I may get TS'd. I've certainly abandoned my last remaining liberal principles

[OmahaBlueDog]

I bought Mrs. OBD a 1997 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Diesel for Valentines Day.

Last Sunday & Monday, I drove it from Long Island to Omaha. Out of spite, it broke down 20 miles from home (fuel pump module, we think).

If you live in the greater Omaha area, you should soon notice signifigant warming and accute fuel shortages.

[LeftyMom]

1. It's a diesel.

You can run it on biodiesel with no alteration at all, or with a little tinkering on straight veggie oil. No compromising needed. :D

[OmahaBlueDog]

2. That thought did occur to me

I will be trying some biodiesel once we get this beast running. The greasecar route isn't a bad thought, but I asked around, and most of the used veggie oil around here is spoken for (farmers use it to heat livestock barns, among other things).

[Chemical Bill]

15. Get yer biodiesel here...

http://www.biodiesel.org/buyingbiodiesel/retailfuelingsites/biomaps/biomaps.shtm#

[OmahaBlueDog]

18. I see b20 at the Sapp Bros (aka the coffee pot)

They have a water tower made up to look like an old time percolator.

I'm told I'm better off going to the truck stops for my fuel anyway.. they move the diesel, and water doesn't accumulate.

[csziggy]

3. If Mrs. OBD has a need for a heavy duty vehicle to haul people and stuff

A Suburban is a great one. I prefer gas ones - diesels and I don't seem to get along - but most of the last 30 years my main farm vehicle has been a Suburban. I have to have a 2500 for the towing capacity; 1500s just can't pull a trailer packed with horses (full my trailer probably weighs nealy six tons).

You just can't beat a Suburban!

[OmahaBlueDog]

9. We don't currently trailer anything

We wanted the excessive interior room and the luggage racks. However, it did occur to us that the nearest IKEAs are in M/SP or suburban Chicago; we certainly should be able to tow a big U-haul loaded with DIY furniture.

[csziggy]

14. Oh any kind of hauling - we've stuffed ours full of furniture

It is amazing how much you can get in the truck itself without having to hassle with a trailer! Especially that flat pack IKEA stuff. We brought back the wardrobes for our closet in the truck - three floor to ceiling cabinets with doors and drawers in addition to some other stuff for the kitchen and library. Besides, the way IKEA works, you could go, pack the truck with stuff, order things that are not in stock and just make another trip.

One trip to pick up furniture for our new house, we took the horse trailer since we were bringing back an entire bedroom. Everything fit inside the truck except the dresser and we probably could have gotten it in there if we had put the luggage on the roof. But since we had the trailer, we put it in there.

With the far back seat removed and the back seat down, you have a clear 4x8 foot space that is nearly four feet tall. You can get a whole lot of stuff in that area.

But if you think you will need a trailer at any point, get a hitch installed if the truck does not already have one. U-haul gouges for their temporary hitches and they are not as strong as a real Reese type hitch.

Enjoy!

[old mark]

4. Not a suburban, but we traded our 2 "normal" cars in for an old

Hyundai Santa Fe, our first SUV. We loved it immediately, and it keeps getting better.

It has really proved itself in the recent snow.
My nice jewish liberal wife said yesterday she never wants a smaller car again.

mark

[hayu_lol]

5. LOL...Blue Dogs...

have no liberal tendencies to start with.

[OmahaBlueDog]

10. I mostly think of myself as a Blue Dog

My nice Republican neighbors think I'm somewhere between Trotsky & Mao.

...and now, I'm going to be that commie with the diesel engine that wakes everyone up at 6:30 AM. The thought just warms me from head to toe.

[nickinSTL]

7. Santa Fe's are decent

Mine is a 2001, and once all of the annoying problems (mostly with the stupid programming that told it to go into "safe mode" anytime there was any problem) were fixed, it's been great.

The 4WD works great in snow, too.

Only time I've had problems in snow/ice was driving to Florida a few years ago after a major ice storm. Going through Memphis was a nightmare - they had done pretty much nothing to deal with the roads. But that was ice, and a lot of it. Most of the time, it's great.

I bought it because I was sick of my tires spinning every time it rained in my Toyota Corolla.

uh, I mean when I was driving my Corolla in the rain...it wasn't raining INSIDE the Corolla

[Gidney N Cloyd]

11. Been looking at those to replace my Vue-- what's the diff between a Santa Fe and a Tuscon?

[nickinSTL]

13. basically, Santa Fes are bigger.

When the Santa Fe first came out, it was considered to be in the same class as the RAV4, CRV, VUE, etc., but then they decided to put out the Tucson, and bump the Santa Fe to the next larger class.

AFAIK, the Santa Fe isn't any bigger than it used to be (though I might be wrong about that), but the Tucson now fills the "compact SUV" slot for Hyundai.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

6. This Suburban, was it pink? You know, for Valentine's day

Nothing says "I love you" like a big honkin' diesel engine. Better than going to Jared. Healthier than chocolate.

I wonder if Mrs Bozo would like a Harley, maybe a nice old knucklehead.

:hi:

[OmahaBlueDog]

8. It's like a light burgundy -- close enough

We figured she can cart the kids to & from school in any weather, and we can take it on the great American road trips.

You can always justify a Harley on its American manufacture (Wisconsin NEEDS jobs) and fine fuel economy.

[mopinko]

12. my 1993 is still going strong

at 287,000 miles. i would drive it anywhere.

[jmowreader]

16. Make sure you put lubricity enhancer in your fuel

The diesel your truck was designed for was "low sulfur diesel" (LSD)--up to 500ppm sulfur. The diesel they sell now is "ultra low sulfur diesel"--no more than 15ppm. Sulfur lubricates your engine's internal working parts, so if you're running ULSD you're going to get more engine wear than you counted on.

There are two cures to this problem. Both work.

First, you can go to the nearest Chevy dealer and buy a new engine, plus a diesel particulate filter for the exhaust system. This will cost you...oh, about three times what the truck itself did.

The other option is to go to either Flying J (I-80 exit 432) or Sapp Bros (exit 440) and purchase some of either Diesel Treat, Howes Meaner Power Kleener or Lucas Fuel Treatment. Put some of that shit in the tank before you fill up, and your engine will last a LOT longer. You also need an antigel for cold weather--never add both because antigel has lubricity enhancer in it. You won't hurt anything but it's like wearing a belt and suspenders.

[OmahaBlueDog]

17. Thanks. I will!

I live close to both Flying J and the Coffee Pot, so I'll get some additive next time I'm by.

[Crazy Dave]

19. It's your fuel money not mine

$10 a week for gas with my Tacoma xtra cab and so far no break downs ever for over six years that I've had it.

And no recalls...yet.

BTW - Bryan Sr. High grad 1981 :hi:

[OmahaBlueDog]

20. Yeah, but I have seating for like...what...50 maybe

what is fuel economy and reliability compared to that?