GMC Savanna long term reliability

[bcbuilder]

Greetings. I'm a contractor and am in the market for a van. I'm only able to afford one with somewhere in the range of 90K miles on it. I'm looking at Chevy Express, Ford Econoline and the GMC Savanna. I've always heard GMC is a solid vehicle although I've never owned one. How do these vans hold up once they get into the 100K mileage area? And what are some potential problem signs I might look for when looking at these higher mileage GMC's? Are there common problems that occur at the 100K mile point? Are there things I should look into replacing right off the bat? Thanks for the expert advice.

[envoyxuv]

The chevy express and the gmc savana are the same van (G vans as they are called- 5th digit of the VIN). The difference is usually interior options. If you can find a 2003 model year or newer, that would be your best bet. 2002 and older came with the 5.0 or 5.7 liter V8 engine. The engine itself is dependable, but it did come with a good share of coolant leaks- intake manifold gaskets, water pump, heater nipple leaking/breaking off at the right front corner of the intake manifold....
The other issue that comes to mind is brakes. i have a friend who used to own a plumbing business and had a G van that went through front brakes quite regularly. That is something that can become a frequent repair if you are carrying around heavy loads/pulling a trailer.

The difference in 2003 was that GM began installing the 4.8/5.3/6.0 liter engines in the G vans. All 3 engines are V8's, and the 5.3 liter is the most common. The 6.0 liter is an option in the 3/4 ton vans. These engines are extemely bullet proof and eliminated the intake manifold/heater nipple leaks alltogether. (no coolant running through the intake manifold = no coolant leak!) They still have water pumps that leak, but it seems that they last about twice as long as they used to.

The other huge change in 2003 G vans was that GM began using the much larger/much more reliable front brake pads that became available in 1999 in the new body style pickups. They also replaced rear drum brakes with disc brakes in 2003 G vans. The rear brakes usually wear out first, (which still takes a while) but depending on what kind of weight you carry with the van, and driving habbits, you can get upwards of 90,000 miles out of a set of front brakes pads. i've seen it done! They are definitely built to last.
This is not my experience from driving one, just what i've seen in the field.

[miecow]

my work uses 05 gmc savana's with the 6 liter vortec's.. they were bought new and now have around 250k miles on them.. very dependable with reg, tune ups ect.. they get beat on and still run new.. ours have the insalated cargo area and reefer unit on the roof.. they are built to last

[navigatorvictory]

although I am having a minor brake issue...which is why I am here today...I have 165k on my 99 and have no intentions of selling it for a few more years runs great and gets 15+ miles to the gallon....very very comfortable to take on trips