While large, truck-based SUVs have moved upmarket into luxury territory in today’s marketplace, there was a time when they were considered to be a job site-rated truck that pull double duty as a family hauler. Chevrolet’s “Square Body” Suburbans were some of the most durable and adaptable trucks ever made. While good examples are hard to find, there are still a few bargains out there. Check out this 1987 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 for sale on eBay in Couer d’Alene, Idaho. With just 79K miles on the odometer and in very good condition, is this 4WD beast the perfect opportunity to add a real sport utility vehicle to your stable? Will the bidding go higher than the current $9,800?
For those used to the rear-wheel sport utilities offered today, there is a major difference between your grocery-getter and a Square Body Suburban. Both can be great transportation, outfitted to a luxurious standard, and hold a lot of stuff. There is where the comparison ends. A Suburban of this vintage is the seventies and eighties truck from stem to stern. It is a meat axe of a vehicle compared to the electronics-laden luxury beasts that stalk the roadways today.
That can be good and that can be bad. Modern vehicles are packed with safety features that were just getting started when this vehicle was built. Airbags, four-wheel anti-lock brakes, lane assist, collision avoidance alarms, and traction control are not present. The good news is that the simple body-on-frame construction, chassis that would do a school bus proud, and the most proven drivetrain on the planet make this Suburban a vehicle that can serve decades without complaint if it is cared for and maintained.
Another thing to remember here is that the Square Body Suburban made its debut in 1973. It was little changed by the time this last year’s model rolled off the line. That means the fit and finish were roughly equal to a seventies product. Panels were not designed to fit seamlessly for example. The next-generation Suburban was much more car-like in its build quality. The upside to how these trucks were built is that they are easy to work on and most of the parts would be considered too heavily built by modern manufacturing standards.
Finding one with relatively low mileage is difficult, but this 1987 Suburban shows that it is still possible. The seller tells us that this truck has just 79,089 miles on the odometer. These are five-digit odometers. The good news is that looking at the upholstery, steering wheel, and pedals reveals no indication that this is the second time around. The exterior has been professionally repainted in what we assume is the same white that it left the factory in. This truck is so plain looking on the outside that it would be tempting to print up some magnetic signs to stick on the door reading such things as “Nuclear Regulatory Commission-Stay Back 100 feet!” or “Official Vehicle -Office of Strategery.” Maybe I shouldn’t have added those thoughts…
Regardless, a look at the interior shows that the truck has been relatively well cared for. The cloth seats seem free of rips and tears. The dash is crack free as well. A few trim pieces are missing from the door panel, and the picture below reveals a missing armrest pad. One of the pictures also reveals that the headliner is missing, and the seller tells us that there is a crack in the windshield. Besides those easy-to-remedy annoyances, nothing major seems out of place. We can also see that cruise control, power windows, and power door locks were included.
Under the hood is the standard 350 cubic inch small block V-8. This is mildly surprising. One would think this would be a 454 cubic inch big block equipped vehicle, considering it is a 2500 and is a four-wheel drive. For everything but towing it is just as well that it has a small block. Fuel mileage is likely now in the double digits. At any rate, we can see that power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning are part of the package. The seller claims that the truck runs and drives great.
Overall, it is a nice Suburban despite needing a few items. The money you save on payments would offset the fuel and maintenance bill. These are really good trucks. They are crude by today’s SUV standards. However, you’ll soon see why people love them if you buy it.
Say it with me now,
Repainted.
Vehicles.
Are.
Not.
Survivors.
If I remember correctly, a ‘Survivor’ class vehicle must have 85% of the original paint…
I don’t know.
More photos might help (:
That is sweet.
I like it. Pretty plain, so it does look like a municipal service or gubment vehicle of some sort. I think 1987 350’s would’ve had throttle body injection. I like those motors. I’ve had several. Lots of torque but no point revving the engine much over 3500 rpm or so because it won’t do much besides make more noise lol. Should be adequate if this burb has 3:73’s or 4:10 gearing.
I missed out on a similar truck with a 4 speed manual recently. It was a 2500 2wd. I wanted it for the mere fact that it was a stick shift suburban. There can’t be a ton of manual equipped burbs still out there. 350 and a heavy duty 4 speed should last a long time if treated well were my thoughts.
It’s actually about as plush as that generation Suburban got, at least on the inside. I don’t think there was a wheel upgrade from those white steelies and dog dish hubcaps on 2500s, and the fridge white paint adds to the institutional vibe but believe me those ones were a LOT plainer than these.
Kid I knew’s parents had one of these, a true base model, and among other features it lacked was a headliner. As in, you could look up in the back seat and see the outer roof skin and its’ supporting ribs. That made it plainer than my dad’s ’79 Sierra regular-cab pickup since that had a double-skinned metal cab roof with a layer of insulation between. It was a mercy GM didn’t leave the base Suburban inner roof in primer!
Yes they did offer a full wheel cover for the 16″ wheels, at least on the R2500 2wd ones. My ’90 had a set, I still have them. Since the 4x4s had manual hubs, they might not have offered the full wheel cover on them.
I saw a 4×4 4spd at the grocer while back. Beautiful outdoorsmans rig. I think it may have been the heavy chasis 3/4 ton to boot 🙌
The square body Suburban was made through the 1991 model year; the ’92s were the new generation GMT 400 series. My family had a 1990 version of this Burb, but ours was a 2wd R2500( the carryover models were R/V instead of C/K). Ours was white with light metallic blue on the sides. The white on the top had been repainted, and the front fenders and hood paint was going bad like the early ’90s truck white paint did. That blue velour upholstery looks very familiar as that’s what our Burb had. We drove it many a mile, for eleven years, until the in tank fuel pump went out. Till then, it was a good ol’ truck, hauled everything we asked it to. The only thing I didn’t like about it was the Turbo 400 transmission…not because it wasn’t sturdy enough, but because with no overdrive and 4.10 rear axle, the TBI 350 didn’t have too much left after about 60mph. By comparison, my 400 series Vortec 5.7 trucks with overdrive automatics will cruise all day at 75; doesn’t take much coaxing to get them there either! And my one ton crew cab has 4.10 gears in its full floating rear axle….
That ’90 Burb is the only one of our many square body Burbs I miss; the others all came to us in “work truck” shape and needed a lot of stuff done to them. I wrenched a lot on it, including rebuilding the front end(with some help and guidance from Dad). That helped it a lot, was 8600# GVWR and had tall narrow 16″ tires, so it was a handful in a crosswind!
Point being,if you need a tow rig, or an overlander, or just want a fairly bulletproof SUV that’s truck based, can’t go wrong with a square Burb! And this one, with this low of mileage, looks like a great example.
I had an ‘85 with diesel power. Had 425,000 miles on it when I gave it to my son. Never put a wrench to the engine or transmission. It devoured batteries and wore out front brakes on a regular basis. My mechanic suggested that we use the brake assembly off a 2500 series and that solved the problem.
What a great car!
We had a 89 Suburban that we drove over 300,000 miles. I repowered it at 225,000 because it was getting tired. We sold it in 2021 and I do miss it. We hauled our boat, travel trailer and horse trailer with. It was a real work horse. Sometimes I wish we still had it. I have a 06 Suburban now. It is a great rig also but the 89 really was the best. Who ever purchases this is getting a great rig. If I had the cash and the space I would jump on it.