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tulsa_tahoeOP
ShotgunTulsa, OK22 posts, joined Jun 2025
said in the recall thread i would post this. 2021 Tahoe Z71, 5.3, Satin Steel, 47,600 miles at the time of the listing. the bank had it parked at a lender's lot up near Bush airport in Houston, and i bought it in may through the m&a auction. replacing a 2014 Tahoe LT with 190k that my daughter now drives to OSU.
i wanted the Z71 specifically for the two speed transfer case and the skid plates, we go to Beavers Bend and the road into the cabins gets ugly after rain. the listing had the Z71 badges, the transfer case switch with 4LO, and the Monroney window sticker photo the lender had in the file, so i knew exactly which options were on it. that last one saved me a lot of guessing.
price: $41,500 sealed bid. it is a Texas title. part 2 is the one problem i was worried about, which turned out to be a nothing, mostly.
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gm_tech_darnell
Full SizeAtlanta, GA61 posts, joined Jun 2025
let me guess the worry. the 5.3 L84 with Dynamic Fuel Management has a history of collapsed lifters. the DFM lifters that switch cylinders off are the ones that fail, and when one goes you get a tick at idle that turns into a misfire and a check engine light. at 47k it is exactly the age where we start seeing them. a fresh code scan and listening at cold idle tells you a lot.
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third_row_legroom
Tow PackagePlano, TX29 posts, joined Jun 2025
darnell is right that it is common. it is also not every engine. my Suburban 5.3 is at 31k and quiet. tulsa, did you pay somebody to listen before you bid or after?
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tulsa_tahoeOP
ShotgunTulsa, OK22 posts, joined Jun 2025
after, because you cannot really do it before on a sealed bid from 490 miles away unless you pay somebody in Houston, and i did not. i asked M and A for a cold start video and they sent one, 40 seconds from cold, no tick i could hear on my phone speaker. that is not a mechanic but it was more than nothing.
after delivery (it took 13 days, came on a car hauler to the QuikTrip on 71st because the driver would not bring the rig into my neighborhood) i took it to the Chevy dealer in Broken Arrow for a cold start and a scan. $129 for the diagnostic. no stored codes, no lifter noise, the tech said "sounds like a 5.3." i will take it.
the actual thing i had to fix was cheaper: one of the all terrains had a nail in the shoulder, too close to the sidewall to plug. $268 for a new Goodyear Wrangler Territory MT to match. annoying but it happens.
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minivan_escape
Back SeatIndianapolis, IN6 posts, joined Jul 2025
how did the Oklahoma tag agency handle the Texas title? we are in Indiana and i have read the BMV can be picky about out of state titles that come from a bank instead of a person.
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tulsa_tahoeOP
ShotgunTulsa, OK22 posts, joined Jun 2025
easier than i expected. the title came signed over by the bank with the lien released on it. i took that, the bill of sale from m&a, my insurance verification and my license to the tag agency on Memorial. Oklahoma excise tax on a used car is $20 on the first $1,500 and 3.25 percent on the rest, so on $41,500 that came to $1,320. plus the registration and title fees, about $1,430 out the door at the tag agency. 20 minutes. no inspection in Oklahoma, which helps.
i have no idea how indiana does it. check your BMV site before the truck shows up so you are not standing at the counter missing a form.
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yukon_xl_miles
Long WheelbaseAlbuquerque, NM44 posts, joined Jun 2025
one thing for the file on yours. GM put out a lot of software updates for the L84 DFM and the 10 speed over the years. next time you are at the dealer for an oil change, ask them to check for any open software campaigns on the VIN, it costs nothing and some of them smooth out the 3 to 4 shift.
