Tell me something...about 2 door tahoes

Ok, well in a couple weeks when i get back home from college Im gonna start looking for a 2 door tahoe. I love my mustang and Ive only ever driven mustangs so it'll be a switch. but i really dont know too much about the tahoes other than they look good and theyre big.

so heres what the point is. what years were they made, what are the good years for the 2 door tahoes, did they all come standard v8/4x4 or were there other options (im looking for the v8/4x4 settup, but thats beside the point), what are their strong/weak points,

and are they reliable as trucks that are gonna be driven every day, long distance driving every once in a while, the usual college driving patterns

last thing, whats an average price for them?

appriciate it guys,

-Ev

The 2door 4x4 Tahoes went out in 2000. '96 on were good years IMO. Gas mileage wasn't great but could definitely be worse. Mine got around 15-17 on hiway. It had great power, much more seat-of-the-pants power than my 4door (extra weight ??). I think most of them had the 5.7L engine. There were some 2wd but a quick look at the wheels tells. (5 hole 15's = 2wd; 6 hole 16's = 4x4)

Not sure about pricing but I got $4000 trade-in for my '96 with 160,000 miles on it.

They made the 2-door Tahoe through year 1999 in either 2 or 4wd. The 350 and automatic transmission were standard starting in 1996? Someone else can correct me on that one, but I remember earlier models were available with manual transmission and diesel engines.

That style came in 1992 and was called the Blazer, available only in 4wd with the TBI engine (don't know if the 305 was an option or not but know the 350 was). In 1995 they changed the name to Tahoe, revised the interior and added the 4-door option. 1996 added the Vortec engines and I think this is where the 350 became the only engine choice. 1997 a passenger airbag was added and little was changed through 1999 when the model was ended. The 4-doors continued through year 2000 available only as the Z-71 and Limited editions. Limiteds were 2wd only and loaded to the gills. The Z-71 editions are really sharp, you should take a look at those but they're only 4-doors.

Figure around $8000-9000 for a 2-door 4wd 1992 model with 120k+ miles. I recently saw a 1999 2-dr 4wd with 70k miles for sale at $16995 at a local Chevy dealer.

The 1996+ models would be my choice as the 350 has a bit more power (255 vs 200hp). More notable was a increase in torque. The TBI engines are a bit sluggish by today's standards, and if you're used to a Mustang you'd probably like the 350 Vortec better. They're not bad engines in daily driving and have great low-end torque. Figure 15 mpg with about a 26-gallon fuel tank.

As these are the same as the C/K pickups, you won't have that many issues with them. Of note, for the Vortec 1996-99 models, is the intake manifold gasket leaking, bad windshield wiper motor circuit board ($50), and the EVO sensor which regulates the steering effort in later models. Some have problems with the fuel pumps, but my 1998 truck went 140k miles with no issue so I don't know there.

The GMC 2-door version was the made through 1997 I think. After that only four-doors.

For a daily driver, you'd do best with a 96-99 model but, as with any car, the more miles the more likely you'll need to replace minor things. Transmission failures do not appear to be a big problem and the engine will run a good while with no major issues.

For trouble-free driving, find a low mileage (say 60k) 1998 or 99 model and figure on spending around $14-15,000. Good luck, I'm sure they're still out there! The four door models seem to be more plentiful.

i have a 1997 tahoe LT 2door Z71 4x4 with the country coach package black exterior with tan interior remote start and power every thing cd palyer, cassett player and ac very sharp 2nd owner with 118,000 on it i have had it going on three year. very dependable. i have had some suppention work done on the front, put new tires on, rebuild the transmission, and replaced the fuel pump. i have alot of people to try and buy this tahoe from me. i have been lookong at the avalanches
but i going to keep the tahoe to. to good of a vehicle to let go.

thanks guys, bit more pricey than i thought they'd be but whatever, ill work a little more this summer for it...

im thinking that the 96-99s are gonna be too much coin for me, so i think i can live with the TBI motor. (im not lookin for speed with this, it got me in too much trouble with my stang)

as for the intake gasket leak, not a big deal, ive built SBFs before so this shouldnt be too much different.

i figure im gonna try to find one at a dealership so i can trade my car in at the same time and get a better price, but ill keep everyone informed come summer.

good luck finding a good looking, well kept, pampered 2-door, but when you find it, you well love it. 4-wheel drive kicks arss, its like a big powerful wrangler. fuel pumps suck arss though. i also get about 10 mpg city.

If you are fortunate enough to find a diesel (they only made them in 2-dr for the 6.5TD), you'll be quite happy with the reliability as long as you install the remote FSD/cooler (also called PMD/cooler) which accounts for the largest percentage of engine issues. Install a Racor fuel filter (3micron or 10micron) and change the oil/filter every 3000 miles (6000-8000 if you use synthetic). I get 22 mpg on my '98 with 160k miles on it. Look to pay between $6k to $9k depending on the miles its got.