we we're actually looking at Denali's pretty hard, but the one we wanted had a mysterious 'miss' at idle (no codes), and after researching we came across the dreaded AFM/DOD lifter shenanigans and decided we didn't want any part of that - wondering if the lifters are already bad, disabling the system, then eventually deleting it - no thanks - we're now looking specifically at the 2500's with the iron 6.0. Besides, the 2500s have 3.73s whereas the Denali we tested weeks ago had 3.42s (think it was 3.42s), and the difference in gearing should nicely make up for the difference in engine power. The Denali was 'fun' for sure - it drove great, but the lifter issues combined with the increased towing capacity of the 2500 makes the 2500 the winner, for us.
It's at a used car dealer and they're asking $29,900 - a bit steep but within range for 'dealer prices', plus everything now is steep. It's a 1-owner truck wiht the exact interior/exterior colors we want, 123k miles, and looks very clean. It has had a decent once-over at a local shop and along with the normal fluid changes it also received a new set of tires and exhaust manifold gaskets.
We kinda need one - our minivan is getting 'tight', so if it drives nice we'll likely bring it home. It's a 9-hour drive home (flying in) and I'm hoping it arrives home in the exact condition as when I leave the lot. This will be our second 2500 - first was a 2011 'Burban and we really liked it but didn't quite 'need' it at the time and got a Hemi Durango, but now we're back into the 'need' category...