2008 GMC Yukon Denali - Stay away?

[Joseph Garcia]

I'd go for it. I love my 07.

 

[j91z28d1]

That is one of the reasons he told me that the last sale fell through. The guy could not get financing, at least that was the story.

If I can remember correctly, he stated that the first owner had it until 30K, then the 2nd owner had it until 135K. Current owner went back to a pickup and is looking to get rid of it I guess.

In my mind, this should be a $6000 truck, lol. But that's not what the car market says.

Around here that truck with a lifter tick is listed for more than 6,000

 

[Miami-Dade]

Hey guys,

I'm considering purchasing a 2008 Yukon Denali that is a few hours away from my shop. We would be replacing a 2011 Tahoe with 150K on it that spent its life down south and is in very good shape (need more space for the kids and all their crap.) The Yukon looks to be in excellent condition body wise, with the exception of some very very minor underside rust - a rarity for MN. According to the current owner, it currently has 140K miles and runs and drives great. I am drawn to the 07-08 6.2 trucks due to the lack of AFM. In my opinion, it's priced high at $11.5K, but owner said he would negotiate in person. Is $9500 cash a fair price? We had an 07 Yukon SLE with the 5.3 and it was a great truck, but I have never owned a 6.2 or anything with AWD. Pros? Cons? Run away? Thoughts? Any input is appreciated. Thanks!View attachment 427153

I would have a good independent shop check it out or have a Mobile mechanic check it out from top to bottom. I might save headaches after buying it. Hopefully you can get service records to prove the owner serviced it in a timely matter.

I generally do not believe any owner who says it runs and drives great. He could be doing a lot of Puffing.

All that just IMHO. To each their own.

 

[petethepug]

Yes, It is a rarity in your parts. Sounds like it was driven in from out of state. Deff get it undercoated w/ a wet treatment.

Yes, had our 08 YXL Denali in ‘14 from a dealer for $20k w/ 96k mi. Sold it in ‘20 for $12.5 private party @ 140k. Ours had harmless piston slap unlike collapsing lifter problems you’re already aware of.

The e85 issue is a simple workaround. Add it on for $795

https://eflexfuel.com/us/auto-products. It make truck go zoomy zoom zoom and allows you to laugh at the gas prices. We’ve saved enough using e85 since ‘20 on our 09 Esky that the savings have paid off the $14k price of the truck.

If it has a bench seat it’s a huge plus. It’s like a couch. Check the rear main seal / pan gasket for oil between the engine & trans. Look for wet shocks and u MUST hear the compressor run for 2-4 seconds at the d/s rear corner of truck.

Ensure the owner has NOT disabled the z55 active suspension or I’d walk from it.

Even if you have to fix some things on it be advised GM ate some cannabis or something and they guarantee most all their parts for a lifetime now.

 

[91RS]

07-09 are the way to go if the truck is in good shape. The paint looks good in your picture and that’s a big deal because the XL is a lot to paint if the paint fails.

Everything else can be fixed but most people are very averse to spending money on a car they just bought but I don’t see how you could expect to buy a vehicle over 10 years old and it not need anything. I would expect to spend at least $5k getting it right and then you can expect many years of good service. It’s worth waiting for a good one because you can easily spend thousands repairing the one that was a “great deal” but 98% of them will need some work.

Or buy it broken, leave it broken, and then get mad when the shop hits you with $10k in recommendations and trade it in. Plenty of people like that game.

 

[ajdahl8660]

Figured I'd give you all an update. I did go look at the truck yesterday, and unfortunately it was not in "excellent" condition as promised. It was pouring rain (of course) which made it tough to see the true quality of the paint and overall body condition. However, I was able to quickly find very small rust bubbles in a few of the well known problem areas on these trucks - mainly in front of the rear wheels on the rocker panel area. We all know that there is plenty of rust hidden under the paint. Interior needed a good 8 hour scrubbing and there were tons of body control module codes stored in the computer. Makes me believe that there are potential ground issues, and once on my hoist, the undercarriage will not be nearly as clean as I was hoping. I made him an offer at $8k. He has countered several times but we could not make a deal. I think the wife and I will catch a flight South at some point, take a week vacation, and drive a nice southern truck home. Northern trucks suck! Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Doubeleive]

Well, you also need to consider that it's a personal sale, no financing options. When the American Dream is to live paycheck to paycheck, coming up with $9500 cash is a lot harder.

Low ball him with cash in hand with the narrative I just explained. I don't think it's going anywhere fast. I've been watching these trucks for years, in many markets, and there are a lot that stay listed for many weeks, if not months. If he takes the deal, then you have some money for a maintenance fund if needed.

I feel a lot of these are bought at auction to be resold. That can be good or bad depending on the reason it was auctioned. A lot of dealerships will auction anything over a certain age or mileage, regardless of condition.

that happened to me when I was shopping for my pickup for months, place down in so-cal listed one for 1 day, said "fresh trade-in" had everything I wanted, but no price listed,,,,,
i called and left a message with the sales department, they called me back the next day, he started looking in the computer, and say's oh ya sorry they sent it auction. I was so mad

 

[swathdiver]

Remember that your Tahoe has some creature comforts and tech that the older trucks in this generation don't. Then again, the 2012-2014 are the ultimate in tech with cruise control and towing improvements. Not a big deal to most of us but just making you aware.

The earlier ones also have some features that were dropped on the later models like rain sense wipers, heated washer fluid and overhead controls for the 2nd row power seats if equipped.

The last navigation update for all of this generation was 2016 and GM is not going to authorize an update.

We've traveled across country to get our trucks and drive them home. Lots of good memories that the kids still talk about.

 

[petethepug]

You did diligence. No regrets, just disappointment. I got our 09 Esky in TX in a Nationwide search from SoCal. I hired an independent inspector for $149 who got another $1k off the price.

It was a Lexus dealer near DFW and pretty straight forward except they got a broken Navi & one motorized step by me. Everything else was as promised and made a excellent ride home over 2.5 days.

Maybe you’ll find a unicorn 09 with a/c seats because you’re not afraid to travel.

 

[ajdahl8660]

I kinda figured that this whole deal was probably too good to be true, and I'm glad I was able to go look at it in person. I have always overlooked the Escalade trucks - maybe that would be an additional option moving forward! I am also thankful that I don't need to purchase something in the near future.