Looking at an '02 Yukon

[patput]

Hello all,

I'm fairly new to the Yukon/Tahoe scene. My family has had a few Expeditions in the past and while I've been searching for mine own I stumbled upon a Yukon that I like. It's an 02 SLT with about 145k on it. A few things seemed a little funky when we were looking at it.

First off it had brand new 22s mounted on it (which I'm not a fan of anyway) that apparently never got balanced. Not sure who mounts tires without balancing them, but it seemed like a bit of a ploy to cover something else up. Long story short it was challenging to get a feel for the vehicle. It did feel like it might have a decent pull to the right, but with those tires on it was hard to tell if its the tires or the front end being out of alignment. Tomorrow I get to drive it with its original wheels and tires so hopefully things with become a bit more clear.

It also seems like the sender unit is going in it, which I've read is fairly common for these trucks, but still quite the chunk of change. The gas gauge was floating around quite a bit while driving it, and apparently it had actually ran out of fuel on them at one point because the tank was still reading 1/8.

Last, a fairly minor but still odd issue. The fog lights are pretty full of water, probably about half way up the whole housing. Obviously because they are soaked they don't work, but more importantly could this be a sign that it was at some point submerged? It just seemed like a pretty large amount of water for it to be a crack in the housing.

The dealer is asking 8,000 for it, and other than these few minor things it's in pretty good shape considering it's ten years old. No dings, scratches, dents, rust spots, etc. The interior is in pretty good shape considering the age once again. Everything functions as it should, and honestly I think their detailer could have done a bit of a better job which might help spruce it up a bit.

Hopefully I can get the dealer to take car of the sender unit and the front end, and I will definitely have it looked over by a trusted mechanic. So I ask you gurus of all things Tahoe and Yukon, whats your take on this truck? Should I go for it?

Thanks!

Pat

 

[chip]

I love my Yukon. I sttill can't believe how dependable it is.

 

[Freedom Motorsports]

Welcome to the neighborhood!

First, check out the front suspension and steering linkages REALLY well. Have your mechanic check the idler and pitman arms, ball joints lower and upper control arms, etc These are all pretty common issues, but especially if it has that sized rims, etc. The added weight of the rim and tire package can cause added strain on the truck. You will also want to check the tranny fluid to see if it looks or smells frsh and clean, my guess is that if the truck has actually had the rims on it for long then that would put a little extra strain on the transmission as well.

Then I would check out all the other fluids, etc.

As for the fog lights, that is also pretty common, I doubt it has been submerged, but it will need new lenses/housings. These can run up to $100 each depending on where you get them. But, again, that is pretty common, they crack and wind up holding all kinds of water.

Make sure to request an "Auto Check" report to find out as much as you can about possible accident history, etc. Then ask for a VIS report to see what kind of repairs the truck had in it's early life from the dealer. This will let you in on whether there were any recurring issues, etc.

If all works out and looks good, and they actually get the wheels balanced, go for it.

 

[bankswood]

If you are going to replace the sender unit you might as well get the whole fuel pump replaced. At 145,*** miles if it has never been replaced it will be going soon.

 

[OmarR]

I am not hating on the 00-02 years, but if it were me, I wouldn't go any earlier than 03.

In 03+, they re-did the interior, steering wheel controls, double din stereo, databus 2 communication. You would lose underhood lamp (easy to add) and the drain plug on the rear axle.

But if you just plan to drive it, than its just a good a year as any. Just my opinion.

 

[04SS99Denali]

when i had my 22s on my 03 it pulled the wheel to the left HARD. turns out the pitman was shot but on normal 16s you would never notice. the extra weight really killed it. other than that you seem to be having common tahoe/yukon issues nothing major