, but I don't know Fords as well and I've read some less than rave reviews about that motor.
 
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Chris Lee

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Honestly 3500lb isn't much at all, and you already own the truck. I don't see any reason to upgrade.

The amount you'll be paying to upgrade would by a lifetime of fuel if you only drive your truck as little as you say. 120k miles is nothing on a 5.7L you can easily double that I bet with regular maintenance, and worst case scenario you can drop in a replacement motor for $300, they are dime a dozen.
 
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Hi,

Thanks for the replies. The drivetrain is in great shape, but I think the Mrs. isn't thrilled with the clearcoat failure, torn driver's seat, and steady list of minor breakages/issues.

The trailer does sag down the rear of my Tahoe noticeable, but it handles/drives/stops fine while pulling without issue. That's for another thread however.

I've read that the GMT800 and GMT900 stops and handles better than mine. I wouldn't go for a GMT800 Tahoe as it's too close, but a Suburban or P/U is what I'm thinking.

Then again, throwing a bit of cash at it and supporting the rear makes sense too. Our trailer is probably 2500-3000lbs as we tend to travel light....
 

884x4310ci

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Oh. The 800 trucks do ride good. I will give them that. But around here the frames don't last I fixed frames on 5 year old trucks! My dad has a 05 and I have to replace leaf springs all the time. And he don't use the truck to carry anything. I never replaced the springs in my 88 and we overloaded that poor guy often.
For your truck. Add a leaf to the back to help with the squat. Get macco to spray a coat of clear. And then get a new seat from a junkyard. The Mrs will be glad.
 

Oldblue98

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Just thought I'd ask for some 2 cents on this.

We have a 98 Tahoe with about 120k miles that's getting a bit old (drivetrain great, seats, body, little plastic things not so much).

We bought it to tow a light trailer, but now we have a larger 18ft tent trailer - (2k empty/3500lbs max) and that plus the kids, gear etc - it's still great for local camping, but we are planning on some longer trips, so I was thinking of getting something newer/fresher and with a longer wheelbase.

The catch is I don't want to spend too much as we don't use the truck that often.

I was looking at at 2006 Crew Cab GMT800 Sierra with the 4.8, and a Crew Cab 2010 2WD Sierra GMT900.

Is it worth upgrading to a longer wheelbase GMT800 or GMT900 Suburban or Sierra/Silverado Crew Cab? Is the 4.8 good enough for our needs?

I also was looking at a 2006 Ford F-150 with the 5.4 Triton, but I don't know Fords as well and I've read some less than rave reviews about that motor.

I have a 06 800 extended with the 4.8 and it has been a very good truck with just routine maint, it has 130 K on it now. But if you are into towing you will find the 4.8 kind of gutless for towing. And don't get me wrong the 4.8 has plenty of ump for its own weight, but I would not recommend it for towing anything heavy. And it gets around 15-17.5 MPG
 

brianmcb

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Love my 05 z71. It was a 4.8/4l60 truck but I swapped a 6L/4L80 and it's night and day difference, evem just towing my 3500lb tent trailer.

Rides great, comfortable, stops great...i much prefer driving my 05 over my 95 on road trips

95 rcsb, L33 5.3, hot cam, hp tuners, 4/6 drop
 
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