Looking to buy used Suburban/Yukon XL/Escalade ESV

[1Guy]

I currently own a 2008 Suburban with ~85K miles, mostly hard city miles, plus annual summer road trips and entirely kept outside. Mechanic (family friend) says its very rusted underneath, AC won't stay cold, check engine dash light constantly on, tire pressure monitoring dash light on, weather stripping around doors breaking down, on occasion it shutters/ hesitates on a warm start, ride quality suffering, float / unstability becoming a concern...she's an old lady that has served us well. I have deferred putting a lot of money into the truck lately thinking I was moving on. I have kept up with routine maintenance. I have a reservation for the Tesla Cybertruck (CT) but that could be 2-3 yrs out. I know ... u love it or hate it. Something about me wants something different and I like the idea of an EV and functionality. In the meantime I do like the interior of the new GM models but I am not overwhelmed by the price. A new Escalade with the Supercruise is ~$110K...would rather buy something used and reliable to hold me over til the CT. I did just purchase a vacation/rental property that is about 2K miles away (roundtrip) so I imagine doing more driving in the coming years (why I desire self driving tech) but still probably will avg 10K - 12K miles/yr. Leaning towards the Yukon XL Denali just to mix it up ..and upgrading to the 6.2L engine. Seems like a good middle option. Not opposed to the Escalade or RST Suburban. I was thinking I would look for model yr 2018 since I think that is when GM introduced the 10 speed transmission? Any unusual concerns with the 2018? Of course I would consider a 2019 or 2020 too. What model year(s) should target and which year(s) should I avoid? What should I look for ...this would be my first time buying used . Should I also consider the Navigator L ...they seem a little more pricey though. Appreciate any and all feedback

 

[petethepug]

I went from 08 Denali XL AWD to 09 Escalade Plat AWD last Feb to get ...

Cooled Seats
TriCoat Paint that doesn’t fail in 7-8 years.
Tahama leather dash immune from cracking.
Tahama leather seats, door cards & more
6SP trans w/ new style seals good for 150k mi +
6.2L w/ no AFM and flex fuel.
Paid 83% less than the $86k sticker price last year.

GM is rolling out full EV SUV soon and already has turbo diesel Escalade, Yukon & Tahoe. Do a short term lease to avoid the huge depreciation that’s inevitable on the 2015+ due to the technology jump ready to occur.

I’m sure there’ll be Govt sponsored incentives on the full EV SUVs. Those perks plus the low annual operating costs will make them Irresistible to the initial owners.


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[1Guy]

based on reading this forum AFM and the AC seems to be the persistent issues. How do I tell if the vehicle has the AFM (i'm just a rookie, but I like cars and I am trying to learn)? Or do all 2018s and up have this?

 

[tsuintx]

Or do all 2018s and up have this?

Yes.

AFM issues tend to have been subsiding since 2010 when GM made improvements to the valve covers, so it's not necessarily as big of an concern anymore. Something to keep in mind, for sure. The AC condenser issue was also pretty much solved with design change by 2016, so you should be okay with 18+ trucks.

I don't have any experience about the 10-speed, but from what I've read, it's improved version of the 8-speed which did have some issues.

 

[Miami-Dade]

based on reading this forum AFM and the AC seems to be the persistent issues. How do I tell if the vehicle has the AFM (i'm just a rookie, but I like cars and I am trying to learn)? Or do all 2018s and up have this?

My 5.3 2016 LT has 99K miles and so far just A/C Condenser which went belly up at 80K miles. AFM is still enabled and works seamlessly. Uses zero oil between the 5K mile service. The rest is just plain old regular maintenance.

Make sure you get ALL service records and if possible have a independent mechanic [or a mobile mechanic] check it out from top to bottom just to be sure.

 

[Rdr854]

My 5.3 2016 LT has 99K miles and so far just A/C Condenser which went belly up at 80K miles. AFM is still enabled and works seamlessly. Uses zero oil between the 5K mile service. The rest is just plain old regular maintenance.

Make sure you get ALL service records and if possible have a independent mechanic [or a mobile mechanic] check it out from top to bottom just to be sure.

Of the roughly 100K miles, how many are long-term highway miles? My recollection is that you travel frequently between FL and NY.

 

[Miami-Dade]

Of the roughly 100K miles, how many are long-term highway miles? My recollection is that you travel frequently between FL and NY.

I did travel frequently to NYC until Covid hit. Have not made a trip since 12/2019. Plan on going back to making those trips starting sometime late spring or before. Might try to find a sublet in New Jersey for the summer.

I made around 9 runs to NYC from Miami since I bought my Hoe back in 2016. The worst part of the trip on I-95 is Northern Virginia. Each and every time!

Here in South Florida I do both highway and stop and go. I try avoiding short trips if at all possible.