Oh, I forgot this wasn't a car!

MAKE:
2000 Tahoe Z71

EXPERIENCE:
We have had our Tahoe for about 4 years now. We bought the truck new. For the first few days, I wanted to drive in and over anything I could fine...be the way, contractors really do mind if you drive through their fields, especially after they have already marked and measured them! We have not had any problems with the truck to speak of. We did have a situation with the alarm. Maybe it was not installed right or maybe it was our fault.

OPTIONS:
The truck is loaded. The main package of interest is the Z71 package. We would not have picked the Z71 package had the truck that my dad picked out had not been built with the package. We were actually just planning on the regular 2WD. However, this has been a fun package. It came with larger tires; however, they are not very beefy. It also came with Z71 badging, brush guard, nurf bars along the doors, and tail light covers.
Here are some of the other options that the truck has:
Leather, front & rear air conditioners, tinted windows, power doors and locks, CD player, tape player, cruise, title wheel, center console mounted on the roof, luggage rack, and fog lights.

WARRANTY:
The warranty was the typical 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty; however, we had the option of a rebate or a 55,000 mile warranty. We opted for the extended warranty.

THE ENGINE:
The engine has been enjoyable for the most part. It has a bit of a vibration at 70mph. This may actually be caused by rotors that are out of shape. However, this does effect the drive. The gas mileage is not good. On the highway, we get about 18mpg and around town an even lower 13mpg. For a SUV, one cannot expect to get the best gas mileage, but there is always the hope of it happening. The engine is not too fast, but it does have the ability to pass people on the highway. If you floor the vehicle it can get out of its own way which is important. I noticed that the brakes work well, but your passengers seem to get a bit nervous when you have to hit the brakes hard, because it does not stop on a dime. Thankfully, the truck comes with handles for the passengers to grab a hold of. Plus, I figure the air bags will save them some pain as well. Seriously though, the truck really does not stop too great. Allow plenty of stopping room and them some! We also pull a camper and a jet ski. No problems at all when your towing.

RIDE:
The ride is nice. The truck is very comfortable with those big leather seats. The air conditioner keeps the occupants very cool! The truck sits up high and it allows you to be able to see in front of the cars ahead. If someone slams on the brakes a couple cars ahead, you can see it more quickly than a smaller car. That is a nice safety feature. The seats have plenty of room. If we are on a trip there is plenty of leg room and arm room. You can lay down in the seat easily as well. Keep in mind the safety belts don't work well when your not sitting properly in the seats! There is plenty of cargo room as well. We always keep extra jackets, blankets, and such in the back for traveling. Even though they are light, they take up space, but the truck still offers plenty of storage room. The back seat sits high, so you can store stuff under those seats as well. When your riding in any seat, the lights on the console make it easy to check a map out or read a book. It also has nice outlets to plug your computer into while traveling. In this day and age, that's a great feature that you don't think about till you need it!


SERVICE DEPARTMENT:
We bought our Z71 in Decatur, Alabama at the Lynn Layton dealership. We have bought close to 20 vehicles from them, so that was not too new of an experience. The people are very nice there; however, I personally feel rushed a lot. They are a huge dealership and they are moving a lot people in and out all day long.
The service department has been a good experience for me. The service reps are polite, clean, and patient. They are able to answer many questions honestly and quickly. If something needs to be done, I feel like I will get an honest report of what needs to be fixed.