Looking to buy 2004 Z66

Hi - New here!

My wife and I have been looking for a camping truck (any truck really, not necessarily an Avalanche) and something we can take on vacation a couple times a year and fit 3 kids in.  Occasional furniture purchases, home depot runs, etc.  4-5K miles a year at most.

We found an '04 Z66 w/ 127K miles that is super clean inside and out for $6K.  It's the best price in our area of any truck in as good a condition with as few miles.  Carfax/Autocheck look good minus having 4 owners (which could easily have been the same person leasing, buying and paying off the truck.  The reports count each of those title transactions as a separate owner).  It's been an Arizona / Idaho truck it's whole life. 

I plan on having the truck inspected by a reputable mechanic, but these aren't super popular around here.  Are there any problem areas I should ask him to pay close attention to?  I know the brake lines are one.
Thanks for any help!!

Hello and welcome to the group and the wonderful world of Avalanches. Take a look around in here there is a wealth of information.

First welcome to the site!

If you look at the Problems Section you can find many threads talking about various issues. The thing you need to remember is that not every AV owner is a member and of the thousands of owners who are members they don't always post especially if they are NOT having issues. You should balance the problems with other sections that discuss things like "high mileage" clubs or multiple AV ownership threads and then also the yearly posts where someone starts a rumor of a third gen AV coming out (which has come out since we learned in 2012 that 2013 was going to be the last year of production.).

Good luck with your decision.

I bought my 2004 EXT back in 2012 with 116K miles on it.

I rolled 217K miles this week.

The truck you mentioned has several good things going for it.

The main thing in my book is the fact it most likely will not suffer from rust, like so many do in other areas of the country.

That would certainly elevate the value of this truck in my book.

It is at the point where there may soon begin to see the need for some normal repairs, such as the transmission.

Those repairs would not prevent me from looking hard at buying this truck.

Being that the truck is a four wheel drive, I would like to have good look at the transfer case to make sure the fluid levels are high and the transfer case is not a victim of the dreaded transfer case rub through issue.

Almost any other problem that truck has may be related to common wear and maintenance items that should be expected with a vehicle of that age and mileage.

Those type of things do not scare me and should be expected with almost any used vehicle.

Remember, Carfax is only going to list repairs that are reported by a service shop that chooses to report such items.

Carfax will usually show repairs performed by dealerships during the time the vehicle is being repaired at their location and under warranty.

My truck has not seen a dealership service department since I have owned it.

I can assure you, my truck has had tons of quality repairs over the years that have not been reported to anyone, including some body work.

My intent is to try to repair anything as it breaks and to replace items that normally wear out due to normal use before they become a problem.

I hope to keep my EXT running for as long as I can.

It is nice that vehicle registration information is often reported.

But four owners in 15 years is not excessive, in that on average, each owner could have driven that truck for almost four years.

Best of luck with your purchase!

Thanks for all the replies. I expect will have to out $2k in repairs in the reasonble future.  It's actually a 2WD truck, so no transfer case issues. I actually already have a spare trans with 175K that came out of a good truck that can he rebuilt and swapped if needed. I'm not affraid to get my hands dirty and have mechanic friends that can help.  As well, 5.3L engine is not an expensive one to source with so many of them available. 

Regardless, all of these things are better than spending $40,000 on a new truck, especially for my intended use.  Sounds like I just needed you guys to help convince me.  As long as there's no obvious neglect or need of imediate repair, I think I'll pull the trigger on it

No_Traction said:

...  It's actually a 2WD truck, so no transfer case issues. ...

Click to expand...

Ooops!

I should remember to not post before the coffee kicks in fully.

EXT4ME said:

Ooops!

I should remember to not post before the coffee kicks in fully.

Click to expand...

I know all about that. Don't pay bills before coffee either. $50 accidentally becomes $500. 

No_Traction said:

I know all about that. Don't pay bills before coffee either. $50 accidentally becomes $500.

Click to expand...

Nope don't do anything without having numerous cups of Java Juice. 

Truck checked out great. No rust, no accident damage. No leaks, no strange noises. Rode good at highway speeds and I got him down another 10%.  . So, I bought it.  The only thing I don't like is the 20" wheels on it. But tires are new so I will be looking for a set of stock wheels, maybe second gen if they fit. 

And the adventure begins!

Sounds like you got yourself a good one.

Have fun.

No_Traction said:

Hi - New here!

My wife and I have been looking for a camping truck (any truck really, not necessarily an Avalanche) and something we can take on vacation a couple times a year and fit 3 kids in.  Occasional furniture purchases, home depot runs, etc.  4-5K miles a year at most.

We found an '04 Z66 w/ 127K miles that is super clean inside and out for $6K.  It's the best price in our area of any truck in as good a condition with as few miles.  Carfax/Autocheck look good minus having 4 owners (which could easily have been the same person leasing, buying and paying off the truck.  The reports count each of those title transactions as a separate owner).  It's been an Arizona / Idaho truck it's whole life. 

I plan on having the truck inspected by a reputable mechanic, but these aren't super popular around here.  Are there any problem areas I should ask him to pay close attention to?  I know the brake lines are one.
Thanks for any help!!

Click to expand...

How has the truck been up to now? It's interesting that your 2004 was $6K with 127,000 miles back in May 2019. I'm looking at a 2003, 180K miles, price is $5900.