im not sure where i should post this question but here it is. im looking into buying a tahoe for my family and me. we found a 2005 black Z71 with 116K for 15,000. the last chevy i had was an 89 s10 blazer 4.3 4x4 and i dont know much about the new motors or the newer gm`s at all. my question is, what problem spots do i need to check for or what do i need to look out for with these? also what is the best gas mileage yall have seen from these vehicles?
2005 z71
- Thread starter 2wdmuddin
- Start date
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JochenWoern
Full Access Member
First off, welcome to the forum Nik.
I wanna say that 15K for an '05 with 116k miles on it seems pretty high to me. I paid 16k for my '06 when it had 83K miles on it. Mine is a 4x4, but not a Z71. Maybe I am off by thinking it is priced to high and someone else will chime in.
I NEVER had a problem with mine, so in regards to what issues to look out for I am not much help, SORRY.
Mine is a 5.3L and on an average I do not get more then 11.5 to 12 miles per gallon. On the freeway at cruising speed of 70 mph, I get 15.5 miles to the gallon max. (According to the DIC)
The 'ER
Full Access Member
Assuming every option you are paying full full retail. Never pay retail!
this one is at carmax of all places, and its their "haggle free" price. it would probably end up being my dd and ocasional wheeler. im switching from my 94 ranger that gets 14mpg on a good day so 12 wont be too bad. honestly i thought that was a little high on the price, but never dealing with these type vehicles i wanst sure. about how many miles are these motors/transmissions known to last?
JochenWoern
Full Access Member
The motors can last up to 300K miles, depending on how one takes care of it.
The trannies are not as reliable and can go out early. My truck received a new tranny during the warranty, shortly before 36K miles. As I am not the original owner, I am not sure as to why, but the GM Vehicle history shows that the tranny was replaced.
WoldD90
Off Road Addict
Shop around, you might be able to find a better price. The trucks are great and relatively trouble free, as long as you maintain the truck.
Simple things you should do prior to purchase... Take it and have it inspected at a trusted local shop, not a dealer. Crawl all over the truck yourself, look for rust, rot and leaks. Run a carfax, and take it on a long drive, not the 3 lefts and a right, back into the dealership.
Positives:
Easy and comfortable to drive. Minimal maintenance issues. Brake pads last forever, even towing. I have 110K on the original pads, and I tow often. Lots of space for kids and gear in the XL, or the regular with the 3rd row out. Easily modifications for performance gains, and tons of parts available at the local parts stores.
Down sides: The trucks are big, night vision is pretty bad. The reverse lights are useless. My wife hates to park it a the grocery store or mall.
Simple things you should do prior to purchase... Take it and have it inspected at a trusted local shop, not a dealer. Crawl all over the truck yourself, look for rust, rot and leaks. Run a carfax, and take it on a long drive, not the 3 lefts and a right, back into the dealership.
Positives:
Easy and comfortable to drive. Minimal maintenance issues. Brake pads last forever, even towing. I have 110K on the original pads, and I tow often. Lots of space for kids and gear in the XL, or the regular with the 3rd row out. Easily modifications for performance gains, and tons of parts available at the local parts stores.
Down sides: The trucks are big, night vision is pretty bad. The reverse lights are useless. My wife hates to park it a the grocery store or mall.
Wake
Full Access Member
That sounds high to me as well.
I bought an 05 AWD Escalade 83K miles, with every option for $16K in January and that was from a GM dealer.
About the only problems I see are transmissions and differentials with these vehicles. My Escalade has the heavier duty 4L65E transmission and I found out that it was replaced a year ago. My front differential has a little bit of noise in it so I'll expect that to need a rebuild someday as well.
The only other thing I can think of with GM vehicles (I suspect Ford does this as well), is if you don't get a Z71 optioned truck then you'll most likely also have an open differential in the back end. I find this quite annoying as to me it's not a 4WD vehicle if you only have one powered wheel in back and one in the front. From what I've gathered there is no locker or LSD option for the front, strictly an open diff up there.
Several friends have Tahoes and Yukons and they love them, all except for the fuel economy that is.
My AWD vehicle is getting around 17-18 mpg on my 100 mile commute which is 70 miles of highway and 30 miles of city. I have a pretty light foot though so I tend to get more economy in my commuters than an enthusiast would get.
Campi3ell
Member
I picked up my '04 last year for $14 with 71K miles on her.
Shop around a bit, try autotrader with a 100 mile search around your zip code. For that price you can find a truck with ~20K fewer miles that has the same options.
Around town I'm getting 17mpg, and on the highway I get around 19, and that's with my heavy foot. So far the baby has been trouble free. Everything works, and she doesn't have any rattles or odd noises even after a year of my hard driving.
Shop around a bit, try autotrader with a 100 mile search around your zip code. For that price you can find a truck with ~20K fewer miles that has the same options.
Around town I'm getting 17mpg, and on the highway I get around 19, and that's with my heavy foot. So far the baby has been trouble free. Everything works, and she doesn't have any rattles or odd noises even after a year of my hard driving.
southboundchicken
Full Access Member
car max is a joke they price their cars for people who want one stop shopping and have no negotiation skills and dont know what to look for when buying a vehicle... for some its worry free buying but expect to pay a premium for their service. my advice would be to get out of there quick the price you quoted is way high
