We picked up a 1 year old low mileage 1999 Chevy Tahoe to replace our older full-size Ford Bronco. We went with a Tahoe over a newer Bronco based on extra cargo room, 4 doors, better engine/towing performance, overall looks, and comfort. We've been very happy with it.
Overview of vehicle being reviewed:
This is the 1999 Chevy Tahoe LS version, auto-track 4x4, Towing package (transmission cooler, lower gears, etc), rear cargo doors, rear A/C, 5.7Liter engine. We use this vehicle primary as a "3rd" extra vehicle for towing trailers, pick cargo at Lowes/Home-Depot, Hunting/outdoor trips, and vacation trips.
Interior:
When you get in the vehicle, the first thing you notice is the interior room. It's large and spacious and can carry 5 full-size adults easily on a long trip, with all their luggage. The seats are well padded and very comfortable in both the front and back. The cargo area is very large and can hold lots of luggage, etc. The cargo doors instead of the tailgate allow for much easier access to the cargo area and I would definately get this feature again.
The rear seats fold down flat for more cargo area. There is enough room for a couple of 6 foot tall adult to lay down in the back and still have room to move around a little.
The dashboard is nicely arranged. It has a nice radio with tape player and a CD player below it. This is a nice feature as you often can't have both items and have to choose. Below the radio are easy to use A/C-Heat controls. The 12volt power center is in the lower bottom area of the dash. Here you have the standard cigarette-lighter plus two extra 12volt plugs so you can plug in the cell phone, etc.
All gauges are located around the speedometer area and include a tachometer, battery, oil pressure, fuel, and water temp. I really like having the real gauges for temp and oil pressure instead of "idiot lights".
The rest of the controls are located around or near the steering wheel. Here you have the lights and the 4x4 controls, which are push button. Wipers and cruise are located on the blinker lever.
The center console is nice, large, and functionable. It has a small notepad holder that flips up to write quick notes. When flipped down it's good for sticking other loose notes under to keep them from falling everywhere. Inside there is a large compartment with a tray to put coins, nuts & bolts, etc in. There is also a dedicated coin holder for quarters, dimes, and nickels. For some reason they didn't put a place for pennies. It's spring loaded and nice for times you need to get a quarter quickly for a parking meter, toll, etc. In the front of the unit is a large area that is either a large cup holder or a music CD holder. In the rear of the area, accessible by the back seats, is another swing out cup holder (for two drinks) and a small drawer for maps or other items.
Other interior options to note is rear A/C unit. This is a second A/C unit for cooling the rear seats of the vehicle. You can control this from the front or rear seats. If you live anywhere where it gets hot, this is an option for you. Our Bronco didn't have this option and I don't think I'd ever buy another large SUV without it now. You can also get rear secondary heat as an option if you live in a cold climate.
Under the hood:
Pretty much standard issue Chevy truck here. Nothing out of the ordinary. There is a place for a second battery if you choose to add that.
The exterior:
This is a sharp truck after it's been detailed and cleaned up. It has nice lines and looks impressive. The truck has a factory roof rack that has been handy with the occasion long items such as a ladder.
Towing:
This truck tows a trailer "like a dream". The longer wheel base size over the Bronco seems to give it a better ride while towing a trailer also. When hauling a heavier trailer (several thousand pounds), the transmission changes it's shift pattern to accomodate the larger load. This is a nice feature. The large glass areas of the truck give you plenty of rear vision to see your trailer.
Brakes:
The brakes on this truck seemed a little light from the factory, but I bleed them out and adjusted the rear brakes which needed 'tightening up' a little and now it brakes much better. Factory brakes didn't even last 40,000 miles, but I was told by fellow Tahoe owners that brakes were something you'd replace often. This is to be expected with the truck being such a large and heavy SUV.
Gas Mileage:
You didn't buy this truck for the gas mileage, so you already know it's not going to be good. It seems that I get around 13mpg on the highway an worse around town. In order to keep from the shock of seeing how bad the gas mileage is, we simply don't check it. It does have a 30 gallon tank so you've always got plenty of gas.
Spare Tire:
Just a quick note that it does come with a full size spare tire. This is important if you are going to use it as a "real truck", you'll need a full size spare. Towing a trailer is not the time to have to use one of those "dounut" spares that come on smaller SUV's. The spare is mounted under the rear cargo area from the outside, so you don't waste interior cargo room with it.
Things you should know:
The first time you take it to have the tires aligned you will find out that there are knock-outs on the frame that have to be removed in order to get to the alignment settings. This is a time consuming matter for the mechanics, which to you translates to costly (time = money). It took them a few hours of labor to get these out. Luckily I'd been told about this beforehand and expected the extra expense.
Repairs (what's broken):
I thought this would be an important section to add with information about what type of repairs and issues I've had with the truck so others would know what they are getting into in purchasing it. So far I've been lucky. I've only had to repair a few things, and they were covered by factory vehicle warranty.
The release cable for the rear seats to fold down broke on Christmas Eve. The dealer was able to fix it, but it didn't look like something that would have been much fun to repair on your own.
The A/C fan has an irratating electric buzz noise if it's on the high settings. I've taken this to the local Chevy dealer twice, both times they said they fixed it and it still did it, even while still parked in the service bay. They gave excuses of "they all do that" and other comments, but they never fixed it correctly. I'm not very fond of dealer service quality and customer service anyway.
The exterior drivers door handle molding has cracked. I haven't had this replaced yet as it still works and I don't want the dealer service department to replace it with a unit with a different exterior key.
Items I wish the Tahoe had:
A friend has a truck with a 12volt plug in the center console. This would be great for plugging your cell phone into to recharge while it's in the center console. Another 12volt plug in the rear cargo compartment would be nice for other accessories.
Rear 3rd row seats, like the Suburban has would be great for those times you need to haul a few extra people. These were offered as an option on the 2000 model and they split into two seat units for easy removal by one person or fold away for more cargo room.
What I don't like:
I've got the factory alarm system which comes with keyless locks you press to lock/un-lock the vehicle. While having the security system is nice, I wish it wouldn't honk the horn every time you lock/un-lock the doors. It's nice to know that your doors are locked by the "honk", but I wish there was a quieter method such as a quieter "honk" or "chirp" than the full volume noisy horn. It's just annoying.
The new Chevy trucks have an option of a gauge on the dashboard that shows transmission fluid temperature. This would be nice when hauling/towing heavy trailers or operating under heavy conditions, such as 4x4 in heavy mud or sand. I don't know if this is an option for Tahoe's or not though.
Separate/Dual A/C controls for the front seat driver and passenger. This way the driver and passenger can both be comfortable with the air temp that is blowing on them (without arguing!).
Summary:
Now that I've had this truck for a while, I don't know what I would do without it. It's a good all purpose vehicle. For those times you really needed a pickup truck, a small utility trailer pulled behind it covers that and makes this an all-purpose vehicle. I would definately reccomend this vehicle to others.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): n/a
Condition: Used Model Year: 1999 Model and Options: 1999 Tahoe LS, auto, 4x4
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