Hello!
I was told after stopping by the main new members page to say hello here as well.
Original owner of a 2004 without body hardware birch metallic Z66. The truck has always taken good care of me. Still riding with the original engine and transmission. With 197,000 miles and Michigan winters, the rocker panels and the fender panels in front of and behind the rear wheels are starting to rust bad. I have been trailering a 2010 Rockwood Roo 23ss for the past 5 years with it starting at 100,000 miles and the truck handles the towing great. (dry weight 4,500 lbs).
I'm at the crossroads of deciding whether to sell the truck or fix it. I've chosen to repair the rust and other things and continue driving it for a couple reasons. First, the cost of a replacement truck is absolutely ridiculous at this point. $20-25,000 for a comparable newer truck with 100k miles on it or $50,000 for a new one! Second, this truck was/is a beast. I swear it drives just as good as the day I bought it.
We sold another outstanding vehicle lately a 2005 Ford Explorer Limited. Instead of using that money for a down payment on a new vehicle, I'm dumping part of it into the Avalanche. Here is a list of the things I've done so far this month: used a black restorer on the outside black plastic (wow do it if yours is grey), new headlight assemblies (all four), wax and rubbed out the scratches, replaced the front grill Chevy emblem (hard to find), detail cleaned the vehicle inside and out multiple times, trans fluid service, differential fluid change, new tires, power steering fluid change, new wheel internal hub because the stabilitrax system wasn't functioning properly (pushed override button to turn it off for over a year), O2 sensor - bank 2 #2, fuel system cleaner, radiator drain and service.
Still have a few things to do: drivers seat needs cushion repaired and rips fixed ($265) radio knobs (source, volume and tuning buttons are worn). All steering wheel switch lights (the lights went out one by one). A/C climate control unit (left side light is out). Want to add Bluetooth to the factory radio. Rust is here! (under hood by latch) Slight rust on inside bottom corners of doors, outside rocker panel shot bad (going the slip on route). In front of and behind the rear wheels rusting coming quickly. Cargo area leaks (yet to figure out why) and maybe some new shocks.
Happy to be finally posting here! I love to keep my truck stock, like it kept the way I bought it. The only thing I added was an audio input plug for my phone/ipod.
to the Family Burrd!! 
