im getting a tahoe

[blevinsbulldog]

hello all,
my wife & i are getting ready to get a used Tahoe. ( UNDER 50K MILES )
were looking around for a 02' - 04' .
somebody told me of a different 4wd system that
got less fuel mileage . what year would that be ?
should i be concerned with any of these years ?
is any one better than the other ?
if so which one & why .

THANKS ,

RUSTY

[Sp3cops70]

My wife and I just bought a 02 Tahoe Lt with 55,000 miles. It is not a 4x4. It is an awesome truck ad it was very well maintained. I payed 15,000 for it. Good Luck.

[east302]

They may be referring to the all wheel drive systems that (I think) the GMC Yukon Denali and Cadillac Escalade models offered. Someone correct me if I'm wrong on that, but I don't think that those offered selectable 2wd, 4high or 4low. They ran in all wheel drive all the time...perhaps a 50/50 split between front and rear but (again) I'm probably off a little.

I believe the Tahoe/Yukon models only came with 2-4H-4L and Auto 4wd. This last one runs in 2wd until the computer (or whatever) detects slippage and activates 4-High. I've never seen a 4wd with a floor mounted shifter, just the buttons on the dash. 2wd models offered traction control with the button for that located where the 4wd buttons would be.

I had a 2000 (new style) 2wd Tahoe with the 5.3 and averaged around 16-17 mpg. My 03 4wd consistently averages 16 mpg so with these vehicles the mpg difference probably isn't that noticeable.

The 2000-2002 had a different interior than the 2003+ models. More electrical gizmos in the 2003 models, but overall there aren't any major troublespots. Assuming properly maintained, etc. you would probably do fine with any year model. Common problems are the intermediate steering shaft (about $100 for the dealer to lube it), routine throttle body cleanings and lousy parking brakes on the earlier models. The big-ticket items (tranny, transfer case, engine block) seem to be pretty reliable. You hear about fuel pumps now and again, but those seem to go with the higher mileage vehicles.

Hope this helps to answer your questions, I've had no regrets or major problems with either of the Tahoes.
Scott

[blevinsbulldog]

i think I'm talking about that auto 4wd thing . if that's how it works , is there a 4LO or not ? either way i don't like the idea of that one .

[dhaywood77]

Originally Posted by blevinsbulldog

i think I'm talking about that auto 4wd thing . if that's how it works , is there a 4LO or not ? either way i don't like the idea of that one .

There is a 4lo button. It comes with a 4 button setup the standard 2hi 4hi 4lo and an auto button. If you drive around in auto all the time you will get lower mileage, don't know how much because i've never really worked all the numbers.

[blevinsbulldog]

thanks

[east302]

In the past, I've driven mine (2003) in 4Auto to see how the mileage was. In 2wd, the fuel computer typically returns 16.1 and in 4Auto around 15.9 mpg or so. To me, that's not that significant.

I did look in my owner's manual and see that it shows information for a full time 4wd option that can be selected to run in 4-lo. I think it was called Stabilitrak but might be wrong. I've never seen a Tahoe with it, but I guess that some had that option.

Scott