‘07 Denali XL, should I invest?

[RyanXL]

Brand New to the forum hoping to learn a lot about the Denali XL I recently got myself into.


The body is in fair shape with rust I can get fixed myself. Interior is very good for its age, just dirty and I’m working on cleaning it.

It seems to run and drive fine. Seems strong but has a slight misfire on #4. I haven’t taken it too far due to that and the leaking radiator. Tires are very good.

It’s got high mileage but I got a CARFAX on it and it seemed to be taken care of, seeing the local dealer several times for service at intervals. They aren’t specific but some visits include transmission services, tune-ups, brakes and oil changes. It’s got things here and there that it still needs to make it better.

Here’s my question, I’m turning to you guys for advice.

Before I continue to invest, I’d like to know if you all think I should be worried about the mileage on it. I got this as a family hauler for a couple trips when we need it to avoid having to rent a car.


It needs brakes and a radiator to start and I’ve got those on standby just trying to get some time to get them put on.

Would you continue to invest and care for this ol’ girl and get her back on the road or would this mileage concern you enough to say forget it and get out of it?

 

[Fless]

Welcome to the forum from Colorado!

 

[Joseph Garcia]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

I'd get the engine checked out and see if the misfire on #4 is a minor issue or indicative of a major issue. How does the transmission feel when working through the gears?

 

[Fubar0715]

You don't say what year, engine (probably 6.2l), or the mileage. FWIW, this is my 2nd Tahoe which I tend to own for a very long time, and they will last if you put in the time and effort to keep them in good shape. They are comfortable cruisers, can tow, haul, and just out right be a livable truck if you understand what it is you have. Will it get you a lotta miles per gallon to drive, hell no, but are nice on a road trip..

Tell us more about the vehicle details and pics!

 

[B-train]

Personally I would walk away from it. Rust, repairs, leaks, misfire, brakes, etc. You are looking at a money pit that will keep begging for more. Take the 5 to 10K you might have to invest to keep er movin and throw that at a cleaner, lower mileage unit from somewhere down south or out west.

I was a mechanic for too many years in the midwest and I know that rust is a cancer you can't cure or get away from......it affects the whole vehicle in different ways. I've been buying from Southern and western states for 11 years now and have zero regrets. You can still get the same thing you have, just in usable condition that warrants a small investment here and there to keep it going.

 

[Doubeleive]

Brand New to the forum hoping to learn a lot about the Denali XL I recently got myself into.


The body is in fair shape with rust I can get fixed myself. Interior is very good for its age, just dirty and I’m working on cleaning it.

It seems to run and drive fine. Seems strong but has a slight misfire on #4. I haven’t taken it too far due to that and the leaking radiator. Tires are very good.

It’s got high mileage but I got a CARFAX on it and it seemed to be taken care of, seeing the local dealer several times for service at intervals. They aren’t specific but some visits include transmission services, tune-ups, brakes and oil changes. It’s got things here and there that it still needs to make it better.

Here’s my question, I’m turning to you guys for advice.

Before I continue to invest, I’d like to know if you all think I should be worried about the mileage on it. I got this as a family hauler for a couple trips when we need it to avoid having to rent a car.


It needs brakes and a radiator to start and I’ve got those on standby just trying to get some time to get them put on.

Would you continue to invest and care for this ol’ girl and get her back on the road or would this mileage concern you enough to say forget it and get out of it?

if maintained you should be fine, high mileage just means solid motor and usually at worst you might get some oil consumption, expect the usual stuff transmission, hubs, hoses. oil leaks.

 

[swathdiver]

Well, you bought it. It's a platform that you can either discard for an unknown quantity or make regular repairs to this one regardless of cost.

At that age the transmission and transfer case may have already been replaced. The engine may soon need new valve springs and the heads rebuilt.

 

[Geotrash]

I don't think we have enough information to make that call for you and what I would want to know to answer it would likely feel intrusive for me to ask, such as financial situation, how much you paid, etc. But here's how I would think about it if I were in your shoes.

You can buy a dry country '07 with 200K in good mechanical condition for less than $10K if you're willing to go to someplace like Arizona, Nevada or New Mexico and drive it home. Probably closer to $8500. So there's that. I paid $10K for my 2007 with 196K on it at the time, almost 4 years ago now. No rust whatsoever and it's still pristine underneath.

Rust on the body tells me that you will soon have other costs to deal with, like brake lines, a rusted fuel pump mounting plate that leaks fumes, rear air shocks and compressor, etc etc. You will likely have to do a bunch of other things to get it into shape if they haven't been done, such as coolant tees at the firewall, transmission torque converter to prevent transmission failure if it hasn't already been done, front diff mounting brackets, motor mounts, etc etc, ad nauseam. If you do all of this work yourself, you're probably looking at $3-5K in parts alone spread over a few years to get it taken care of, but then you will still have rust coming back.

Net/net, I personally wouldn't be willing to invest my time and money in a vehicle that is already showing significant signs of cancer. But if I literally had no other option and it's all I had with no money to buy something different, I would slowly grind through all of the repairs on a schedule over the next few years, setting aside a budget of $1-2K in parts per year until I was finished. It can absolutely be done, but there are better paths to getting to a reliable, clean '07 in my opinion.

 

[RyanXL]

Welcome to the Forum from NH.

Lots of knowledgeable folks here who freely share their knowledge, experiences, and perspectives. Knowledge is power.

I hope that you will become a participating member in the Forum's discussions.

Pics of the truck, please.

I'd get the engine checked out and see if the misfire on #4 is a minor issue or indicative of a major issue. How does the transmission feel when working through the gears?

Going to get the cyl 4 issue looked at soon.

Goes though the gears just fine. Occasionally I’ll get a harsh downshift but that’s few and far between. Pics below. I’ve just started getting her cleaned up.

 

[RyanXL]

I don't think we have enough information to make that call for you and what I would want to know to answer it would likely feel intrusive for me to ask, such as financial situation, how much you paid, etc. But here's how I would think about it if I were in your shoes.

You can buy a dry country '07 with 200K in good mechanical condition for less than $10K if you're willing to go to someplace like Arizona, Nevada or New Mexico and drive it home. Probably closer to $8500. So there's that. I paid $10K for my 2007 with 196K on it at the time, almost 4 years ago now. No rust whatsoever and it's still pristine underneath.

Rust on the body tells me that you will soon have other costs to deal with, like brake lines, a rusted fuel pump mounting plate that leaks fumes, rear air shocks and compressor, etc etc. You will likely have to do a bunch of other things to get it into shape if they haven't been done, such as coolant tees at the firewall, transmission torque converter to prevent transmission failure if it hasn't already been done, front diff mounting brackets, motor mounts, etc etc, ad nauseam. If you do all of this work yourself, you're probably looking at $3-5K in parts alone spread over a few years to get it taken care of, but then you will still have rust coming back.

Net/net, I personally wouldn't be willing to invest my time and money in a vehicle that is already showing significant signs of cancer. But if I literally had no other option and it's all I had with no money to buy something different, I would slowly grind through all of the repairs on a schedule over the next few years, setting aside a budget of $1-2K in parts per year until I was finished. It can absolutely be done, but there are better paths to getting to a reliable, clean '07 in my opinion.

No problem, I’m okay with answering any questions.

I have room to fix this up and make it safe. I paid $2200 for it. I thought it was a good deal on getting the opportunity to enjoy a big comfy powerful V8 for however long she holds on.

What I’m worried about is the possibility of it abruptly collapsing while on the road. I don’t mind she’s old or has high mileage. If she will warn me when she’s got no more life left I’m okay.