Considering 21 Tahoe LT or Z71

[Stbentoak]

Well dependable doesn't do you any good if it isn't what you need... And GM has the vehicle we NEED for our lifecycle at this time...

I think the best way to ride the rails with these vehicles is to buy an extended warranty. Fold it into the numbers and move on... At least with whatever comes up, you are covered. If nothing comes up you are lucky !

 

[B520044]

The Traverse is a nice vehicle, and probably one of the best looking ones that GM has designed in years IMO. A lot of the first year issues with it have not been cool at all and we made the mistake not getting an extended warranty. The independent rear suspension is a plus to get more leg room in the 3rd row and what is drawing us to it.



That is a shame what this company has turned into. When customers are paying $50-80k+ on these vehicles, they should be better quality than what they are putting out there.

Yeah I know several family members with Toyota's that have put 200-300k on them before they started having any kind of issues. It's the one good thing with Toyota, their vehicles are ancient as hell in terms of bring behind with technology and looks, but those things keep on ticking. As a longtime owner of GM vehicles, I really do hope that they wake up here at some point or else they will be in trouble again and this time no bailout will save them. It sucks to hear that you had a ton of issues with your 2016.

With everything I've experienced with GMC since buying my 21 Yukon in July, I expect them to lose lots of market share. With the new Wagoneer coming, new Grand Cherokee L and new Sequoia; they will lose sales. Heck, the redesigned Armada is nice and has a solid power-train. (hindsight is always 20/20)

 

[B520044]

Well dependable doesn't do you any good if it isn't what you need... And GM has the vehicle we NEED for our lifecycle at this time...

I think the best way to ride the rails with these vehicles is to buy an extended warranty. Fold it into the numbers and move on... At least with whatever comes up, you are covered. If nothing comes up you are lucky !

The problem is getting them to acknowledge a problem and fix the problem under warranty.

 

[captainzombie]

The problem is getting them to acknowledge a problem and fix the problem under warranty.

That I do agree with you 100%. There was an issue with the brakes at about 22,000 miles on our Traverse. There were a lot of posts from others on forums having the same issue and to only find out that there was a service bulletin about it. I had to argue with the service manager to get them replaced. They decided to change them out for free. Now 23,000 miles later, we are experiencing the same exact squeaking noises. Last year, we had the frame replaced on the passenger seat under warranty. The same issue just occurred with the seat a month ago and they refused to fix it. They told me at first it would be $1400 to fix, then after I told him "NO", he's like let me contact GM to see if they can split the cost. I get a call from them saying they can fix it for $225. I went ahead getting it fixed even though I know we are trading the vehicle in because this could be a potential safety hazard in an accident for my family.

Stuff like this is what gets me so irritated with them. If they would just fix the issues when a customer reports them and not play stupid, it would go a long way.

Like you said, within the next 2 years they will have quite the competition so they can't keep doing this garbage to customers with low quality products and service for a premium. The sad part for us is that we either trade-in the Traverse and get another one since we need the extra leg room in the 3rd row for my teens since there is no other mid-size SUV in the segment that offers this. Then you find your way to the full size SUV's and I feel like GM owns that segment. We would have considered the Sequoia but for the money the thing does feel like its from 2008.

 

[TooManyKids]

I have a 21 LT and it has been perfect. No errors or anything else at all.

One thought on the LT wheels. I opted for the 18" wheels, wanting more rubber between the wheel and the ground. What I failed to realize is that the overall tire dimension is smaller on the 18" wheels than the 20" wheels. The result is not only not any additional rubber, but a wheel/tire that looks too small for the wheel well that it's in. That is my big regret with this vehicle. Not big enough for me to shell out $1,000 for new, larger tires, but I think the factory 18" wheels are a bad decision. (When I bought my last F150 from the factory, the tire size was the same regardless of wheel size--so I stupidly assumed that would be the case here.) If I had to do it over again, I would have either gone for the LT package with the 20" wheels, or done the Premiere. My wife says the Z71 is obnoxious looking, hah!

Other than that, and possibly the recovery hooks on front, there is nothing I would want that my LT does not have. Maybe the air or magnetic suspensions are great, but my LT rides incredibly (at least compared to my other recent vehicles, which are minivans, pickups, and a full-size van).

 

[Hrocks]

captainzombie...Some will classify what I'm about to state as heresy. I too am a long time GM guy and still have a rock solid '10 Tahoe LTZ. I had been jonesing for a new Escalade, Tahoe or Denali ever since the GMT 2KXX platform came out in 2014. I was a major lurker on this forum to get real world feedback on the vehicles. By many accounts on this forum, they suffered many maladies, from early Escalades being bought back without question, (transmissions) to a seemingly unfixable drone, vibrations and other minor issues across the platform. (It appears that GM finally got them right.) However, I bought two Lexus BOF SUV's in the interim.

When I learned of the latest (T1XX?) redesign with IRS, I thought this generation might finally get it right. After hearing some of the horrors of someone spending $85,000 on a loaded Denali or $100k+ on an Escalade and having the valve springs popping/breaking on a brand new vehicle, it just made me sad and mad that as much as I truly love the design, content and performance, that I just could not pull the trigger. I just bought my third Lexus, a '21 GX460. These, the Sequoia, Land Cruiser and Lexus LX are ancient platforms that are totally bulletproof. There are definitely some tradeoffs in the infotainment areas especially, but if all you want to do to maintain your ride is basically change the oil and rotate the tires, there's no comparison. Like I stated from the get go, I still have and love my 10 year old Tahoe, (that my son will be taking to college) but from what I've read on this forum, the newer generations are just not the same. Let us know which way you go.

 

[DWSmoot]

I have a 2021 Z71 purchased in July. 9k miles with no issues whatsoever to date. Love it!

 

[captainzombie]

Sounds like there is some good experiences sprinkled in with some not so great ones. It really stinks for those that are having issues with their Yukons and Tahoes. It definitely is no excuse considering what these vehicles cost.

We almost pulled the trigger on an LT today, but the dealer we were at was trying to play games with our trade. I ended up calling him out with his BS, and we just walked out. The sad part is my wife took her Traverse to CarMax right afterwards to see how off this dealership was and they were willing to give us another $1K then what they were offering, and then I also checked Edmunds.com which was roughly $1200 more than the dealership along with KBB.com and TrueCar.

I hate having a trade-in, it always causes some additional headaches at these damn dealerships. What pissed him off is that I wouldn't give him any of the information that he wanted about what we owed on our vehicle, what we want to pay, etc. I kept telling him that we work the deal by looking at the trade first and then look at what the Tahoe costs afterwards because they obviously were not willing to take anymore off of the cost of the Tahoe. He gives me this BS that he needs it all on paper to work out the deal. These people think that so many of us that have been buying cars for so many years are this stupid.

 

[Hrocks]

You handled that exactly right. Many, many people only care about their monthly payment and I believe that's why so many sales people ask questions that have nothing to do with the actual money difference. To those in the know, it is very frustrating. Including my new GX, I actually had two other deals made sight unseen for the Genesis, and a L Certified LX. I cut to the chase with these guys and tell them that I am going to buy a car "today" IF the money difference is right and I like their vehicle. They sputter and say they haven't seen my car and give you a low ball number. I get my cars detailed every year, so I tell them let's play "what if"- - If they agree that my car is in the condition I claim it is, then they give me the high number that we've agreed to. In each case, I had no dissension from my characterizion of the quality of my trade in. I tell them that I'm not going to pay for "lifetime warranties, paint and upholstery protectent, etc. etc. etc." It takes all the BS games many like to play out of the equation. I've also asked the sales person if it helps them or makes a $$ difference to them personally if I write a check or finance it. Some deals they make an extra $100 bucks if it's financed. I tell them that as long as there's no prepayment penalty that I'll do that for them. The Lexus dealers were much more straight forward than the Genesis and most other dealers I've delt with over the years. Sounds like you're doing your homework and know what the real numbers are. Bottom line, it's YOUR money. Do what's best for YOU. The dealers always win no matter what they tell you. Good luck!

 

[Stbentoak]

You handled that exactly right. Many, many people only care about their monthly payment and I believe that's why so many sales people ask questions that have nothing to do with the actual money difference. To those in the know, it is very frustrating. Including my new GX, I actually had two other deals made sight unseen for the Genesis, and a L Certified LX. I cut to the chase with these guys and tell them that I am going to buy a car "today" IF the money difference is right and I like their vehicle. They sputter and say they haven't seen my car and give you a low ball number. I get my cars detailed every year, so I tell them let's play "what if"- - If they agree that my car is in the condition I claim it is, then they give me the high number that we've agreed to. In each case, I had no dissension from my characterizion of the quality of my trade in. I tell them that I'm not going to pay for "lifetime warranties, paint and upholstery protectent, etc. etc. etc." It takes all the BS games many like to play out of the equation. I've also asked the sales person if it helps them or makes a $$ difference to them personally if I write a check or finance it. Some deals they make an extra $100 bucks if it's financed. I tell them that as long as there's no prepayment penalty that I'll do that for them. The Lexus dealers were much more straight forward than the Genesis and most other dealers I've delt with over the years. Sounds like you're doing your homework and know what the real numbers are. Bottom line, it's YOUR money. Do what's best for YOU. The dealers always win no matter what they tell you. Good luck!

This is all true ... BUT... When you give them the ground rules up front ( Which generally I like and agree with...) They then know there is going to be no more added profit in the finance office and they better make "Some" money on the actual deal. Most dealers make more money on the gingerbread fees and add on's and financing than they ever do on the actual selling price.... So you won't get the actual "Lowest" price on the vehicle, as the sales guy runs back and forth with the GM/finance manager.
The best position is to get into the finance office as soon as possible telling the sales guy you will make the deal if you can come to terms with Finance/GM. In that office is where the rubber meets the road. #1 rule in this office is don't be afraid to WALK. Have a # in mind that you researched and are willing to pay all in. They can add fee's etc sealant, finance it, loan shark loan it, and give you teddy bears, but this is your number and you are buying today if that # can be met. If its a FAIR # (Subjective and based on availability and consumer demand..) they will not let you walk out of that door.

I usually go in with the attitude that I don't HAVE to buy a car today, but if they will meet me somewhere in a fair zone in my mind, we will make a deal today. Remember a good deal is really only what you perceive it to be. The guy behind you could have paid a lot more or a lot less and you will never really know....