Surprise! Two diesel orders are on their way to me

[bunky319]

Hello all. Haven't been on here much but thought I would post an update.

Back in August of last year I put in an order for a Yukon XL SLT. Options were diesel engine, SLT Luxury package and Max Tow. But since I wasn't getting any real communication from this dealer (I was working with the fleet manager) and it seemed like they were never getting diesel allocations, I gave up and moved on to a larger dealer. No deposit was required so easy to move on.

Then in mid September I put in an order for a base Denali at the other dealer with a similar config: diesel engine, 2nd row bench seat, Adaptive cruise and Max tow. They allowed me to work directly with the inventory manager so I got regular updates. Less than 2 months later that order was picked up with a TPW of 1/2/2023. Vehicle was produced on 1/6/2023 and is currently being shipped to my city (event status 4200). I had to give them a $1K deposit.

Well to my surprise I got a text today from the SLT salesman saying that my Yukon has been produced and is on its way to me. I had no idea that order even got picked, I hadn't heard from him in over 3 months. I contacted him and told him I had kind of given up and had assumed they would have contacted me before actually submitting the order for production. He said "Well I just enter in the order and after that I don't really follow it. I've probably done 100 orders since then". I did some checking (he gave me the VIN) and it looks to be equipped exactly as I expected. GMC chat tells me it is also at event status 4200 and is actually in my city now.

So I have a bit of a dilemma. I never really planned on both orders produced. While I have a deposit in on the Denali, I could lose that $1K and still probably save over $6K going down to the SLT. While the Denali has a couple nice things, I'm not really sure it is worth over $6K, especially with the economy heading downward. I assume the Denali will depreciate faster than the SLT??

I was kind of thinking I would try to see which one gives me a better trade, etc. and go from there. If there really is over $6K difference in the final numbers, it will be hard to turn down the SLT. Any thoughts or advice?

 

[GoNoGo]

Yup, all things being equal.. the highest trade in value, lowest doc or junk fees would be my approach as well.

Congrats on being one of the fortunate few who have dibs on at-least 1 diesel Yukon


.

 

[StephenPT]

@WalleyeMikeIII has put together a list somewhere on the forum of all the features you get in the Denali trim that aren't on the other trims.

Beyond the unique features of the Denali trim, I think it comes down to as you already mentioned, trade-in value, dealer fees, etc. Also how does the dealer service departments rate relative to one another? Though they shouldn't, I believe most service departments treat you differently if you didn't buy the rig from them.

Purely anecdotal, but I believe the Denali's retain their value better. For people that want all the "features" they set their search criteria to "Denali" and then start looking for a rig. If you're more budget focused you look for SLEs. The SLT kind of gets lost in the middle.

Looking forward to seeing your new rig, which ever you get!

 

[bunky319]

@WalleyeMikeIII has put together a list somewhere on the forum of all the features you get in the Denali trim that aren't on the other trims.

Beyond the unique features of the Denali trim, I think it comes down to as you already mentioned, trade-in value, dealer fees, etc. Also how does the dealer service departments rate relative to one another? Though they shouldn't, I believe most service departments treat you differently if you didn't buy the rig from them.

Purely anecdotal, but I believe the Denali's retain their value better. For people that want all the "features" they set their search criteria to "Denali" and then start looking for a rig. If you're more budget focused you look for SLEs. The SLT kind of gets lost in the middle.

Looking forward to seeing your new rig, which ever you get!

Yeah I think I have that list he put together, it is very helpful. Good comments on the Denali retaining its value, you might be right. I never thought about the service departments but that is definitely a good consideration. I will say that the Denali is at a dealer that is much closer, so I'd probably prefer to go to that one for follow-up visits if I had a choice.

 

[Banks22]

@bunky319 the Denali would hold a higher resale value than the slt, and you should be able to get your $1k deposit back, illegal to keep that if you back out of vehicle unless there was something u signed

 

[DuraYuk]

Yeah I think I have that list he put together, it is very helpful. Good comments on the Denali retaining its value, you might be right. I never thought about the service departments but that is definitely a good consideration. I will say that the Denali is at a dealer that is much closer, so I'd probably prefer to go to that one for follow-up visits if I had a choice.

It depends on how long you keep it. As they get older that value spread between Denali and slt decreases. Doubt you get 6k more for a Denali that's 10 years old for example.

 

[B-train]

@DuraYuk. I agree. From what I've seen over the years is that the more expensive the vehicle is up front, the more of a beating people take. Use an Escalade Platinum for example. In the short term you will get a better return.

Once the next "new" body style comes our, then the depreciation really starts to kick in and the spread becomes much less. Once you get to the age where your average Joe wants a used car, the Denali badge is a nice addition, not as much of a dictation.

There are certain years where the drive train warrants better resale, but in your case both being diesel should help. In my opinion, the badges and a few little electronics isn't worth 6k to me.

 

[Stbentoak]

ALL vehicles lose a ton of value in 6+ years. The question is what use and enjoyment did you get out of them in those 6 years? I'm not wasting 6 years of my life in a stripped-down vehicle that was "A better value" over a few thousand of residual value. People are all caught up in "Saving" their vehicle and "What it's worth in the end" just so the next buyer can get all the good out of your efforts.
When you buy a vehicle I'm done with, you can be sure it was well cared for, but it will definitely be "Used" and I can say I enjoyed every feature I paid for...

 

[bunky319]

Thanks guys...At this point I'll probably be focusing more on the Denali. The wife likes it a little more and I'm hoping having that other vehicle available will help in my final negotiations. For example, the Denali dealer agreed to Supplier pricing, but then wanted me to pay $2K in dealer adds like window tint, blah blah. With this SLT available hopefully I can tell them to take a hike on money grab.

 

[DuraYuk]

ALL vehicles lose a ton of value in 6+ years. The question is what use and enjoyment did you get out of them in those 6 years? I'm not wasting 6 years of my life in a stripped-down vehicle that was "A better value" over a few thousand of residual value. People are all caught up in "Saving" their vehicle and "What it's worth in the end" just so the next buyer can get all the good out of your efforts.
When you buy a vehicle I'm done with, you can be sure it was well cared for, but it will definitely be "Used" and I can say I enjoyed every feature I paid for...

Yeah no doubt but a Slt with luxury/premium package doesn't give up much to the denali except tons of money and a different dash layout and that so so chrome grill.