A lot of updates.
The Accord has actually been down due to a damaged bank 2 cat. If I drive it as is, I risk melting the front engine mount. I’m setting aside money for a new cat (an OEM one is $775 with my Honda employee discount and I refuse to put a cheap one on). In the meantime, it will sit and wait.
The Fit has been functioning normally. I just crossed 100k miles a couple weeks ago, other than that, nothing to report.
Main news is my latest attempt at a cheap truck. I’ve had to forgo my usual requirement of a manual transmission due to a lack of models that meet my other criteria (those being 4WD, a towing capacity of at least 5000 lbs, and it not being a rustbucket). And with me being a cheapskate who already has one car note to worry about, I didn’t want to spend a bunch of money on it (I will gladly throw away $2000 on parts with 0 second thought, but I will actively seek to spend under $1000 on the truck itself. That’s just how I roll).
I found something that meets my revised criteria yesterday.
This old girl is a 1999 Chevy Tahoe LT.
She features the L31 5.7L V8, the 4L60E automatic transmission, and the NP243 electronically controlled transfer case (I definitely prefer mechanically controlled ones, but none of those went cheap enough).
As you can probably tell by the backdrop and the lettering on the windshields, she’s an auction car. And I got her for a winning bid of $550 (before fees. About $770 after).
She meets all of my criteria. 4wd, 6500 lb towing capacity (according to the build sheet, this particular Tahoe is equipped with the heavy duty tow package (RPO Z82/KNP) as well as the positraction rear diff (RPO G80) with a 3.73 gear ratio (RPO GT4). Since I intend on using it for towing, hauling, and offroading, this is almost the exact spec I would want (just with the mechanical transfer case). I looked at a couple Suburbans as well, but the Tahoe is more ideal for my use due to the shorter length adding manuverability in tight DC streets as well as having a shorter rear overhang when it comes time to leave the pavement. I don’t usually have passengers, so not having a 3rd row seat is of no consequence to me.
Other pluses being that this being a GMT400 truck, parts are extremely common and cheap. Some of the most common and cheap of any truck, plus I can pull other parts off of different model trucks as I see fit (basically any Chevy or GMC truck from 1988(pickup)/1992(suv) to 2000 as well as the 1st gen Cadillac Escalade) and swap them in. Of the American big 3, I’m the most partial to GM, although I have owned Fords and Dodges as well. But GM has the most plentiful parts by far, and I’m more used to working on GM trucks than any other. The L31 is just a SBC and the 4L60E is possibly the most common automatic transmission in north America.
The other big draw is that the body and frame appear to be in very good shape.
There’s definitely some surface rust and a bit of scale, but that’s nothing to worry about. Although it will definitely need new shocks before any serious towing, and I will most likely buy a set of pre-bent stainless steel brake lines to ensure that they will never rot out on me.
So how did I get it so cheap? Allegedly it doesn’t run, and it also was allegedly deemed a total loss. I don’t care about salvage history, but I don’t see any damage indicating a major accident (there are some paint markings on the LR door) or flood damage, so I’m not sure where this claim comes from. I guess I’ll find out what it is in a few days.
