If you have attempted to sell anything lately on Marketplace or even craigslist, you know how had it has gotten. The automatic responses that Facebook allows people to send has brought out the worst of the worst as it relates to tire kickers. It is difficult to have a conversation with anyone worth your time, unless you are selling something truly exceptional. When it comes to vehicles, no one wants to pay the asking price – literally, no one. That’s why we can understand the seller of this 1997 Chevrolet Suburban going slightly off the rails here on craigslist to emphasize both the asking price and some of the finer points of the GMT400 platform. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mark P. for the submission and the laugh.

You can read the ad yourself to get the gist of why we felt it was so noteworthy. Also, as someone who lived in New England for many years, Gloucester is about as perfect of a setting as you can envision for a listing of this nature. Regardless, let’s talk a little about the GMT400 platform: over the years, the Big 3 let their truck models get quite long in the tooth, using foundations that stretched back to the 70s as the basis of their modern designs. When Dodge overhauled the Ram and introduced the wildly popular trucks that debuted in the mid 90s, it the clean sheet design was transformative. While the Suburban and related models represented more of an evolutionary refresh, the updates ushered in new levels of daily driver comfort.

The Suburban may look dated now, but at the time, the improvements in comfort, convenience, and features were significant. The engines, transmissions, and chassis were all dramatically improved. I saw a forum post a few years back that captured perfectly the abstract qualities of the updates in the GMT400 platform when compared to the previous era of models like the Suburban: the older truck was fine for driving around town, but you didn’t look forward to a 400 mile trip on the interstate. Trucks like this 1997 Suburban are rigs you can use in practically any situation, and that evolution has continued with the current generation models that are used every day like your grandmother used to drive a Volvo.

The seller’s truck features a variety of desirable options, like 3rd-row seats and rear barn doors. The 5.7L 350 V8 is said to run well, and it’s hooked up to the original 700R4 transmission with overdrive. From what I’ve read, this is a decent transmission with some issues that are generally addressed by dropping the pan and changing the fluid and filter, but you definitely don’t want to make the mistake of towing in overdrive. Aside from that, this transmission should be serviceable, but seeing that hitch on the back would prompt me to ask how much towing the seller did (if I dared to question his stewardship of this fine 4×4.) Please, whatever you do, don’t offer this individual a penny less than $12,598.