Faults:

4x4 button went out - $10.

Otherwise, all required maintenance.

General Comments:

This is our second Suburban, the first one was good until it was wrecked, so we bought a replacement.

This SUV has been flawless as far as reliability goes. Always starts right up and will do anything you ask of it. We've pulled other trucks out of ditches, towed 7,000 pounds off road, and mainly use it to tow a 3000 pound trailer.

It's been hit by another truck, and a deer ran into it, with minimal damage to the truck both times.

Only time we have put money into it is for new tires and oil changes, we've had the brakes and differential fluid drained once. Engine runs strong and doesn't burn any oil, transmission still shifts smoothly.

My only gripe is the gas mileage is even worse than what the EPA rates it. Even when I'm not towing, or carrying any payload, I get around 15 mpg on the highway, 13 if I'm towing a trailer. Obviously I did not buy the truck for the mileage, so it's not that big a deal, but the fuel costs do add up, which is why I rated the running costs a 5.

Faults:

At 130,000 the brakes finally had to be replaced. Since then it drives perfectly. This is expected, and there have been no problems with the truck.

General Comments:

This is an amazing vehicle. I have never owned a vehicle that runs as great as the Suburban does. This is a great 4x4 and family vehicle. You can fit 9 people in fine and you can transport tons of stuff in it.

It's all about how you treat it. Regular servicing is a must, if you do that I really believe it will run to 250,000 + miles.

Faults:

Two things: The 4x4's with the New Process 246 automatic transfer case have a known issue where a tiny hole develops in the side of the housing allowing the fluid to escape. Mine was fixed at 150,000 for $275. It happened on a road trip, but ended up being quite painless. Secondly, the rear doors squeak a little when opening and closing. Not the hinges, but the little roller bearings that follow the detents. It uses a very small amount of coolant, and burns a quart of oil every 3000 miles. The original owner used conventional oil, I am using a synthetic of a much thinner grade for mileage purposes which is the reason for most of the oil consumption. It still doesn't smoke or smell.

General Comments:

Say what you will about domestic vs foreign blah blah but in our experience this truck has been flawless! In spite of the fact that it only gets about 15mpg city/18mpg highway, my wife and I absolutely love this truck!!! It's loaded with every option and every option works, every switch, every light, everything. It drives like a luxury car, hauls like a truck (over 13,000lbs w/trailer on our last move) and rides similar to our Honda Accord. The 4x4 takes it anywhere and we have the pictures to prove it. When asked if something will fit in the Suburban our default answer is yes, everything fits in the Suburban. On a recent 5000+ mile road trip we camped about half the nights in the back on a twin size air mattress. There was still plenty of room for all our luggage, cooler, guitar, tools and travel gear. Some day when the wheels do finally fall off this one, we'll be looking for another Suburban... hopefully by then they'll offer it with a turbo diesel.