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Need a little edge in rush hour traffic? A fully armored, 12,000-pound Chevrolet Suburban is likely to prevent anyone from cutting you off.
Six of the vehicles, which were formerly leased to the U.S. government and used by the Secret Service and Capitol Police, have found their way into private hands. Five are going up for sale (1) — one in Texas and four more (2) in New Hampshire.
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The good news is the mileage on these 2019 vehicles is quite low, coming in at about 35,000 miles. The bad news is you’re going to have to get used to driving in a whole different way.
They are heavy, too. Besides the armor, they have glass that’s nearly two inches thick. They run on a 6.0-liter V8, and people who have driven them say they don’t exactly excel when it comes to handling.
“It doesn’t want to turn. It doesn’t want to stop. It just wants to go straight. That’s it,” Ben Kelsey, who is selling one of the vehicles and plans to keep the other, told The Drive (1).
There’s no word on the mileage they get, but heavier cars tend to guzzle a lot more gas. Kelsey, however, said he only had to stop every 600 miles when driving the cars home to Texas from New Hampshire — implying they have a huge tank.
A rare find
Vehicles of this sort rarely go up for sale, but when they do, it’s usually a one-off. Finding several available at once is a freak occurrence.
The owner of Northeast Auto Imports, which has four for sale (though it cautions to call for availability), says he drove past the facility that makes them and began talking with the manufacturer about acquiring off-lease vehicles more regularly.
Pricewise, the Suburban HD isn’t as expensive as you might expect, but it’s hardly cheap.
Kelsey is asking $139,000 for his, which has 21,000 miles on it. Northeast Auto Imports is asking $105,000 for the one it’s currently advertising. The others in its inventory should be listed at a later date.
Other features include run-flat tires, video screens in the seat headrests — to keep your young agents in the backseat entertained on long drives — running boards, a Lingenfelter supercharger kit for more horsepower and seat warmers.
A family vehicle?
The Chevy Suburban HD used to be a popular vehicle with families, but General Motors removed it from the consumer market in 2018. It resurrected it in 2021, announcing a new version of the Suburban HD was in the works as part of a $36.4 million development contract with the U.S. Department of State and GM Defense.
GM made just 10 vehicles (3) initially. But in 2023, GM Defense won a 10-year contract (4) from the State Department to build “the next generation heavy-duty armored sport utility vehicle.”
As those vehicles are delivered, older Suburban HD models could find their way into private collectors’ driveways.
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Article Sources
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The Drive (1); Northeast Auto Imports (2); General Motors (3); General Motors Defense (4)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
