What to look for in a used Trailblazer? Or other 360's..

[Voymom]

Mat and I are looking at a 2003 TB LTZ with 165K miles. I know the U-joints are bad and that's about it. The truck has been kept in good maintenance aside from the U-joints, the seller doesn't wish to repair it because he wants to sell it as is.

He is wanting $7,000 but both Nada and KBB place it at between $3900 for fair condition and $4500 for good condition as a private party sale. Mat and I plan on offering $4000 IF everything else mechanically appears to be in good working order. The seller has already expressed that he is willing to take a lower offer, just not sure how low yet...Do you think $4000 is a fair starting price? We won't offer anything over $4500

What bad noises should we be listening for in the engine? What type of vibrations should we be watchful of. The truck has a vibration and clunk when going from reverse to drive, which from my reading and research can be caused by failing U joints. Mat and I really don't have anyone here to help us shop around. We have looked at a lot of trucks so far but everyone has them WAY over priced and none of them are being flexible we have a small budget to work with.

Any advice, tips, tricks that any of you can think of that we should be trying or looking for please let us know.

Also, if ANYONE is near Mchenry Illinois area and willing to check out another TB for us we would really appreciate it. I would hate to drive the 5-6 hours one way for a dud, if so I will gladly repay you with beer and cupcakes at the big midwest meet this year

 

[CaptainXL]

Mat and I are looking at a 2003 TB LTZ with 165K miles. I know the U-joints are bad and that's about it. The truck has been kept in good maintenance aside from the U-joints, the seller doesn't wish to repair it because he wants to sell it as is.

He is wanting $7,000 but both Nada and KBB place it at between $3900

STOP

Couple points here.

1. 165K is a lot of miles for any vehicle. Sure the engines can probably reach into the 250K+ range but higher mileage means less useable life left for you. There are just too many out there with less mileage for a fair price.
2. Always, always check compression on a higher mileage vehicle. I don't care if the car is wrapped in roses and spotless. I just learned this lesson.
3. The price he is asking is outrageous. Go to Edmunds.com and get the TrueMarket value before even attempting to deal.
4. If the vehicle is overpriced and there needs to be major work done to it then that's a RED FLAG. Either the seller is lazy or is trying to pull a fast one on the first biting customer.

A vehicle that has higher mileage and is in need of work (no matter how forthright the owner is) the less value the vehicle has.

Too many RED FLAGS here. If nothing else please have a mechanic take a look at it before buying. Never take the sellers word for it. Ask for the Carfax as well. This way you know what your getting into.

 

[Sparky]

Uh, I paid less than that for my truck over 2 years ago with far fewer miles. The guy is a little nuts if he thinks he can get $7k for a 165k mile 10 year old truck

 

[CaptainXL]

Uh, I paid less than that for my truck over 2 years ago with far fewer miles. The guy is a little nuts if he thinks he can get $7k for a 165k mile 10 year old truck

Well they say the used car market is pretty thin. And there is so much demand that perhaps used car prices are still on the rise? But yeah in this case this is nuts.

I bought my 05 Envoy XL SLE for $8000 on January 15th 2011. I see the same 05 Envoys selling now for between 9K-12K depending if they have the 5.3 or not. Crazy stuff the market is. Don't even get me started with 06 Envoys. Those can go for over 15K easy.

 

[seanpooh]

Yeah, the seller is asking for way too much for the miles it has. My Envoy has 161K miles and I know what parts I replaced and the money put into it.

If I were to sell my Envoy, I'd probably get $4000, $6000 max if dents were fixed and buffed up nice. My father bought it brand new in 2002 fully loaded for $50K. People just drop their jaw when I tell them that while looking at her...

At that milage for that year, fan clutch, water pump, tranny, all bushings and sway bar link would most likely need servicing. That's just some stuff. Sensors might need to be changed too. If it has 4WD (I didn't see it stated anywhere) you have to check for leaky seals, fluids are changed if the seller actually took care and kept fluid in.

It sounds like you were with the vehicle already... try to ask the seller for a list of maintenance s/he has done or at least a summary.

Just take your time with this sale and don't rush into it. Shop around a little more.

 

[mnypitTBEXT]

WOW, that asking price is way high. I have seen that exact vehicle with similar miles for $1500 in extremely good condition. I think $4500 is too high to be honest. I am thinking $3000 would be a good place to start.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Might not take much more than that to buy mine

 

[Voymom]

Thank you everyone, I do appreciate all the feed back I can get, however we cannot find a TB or Envoy for our price range in what Mat wants. We have a very strict WILL NOT and CAN NOT go over $5000.00 budget, not even by $20 bucks. We have not been able to find anything under $7k TB/Envoy wise in IA. I can't travel far either as that will take away from what we can spend on a vehicle for Mat. Here even the LS's are going for $4-$5k with close to 200k miles on them and a lot of them are either salvaged, branded titles or have had major engine/transmission work done to them.

Mat really wants an LTZ and there just isn't a whole lot here to choose from. We have checked our local papers, craigslist, autotrader, edmonds, those for sale magazines that are usually free at gas stations and there really isn't much here. All the dealer prices are of course 2x as high as what private sellers are asking. I can post a few examples if need be. I'm really not trying to make excuses, but there really isn't much for us to choose from.

Hell I remember back when I was a teen I could buy cars and trucks for $500-$600 bucks but apparently that's not going to happen lol.

 

[mnypitTBEXT]

Thank you everyone, I do appreciate all the feed back I can get, however we cannot find a TB or Envoy for our price range in what Mat wants. We have a very strict WILL NOT and CAN NOT go over $5000.00 budget, not even by $20 bucks. We have not been able to find anything under $7k TB/Envoy wise in IA. I can't travel far either as that will take away from what we can spend on a vehicle for Mat. Here even the LS's are going for $4-$5k with close to 200k miles on them and a lot of them are either salvaged, branded titles or have had major engine/transmission work done to them.

Mat really wants an LTZ and there just isn't a whole lot here to choose from. We have checked our local papers, craigslist, autotrader, edmonds, those for sale magazines that are usually free at gas stations and there really isn't much here. All the dealer prices are of course 2x as high as what private sellers are asking. I can post a few examples if need be. I'm really not trying to make excuses, but there really isn't much for us to choose from.

Hell I remember back when I was a teen I could buy cars and trucks for $500-$600 bucks but apparently that's not going to happen lol.

Sorry to hear that. Here in FL, I can pick up just about any model of 360 and any trim level in the $3000 range with just about 100k. I had mine for sale with 76k on it, 05 EXT LT 5.3l, immaculate condition for $10,000 and didnt get one phone call. When we were looking to trade it in on a car for the wife, I actually advertised it for a couple days at $7995 and still got no calls. I was going to pick up a Suburban or 3/4 ton extended cab pickup to tow our boat, but wasnt gonna give it away. I guess I should ship it up there to sell it.

Well, good luck in your search. For me it seems like the suspension, especially front, and the brakes are what to look at most. Make sure your fluids look clean. Check out the records etc. These things are relatively reliable.

 

[fletch09]

Mat and I are looking at a 2003 TB LTZ with 165K miles. I know the U-joints are bad and that's about it. The truck has been kept in good maintenance aside from the U-joints, the seller doesn't wish to repair it because he wants to sell it as is.

He is wanting $7,000 but both Nada and KBB place it at between $3900 for fair condition and $4500 for good condition as a private party sale. Mat and I plan on offering $4000 IF everything else mechanically appears to be in good working order. The seller has already expressed that he is willing to take a lower offer, just not sure how low yet...Do you think $4000 is a fair starting price? We won't offer anything over $4500

What bad noises should we be listening for in the engine? What type of vibrations should we be watchful of. The truck has a vibration and clunk when going from reverse to drive, which from my reading and research can be caused by failing U joints. Mat and I really don't have anyone here to help us shop around. We have looked at a lot of trucks so far but everyone has them WAY over priced and none of them are being flexible we have a small budget to work with.

Any advice, tips, tricks that any of you can think of that we should be trying or looking for please let us know.

Also, if ANYONE is near Mchenry Illinois area and willing to check out another TB for us we would really appreciate it. I would hate to drive the 5-6 hours one way for a dud, if so I will gladly repay you with beer and cupcakes at the big midwest meet this year

damn, wish i would have seen this earlier, i made deliveries in this area today with my TB. could have checked it out and taken pics for you.
will be in that area next thurs. if your still interested next wed, pm me w/ address. and BEER would just fine

 

[05EnvoyXL]

I spent $7000 with taxes and fees for my Envoy with 100, 250 miles on it. I put easily another $1500 with 4 new tires brakes n rotars all the way around, major tuneup (except for tans and diff service....thats up next), new idler pulley and other trim pieces that were broken. prolly addoing another $500 with the water pump, t-stat, coolant sensor belt and labor with a friend of mine. Add maybe $200 more for a trans and differential service. Only reason i spent this much so far was the (relatively) low miles. Took a chance on this truck and so far its paid off. IF it didnt have that low miles i wouldnt of even bothered with this truck and passed on it. to me miles is everything.

 

[Voymom]

Well we just got home with Mat's new truck. He got a 2002 LTZ NOT the original one I had mentioned in the original post here but pretty much it's twin. It is high mileage but it has impeccable service records and maintenance history for everything, including copies of tickets for the owner being pulled over to fix his brake lights.

It did have 163k miles, there is obviously more one it now since we drove it 2 hours back home, and it is dark green. The only thing it needs is new buttons on the stereo and an updated stereo since it isn't bose. Other than that it is in really good shape. I know we probably took a loss, but all in all it is Mat's vehicle and now with 2 vehicles in the house life will be much easier.

This one also does NOT need u joints lol

 

[CaptainXL]

Receipts aside. Did you get a mechanic to look at it and get a compression test?

Remember what I said earlier. Dont soley trust the word of the seller no matter how honest or forthright they may seem.

How much was it?

Respectfully I cant say that was a smart purchase. There are many others out there with less mileage.

 

[Voymom]

Receipts aside. Did you get a mechanic to look at it and get a compression test?

Remember what I said earlier. Dont soley trust the word of the seller no matter how honest or forthright they may seem.

How much was it?

Respectfully I cant say that was a smart purchase. There are many others out there with less mileage.

Yes and no and we got it for $2800

Edit- Not trying to be short or rude, just extremely tired and my McDonald's french fries are getting cold lol

 

[CaptainXL]

Yes and no and we got it for $2800

Edit- Not trying to be short or rude, just extremely tired and my McDonald's french fries are getting cold lol

Thats not too bad. Edmunds says $2300 for average condition for a 4×4 LTZ. Assuming the tires are in good shape and the previous owner just fixed a ton of stuff and its in average to good condition, I would say $2800 is a fair price.

 

[Yacdogg]

i've got my TB 6-8 months ago, and paid $10,000 with 68,000 miles

 

[Voymom]

Thats not too bad. Edmunds says $2300 for average condition for a 4×4 LTZ. Assuming the tires are in good shape and the previous owner just fixed a ton of stuff and its in average to good condition, I would say $2800 is a fair price.

Really? We ran Edmunds and it came up as Dealer retail at $4798 and Private Party was $3569 and Clean trade in $2851....NADA was a bit higher and so was KBB.

Technically he could have asked WAY more for it. I think we got a fair price and we got ALL the service records including the inspection papers from the factory before it hit the dealership as a brand new truck in 2002, we have flush records, oil records, filter records, we are the 3rd owners.

Some pictures...

View attachment 26333

View attachment 26334

 

[CaptainXL]

Edmunds says $3821 with heated seats and sunroof. My earlier estimate of $2800 was done using my zip code and no options. Hope I didnt startle you too much. Lol. Sorry.

But it looks nice. I am seeing signs of it being shacked up most winters. Passenger seat looks a lot newer. Pray it wasnt used as a family go-getter and those are highway miles. Any sign of kids having been in the back? Front end looks repainted. I see no big chips from road rash on the hood.

 

[Voymom]

Edmunds says $3821 with heated seats and sunroof. My earlier estimate of $2800 was done using my zip code and no options. Hope I didnt startle you too much. Lol. Sorry.

But it looks nice. I am seeing signs of it being shacked up most winters. Passenger seat looks a lot newer. Pray it wasnt used as a family go-getter and those are highway miles. Any sign of kids having been in the back?

No signs of kids being toted in it, no stains, tears, rips or fading and no dents in the leather from car seats. The lighting could be making the passenger seat look a different color as well. And no didn't startle me, I was just baffled because it has everything except the entertainment console. We also got the document fee's waived as well since it is utterly stupid to pay $150 for paper

I think we did pretty good, it may not be up to everyone's standards but it gets him out of my truck so that I can attend school and FINALLY work out of the house and not have to worry about him getting to work on time, especially now since they switched his shifts.

 

[jrSS]

Sweet ride!!

 

[Short Bus]

Sweet ride!!

I really like the interior Any plans for mods?

 

[Matt]

Good looking ride...although I'm a bit biased, 02 LTZ black.

Being the LTZ it should have the bose 6 disc with the amp and 6 speakers in it. If Mat wants to do the LED upgrade with the exterior lights, be careful with the park/indicators...they may be SRCK instead of "normal" 3157. Seems some of the early models like mine got whatever put in them.

 

[willn513]

I love it! I have always liked the green over tan. Congrats on the new ride I'm not sure about other parts of the country, but here in southern Ohio getting that thing for under $3k is a steal. Good job.

 

[meerschm]

Very nice.

I think you got a fine deal.

we can ask again in a couple years.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

It looks really nice. Fair price too.

 

[05EnvoyXL]

Thats a sweet ride. i LOVED the LTZ TB in i think thats forest green metalic if im correct? i used to detail those at a local chevy dealer by me. Congrats on the new arrival. shes beautiful!!

 

[mnypitTBEXT]

Now that is more the pricing I would expect for a nice one with those miles. That other person is out of their mind asking $7000.

 

[Sparky]

First mod - pull the running boards, lol

I approve of the color! I might be just a little bit biased

 

[Voymom]

Thanks everyone! I think the first mod we are going to do to it is give it a bath lol it got pretty filthy driving home last night. I think the running boards will be coming off and going to stormsurge but of course it is the hubby's truck so whatever he does to it is his choice. I will just be the supportive wife, he still has to install my valentine's day gift in my truck so until that get's done he isn't allowed to mod his

 

[Jkust]

Love the look of the truck. Sounds like you got a great deal on it. I see these high mile stories and just makes me feel good knowing they last and I won't have to buy another suv for a long time.

 

[Short Bus]

Thanks everyone! I think the first mod we are going to do to it is give it a bath lol it got pretty filthy driving home last night. I think the running boards will be coming off and going to stormsurge but of course it is the hubby's truck so whatever he does to it is his choice. I will just be the supportive wife, he still has to install my valentine's day gift in my truck so until that get's done he isn't allowed to mod his

Did he get you the vibrating seat? :wootwoot:

 

[amweaver47]

Looks like a pretty nice one. Definitely lose the front lisence plate bracket and running boards, just my 2 cents. Good luck with it.

 

[johnstonjohnr]

Sharp lookin truck…me likes!!!!

 

[Voymom]

Looks like a pretty nice one. Definitely lose the front lisence plate bracket and running boards, just my 2 cents. Good luck with it.

Legally we have to run a license plate on the front of our vehicles in Iowa so I think he is keeping it on there.

 

[Voymom]

Did he get you the vibrating seat? :wootwoot:

Well...not a vibrating seat, but what he got me does indeed vibrate

 

[Denali n DOO]

Well...not a vibrating seat, but what he got me does indeed vibrate

Soooooo.............are we suppose to guess? Lol, maybe a Wee Vibe 3?

Nice truck Phantom! I like that color. Sure is a clean good looking truck. I'm sure we'll be seeing and learning more about it when you start a few mods to customize it your way. Looking forward to those threads.

Enjoy your new ride

 

[amweaver47]

Legally we have to run a license plate on the front of our vehicles in Iowa so I think he is keeping it on there.

Didn't even think about that. I'm so glad we don't need the front plates here, I think they look like chit...

Edit: Plus I just noticed that I don't know how to spell license. But I can tell you about rhetoric in American literature. Gotta love our education system.

 

[Voymom]

Didn't even think about that. I'm so glad we don't need the front plates here, I think they look like chit...

Edit: Plus I just noticed that I don't know how to spell license. But I can tell you about rhetoric in American literature. Gotta love our education system.

My husband and I both agree that the front plates look stupid. I think he is going to take the holder off and just attach the plate to the bumper instead.

Not being able to spell license isn't that bad, it's better than trying to argue with a cop that Envoy is spelled with an E and not an O, of course since he has the almighty power over everyone he was right

 

[amweaver47]

My husband and I both agree that the front plates look stupid. I think he is going to take the holder off and just attach the plate to the bumper instead.

Not being able to spell license isn't that bad, it's better than trying to argue with a cop that Envoy is spelled with an E and not an O, of course since he has the almighty power over everyone he was right

I feel a little better now. At least mine has never been called a TraleBlazar

 

[Short Bus]

Well...not a vibrating seat, but what he got me does indeed vibrate

You know the rules, we need pics!!!