1998 Chevrolet Suburban Reviews - Page 2 of 2

1998 Chevrolet Suburban LT 5.7 Vortec Gas from North America

Year of manufacture	1998
First year of ownership	1998
Most recent year of ownership	2003
Engine and transmission	5.7 Vortec Gas Automatic
Performance marks	10 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	10 / 10
Dealer Service marks	10 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	9 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	9.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	500 miles
Most recent distance	230500 miles
Previous car	Chevrolet S-10

Summary:

Luxurious, Tough working truck!

Faults:

Bad Alternator replaced at 140,000 Miles.

Left front, Lower Ball joint replaced at 230,500 Miles.

General Comments:

This vehicle has, and still does run like a champ.

The seats are comfortable, roomy, and supportive for long trips.

The 42 Gallon tank ensures I'll have the fuel to go the distance, no questions asked.

The Vortec Engine has plenty of power available, whenever I need it.

A quiet and smooth ride!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th October, 2003

5th Dec 2003, 12:01

I agree completely. Excellent truck. We bought our 98 Suburban LT in 2001 with 95K miles on it for $14,000. It looked and felt brand new and now with 140K miles it still runs great and have had very little problems with it. Have replaced the brake pads, changed the tranny fluid, 4x4 transfer case service, oil & tune-up, exhaust manifold "donuts". All simple and cheap maintenance repairs. I anticipate the engine running strong until 200K and at which time I will take the thousands I have saved in not buying new for $50,000 and simply buy a new engine. It may cost a couple few grand, but the monthly payment is right ($0.00). I bought new rims, tires, and running boards for it and they compliment the metallic brown color and tan leather interior nicely rather than the wimpy stock wheels. Hauls a trailer great and takes us to the beach and mountains effortlessly. I will always own a Suburban.

1998 Chevrolet Suburban LS 5.7 liter from North America

Year of manufacture	1998
First year of ownership	1999
Most recent year of ownership	2002
Engine and transmission	5.7 liter Automatic
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	5 / 10
Comfort marks	8 / 10
Dealer Service marks	1 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	4 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	4.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	17000 miles
Most recent distance	76000 miles
Previous car	Mitsubishi Diamante

Faults:

Transmission rebuild by Chevrolet at 32,000 miles; the transmission has always and still shifts poorly from 1st to 2nd gear.

Alternator and Starter failed at about 40,000 miles.

New idler and pitman arms at 50,000 miles.

Water Pump and intake manifold gasket failure at 76,000 miles.

General Comments:

From what I am reading, most of my problems are shared by owners of GM trucks of the same model years.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 15th December, 2002

31st Jan 2007, 23:44

I have had exactly the same problems once I hit +100,000 miles.

3rd May 2007, 13:17

I have a 96' 2500 with 5.7 engine. My wife was driving the car for a few days while my daughter was moving. The intake manifold gasket failed and she did not notice the heat gauge reading while driving. When I tried to start the engine the following day there was a very bad knocking noise coming from the engine. I checked the fluid levels and the coolant was very low, oil level good with no sign of water in crankcase.

Anyone else have this experience? I would like to know what the possible damage is and what it will cost to fix?

1998 Chevrolet Suburban LS 1500 5.7L from North America

Year of manufacture	1998
First year of ownership	1997
Most recent year of ownership	2001
Engine and transmission	5.7L Automatic
Performance marks	9 / 10
Reliability marks	3 / 10
Comfort marks	7 / 10
Dealer Service marks	5 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	1 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	5.0 / 10
Distance when acquired	5 miles
Most recent distance	68000 miles
Previous car	Chevrolet 91 Suburban 2500

Summary:

Good looking piece of junk

Faults:

Brake pads and rotors replaced twice, 15,000 miles and 25,000 miles.

Fuel pump replaced at 40,000 miles.

Steering sensors failed at 32,000 miles.

Transmission failed at 60,000 miles.

Factory rebuilt transmission does not want to shift from park to first gear.

Windshield wiper motor is flaky.

Factory battery ruptured at 30,000 miles.

Coolant connector on top of the block has failed twice.

General Comments:

The Suburban is a good looking piece of junk. Even with regular dealer maintenance, the problems have been extremely frequent and costly.

When the transmission failed, I contacted Chevrolet customer service to complain and they voluntarily offered to share the cost. The factory rebuilt transmission cost me $500.00 and came with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

My recommendation to anyone who has to have a Suburban: Buy the extended warranty!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 28th January, 2001

14th May 2003, 19:50

I don't know what all you people are doing to your Suburbans.. i have a 1998 1500 LS and I have 93000miles and I'm still on the original transmission.. you people must be beating the hell out of your truck..e-mail me if you wish budwisr6@aol.com.

16th Jun 2003, 22:42

Transmission to our 1996 Chevrolet Suburban just went out. It has 97K miles. We were in the middle of Los Angeles and Sacramento at a rest area, and it just decided not to move out of its parking space...engine still revs good though. So for the that last person making a comment, be advised.

-conservative driver.

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1998 Chevrolet Suburban LS 350 cid Vortec from North America

Year of manufacture	1998
First year of ownership	1998
Most recent year of ownership	2000
Engine and transmission	350 cid Vortec Automatic
Performance marks	9 / 10
Reliability marks	10 / 10
Comfort marks	9 / 10
Dealer Service marks	8 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	8 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	8.8 / 10
Distance when acquired	12 miles
Most recent distance	52000 miles
Previous car	Chevrolet Suburban '88

Faults:

The radiator was defective the day it was bought and was replaced under warranty, otherwise with normal scheduled maintenance it's been a great truck with no problems.

General Comments:

Good things:

Good ride for a truck..... 255hp 335lbft vortec 350 with 3.73 locker rear end, accelerates nicely considering the size of the vehicle, tows a boat effortlessly, room for anything or anyone.

Confident handling... decent gas mileage (usually 12 city, 15-17 highway) for a truck. 4wd system works good, haven't got stuck yet in mud, snow, or sand.

Bad things:

Fuel costs... but what do you expect with a truck with a V-8?

Overpriced... although you get a lot more truck than you would with a Jeep Grand Cherokee or one of those Lexus SUV's... and those cost 3-4000 more than my Suburban.... besides that I have no complaints about this truck.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th December, 2000

1998 Chevrolet Suburban LT - 4WD 5.7 V8 from North America

Year of manufacture	1998
Engine and transmission	5.7 V8
Performance marks	6 / 10
Reliability marks	9 / 10
Comfort marks	10 / 10
Dealer Service marks	7 / 10
Running Costs (higher is cheaper)	5 / 10
Overall marks (average of all marks)	7.4 / 10

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Been pleased. Think the 4WD should be geared (as standard equipment) different than the 2WD. This unit does not have the towing power of my 97 2WD.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th June, 1998