>Own 2006 4x4 Z71 Chevy Tahoe>198,000 miles>engine tick at lower rpm's, slight underbody rust, scuffed paint.> Other than that, it drives like a dream, 16mpg master race.> Southern California based.Guide me /A/. Am I a retard for wanting to invest in a new paint job, undercoat, and some engine work to keep it as long as possible? I don't want to spend 30k+ on a newer used family mover/camping SUV.>Pic related
It'll be a fine daily, but I wouldn't go fixing shit that's not broken
>>28597853you're not retarded for keeping your current car going, the cost-to-benefit ratio to buying new vs fixing old is rarely in favour of buying new. plus keeping the SOVL of the old world alive one car at a time is your duty as a real man.
>>28597884>2006 >SOVL of the old world lmao
>>28597853After doing that on a range rover sport from 2006 I can firmly say the answer is no. Too complicated and too optimized for planned obsolescence making it a full blown ship of theseus tier restoration on top of all the troubles caused by ecu nonsense or just straight engineering retardation.I had less trouble working on a pontiac boneville 89' and I'm from Europe.
>>28597853Depends on what you mean by Restoring. If you're just gonna fix the ticking issue then I see no problem. If we're talking a full engine rebuild because of that issue, it's still worth it, but the pill is gonna be the size of an egg for how much it's gonna hurt you to swallow it. Undercoating is meh, I don't see why you would need it in cali, it's a need in northern states where they salt the roads, but unless Cali salts the roads when it gets bellow 70 just in case a snowstorm rolls in you're gonna be fine, if anything getting the rust repaired/replaced might be a better use of your money. Leave the paint job alone, no one's gonna care, and that money can be better spent in some other issue, cause 20 year old car, it's gonna have a lot of plastic shit that will need replacing.For example, I had a 2003 Tribute, that was giving me problems with air hoses, I would replace one, and another would start leaking. It was then I realized that by fixing the leak and putting the system at full pressure again, another hose would be weak enough that it would crack, and we're back to square one. replaced all the hoses one day and no problems ever since, I've replaced radiators that have plastic intakes for the hoses, and the plastic was so brittle you could just tear it with your hand, so if any plastic is easily replaceable, I would advice that instead.
>>28597853>invest in a new paint job, undercoat, and some engine work to keep it as long as possibleAll of this will be cheaper than a new car
>>28597853>engine tick at lower rpm'sThrow some Liqui Moly MOS2 or Ceratec in there next oil change. How's the oil pressure doing at idle?>slight underbody rustFluid film the entire thing, get a 360 degree wand to go in the frame rails and rockers as well (you'll want an air compressor). If any visible rocker/quarter rust is there you can POR-15 and then patch over it if it's not too bad (yes, removing and welding in a new panel is best but this is assuming a quick and easy fix for the minor rocker rot these all have)>scuffed paintWho cares? Especially if it's a Z71, just go on some tight off road trails and get it all pinstriped and you'll look cooler. Assuming California, if it really looks like trash with peeling clearcoat then I'd imagine you can find some Mexican to give it a half decent paintjob for cheap. I don't think it's going to be worth paying the $5-10k for a "showroom" quality paintjob otherwise.Drain and fill the old transmission fluid while you're doing all that, since heat and old oil are what really kills the old 4Lslippy as well.
>>28597853Forget the paint-job, right now. It's a low-value beater, that's holding it's own, but a 200K, you're saving JIC money, for popped radiators, front suspension rebuilds, etc. Just be glad it's treating you good and make sure the driveline is healthy.
>>28597923He's kind of right, it's the last model year of GMT800
>>28597970But OP's car is closer to Pontiac than to RR Sport
i wouldnt worry about the engine but the 4L60E in those are made of glass. Get a performance rebuild and TCM tune for it to firm up the shifts and make the dogshit shift map less short-shifty.
Has any car not in a salt state ever seriously rusted without being in a field for 30 years?
>>28597853>newer usedI would fix it, the newer ones are built like shit and since you're going to buy used you'll get the same issues but in just 5 years.
>>28598574South Texas.Morning dew is closer to morning deluge with the volume of it and it has salt from the gulf air and contaminants from the refineries so the cars down there dissolve from the top-down rather than the bottom-up of road salt states. Cars will have rusted out windshield and rear glass openings. Trunk openings will also be rusted out too. Both will eventually lead to rusted out side panels at the bottom and floor pans due to rain intrusion from the rust holes up top. Further, that dew acts like a magnifier when the sun comes up which cooks the paint right off the roof, hood, and trunk.
>>28598574Yup.
>>28597853Mines a 2wd 2002 with the L59 flex fuel 5.3. engine dropped a timing chain at 387k, put in a free motor with 330k and it now has 420k on it. Run some mmo in the fuel, measure it out you need to run it for probably 3-5k miles, you'll see your fuel economy improve. Heads have to come off for the lifter tick, I wouldn't bother. I'd do a timing chain when you do the water pump assembly. Transmission is weak. Always use genuine dexron 6, no multi fluid from an auto parts store. lots of updates from sonnax, always use tow/haul when towing and keep it out of 4th with a camper or enclosed trailer. I use whatever cheapest LT rated tires I can find and I've never had a problem with blowouts. High center mount tail lamp will go out and cause cruise to stop working, compressor is in a bad spot to replace the clutch and magnet. Pcv can cause oil consumption issues, some are made into the valve cover, just go to the pull a part and get one that's replaceable with the rubber grommet. People complain about the ball joints but I haven't had to do mine yet. Not much to 'restore', just drive it.
>>28597853Bro I have a 20 year old hyundai that I still dump money into to keep running. Your Tahoe is a no brainer. Maintain it, give her the love and attention she deserves and she can last your entire lifetime. In the end it’s way cheaper to keep an old vehicle running than buy new as long as you have the skills to do most of the work yourself. The most important part is starting off with a solid car that doesn’t need a shit ton of work, which it sounds like yours doesn’t.
>>28597853mine is 2003 with 220k on the clock, every time I have to repair it which is not often, I always think about how a monthly car payment is ass and new GM is junk.
>>28597853It's a based car and there won't be many left in the near future, so save it while you can.
>>28597853Paint job, noEngine repair, yesUndercoating, idk I’m a southerner
>>28597853Absolutely, there's no better feeling.Old analogue bof suvs are kino, even more with V8s.
>>28597853fix the engine stuff maybe, otherwise I wouldn't fix stuff that isn't broken.Forget the paint job as well, at least for now. I think you'd be surprised how much better it could look with just a bit of detailing. A good wash, clay bar, use some meguiar's compound on the paint if the clear coat isn't totally gone, and keeping it clean and waxed should go a long way. They also make some plastic trim restorer stuff you can use on the exterior plastics to make them look kinda new again.If the headlights are fogged you can try restoring them, or just replace the lens.If you do all that it'll look and feel way better and you'll only be in a couple hundred
>>28597923Nearly two decades ago to the day son, it's old now.
Fix anything that affects driveability and keep on truckin. I've been looking around for gmt800 Hoe for $5k. They seem to be holding their value pretty well unless they have 300k+ miles.
>>28597970>After doing that on a range rover sport from 2006 I can firmly say the answer is no.Theres a world of difference in easy of repair and reliability between an early 2000s GM and a fucking range rover
>>28597853That thing will kick ass until you're an old man
>>28597923yeah whether you like it or not, 2006 will soon be 20 years ago.
