In the market

[jarydM]

Find an 09 Tahoe LTZ with a 6.2

I’d love to, but they’re like unicorns. Literally found two in the country, both are ~10 hours away, and I’d hate to fly to a truck for it to be junk.

 

[mikeyss]

I’d love to, but they’re like unicorns. Literally found two in the country, both are ~10 hours away, and I’d hate to fly to a truck for it to be junk.

Yeah, they are like unicorns for sure. I got lucky when the one I have was at a dealer 10 miles from my house. I jumped on it, even though it had 130k on it. I searched cars.com and there are only 3 for sale in the U.S. right now

 

[intheburbs]

Autotrader is a good site, too. That's where I've found my last three used vehicles, including my own unicorn, the '08 2500 Burb.

The 6.2 makes a big difference. I usually tow my 6X12 enclosed trailer with my Suburban; it's no problem with the 6.0 motor and since the trailer has no brakes, I prefer to have the stouter 8600-gvwr braking system. But one time I had to use the Denali to tow it - the 6.2 was completely loafing below 2k in sixth at 70 MPH.

Be warned - the 6.2 is very addictive, and it gets horrible gas mileage. The mileage gets positively abysmal when driven "enthusiastically." I'd swear I can see the gas needle move whenever I nail the throttle.

 

[kbuskill]

Also, talking about pulling a trailer, the longer wheelbase of the Suburban/Yukon XL is more conducive for towing.

 

[Doubeleive]

drove a 5.3 for 12 years kicking myself in the ass the whole time for not buying the 6.0, now I have the 6.2 happy happy. plus no more rear spin outs if the ass end starts to slip the front kicks right in and corrects it like nobody's business.

 

[jarydM]

Yeah, there are just so many more of the Denalis out there, it’s makes the 6.2 easier to obtain, even with low miles. Just don’t prefer the look of those headlights, and I’m not real big on chrome, but I’m excited to dig into some build threads here and see what others have done.

I love my trusty 5.3, but I’ve had it under load before, and that was the 2005 version. She just wasn’t ever gonna cut it for what we needed.

 

[mikeyss]

Have you checked out any Escalades? The 12-14 Escalades could be had with body color front grill and dual exhaust outlet rear bumper.

 

[jarydM]

Have you checked out any Escalades? The 12-14 Escalades could be had with body color front grill and dual exhaust outlet rear bumper.

I have looked, but the two that I drove probably turned me on them, one smelled like old men and cigarettes, the other just rattled like crazy inside. I should give them another go, but they’re doesn’t seem to be quite as many of those.

 

[kbuskill]

Another option would be the 6.0L L76 found in the 07-09 Suburban/Yukon XL. Down side is it is an aluminum block which is more for race than for tow (longevity).

OR

The iron block 6.0L LY6 (non-flexfuel) 07-13 Sub/Yuk XL 3/4 ton (2500).

OR

The iron block 6.0L L96 (Flexfuel) 10-13 Sub/Yuk XL 3/4 ton (2500).

The later two are real tow rigs but ride a bit harsh when not under load.

 

[Tonyrodz]

I have looked, but the two that I drove probably turned me on them, one smelled like old men and cigarettes, the other just rattled like crazy inside. I should give them another go, but they’re doesn’t seem to be quite as many of those.

I get the smell of cigarettes....but old men....hmmm.....
Moth balls come to mind lol.