Info on buying a GMC Yukon and using for Road Trip

[M1231]

Hello all!

Glad to be a part of the forum and looking for some first-time buyers advice for a GMC Yukon. I am from England and sadly we do not have many awesome trucks like the Yukon around (as our roads are small), and as such i am not 100% sure what to look out for when buying a truck. My dad owned a Suburban about 12 years ago which we absolutely loved and that is what has made me quite fond of the Yukons, or to be honest just big American trucks in general.

Currently I am planning to travel the US coast to coast later this year and into next year (have been dreaming and saving for this trip for about 5 years now), and am looking for a suitable truck to use on my travels. I have been looking for about a week and have seen a few 2001-3 Yukon trucks with about 120,000 or so miles on them (around $6000), but many of the dealers have very bad reviews (does anyone know any decent dealers around the NY, NJ, PA area? (i am starting in NY)). I am continuing to look but for the following please assume i am talking about that age and milage of truck.

What are the major things to look out before buying one? For example certain engine knocks after certain milage which can be an indicator of major issues, things/areas of the car which unscrupulous dealers might try and jazz up to make it look better than it is etc. A link to a buyers guide would also be a huge help if one is around!

I will have a small amount of kit with me to begin with, and want something which will fill the following criteria:

• Reliable enough to do 5000 or so miles over a 4-5 month period without giving me any major problems - (assuming the engines will be solid but possibly electrical problems over 100,000 miles?)
• Decent engine (i really want a V8 as fuel is very well priced in the US versus the UK so i am not particularly bothered by fuel consumption, just want that awesome V8 rumble)
• Possibility to sleep in the back of it. I am 6ft (72in) and would like to be able to stretch out, can sleep sideways possibly to make the most use of the cargo space? Will it be big enough with seats folded up? (I am mostly going to be camping and/or staying in hostels/cheap motels, but am very keen to know how much space there is in the back, cant find it anywhere online)
• Comfy to cruise long distances, (potentially with any new friends i meet on the way who need a lift and can contribute some fuel money)
• Decent and fairly hassle free resale value (plan is to sell to a dealer when i am finished, i will take a loss of maybe $1500-$2000 for a quick sale as that is within budget)

(Will add more as i think of it)

Many thanks all for your help in advance!

 

[Fosscore]

@MortyandRick

Welcome.

Here's a good start for some research on buying the 00-06 GMT800/NBS trucks. I'm sure some of the other guys will chime in beyond the info in my post. Lots of good info on here, just have to do a bit of searching to find the thread and/or topic you are after.

Thinking of Buying a 00-06 NBS Tahoe/Suburban? Look Here
http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/thre...g-a-00-06-nbs-tahoe-suburban-look-here.61834/

Provided there are no major defects, hidden issues, etc....then you shouldn't really have any problems making a road trip of that length/time. All GM trucks come with 4.8L, 5.3L, 6.0L or 6.2L and even an 8.1L. You will have that V8 rumble and power.

Here's a quick look at an 05 Tahoe vs 05 Suburban noting necessary dimensions interior, length, etc....that should be able to give you a good idea for sleeping and stowing kit.

Plenty of room and the best IMHO for long road trips. Find the one with the creature comforts you really want and you will be happy.

I cannot help you with any dealers as I am in Florida but check out kbb.com, cars.com, nada.com for further information on pricing for purchase and selling for the end of your trip. Will give you a heads up what the approximate costs are based on years, mileage and condition so you know what you are getting yourself into at purchase time. Good luck and keep asking questions for more info. Cheers!

 

[adventurenali92]

The standard wheel base (Tahoe/yukon) has a lot of room, although im 6 ft tall as well and with the third row folded up I can't stretch all the way out before hitting the closed tail gate. In the long wheel base(suburban/yukon xl) which I have in a 2006 Denali xl, I can stretch all the way out without hitting the tail gate with the third row up and sleep back there. I've put my full size air mattress in the back while on a camping trip which was great.

 

[M1231]

Hello all,

Many thanks for the advice, apologies for the delay in replying, there has been a lot to plan in the last few weeks!

I have been keenly reading the buying advice above and have a relatively good idea what to look for now, and which features to avoid (air suspension seems to be potentially problematic, although i am led to believe that all Yukons have rear air suspension? possibly called auto-levelling suspension?)

With regards to the potential sleeping room, many thanks to Bigbeardenali1992 for your advice, a few dealers have told me i will have about 4 1/2 feet of room in the regular wheelbase car with both seats folded up, so i suppose about 5 if i slept diagonally. My thought was is it possible to take the third row of seats out completely and put them lengthways in the back of the car to have a narrower but longer sleeping space?

Thanks again in advance for your help!

 

[iamdub]

My recommendations:

Get a southern truck (Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, etc. Sure, this will add distance to your trip, but the mechanical condition will be better and resale will be higher with it coming from a non-salt area. Also, with that year range of vehicle, there will be a much larger supply of solid trucks from which to shop than you'd have up north.

You should get a Yukon XL or Suburban for the extra length. For what you're planning, you'll regret not having the extra space.

Not all of these SUVs have Autoride. It's most common on LTZs and SLTs but not on all of them.

Regardless of which one you get- the shorter truck (Tahoe/Yukon) or longer (Suburban/Yukon XL), you can remove the rear seats entirely and sell them before you start your trip if they'll only be in the way. Of course, the missing seats will probably affect the resale value.

How about pulling a really small enclosed trailer? You could keep the removed seats and any other supplies/souvenirs in there and keep your truck's cargo space. The truck won't even feel it back there, but you'll have to drive accordingly.

 

[M1231]

I have been told that southern trucks are a good way to go for that reason, definitely looking around although i have a family friend who is going to help me look in the New York state area. Currently looking at a truck in Connecticut which is nice but has 24" wheels i don't think would be brilliantly suited but hoping it might allow me some wriggle room on price as its a bit too expensive right now...

I am glad to hear the seats come out! I would be keen to try and sell them as i was hoping losing them might increase space and allow me to sleep in the back? I mainly liked the smaller truck as it will be (slightly) closer to what i'm used to driving over here as we sadly have much smaller cars in the UK due to narrow roads etc, also i seem to find a lot more smaller trucks coming up for sale. Is there much of a resale market for the seats? i assume an eBay and/or list on here job?

The trailer option is actually very interesting, i had not considered it... i will need to do a bit of research i think

 

[superjet223]

I have a yukon XL and sleep in the back all the time. With the 3rd row removed and the 2nd row folded down there is 7.5feet of flat space, fits between a twin and full size air mattress. I'm actually in the middle of building a platform to sleep on and storage underneath for camping because I enjoy sleeping in this XL so much.

 

[ISU-152]

I'd sell you my 99 4 door Tahoe with about 170k miles and 78" of luxurious rear cargo space and no 3rd row seat to worry about for $6k. Only 3 hours north of NY and you could visit Canada! But I don't think the mud tires would suit your trip.

...that and she'd shoot me