Would you buy a 20O7 Tahoe with AFM/DOD?

[c good]

I've been looking for a Tahoe. Found a nice one nearby. 224k miles. Freshly rebuilt transmission at 200k miles.

It has everything I am looking for. But....it has AFM/DOD. I've heard bad things about it.

I realize it can be physically deleted but I don't want to put that much more time and money into it.

I've also read about the electronic disable idea but it seems like troubles.

Priced at $6000. Is it worth risking it or should I look for something with no AFM?

Thanks for any input.

 

[movietvet]

In short, IMO, Not No But Hell NO!

Mainly because of the AFM. How is the frame? Rusted? Suspensions are expensive and you will have a problematic air compressor for the rear suspension components.

Plus, I would not buy any used vehicle without paperwork for repairs and maintenance. Otherwise you have no idea of the care over time.

IMO, the GMT800 Tahoe is better than the GMT900, you are thinking of. The 5.3 is a great engine if has been taken care of. The 4L60E is a great transmission, if you are easy with it and take care of it but can be beefed up if rebuilt. I have a 2005 Tahoe Z71 and with the Hellwig Performance sway bar kits, front and rear, it is fantastic. If you do buy a GMT800 Tahoe, get the 2005 or 2006 from a rust free state and have fun.

 

[azswiss]

NFW

 

[movietvet]

One other thing to look for is for broken bolt heads at the exhaust manifolds to cylinder head bolt up is. Especially the ends. If the gasket is leaking, then the access to the fix is hard sometimes and requires head removal if bad enough. Hopefully, just exhaust manifold removal. If on the ends and not leaking, there are kits that bolt on and clamp it all down. I have 2 of them on my own Tahoe.

 

[Mooseman]

Playing devil's advocate here. DOD/AFM can be disabled and can extend the life of the cam and lifters. They usually fail when they're deactivated and fail to reactivate. My son's 2012 Silvy with 5.3 still has the AFM hardware but has been tuned. Never opened or replaced anything, all original. He has over 300k km and still running.

A couple of methods to deactivate it. One is a tune, the other is an AFM disabler that plugs into the OBD port (i.e. Range). Another way to do this would be to simply unplug the vacuum sensor on the brake booster but you'll get a MIL.

And at that mileage, it may have been already repaired in the past so it may be running on "younger" parts.