Opinions on models

[wsteele]

I would have to agree on the advice of not buying a salvage title car.

My wife had a Mercedes that she drove for 2+years before it started dropping into limp home mode randomly. It had been dealer serviced since new and it went back to that dealer maybe like 10 times trying to fix it. They changed EVERYTHING trying to fix it. The last time I was in, I asked our regular service advisor if he thought they would be able to fix it? He said, "no, they don't know what is wrong, they won't be able to fix it".

We sent a letter asking for a lemon law return and MBZ NA agreed. Remarkably, they gave us every cent we had paid new for the car. As I was down dropping it off and picking up the check I walked by the car sitting in a corner of service parking and noticed a sign on the windshield. It said, "The car property of MBZ NA, to be sold at auction".

Some poor bloke was going to get the deal of a century on a like new Mercedes SLK with a salvage title and an intermittent EFI problem that Mercedes couldn't fix.

 

[avalonandl]

It was just an fyi guys/gals.
Additional price point info.

 

[Thom114]

Yeah, you're going to need to spend more than $7k if you want a good GMT-900 that isn't going to eat you out of house and home. $15k is that sweet spot where you can find a good used vehicle that still has a lot of life left in it but keep in mind any 10 year old car is hard to find in good shape. You will definitely want to avoid the AFM but especially on the 5.3L. The main problem isn't cam/lifter failure but oil consumption. They used low-tension piston rings to help with fuel economy but the AFM cylinders get hot when they're disabled and caked the oil in the rings and caused oil consumption. If the oil wasn't changed often or they always used crap oil and filters that just accelerates things. My uncle bought his 08 1500 brand new and we never let the oil go more than 5k miles and it still started using at 8k and got so bad by 125k that we replaced the pistons and deleted the AFM at the same time.

Anyway, my advice is up your budget to $15k and look for a 2007-2009 Yukon Denali or Escalade and be picky if you're not in a rush. 2009 is the best year but they're very hard to find due to the recession.

Thanks,

Why 2009?

Found this one, but i still would like to find lower mileage

 

[intheburbs]

Frankly, with a $7k budget, I believe you'd be better off looking 2004-2006, the last half of the GMT800.

Any GMT900 that's $7k is going to be a high-mileage money pit.

My best friend's son just went through this. He had a $10k budget and wanted a GMT900 Burb. During his search, he stumbled onto an ex-FBI 2500 with 150k miles for $15k. He called/texted me with questions and I actually drove over and test drove it with him. Great truck - if I was looking at the time, I'd have bought it.

Well, with tax and fees, it was a little too high, so the kid walked away and kept looking. He found, and bought, a 2010 1500 Burb with 156k, $10k, and the seller was a mechanic and said it was "in great shape." Starter died two days later, then the engine had low oil pressure, a myriad of other issues followed.

$3k and 3 weeks in the shop later and he's selling it to get a Silverado. Moral of the story - avoid low-price high-mileage trucks.

Find a 2004-2006,100-125k miles, and that will serve you better than a higher-mileage newer truck.

Just my two cents.

 

[kbuskill]

Thanks,

Why 2009?

Found this one, but i still would like to find lower mileage

View attachment 272620 View attachment 272621

With the 4.8l you could slap a snail on it and probably be ok. The 4.8s do well with some boost. Without it you may feel like the power is lacking.

 

[George B]

Frankly, with a $7k budget, I believe you'd be better off looking 2004-2006, the last half of the GMT800.

Any GMT900 that's $7k is going to be a high-mileage money pit.

My best friend's son just went through this. He had a $10k budget and wanted a GMT900 Burb. During his search, he stumbled onto an ex-FBI 2500 with 150k miles for $15k. He called/texted me with questions and I actually drove over and test drove it with him. Great truck - if I was looking at the time, I'd have bought it.

Well, with tax and fees, it was a little too high, so the kid walked away and kept looking. He found, and bought, a 2010 1500 Burb with 156k, $10k, and the seller was a mechanic and said it was "in great shape." Starter died two days later, then the engine had low oil pressure, a myriad of other issues followed.

$3k and 3 weeks in the shop later and he's selling it to get a Silverado. Moral of the story - avoid low-price high-mileage trucks.

Find a 2004-2006,100-125k miles, and that will serve you better than a higher-mileage newer truck.

Just my two cents.

^this^

 

[avalonandl]

A Yukon with a 4.8, wow thats 5k lbs empty.....that engine will be running hard to push it around.

 

[Big Mama]

Also sounds like you’d be better served with a suburban or Yukon XL if you have 6 folks and gear. The 3rd row in the shorter model takes up most of the storage area and isn’t that comfortable. We rarely use the 3rd row.

 

[Thom114]

Thanks guys ...This one also... how do i figure which year and models have the AFM

 

[Thom114]

Any opinions on this one, 6.0..i think i am leaning toward the PPVs