Looking to jump into a Yukon XL

[adventurenali92]

Not every denali came optioned with a sunroof and nav in 2007. Many I looked @ that were early 2007 models and even some 2008 models didn't. I think after 2008 was when nav and sunroof were made standard across all Denali models.

 

[MichaelSE]

Interesting, thanks for the info. I guess that one was bought by someone who just wanted to tow/haul stuff fast as sh*t and didn't care about the frills

 

[optimusprime]

So I went and looked at the Denali today. I wasn't really blown away. All the electrical outlet covers were broken off, the second row leather seats were cracking pretty badly and looked very worn. The outside was near flawless, however. I also noticed a pretty substantial amount of rust on the under carriage as well. Anyone else notice this with their Yukons? Even the drive shaft was completely covered in rust. I believe the front shocks may be getting bad as well since when I turned into the parking lot the front made a pretty loud creek/squeel. I have provided a link to a video I made of the engine compartment. If you listen very carefully, I believe you can hear a slight squeel coming from the engine. I have no idea right now what it might be. Anyone experience these issues with the NNBS Denalis?

 

[adventurenali92]

That's why the dealer didnt post photos of the interior online. Leather cracking in the second row means previous owner probably had kids and didn't have it detailed often and leather maintained. That's a bummer. You can get new seats, not cheap but can get them on eBay for decent deals, and I've seen seats on here being sold by other members for great deals if you want to go that route. However replacing those plastic interior covers is easy. You can get them on eBay for cheap. Rust will always be an issue in states where salt is used in the winter time. I didn't hear any unusual noises in the engine video. My 2006 had a pretty noticeable squeak coming from the engine compartment. Turns out a bearing in the tensioner pulley on the forward belt was bad making the squeak. Pully was like 20 bucks from Napa. Fixed the squeak and the job was easy. If that's what's causing the squeak you're bearing than that's not a big deal. Or it could be a belt. But shocks are definitely an issue with these vehicles. Replacing them is not terrible especially front shocks. Buying,s used vehicle means getting the issues someone else didn't want to deal with. Shocks doesn't surprise me and leather doesn't surprise me and those are issues of be willing to fix I were buying that Denali. And I would definitely be interested in it with that low of miles and price tag. Take it for a test drive and if you have a mechanic that you trust near by take it there and have that mechanic look over it. If there's not major engine or transmission issues that I would say it's worth it for that price tag given the things you brought up.

 

[MichaelSE]

These frames seem to rust easily - my 09 LTZ had some frame rust, driveshaft rust, steering knuckle rust, etc. It wasn't even in a terribly snowy, salty area - PO lived in southern Utah. All surface rust fortunately, and some day I plan to get underneath with a wire wheel, knock the rust off, and put on some undercoating.

Like Bigbeard said, you can get the 12v covers cheap on Ebay. This is another common problem, along with the HVAC buttons rubbing off. I bet the dealer will knock off $100-200 for this if you mention it and you can probably replace all the covers for under $30.

To reupholster leather you're talking big money, but leather seat covers can run anywhere from $100-350 (per row) depending on quality. It looks like the cracks haven't turned into full on rips yet, so that's good, and if I owned it I would definitely condition the leather and then put a cover over it.

Mine also developed a squeak 1000 miles after I bought it. Turned out to be the belt (but I did replace the tensioner and idler pullies first chasing it).

The price is right, and I say if you can deal with not having Nav, moonroof, bluetooth, and cooled seats it would be a good buy.

 

[OneTwo]

The Denali you looked at was bought new from that dealership and serviced there it's entire life, according to CarFax. This is typically a very good thing and you might be able to ask someone in the service department about what kind of condition the previous owner kept it in. There's no guaranteeing they won't just lie and say "Absolutely perfect, little old lady only drove it to church and had it detailed weekly" just to help out their sales department, but it might be worth a shot.

Also according to CarFax, the front shock absorbers were replaced on 6/30/16, so unless they were installed incorrectly, the squeak is another issue (or just a symptom of being a 9 year old, 90,000 mile SUV).

 

[adventurenali92]

I bought bottom cushions for both my front captains chairs on my 2006. Got em for $150 each in eBay and did them myself. Both were starting to tear. Both seat cushions took me about an hour to replace all together. Leather cushions are fairly easy to replace if you want to do them yourself. So that issue wouldn't scare me off from this vehicle.

 

[optimusprime]

So the rust in the engine compartment isn't an issue?