My 2500 Burb is the best truck I've ever owned. I beat the snot out of it, it has 170,000 miles on it, and I've spend a total of $23 in unscheduled repairs over the last three years. Everything works just as it did when it rolled out of the factory (except the stupid rear defroster). The 6.0 motor is absolutely bulletproof, and the 6L90 is a very stout gearbox.
Dragged out trailer out to Yellowstone this past July, put over 5,000 miles on it. Coming down from Powder River Pass, I had the engine spinning at 5500-6000 RPM for engine braking, I spun the A/C belt off the pulley without breaking it. The trailer is 8600 lbs, 1100-lb tongue weight, GCW of 16,000 lbs and as you can see in the pic, no WD or sway control. Using the stock hitch.
Hardest part about buying a used 2500 is actually finding one. I do occasional searches on Autotrader - less than 100k miles, sunroof, leather, and only a handful pop up across the country. Plan to travel to get one;it's unlikely you'll find one local. I had to drive three hours to Ft. Wayne to buy mine. Don't forget about the sister ship, the Yukon XL 2500.
I'll have a 2500 Suburban until the day I die. I'm actually contemplating buying a second one, and putting it in storage as my backup for when my current truck dies. They're unicorns.
ETA:
PDX.Zs wrote:
No cylinder deactivation.
12 around town. Little better freeway. 8 towing.
The good news is that it holds 40 gallons.
As an aside the GMC 2500 same vintage has the 6.3 liter Gen V small block and is good for more power stock.
Not sure what you're talking about with the last sentence. GM doesn't make a 6.3, and the 6.2 is only available in Escalades and half-ton Denalis. Both the 2007-2013 Suburban 2500 and Yukon XL 2500 get the 6.0 motor.
And I'll get 15 MPG highway driving all day at 75-80 MPH. As a goof, I did an experiment to see how far I could go on one tank. Drove 586 miles from Michigan to Tennessee before running out of gas. 586/39 = 15 MPG. If I set the cruise at 65 MPH, I'll get up to 16.