1988 GMC Suburban Silverado 6.2 diesel from North America

Summary:

Will pull a house down

Faults:

Transfer case went out 1 month after purchase.

Fuel Injector pump and glow plugs were bad.

Transmission went out after 6 months.

General Comments:

I have replaced the C code motor with a J code.

After having rebuilt the transmission and doing other maintenance to the drive train I am now becoming happy with this purchase.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 19th October, 2005

1988 GMC Suburban High Sierra Vin code from North America

Summary:

Overall a very versatile vehicle worth much more than the minimal amount I purchased it for

Faults:

The weatherstripping and seals have outlived their useful designed lives and are in need of replacing. Reasonably priced aftermarket and semi easy to replace with limited previous experiance.

The power door lock switches need replaced as the drivers side works with difficulty and the passenger side no longer works. $40 to replace myself and an hours' time will remedy that.

Normal rust spots around seams and full metal rot in only two areas, one being the entire area of the passenger side tailgate hinge.

General Comments:

I very recently bought this street barge to use as a family hauler, part time poor mans RV, and main use tow vehicle for transporting my show car to and from car shows over the mileage limit I gave myself for the car.

I have had many GM trucks in the past, but this Suburban has to rank as the most versatile one of the lot. It is capable of transporting 8 adults while towing a decent sized trailer. If it were 4 wheel drive (which is within my capabilities) I could install a snowplow and salt spreader.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2004

2nd Sep 2006, 14:11

How did you go about replacing the power locks?

17th Mar 2013, 13:05

Kinda late comment, being 9 years later and all, but I like what the guy said about his GMC 'burban. Maybe that's because I too have a 1988 GMC.

Mine is K1500 - 4wd - I bought it in 1990, and still in 2013, use it a lot.

The only real problem with mine was the lousy paint. By 1998, virtually all of it was gone - even the prime coat. A couple of friends told me they thought I had camouflaged it so the guys in the black helicopters would think it was a heap of scrap iron waiting to be hauled away. I spent too much and had a good paint job done about 2001.

Now, in 2013, it still looks as good on the outside as it did when I bought it. The inside? Well, it's not as plush as it once was (I, too, have found this machine to be the most versatile rolling utensil I've ever had - hauling everything from kids going to summer camp to sacks of cement and rebar for foundation work).

I don't really use it a lot any more. I keep it mostly as an expensive convenience for when it's handy.

In reply to 17th Mar 2013, 13:05

25th Aug 2023, 19:59

I’ve had my ‘88 Chevy Suburban Silverado for 10 years, and now, in 2023 it has only 119,000 miles. This has been a great rig. It has 160 cubic feet behind the front seats, hauls as much weight as you can load, and rides like a Sedan de Ville. It is totally reliable, although I had to replace the distributor recently and I’ll be doing front bushings sooner than later. The injected 350 is surprisingly strong off the line for its weight, smooth and very quiet. I’ve repainted it the original 2 tone blue and it gets compliments frequently. I’ll take my clean classic 1988 long before a new $80,000 Suburban any day…

In reply to 17th Mar 2013, 13:05

24th Sep 2023, 14:23

I’ve had my ‘88 Chevy Suburban Silverado for 10 years, and now, in 2023 it has only 119,000 miles. This has been a great rig. It has 160 cubic feet behind the front seats, hauls as much weight as you can load, and rides like a Sedan de Ville. It is totally reliable, although I had to replace the distributor recently and I’ll be doing front bushings sooner than later. The injected 350 is surprisingly strong off the line for its weight, smooth and very quiet. I’ve repainted it the original 2 tone blue and it gets compliments frequently. I’ll take my clean classic 1988 long before a new $80,000 Suburban any day…